What Social Media Should Fighters Use?
Social media has become an everyday part of life and business for almost the entire globe. For brands and athletes, it has become a revolutionary way to reach their customers and fans. Never before has it been easier to connect directly and so quickly with so many.
One tweet, one story, one post, one anything and your message is immediately out there and accessible to millions. This is a powerful tool to have in your arsenal and one athletes and fighters need to pay closer attention to.
Working with fighters, I often get asked the question “which social media should I use?” and, in short, my answer is “them all!”
Living in a digital age and short attention spans, long gone are the days of reading traditional news in anticipation of updates on our favourite sports stars. Online is where stars, for the most part, are made now.
Remember this, the likes of Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson grew to their heights of fame without social media but yet were still known around the world. They were household names and it was a combination of their skills, their stories, and their personalities, is what helped captivate audiences.
These days a professional athlete must convey their personality & tell their story on social media and then allow their skill shine through in the arena.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, all provide fighters the platform to tell their story, to create & grow their brand, to engage fans, and build a fanbase. The overall benefit of seriously investing time into your social media is undeniable. The only question now is ‘which social media you should focus on and why?’
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the three main social channels for fighters. These are the bare-minimum and mostly this is all you’ll ever need in terms of social channels.
Facebook & Instagram (both the same company if you didn’t know) are very popular among the younger generation and therefore many feel this is all they need. This is the wrong attitude.
“Instagram is how you want to be seen; Twitter is how you want to be heard” - this is what a social media expert said to me recently.
Twitter is almost the forgotten social channel in MMA & combat sports. It is here that you will connect with ‘MMA Twitter’ - a huge global community of fans & media who are based on this platform.
Each platform has their role in a fighter’s career. Facebook & Instagram will help fighters connect with fans and be an asset for attracting sponsors while Twitter will help a fighter grow their name with local & international media and people in the industry while also helping broadening a fanbase and looking good for potential sponsors.
YouTube is also a good option to consider for fighters and athletes down the line. Creating a channel can help develop a new revenue stream for fighters while also continuing to build onto their existing fanbase and will almost certainly help with attracting sponsors.
Fighters like Chael Sonnen, Myles Jury, Megan Anderson, Aljamain Sterling, and many more have created YouTube channels and started producing content around their interests and lives. It will help build a community of loyal fans and also give you another outlet outside of fighting for potential future growth: for example, Mighty Mouse with his gaming channel on YouTube and Twitch.
Other social channels like TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Tumblr etc. should all be considered too but to make things a little less complicated I would suggest focusing on having Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter, all fully operating before committing to other platforms.
If you’d like any advice on growing your social channels or developing a social media strategy please feel free to reach out to us here.
(Above images copyright of KSW & Sebastian Rudnicki, reproduction without consent is not permitted)
