Background
Women’s professional football is growing at an incredible pace, presenting a massive opportunity for broadcasters. The key to engaging this socially active and wide-reaching fanbase is a dedicated content strategy packed with opportunities for fan engagement and user generated content (UGC). Here, we explore 5 ways you can successfully implement this strategy to grow and make the most out of your audience.
The women’s game has moved from the sidelines to the main stage, from lighting up the 2012 Olympics to securing its own dedicated broadcast deals for the WSL. The time has come to start engaging with this rapidly growing audience—a sport that now forms a critical part of broadcasting.
The Digital Audience Opportunity
Statistics show this audience is unique:
- The women’s football fan base will grow from 500 million to over 800 million by 2030, with 60% of fans female and half aged 25–44.
- 62% of fans follow the game through the internet.
- Fans of the women’s game have higher purchasing power, spending 71% more on sports merchandise and 41% more on entertainment than the general UK population.
This digitally native audience demands authentic, two-way interaction. Broadcasters have a clear opportunity to influence the conversation and build loyalty by implementing a focused content strategy.
5 Key Strategies to Maximise Audience Growth
With women’s football enjoying substantial growth, it’s time for broadcasters to capitalise. The following 5 strategies are essential for capturing and growing the game’s unique audience:
1. Leverage User Generated Content (UGC) in Real-Time
By using real-time engagement tools, you’re able to feature and interact with fans’ opinions directly on the broadcast, displaying their social comments and creating a conversation around them. Incorporating fan-submitted content (UGC) encourages a “fear of missing out” effect, improving tune-in as viewers engage for a chance to be featured.
2. Integrate Product Placement and Brand Activations
Maximise your revenue opportunities by seamlessly integrating brands into the interactive experience. Smart product placement and sponsored content within polls, score predictors, or competitions allow partners to connect with the audience authentically. This strategy also enables the collection of valuable first-party data in partnership with commercial sponsors.
3. Gamify Audience Engagement
Gamification is the process of making your audience engagement strategy into a game, which drives significantly higher levels of participation. This strategy uses interactive graphics for:
- Score Predictions & Polls: Women’s football fans are passionate; they will jump at the opportunity to predict a score or enter a prize draw.
- Competitions: Gamification helps your content stand out and allows you to simultaneously gather valuable first-party data for marketing efforts.
4. Use Designated Hashtags for Data Integration
Hashtags are simple, powerful tools for sourcing UGC and expanding your reach. By using the correct domestic league and international tournament hashtags, you tap into the existing conversation. These conversations can be funnelled into a central data integration system, providing a real-time feed of comments and sentiment for your production team.
5. Drive Action with QR Codes and Digital Engagement
Once you’ve captured your audience, gently encourage them to take your desired action. An on-brand URL or QR code is an excellent way to provide a seamless entry to your landing pages, bridging the gap between the screen and the fan’s device. These CTAs can be featured directly on your broadcast to drive digital engagement and direct people to:
- Your polls/games (increasing UGC).
- Feedback forms (collecting first-party data).
- Subscription landing pages.
Reimagine Your Live Content with Dizplai
Creating new experiences in your women’s football broadcast will increase your visibility, improve viewer loyalty, and improve tune in across the board. Engagement = audience growth. The broadcasters who capitalise on the opportunities in the rapidly growing women’s football world will reap the long-term rewards.
At Dizplai, we help sports broadcasters across the world to grow their audience by implementing unique engagement tools, social data, graphics, and more. We’re ready to transform the broadcasting in the women’s game, are you?
If you’ve got any questions, or would like some more information, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team of specialists today.
Sources
- Tags: Brands & Agencies, Broadcasters, Sports
