Growing up in the 70s, my options to attend a concert or sports event were limited to only two, either in person or on TV. If you attended in person, you could buy merchandise from the stands, provided you got lucky and beat the rush.
At that time, if someone came and told me that we may one day be able to enjoy watching, buying merchandise, and even directly interacting with our favorite musicians or athletes from the comfort of our homes, I’d call them a fool or a drug addict.
Joke’s on me because we now can. Digital technologies and platforms have created many new ways for the sports and music industries to transform the fan engagement experience. In this article, we’ll explore how this shift occurred and how businesses can make the most of it by taking a thorough look at the factors below:
Tools and Platforms Making Digital Fan Engagement Possible
How Brands Foster Digital Fan Engagement
Digital Fan Engagement
Let’s begin!
Fan Experience Technology – The Tools and Platforms Making Digital Fan Engagement Possible
At the heart of this new form of fan engagement are a range of platforms and advanced technologies. This section will help you understand what they are and what they bring to the table. Doing so will also help you better understand how businesses are using them, which will be explored further on.
- The Internet – Making Connectivity Seamless and Borderless
The internet was once a luxury; today, it is more easily available than finding your favorite soda. Even if we take a look at just the US, there are a ton of reliable internet providers, like Spectrum, for example, that offer nationwide coverage.
And this coverage is not only limited to home internet plans, you have mobile plans as well as nationwide hotspots. With all these options, who wouldn’t be online all the time? I know I would. This constant connectivity that the internet provides is the foundation for all other tools and platforms shared ahead.
Another major role the internet has played for the sports and music industries is expanding and diversifying their audiences and revenue streams by eliminating physical, geographical, and financial barriers. There are 8.9 billion people on God’s green Earth, and as long as they have an internet connection, they’re all potential fans.
- Social Media Fan Engagement – Direct and Real-Time Interactions
Ah, yes, social media, where we all can share opinions and create moments with our favorite stars and other fans. Social media helps create digital fan engagement through building a community where real-time interactions and engaging content thrive.
You’ve got platforms like the G.O.A.T Facebook with groups and pages dedicated to anything from a show, movie, character, or person, and the rising rockstar TikTok, where fans can pay tributes to players or artists by reenacting their skills or moves, or participating in challenges.
Oh, and let’s not forget Twitter, where fans can stay updated on real-time events, engage in real-time discussions, and provide real-time fan feedback, and Instagram, where fans can enjoy interactive polls and quizzes, or behind-the-scenes videos.
You may be wondering, sure, social media is great for fans to interact with each other and view or create content, but no celebrity is ever going to respond. Well, I wouldn’t bet on that. Sure, they’re not going to respond to everyone, but there are many funny and heartwarming examples of celebrities responding to fans online, like Taylor Swift appreciating a fan letter and, of course, Ryan Reynolds commenting on a guy’s photoshop skills. Don’t know how anyone can hate him!
By providing a platform to connect fans with each other and with celebrities, social media makes communication between both sides easier. Another thing it adds is the element of relatability. Celebrities are human, too, after all, and sharing feelings, opinions, or jokes online helps people realize that and keep the engagement alive.
- AR/VR in Fan Experiences – Adding Immersion and Accessibility to The Mix
Augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have been game changers for digital fan engagement by bringing immersion and accessibility into the mix. Let’s explore both these technologies in more detail, starting with VR.
With virtual reality, you can overcome physical, financial, and geographical barriers, which makes events more accessible for everyone, everywhere. Can’t travel to an event? Catch it on VR. Tickets too expensive? Catch it on VR. Live in another country? Catch it on VR.
Additionally, the very nature of virtual reality is highly immersive. It can easily give you an accurate front row seat experience of a concert or game. The French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain has begun to play around with the technology. This experience is not limited to just the event itself; it can also be used to maintain engagement using other applications such as games.
Now to the other contender, augmented reality. How augmented reality works is by letting you overlap digital elements into the real world, remember Pokémon Go? For example, let’s say you’re watching a basketball game, but you have no clue who a certain player is or what their career has been like. With AR, you can access information like the player’s performance history, achievements, and more in real-time, even during live broadcasts.
- Mobile Apps for Fans – Convenience at Each Step
There’s an app for almost everything now, and I’m all for it. Such apps offer a lot of exciting opportunities to encourage digital fan engagement. Whether you’re looking to track upcoming events, buy tickets and merchandise, watch content, or play games, apps can do it all.
Back in my day, you had to go buy tickets from a certain place. As if that wasn’t tiring enough, you would often have to stand in a long line for a long time, maybe even the whole night. Thank God for mobile apps, right? Now it’s just a matter of a few clicks wherever you may be. You can even catch events live using apps like Peacock, Hulu, Fubo, or ESPN+.
As a gamer myself, one of the ways I really enjoy mobile apps being used to keep digital fan engagement alive is through games. A lot of sports organizations partner with major gaming brands like EA Sports to create games like FIFA (my son’s favorite). There are also apps like Cameo to get your loved ones wishes on their special days from a range of celebrities.
That about covers the most common platforms and technologies being used for digital fan engagement, now it’s time to step into how brands are using it. Let’s find out in the next section.
How Brands Foster Digital Fan Engagement
It all eventually boils down to 3 words: convenience, data, and personalization. If that flew right over your head, don’t worry, I’m going to break it down for you.
Businesses today need to play it smart and focus on their audience’s needs and preferences. How? Through data and artificial intelligence. Social media platforms, apps, and games all collect our data using AI algorithms. Businesses can use this data to fuel digital fan engagement using the steps below:
- Create Data-driven Engagement Strategies
- Enable AI Personalization for Fans
- Arrange Virtual Meet-and-Greets
- Livestream Fan Events
Let’s explore each of these aspects in more detail.
- Data-driven Engagement Strategies
Each time we fill out a form on a website, like a social media post, or use an app, that’s data we’re providing these platforms about our preferences, interests, and needs. Businesses use this data to understand us and create strategies to reach and engage us more effectively and relevantly, increasing the chances of us engaging with them.
AI Personalization for Fans
This is what powers the creation of data-driven engagement strategies. AI-based algorithms are constantly learning and delivering on what we like and want to personalize our experience, and keep digital fan engagement booming. Netflix is a great example of this. You may have noticed how the type of content you watch more is the type of content you’re recommended more, that’s what personalization is.
- Virtual Meet-and-Greets
It’s much easier to interact with a player or musician online than it is to push through a ton of people and barely make it in time for an autograph. Virtual meet-and-greets are also not limited to a certain place. Fans from anywhere can interact with celebrities, allowing businesses to easily tap into new markets, expand their customer base, and grow their revenues.
- Livestream Fan Events
Nowadays, fans want to see the human side of big organizations. They want to see actual heartfelt interactions, explore the struggles of players, or see a child’s wishes being fulfilled. Sports organizations can share such moments with the entire world and encourage people to actively participate in events and become part of a well-knit community.
Digital Fan Engagement – A Recipe for Success in A Digital First World
As audiences become more digitally savvy, their demand for personalized digital experiences increases. This will push businesses to continuously use technologies and platforms like the ones shared earlier to create and execute personalized digital fan engagement strategies.
By allowing fans to connect with celebrities on social media in real time, immerse themselves in personalized AR and VR experiences, or enjoy gaming and streaming, businesses can create actively engaged communities and master the recipe for success in a digital-first world.