Social media can get people talking about your sports nutrition brand
Ever since Wheaties first put pictures of athletes on their cereal boxes, famous faces have dominated sport nutrition marketing campaigns. But this type of marketing comes with a big price tag. And we’ve all seen what happens when a brand ties its reputation to an athlete who won’t play by the rules.
The good news is that with the advent of social media, you now have access to millions of dedicated athletes who are ready, willing and able to endorse your brand—usually for free.
Athletes of all levels and from every walk of life have one thing in common: a love of sport.
They join open forum discussions to share tips, insight, and personal stories about their victories and defeats. They are avid Internet researchers who are willing to try new things (like barefoot running shoes), and who are just as quick to share their opinions. They are online right now, and they are talking. If your sports nutrition brand isn’t a part of that conversation, you are missing out.
Here are 4 ways to make social media your hero and get athletes talking about your sports nutrition brand:
Tweets rank high in search results, so news of value will make your sports nutrition brand stand out. Donate product to the Special Olympics. Convince your CFO to accept a cage fighting challenge. I don’t know what your news of value will be, but if you engage other athletes in a viral way, they will twitter about it.
What better way to legitimize your brand’s passion for sports? Those who are already fans of your brand will have a place to interact, and newbies can learn more about your culture. You can post pictures of your employees playing sports along with their scores, stats or victories. Create topics around sporting events or just talk about news in your sports nutrition category. Your brand name will go everywhere that conversation goes.
YouTube
I recently read that YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. Not surprising when you consider how much people love viral videos. As with everything, value is the key. Don’t post commercials! Instead, compile sports bloopers or disseminate a series of expert videos about sports and sports nutrition. Videos rank high in SEO, so it’s a smart way to drive traffic back to your website.
Digg
Athletes and sports fans will use this social news site to discover and share content. If you can create objective news and blog content that is not promotional, it’s a great way to position your company as a thought leader in the sports and sports nutrition arena.
Jessica is a competitive athlete and the President of Energize HNM, a health and nutrition marketing agency. Jessica is committed to supporting health brands of every size by helping them define their missions and connect with their customers on a deeper, more meaningful level.