Social media has grown over the past few years and it is now considered as one of the main forms of communications. Companies are using it to market and strengthen their brands, given the fact that more people are becoming active on various social media channels. Whether you are a decorated sportsman/sportswoman, or your career is at its early stages, you can also take advantage of social media.

Every athlete or Olympian would like to involve their fans and get to connect with them through social media. However, they lack the knowledge that could be crucial in attracting more followers on their respective pages. In that regard, this article has compiled pointers to keep in mind if you want to increase your following on social media platforms. Pick at least one of the points below and try it out today.

Distinguish Your Personal Life From Your Public Life

One big mistake that upcoming sports personalities make is using the same account for both private and public posts. Well, this is quite risky because in case of any controversies, your image will be massively tainted. Of course, nothing is private on social media and it is up to you to ensure that your personal life is kept as personal as possible. So, what should you do? One way of overcoming this problem is by creating two accounts on each social media platform that you’d like to use.

illustration by by Magda Koscianska

For instance, you can have private and professional accounts on Facebook and Twitter. As such, you will have strictly sports social media accounts on which you can post anything related to your professional life. On the other hand, the private accounts will be for you to have fun, without the fear of being judged by the public. You should keep in mind that anything posted on your public pages or handles is subject to scrutiny. Therefore, it is important to keep your messages as professional as you can.

Stories Connect People

You don’t have to be a good storyteller for you to capture the attention of your potential followers. Human brains are designed to love stories, and you could use this to your advantage. Just create simple stories explaining your life in sports and its impact on your daily routine. You can start by telling people how you found yourself in the career you are in now, and whether this has been your dream all along.

Remember, the stories do not have to be epic, but they should be attractive. Whether you are an established figure or at the beginning of your career, you have many people looking up to you. Yes, this is the pressure that comes with fame and you need to handle it effectively. Telling stories about your journey and where you are now could be inspirational to some of your followers, and this might just be the key to your social media success.

What Do You Always Do Behind The Scenes?

Perhaps, this is one of the most common questions asked by fans. You can post whatever happened on the pitch, but this will not have much of an impact since nearly everyone saw you live on their TVs. This is not to say that you should stop this routine; however, adding content from your day-to-day life would be beneficial to your social media success. Again, you don’t have to post your personal life because this could be quite controversial.

Most athletes who have attracted a huge fanbase usually post videos or dreamy photos shot from the training ground or at the airport. The idea here is to show your fans that you are a normal person and you involve yourself in what any other athlete—whether professional or personal--would do. This way, they will not view you as an extraordinary human being from another planet, and that would make it easier for them to connect with their favourite player.

Never Change Your Personality

Many celebrities do not feel confident about their personality traits, like their voice, which, then, pushes them to over-edit their videos or audio files. Well, what the fans want and like is seeing the real you in action. Once you start taking another form, then, that’s where you lose your following on social media. If you have a sense of humor, let it shine and make your followers laugh. Again, do this with a lot of caution because everything posted on social media is subject to public judgement.

Conclusion

Social media is one of the best ways to connect with your fans and let them express their feelings about you. Growing a huge fanbase is every celebrity’s dream, and it all starts from the way you organize yourself. As you look to attract more followers, remember to keep your private and public lives separate to avoid controversies. You can post content from your daily routine, but keep your personal life as private as possible.