The energy and enthusiasm revolving around sports events largely drive OTT platforms owners and online streamers to venture into this particular genre of entertainment. If you own a sports website or broadcast sports programs on online platforms, tuning your audience together looks far from easy! While your fans would already have social media feeds, one question would keep pressing you – what’s more?
While you might have figured out some strategies like providing statistics and recaps, there are several other methods you can use to bring the sports bar vibe to your website’s audience. In this article, the experts at Viafoura have outlined specific strategies that you can use to capture the same energy within your content offerings.
Broadcasting Sports Events In Real-Time
In an age when fans have several channels to access sports events, broadcasters can find it challenging to keep them engaged. OTT platforms and social media cater to their specific sports requirements. For real results, your best bet is to seek professional assistance in leveraging the benefits of visual media and keeping your audience engaged.
While broadcasting sports events in real-time, you need to update the fans on any updates and changes. This includes league announcements, contracts, player signings, and much more.
You should also look for the opportunity to provide your audience with the chance to engage with teams through contests. At the same time, OTT platforms and sports websites should highlight events and news related to teams.
This is one of the most viable means you can use to incorporate the sports bar vibe into your online audience. But this also requires a lot of work to keep up and running, as we’ve outlined below.
Bring The Sports Bar Vibe To Your Online Audience: How Does Analytics Matter?
Experienced audience managers deploy advanced tools and analytics software to evaluate the user experience. Statistics reveal that 67% of users are using Twitter over other platforms to leverage their sporting experience. Moreover, OTT platforms and sports websites also make use of sophisticated tools and analytics. This lets them detect how users interact and stay engaged with sports content.
A research-oriented approach can go a long way in enhancing engagement. Experienced professionals are adept in studying industry trends, and accordingly adjust their content strategies to take advantage of them.
How To Engage Your Online Audience To Deliver The Sports Bar Vibe?
Here are some ways you can engage your online audience to deliver a sport’s bar vibe:
1. Generating Unique Video Ideas
Sports fans are very involved with social and digital content. This can make it more difficult for you to develop appealing and unique content to engage your audience. You also need experienced content creators to blend in your unique brand image into the content to deliver an experience that makes your brand worth remembering.
When it comes to sports content, video format tends to be more impactful. With customized visuals, you can mold your brand message and foster the necessary excitement about specific events. Original videos are bound to outperform those that other OTT platforms would generate. Most importantly, videos enjoy higher shareability, so you need to think beyond static texts and images to spread the word.
For instance, sports websites and OTT platforms might come up with player interviews, best moments, countdowns, and live streams. Along with this, you can chip in with announcements and fan testimonials.
2. Integrate Live Chat Features
Have you considered developing an interactive forum or platform for your fans where they would enjoy a live chat during the sports events? This can infuse your OTT platform with a sufficient dose of excitement. Simply let the users enjoy real-time engagement with each other as they watch the game being streamed live.
You can choose from a variety of chat features that suit your website or OTT platform. Some of these chat tools also support sharing text, videos, and files in other formats.
3. Live Blogging Sports Events
Given that live blogging has proven to be one of the most effective means of engaging fans, you shouldn’t miss out on this mechanism when it comes to sports events. You have endless possibilities with live blogging features. Your respondents should enjoy the freedom to blog in real-time, and in the process, cover sports events.
Besides, you can make some sporting moments evergreen by aptly sharing the same on social media. This would continue to boost your engagement even after the event is over.
For instance, you can live blog relevant news about the popular teams to boost engagement. At the same time, you can cover up an ongoing story about a sportsperson who has been bracing up for something big. All these pieces of information go a long way in leveraging engagement.
4. Enable Moderation
Sports events generate excitement, and sometimes the heat might cross its limits! This explains why reputed sports websites and OTT platforms have moderators to prevent online brawls.
With professional support, you can devise a mechanism that prevents banned words from being used on your platform. Moreover, your staff can help you maintain the community guidelines. This ensures that your platform won’t be losing its sports spirit or enthusiasm if certain fans start attacking others.
5. Quizzes, Competitions, And Polls
If you’re looking to infuse a unique, sports bar vibe to your online audience, you can’t miss out on competitions, polls, and quizzes. This strategy opens up the doors to feedback and audience responses, which can be huge when it comes to understanding the reception your platform is getting.
With fresh technologies like immersive communications and VR gaining popularity, you have access to new tools to engage your fans. At the same time, live streaming conversations with popular sports personnel can also be an effective engagement tool.
Endnote
While it’s imperative to keep experimenting with newer content formats, you also can’t ignore the human approach to growing your platform. Experienced digital marketers make it a point to post sports highlights throughout the length of the game, and provide a concise visual recap of each event. Handling event coverage like this can be challenging for a single person, so make sure to prepare a team that’s ready to handle the workload.
It’s no surprise that the most successful OTT platforms and sports websites make use of the strategies we’ve outlined in this article. You, too, can leverage advanced tools and techniques to make the most in the digitized world. Consult with your marketing team and expand your fan base consistently with professional support within your budget.
