Social media marketing of FCB

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Social Media marketing of FCB (LinkedIn)
-Youngsub Chun October 10. 2014
In recent years, social media has become ubiquitous and most important for social
networking, content sharing and online accessing. Due to its reliability, consistency and
instantaneous features, social media opens a wide place for businesses such as online
marketing.
Marketing which occurs via social media is known as social media marketing. Social media
marketing has made possible for companies to reach targeted consumers easily, effectively
and instantly. Besides that, social media marketing also faces several challenges in the field.
This article argues on social media marketing’s advantages and disadvantages in present era.
Social media marketing is a new trend and rapidly growing way in which businesses are
reaching out to targeted customers easily. Social media marketing can be simply defined as
the use of social media channels to promote a company and its products. This kind of
marketing can be thought of as a subset of online marketing activities that complete
traditional Web-based promotion strategies, such as e-mail newsletters and online
advertising campaigns (Barefoot & Szabo 2010).
By encouraging users to spread messages to personal contacts, social media marketing has
injected a new term of exponential dissemination and trust to mass-communication and
mass marketing (Hafele, 2011).
By this new approach of outreach and marketing, new tools are being developed and
increased in turn for businesses. Social media marketers are now going better and more
effective insight through the introduction of analytic applications by official social network
site platforms (Hafele, 2011).

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Nowadays, social media is a valuable online platform for events and social media can
organize and promote events by encouraging engagement with customers.
As usual, Social media give the opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders.
- Social media can involve potential attendees in the organization process.
- Social media can promote events by creating event listings and videos on social
networks.
- Social media can support live-stream the event to reach national & global spectators.
- Social media can collect photos & other exciting views
- Social media can monitor the buzz and use it to collect feedback.
By using social media, event activators can make events far more discoverable, reach a far
greater audience, enhance the attendee experience and improve customer loyalty.
<Social Media Marketing of FCB>
FC Barcelona has claimed they have become the first sports club anywhere in the world to
be able to boast more than 100 million followers on its social networks.
Sporting and social excellence has led to leadership in the 2.0 market, where FCB is the
top club on all the world’s major networks.
In fact, the club is gaining about 100,000 new followers a day on its different social
networks, and is the number one sports club on each of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Google+, Tencent Weibo, Line and YouTube, the biggest platforms in the world.
On Facebook, for example, FC Barcelona’s page is one of the 25 most popular in the
world. Just a few weeks ago, FCB passed the 50 million mark and is considerably ahead of
the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea.
On Facebook, Barça has more followers than any club in the top North American leagues,
including the NBA, MLB and NFL, and more than any club in Europe’s top soccer
leagues, including the FA Premiership.

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Out of the Catalans 100 million followers Facebook had dominance with 64.2% of the total,
almost three times more than Twitter (22.3%). The club also has popular accounts on
Google+ (7.7%), Tencent Weibo (3.2%), Instagram (1.5%) and YouTube (1.2%).
In 2013, there was an increase of 32 million followers on all of the club’s social networks.
But more than just setting records in terms of numbers, FC Barcelona is also working hard
to ensure that its supporters make the most of these platforms by receiving all the very
latest news and information.
As well as official social networks, FC Barcelona has a further 17 million users of LINE,
the application for I-phones and computers that can be used to connect with 300 million
fellow users around the world. FC Barcelona already has official LINE accounts in Catalan,
Spanish, English, Portuguese and Japanese. LINE, like social networks, is another
wonderful way for being in constant connection with the club and being among the first to
receive news updates and be able to access exclusive promotions.
<Social Media Policy for staff and players>
For the longest time, Policy and Guidelines have been an issue we’ve been trying to push
on this site and we’ve been desperate to learn how clubs are educating their employees
about the potential pitfalls of social. For Barcelona, their Social Media Policy places an
emphasis on responsibility; however, what is clear is that this doesn’t naturally mean
restrictions.
FC Barcelona is one of the biggest and most profitable sports organizations in the world.
But the club’s fan-centric, dedicated and diligent approach is clearly what’s making it work
Sporting and social excellence has led to leadership in the 2.0 market, where FCB is the
top club on all the world’s major networks. In fact, the club is gaining about 100,000 new
followers a day on its different social networks, and is the number one sports club on each
of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Tencent Weibo, Line, and YouTube, the
biggest platforms in the world.

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- Social Media Policy for staff and players: FCB just tries to give all the information, tools
and support to all FC Barcelona employees, football players included, in order to be aware
of.
- Return on investment and FC Barcelona: FC Barcelona uses Social Media as a service
channel. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are the best way to connect to a lot of people
around the world. The return of investment is not only in economic terms
- Investing in long term Social Media: The social team sits naturally within the Marketing
and Communications department of the club, but the primary objective for the team is to
keep the best relationship with all Barça Fans.
- Looking towards the future –Mobile: “Mobile phones are the future of connectivity.
The challenge is to convert Camp Nou in a “mobile friendly” zone.”
<In conclusion >
There are profitable target audience and sustainable marketing resource in social media
network.
However, worldwide sports clubs will have some problem and difficult to find new
sponsors and fans outside nations and present market.
Therefore, they have to develop and exploit innovative social media marketing in the
prosperous market and customers like Asia, Africa, and America.
But it is very hard to start business promotion and advertising in these areas because of
some countries have very strict legal condition for foreign companies.
For example in China, main social media like Goggle, Facebook, Twitter, cannot delivery
their information to directly to customers and fans.
Only China’s Weibo can delivery twitter function and Line from Japan can be used for
messenger service.
In this case, FC Barcelona’s digital marketing to introduce Weibo/Line directly to the
website gave new marketing opportunity, furthermore these social media very quickly and
efficiently were spread to Asia area.
Social media network has globalization effect but same time, it need localization for
effective social media marketing.
In football & sports industry,
China and USA can be another main sport business power and marketing place with their
big 2 economy.
Until 10 years, China and USA football league can grow as world 7 leagues.
As result, Social media network are the core platform of marketing 3.0 and best marketing
tool for sports business.