In a recent article in Metro news, it was reported that Google searches for the Maple Leafs increased by a whopping 300% since the playoffs. We wondered how the playoffs affected fan engagement on social media channels.
As I’m writing this article, the hashtag #timandsidleafs is ranking as the first Canadian trending topic on Twitter. This big wave was created by the co-hosts of the afternoon show on Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Tim and Sid, who were running a contest to give away tickets for a Toronto Maple Leafs game on Twitter. As a result, thousands of fans started using the hashtag mentioned above in their tweets whether they wanted to get the desirable tickets or just to mock the competition and its impressive popularity.
The Leafs marketing team seems to know well the benefits of using social media marketing and the great value it can have for a sports team to increase fan engagement and grow its community. The Maple Leafs’ official page on Facebook has currently 682,540 likes. The number of people ‘talking about this’ on the page increased by 70% to over 145,000 in the week leading up to the playoffs. The official Maple Leafs Twitter page is buzzing as well with tweets to over 316,000 followers.
Social media marketing has undoubtedly provided sports teams and businesses in general a great opportunity to increase their brand awareness and have a community of dedicated supporters assist them in promoting their brand.
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