Instagram Sports Marketing Trends in 2021

Social media is a powerful medium to promote a business online?with over 3.6 billion people worldwide reportedly having social accounts today. This makes the channel an excellent place to introduce a product or service to a broad audience.?

Whether you’re in an F&B, fashion, or sports industry, you can make good use of social media platforms to attract more and more audience and improve sales.?

When used properly, social media platforms can also help you grow your sport business’ performance seamlessly. You can use popular social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, to run the marketing campaign in an entertaining and engaging way. 

Since the sports industry has a vast market with a broad niche, you can reach a wider audience interested in sports activity in general. However, if you produce a specific sports item for one category, you may need advanced sports marketing strategy to market your product to the right audience.

What is sports marketing, and why should you care?

Sports marketing is promoting a sport and fitness-related product of your brand using a marketing strategy. There are many types of marketing strategies you can incorporate into your business.  

One of the most popular ways is a content marketing strategy which includes utilizing visual content, like explainer videos, to your social media post. Since social media platforms have a huge impact on generating leads, making visually appealing content will help you market your product seamlessly.?

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. Firstly designed for sharing user-generated images, now this platform is the gold mine of every online business. 

Having a social presence on Instagram is now considered essential for businesses in building an audience from scratch. The platform allows you to showcase beautiful images that display your sports items clearly. When you’ve made a well-maintained Instagram page, you’ll attract more audiences to consider using your products. 

Sports marketing trend on Instagram you should know

With so many trends on social media constantly changing, you need to figure out what sports marketing tricks will get attention for the next campaign. The following are sports marketing trends you need to keep an eye on to make sure you are staying ahead of your Instagram sports marketing campaign.  

1. Women in sports

Men used to dominate the sports category for over decades. However, as people become more aware of women athletes and women working in the sports industry, representation is key to reach out to a broader audience. The representation also helps the women community to be more active in sports without being left out. 

This trend is unlikely to go away anytime soon. In contrast, it will grow stronger as more women are to be included in sports commercials, such as North Face with its “She Moves Mountains” campaign.

2. Influencer approaches

Instagram is probably the first platform to come up with the idea of influencers. Having social influencers promoting your brand can significantly bring an impact, especially in building trust from the audience. 

That’s why it’s important to note that you need to filter social media influencers. When you’ve chosen the right people to represent your brand, you’ll acquire and generate leads that fit your business.  

Social media influencers allow you to connect and engage with their native audience. That way, you’ll gain more leads that are beyond your reach. 

3. eSports

Today, it’s estimated that there are over 234 million eSports enthusiasts worldwide. This number is expected to grow exponentially and will reach 285 million people in 2024.?

With this huge number, you know that there’s a big opportunity in this particular sports category. Therefore, the sports industry is now carefully developing eSports to fit the market.   

Consider infusing the eSports category to your product detail. Since people are already familiar with this genre, having eSports items will catch more attention. 

4. Augmented and virtual reality

Augmented and virtual reality allows you to improve campaign experience to the next level. For the eSports category, using AR and VR technology is already a common practice. 

If you want to capture attention from a broader audience, you need to start using this technology. Take a look at the Red Bull Formula 1 team that implements this tactic to generate views. Fans who are interested in both sports-related fields and eSports, in general, will anticipate this type of marketing strategy as it looks not-so-mainstream from the very first place. 

5. Cause marketing 

Last but not least, the sports marketing trend is nothing without a cause movement. This is later called cause marketing, a tactic using the voice of activists, famous personalities, or celebrities to raise urgent and important issues. 

Most likely, a cause marketing is linked to a corporate social responsibility (CSR) that helps the brand improve corporate branding through captivating storytelling. 

With cause marketing, you’ll gain more trust from your target audience and collectively drive more people to get into your brand journey. Using this marketing strategy is beneficial for you, especially if you’re new to the market and aiming to build a strong audience from the ground. 

Wrapping Up

Sports marketing is just another form of marketing strategy where you utilize every marketing element to improve your sports business. Since people are online almost 24/7 on social media, it’s essential to use social platforms to promote your brand. 

Running a marketing campaign on Instagram can be tricky sometimes. Since content and posts are constantly changing over time, you need to keep up with the current update to make your campaign relevant to the audience. 

The list above will help figure out the most important and popular sports marketing trend you can recreate on Instagram. 

Author

Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).?

Donna

As the editor of the blog, She curate insightful content that sparks curiosity and fosters learning. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, she strive to bring diverse perspectives and engaging narratives to readers, ensuring every piece informs, inspires, and enriches.