Author | Lightnews

Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Sep 24

I’ve just published a new piece on what fans really value – and it’s not just trophies. A study highlights 6 factors: history, community, handling criticism, professionalism, passion & loyalty.

Any club can deliver on these 👉 onlrl.co/tqvshn

What fans value - and how you can deliver it

It's not just about trophies. A strong club brand is built on fan passion and loyalty. A recent study has highlighted six simple ways clubs can strengthen their identities and keep fans coming back.

onlrl.co

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Sep 9

Great example of how to showcase players’ personalities.

Barnsley have stayed away from the typical headshots for something a bit more dynamic.

It makes things feel more human and engaging. And it’s a nice little Easter egg for fans who visit the team pages.

Personality beats polish.

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Aug 21

428 posts. 31.8 million likes. 280k comments.

The Premier League’s opening weekend wasn’t just on the pitch, it was on Instagram too. Liverpool might have led the way with 12.7m likes, but Bournemouth and Sunderland stole the
spotlight on engagement.

Read more 👇

onlrl.co/ceylw6

How Premier League clubs kicked off the season on Instagram

Including the weekend's most popular posts, a post-match interview format you're going to want to steal, and a sprinkling of social media updates.

onlrl.co

Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Jul 19

Did a dive into which clubs grew their Instagram followings the most last season.

The main stand-out is Oxford United. They grew by over 300%, with the main growth happening after the signing of Marselino Ferdinand in the summer window.

Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Apr 1

With the news that Italy’s Serie A now has an official Reddit account, I had a look at what that means and how sports teams have used the platform in the past (spoiler: not very well).

#SportsMarketing | #DigiSport

onlrl.co/qi4yut

Serie A get ahead of the curve with new Reddit partnership

Who will be next?

theonlinerule.com

Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Mar 26

This from @milkkarten.bsky.social’s Link In Bio (fantastic all around) is a really insightful look at what goes on for marketing teams behind the scenes.

It’s around the Super Bowl, so a bit atypical, but fascinating to see the process.

#SportsMarketing

open.substack.com/pub/milkkart...

Day in the Life of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Director of Social Media

Super Bowl LIX, slow elevators, and a Gatorade shower: Julie Bacanskas gives us an hour-by-hour account of the team's big win.

open.substack.com

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Feb 3

As a little bonus, it also introduced me to their monthly magazine. This replaces the traditional programme and covers all of the home games for each specific month.

It's only £5, so is good value, and a lot less labour intensive for smaller marketing teams.

Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Feb 3

Finally, right at the bottom, you can view two additional upcoming fixtures in case you can't make this one. A good way to maximise attention.

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Feb 3

This bit also has travel information and directions to the stadium, as well as a link to the match day services available for disabled supporters.

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Feb 3

After the interviews there's a guide to what's happening in this specific match.

This includes things like box office opening times and what time people can get into the ground.

Clicking the link gives you a lot more info about this specific game, rather than generic details.

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Feb 3

I really like this pre-match email from MK Dons. I think there's a template here that more clubs should follow to ensure their emails are useful.

Firstly, a link through to a written match preview and interviews about this game.

#SportsMarketing | #DigiSport

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Jan 31

A lot of pros are turning to LinkedIn in anticipation of their post-football careers, as well as what’s covered here.

We’ve seen managers like Jesse Marsch start posting, and the likes of Jordan Henderson and Raphael Varane too.

Clubs could be better at it. There’s a lot of untapped potential.

Caoimhe O’Neill @caoimhesport.bsky.social · Jan 31

Hey there, relatively new social media platform. May I interest you in an article about football and LinkedIn?

www.nytimes.com/athletic/608...

LinkedIn: The social media platform footballers are turning to for recruitment and self-expression

For plenty of football players, LinkedIn is the social media platform of choice when it comes to expressing themselves without fear of abuse

www.nytimes.com

Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Jan 21

Really like it when clubs use photography like this.

They show what the match day experience is really like from the perspective of fans. It's a great and unique angle to use in your build-up content.

Helps when they look great as well. Solid work from @newcastleunited.com.

#SportsMarketing

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Jan 21

This is a great example of how teams can use content produced by supporters' groups and travelling fans.

In this case, West Ham spotted a fan was heading over from America for a game and met up with him to document his day.

This was pushed by the club's US account as well as the league's.

Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Dec 5

This week marks 11 years of The Online Rule.

Don’t think I had any idea when I set up the initial site back then that I’d still be posting and following sports marketing all this time later.

Thanks to everyone who’s engaged, followed, and subscribed.

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Dec 3

More evidence that teams should be trying to tap into the pre-engaged worldwide communities on Reddit.

Some of this growth is down to search engine changes, but it’s always been a popular site.

Chris Lepkowski @chrislepkowski.bsky.social · Dec 3

Wonder what this will look like in 12 months time. (Source: ofcom)

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Dec 3

If I ever get invited onto @footballcliches.bsky.social’s MHDs I’ll use all 3 of my irritations to explain why clubs referring to their social media manager as “admin” should be punishable by relegation.

Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Dec 3

Brentford’s Gen10 is a perfect example of how to ensure there’s a future generation who get to experience live football; they’re capping junior tickets for home and away fans at £10.

Actions speak a lot louder than words.

www.brentfordfc.com/en/news/arti...

Brentford launches Gen10 - another commitment to affordable football

For the rest of this season, travelling junior fans* will pay no more than £10 to watch Brentford in the Premier League; Thomas Frank:

www.brentfordfc.com

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Dec 3

You can get more insight into how Plymouth consider all angles of the fan experience by listening to this episode of @fanexperienceco.bsky.social’s podcast.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

Season 4 / Episode 3: Dan Pippen (Plymouth Argyle)

Podcast Episode · The Fan Experience EXPERIENCE Podcast · 18/11/2024 · 39m

podcasts.apple.com

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Dec 3

In marketing we have the 7 Ps. One of these is the ‘product’. That’s your match day.

Too many focus on promotion, which is letting people know it’s happening. There needs to be more joined-up thinking between marketing teams and customer experience.

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Dec 3

I’ve taken a look at what teams are doing to make match days memorable for fans.

Take a look at examples including game-specific info on websites, and social posts from SLOs.

A lot of clubs focus on bringing people in, not making them want to return.

theonlinerule.com/making-the-m...

Making the match day experience memorable

This week's newsletter looks at how clubs are keeping fans informed about what happens on match days, as well as how they focus on first time fans.

theonlinerule.com

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Nov 30

If we’re talking about audience size as a reason for adopting platforms, I’ve never understood why sports teams aren’t all over Reddit.

It’s now more popular than Twitter in the UK.

#SportsMarketing

amp.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Reddit overtakes X in popularity of social media platforms in UK | Reddit | The Guardian

Discussion platform takes fifth place in rankings and is the fastest growing large social media platform in the UK

amp.theguardian.com

Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Nov 29

Must be Black Friday!

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Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Nov 28

Continuing to update my list of official English team accounts. I’ve tried to verify these by either speaking to staff, through their domain, or from their posts on other sites.

Let me know if I’ve missed any.

Will do lists for Scotland and lower English leagues next.

bsky.app/profile/did:...

Scott @ The Online Rule @theonlinerule.com · Nov 28

I hope so! Hoping we get more uptake from clubs.

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