Today, sports are played on the court and digitally: Sports enthusiasts exchange technology tips on social media and discuss their idols’ matches. More and more clubs and associations are active on social media to reach their target groups. This is also the case with the Austrian Tennis Federation (ÖTV for “Österreichischer Tennisverband”).
Community Building with Social Media
With more than 190,000 members, the ÖTV is the second-largest professional federation in Austria. Its job is to popularize tennis in all regions, sections of the population, and age groups. It relies on community building via Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. About 40,000 tennis enthusiasts follow the official channels here. In the process, they get to know current top players, learn about tournaments, and participate in competitions. In addition, the social media channels of the Austrian Tennis Federation offer all kinds of practical tips.
To increase the community's engagement, the ÖTV has integrated Flockler's social wall into its website: If social media posts use defined hashtags such as #tennisaustria, the social wall displays them automatically. This encourages amateur and professional players, tennis clubs, and tennis academies to use the hashtags. This way, they share sporting events, team experiences, and impressions with the community.
In general, social media offers the federation added value in three ways:
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Direct exchange promotes a connection to the federation and, thus, to the sport.
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The active community attracts interested parties. The sport thus gains new members.
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The more active the community, the more attractive it is for sponsors. They use this channel to present their products and services.
