Is social media a must for clubs these days?

Thomas Fuchs: Social media manager and expert on the world of clubs and associations

Thommy studied sports journalism at the Sport University in Cologne and managed the website and social media channels of his badminton club during his studies. This involvement led him to a start-up where he was responsible for product marketing on social networks. He later moved to the European Badminton Association in Copenhagen, where he worked as a community and social media manager. Today, Thommy is press spokesman for the German Badminton Association and manages the social media channels of a Japanese sporting goods manufacturer.

Before you start: Define goals and target group

When clubs start posting on social networks, their thoughts often first turn to the choice of platform or content strategy, i.e. what content should be posted. But first of all, it should be clearly formulated what goals the club wants to achieve with its presence on social networks. For Thommy, these are the crucial questions:

• What do we want to achieve with it and what content focus do we want to set?
• Is it about gaining new members? 
• Is it about attention or awareness? 
• Should the first team get more exposure through reporting? 
• Do I want to reach sponsors? 
• Or do we want to motivate the kids to stick with it and make the first team?

The right social media platform for clubs

When it comes to member acquisition, platforms should be selected where the relevant target groups are located. For very young people, this will mainly be TikTok. If the parents of children are to be addressed, Instagram and Facebook are probably the better choice. If the aim is to attract members in all age groups, using two platforms is probably the best solution. ‘Instagram is no longer the classic photo platform it used to be. There is now also a lot of video content there. TikTok, on the other hand, is very popular with young people. You can actually use both platforms in parallel with photos and videos and have a solid overlap,’ says social media expert Thommy. The platforms clearly define which users are on them. This means that using both networks in parallel is particularly helpful when it comes to gaining new members.

Expert tip: It's tempting to use five or six platforms at once in order to achieve even more attention and success. But this also requires appropriate resources. As a club, concentrate on the constant support of two to three platforms before things come to a standstill after a few weeks.

Content strategy: What content works well for clubs?

Matchday highlights, reporting, behind-the-scenes videos, interviews: There are many ideas for good club content. However, good content is of little use on social networks if there is no consistency in posting. ‘Regularity is an important criterion, and matchday announcements, results posts and highlights help to give the whole thing a framework,’ says Social Media Manager Thommy. 

Basically, it's about creating a framework and posting articles that have a recognisable value. This can be supplemented with calls to come to the match day or with video material (short interviews before the game or video of the players arriving). It is important that there is a fixed construct with content before different content is posted. Exceptional content is of course always the goal. However, classic posts are the basis and creative contributions should be seen as an ad on. 

Expert tip: Don't set yourself the goal of growing the channel in a short space of time. This requires a lot of continuity and also includes complex algorithm topics. Initial visibility and long-term development are usually more promising.

Cross-team content for clubs

Large or medium-sized clubs in particular represent more than just a successful first team and want to show this on social networks. However, this content does not necessarily appeal to younger people. ‘The matchday content provides a framework, but this doesn't necessarily lead to young people thinking that they're having a cool time with a cool team at the club,’ says Thommy. This is where more creative contributions are needed: ‘Highlights from the team trip, the training camp or photos of a tournament success are more likely to convey that the team is doing cool things, that there is a good atmosphere and that you really want to be there,’ says the trained sports journalist.

Content strategy for clubs at a glance: Ideas for your contributions

• Matchday announcements
• Calls to come to the matchday
• Results posts
• Match reports and highlights from the matchday
• Behind the Scenes Content 
• Short interviews or videos 
• Tournament successes, highlights from the training camp
• Team trips, player presentations, training formats

Would you like to read the full interview with Social Media Manager Thomas Fuchs? Click here for the article!

Structure: How does an association organise the use of social networks?

‘You need two or three people from the club who are really up for it and are open to investing time on a constant basis,’ says Thommy. It's important that it doesn't depend on a single person who loses their initial motivation. With two or three people, a club can make up for this if someone has other private commitments. After all, in most clubs it is probably a voluntary commitment. 

As far as cross-team positions are concerned, it is ideal if there is a direct contact person from each team. A person who is close to the team and has a feel for the topic of social media - this could be a player, coach or trainer. It is important that there is a central contact person from the teams because otherwise nobody feels responsible. In the end, nobody does it and the project falls through. 

‘Depending on how experienced the people are and what equipment they use, there will be qualitative differences. That's why it's important to get everyone on board at the beginning and give them some basics,’ confirms the social media manager. Expert tip: Don't force anyone into the role. The more natural the posts are, the better they will be received by viewers. And anyone who feels comfortable with this topic will find it easier to create authentic content. 

Budget: What equipment do you need to run social media?

Firstly, all you need is a smartphone, which most people already have. There are certainly differences in the quality of smartphones, but nobody expects the same quality and perfectly staged videos or photos from a club all the time. ‘If you regularly produce video content, you definitely need an editing programme,’ says Thommy. The free versions already offer a lot here and subscriptions average around 10 euros per month, the expert continues. 

What is definitely needed in the medium term are good microphones, which are particularly important for interviews and videos. ‘Depending on what products you get here, it costs between 100 and 200 euros,’ explains Thommy. 

If the club also wants to post graphics, Canva is probably the best solution as a tool. Here, too, the free service is sufficient to get started. Last but not least, a tool for data transfer is essential. Dropbox is definitely an advantage here. Once the first few months of successful content production have passed, the organisation can consider implementing an online calendar to create a transparent content plan.

The legal situation: What do clubs need to consider when publishing images and videos?

As a general rule, the publication of images and videos requires a written declaration of consent from the persons to be seen. So you can't just go ahead and start posting! If you are just starting out with the topic, it is recommended that you go to the teams and have the declaration of consent signed. In future, you can simplify this process by indicating this on the registration form. 

Worries that something will go wrong with the consent form are largely unfounded: ‘I haven't had any cases like this yet - with adults, everyone usually agrees,’ explains the Spized expert.

And what does the law say about minors? In this case, the parents must consent on behalf of their children and sign the written declaration of consent. At this point, it is not advisable to include the information on the registration forms and the associated general authorisation. Be more sensitive here, approach the parents and explain what this topic is all about. 

Important: Always seek legal advice from an expert, i.e. a lawyer. Find out what other tips and tricks social media manager Thommy Fuchs has in store for you in this full interview!