In a year where soccer fans’ voices have been absent from the stands, the polar opposite is true of the noise being generated on social media this Summer around the Euros 20/21. For brands to prosper when it comes to engagement with fans during the Euros, they need to be looking for audiences beyond the TV fan base.

The 2016 Euros saw a variety of social activations from brands such as BetFred who created a VR app featuring Stuart Pearce. This was supported with a microsite for social activity and a brand ‘promise’ that they would refund all bets on England should the Three Lions loose due to a penalty shoot-out. The brand knew they could face a huge pay-out but with limited budget were determined to be disruptive to stand out.

Arguably the brand’s communication was much the same as other betting companies, which was fine as this was the information people placing bets wanted to see. They also shared a number of amusing posts which the fans enjoyed sharing around. The problem here was that whilst the app was fairly unique at the time, its awareness was low, and no one really knew about it.

A lot has changed in the world of social media since the last tournament, with one player in particular a major game changer (couldn’t resists the pun, sorry). Tik Tiok was the most downloaded app of 2020 on iOS and Android, overtaking tech giant Facebook. It is on track for 1.2 billion users this year and remains unique in its 70% Gen Z (under 24) demographic. In the UK alone, Ofcom reported an increase from 5.4 million users in June 20 to a whopping 12.9 million users in April 21.

Today (16 June) we launch our TikTok Takeover for our client PUBG Mobile. Featuring Robin van Persie and Patrice Evra, the ad for PUBG Mobile and the games alignment with football, will be the first thing that targeted regions, such as the UK, will see today. This is expected to deliver 6 million impressions for our client. The campaign is supported by an influencer activation who will take up the challenge in the ad and create their own UGC to share, along with further activation across Instagram and Youtube.

There’s no magic viral button that can be pressed by brands, especially around a crowded event like the Euros but there are some guard rails we recommend paying attention to.

Focus On High Quality Content Before Investing In Advertising

One mistake many brands make when marketing on social media is focusing on advertising campaigns rather than high quality content creation. While successful brands certainly have great marketing strategies, they also regularly put out quality content to keep customers engaged.

Know Your Audience

An important step in going viral is knowing the audience that your content will resonate with. When you produce new content and share it across different social media platforms, it’s important to know the type of user that is most likely to share the content with their friends or engage with your brand in the comments.

Partnering With Influencers

Once you’ve clearly defined the interests and social media behaviour of your target audience, you can use that information to partner with other brands and influencers to increase your chances of virality.

Partnership is a key part of a successful marketing strategy, as it’s unlikely you’ll be able to reach a large enough audience only using your own social media channels. Reach out to the brands and influencers that are popular with your target audience and arrange a partnership to cross-promote products and new content. This strategy will quickly grow your user base and increase your chances of going viral.

Get Your Content Reposted On Popular Accounts

Quite often relatable meme accounts with large audiences reposting popular tweets can make content really stand out and be shown across the world.

Tell A Relatable Story Through Your Content

One of the things that resonates most with modern social media users is relatable content. Users are much more likely to share posts with their friends and engage in the activation if they connect to the story you’re telling. Content around an event such as the Euros can resonate with multiple audiences, encouraging further engagement and reach.

Keep It Short And To The Point

There was a very telling headline in The Telegraph a while ago which has stuck Humans have shorter attention span than goldfish, thanks to smartphones

Modern social media users have very short attention spans. Make sure the content you produce is easy to can be digested by a user in 10 seconds or less. Posts with too much text or videos that are too long will quickly be ignored by users, and your chances of going viral will be much lower.

Utilise Interactive Content

One way to get users involved and increase viewership in as many feeds as possible, is to make your content interactive like the PUBG Mobile Tik Tok challenge. Give them the opportunity to engage, participate and and share their own content.