Last week I shared on Twitter an excellent piece by Jim White from The Telegraph about the way in which Kevin Pietersen single-handedly won the digital battle with the ECB Media team over his continued absence from the England Test team. Long gone are the days when we had to wait for the official press release to know the details of a story, we now expect information on demand and Social Media has made this possible.
Pietersen is one of the modern-day sportsmen who understands the power of Social for building brands and releasing information, he had also amassed a large and vocal community who fight his corner at every opportunity, none more so than in the last few days.
He has been ferocious user of Twitter for some time and has recently taken to the relatively new Periscope platform to broadcast some excellent content.
This example shows that there are still organisations, big and small, who see Social Media outlets as the last link in the digital food chain. There seems to be a perception that these platforms are in some way frivolous as they are used for recreational and entertainment purposes as well as for business and commerce. It is a perception that is very wrong, as I wrote in my recent blog “10 Social Media Myths De-Bunked”, some businesses feel they are above entering the digital arena.
While it has always been said that having a presence on Social channels doesn’t constitute a marketing plan, it forms a very important part of a business strategy. It is a way of getting your content in front of someone who has made a deliberate decision to receive it, or is receiving by way of someone they like and trust. That’s why your social message can be more personal and effective than a newspaper ad or a radio commercial.
Seeing the way in which the media department of an international sporting body were out-thought and out-paced by an individual shows the immense power of social communication. It demonstrates too that a digital presence is now absolutely vital in any form of business.
Why be happy with coming second, especially if the person who came in first totally embarrassed you along the way.
Last week The Telegraph Business of Sport conference took place in London. Among the attendees were representatives of everyone from Uefa, through the Union Cycliste International to the Rugby Football Union, plus many of the corporations which sponsor their sports, including O2, BT and Barclays.
Those governing bodies and their financial benefactors understand the way that Social communication and engagement gives their sports and businesses the chance to get closer to the people who support the teams, love the sport and, the sponsors hope, buy their products. They know that the sporting future is digital.
It will come as no surprise, given the fact that they were still putting their shorts on when Kevin Pietersen had won the race that the ECB were not among those present at the event.
The Endless Enigma 