The World Cup of Social Media

The World Cup of Social Media

8th July 2014. A day to remember. Why? The unstoppable movement that was #freedoughballday took Twitter by storm. @PizzaExpress launched a campaign on the back of arguably the most topical of current affairs – the World Cup – and dished out free doughballs across the UK. The event generated immense engagement and interest (particularly from the Tuminds team!)

However Pizza Express was not alone in their wisdom. Over the course of the World Cup, advertisers spent millions on social media campaigns linked to the TV-based event. A variety of organisations joined the online conversation across a multitude of platforms to engage with customers and prospects, many of whom use their smartphones or tablets as an intrinsic part of the football experience.

The success of posts and tweets, both sponsored and organic, was considerable for many. Campaigns linked to the World Cup received up to 10x more engagement than the average social media campaign. So what can we learn from the World Cup of Social Media?

Be active
During major events, such as the World Cup, keep your social media profiles as active as possible. Watching the game? Post about it. Supporting your favourite team? Post about it (especially if it is Holland!) Join in the conversation by retweeting and sharing relevant posts from your colleagues and customers.

Use hashtags
#freedoughballday got scores of people talking. Use your own hashtags if you are running a specific event or campaign, and/or use those being used by the whole Twittersphere – especially if they are trending! This helps to really boost your visibility in a particular online conversation. #WorldCupFinal is still trending, and the game finished hours ago!

Get creative
Could you run something as creative as #freedoughballday and link it to a major event? How about the Commonwealth Games or Ryder Cup? It is the perfect opportunity to generate some PR and take your place on a national or international stage.

For more information or support to use social media for your own event, contact the Tuminds team.
[email protected]
01463 513965