Fig III: Benefits for athletes through social media marketing - Socentic Sports (C. Herberth & C. Utz) ©socentic

Form brand (+ logo, homepage etc.)
Use social media to build and develop your brand. Of course, logo, homepage, etc. play an important role here - you should also use that. However, this is only the self-image of a brand. However, the decisive factor is the radiance of all characteristics according to the success factors - including consistency, recognition value - of a brand, which create the external image of the brand. The strength of a brand depends on the intensity of the correspondence between self-image and external image. Therefore, the ultimate goal is to develop the self-image and external image as a self-contained and contradiction-free whole and unity of characteristics. (according to Lasslop) Social media is excellently suited for this. Everything can be controlled by oneself. The athlete and his strategy decide for themselves how successful the brand is and what kind of radiance it can acquire. A second leg to stand on during and after the career. A company of one's own. Isn't that something worth striving for?

Attract new sponsors
Professional social media marketing increases awareness and thus public interest. For sponsors, social media plays a decisive role in a potential collaboration. Professionalism is essential to ensure that the company's placement on your social media channels is appropriate and goal-oriented for both parties. New sponsorship agreements create a new source of revenue. Nowadays, companies analyze exactly how good and suitable the followers are. Are they genuine? Do they fit the company and their target group? How big are the overlap values of the matching target group? All of this has an impact on the number and amount of sponsorship deals. Therefore, it is crucial how good the quality of your own followers is.

Retain existing sponsors
Through a strategically continuously growing reach, the probability of a long-term partnership with potentially improved contract conditions increases. Consequently, a lasting and sustainable collaboration with increasing added value for both sides is created. Everyone wins.

Increase market value
It's no secret that social media plays a not insignificant role for clubs these days. As an athlete, you present the club to the outside world, thus also on your social channels. You have an influence on the brand of the club. For companies, this is referred to as the employer brand, or employer branding. If the accounts are managed professionally with a clear strategy and a large fan base, greater added value is created for the club and for sponsors. The digital profit this creates will be taken into account in contract and transfer negotiations, ultimately enabling a more lucrative contract. We shouldn't leave that lying around on the street.

Gain new fans/followers
A large and loyal fan base is the cornerstone for long-term brand building and retention. You need to take a strategic approach to be successful with social media. This includes understanding the target audience and identifying their needs. Determine for yourself what added value to offer fans. With authentic and interesting content, we continuously gain fans/followers and retain them in the long term. Why? Because the fans build an emotional bond.

Build strong fan relationships
Building an ever-growing fan community is not the only crucial factor for sustainable branding. The fan should feel comfortable through open and honest communication on the channels. The closer a person is, the greater the emotional connection and sustainable relationship will be. Where else can you get so close to a person who might even respond? Fans are part of the soccer product. They embody it. They play on your team. Nurture that relationship and we can create great things together.

Use the extensive potential of targeted social media marketing. Create added value for your fans. For your brand. Your market value. Your success.