Assignment #4 — Monetization of Social Media Feed
Between March 1st and March 29th, the New York Giants had 29 sponsored posts on Instagram, 39 sponsored posts on Twitter, and 44 sponsored posts on Facebook. Through this blog post, I will discuss the various types of sponsored posts, the engagement on these posts, and new opportunities for the Giants to monetize their social media presence.
The Giants monetize various social media franchises on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. One example of this franchise can be seen here. The Giants utilized the signings of free-agent players as an opportunity for Panini to sponsor social media content. Panini sponsored every post that the Giants made regarding a new player. Another example of a sponsored franchise can be seen through birthday posts linked here. The Giants look for authentic ties to their partners in order to find opportunities to authentically monetize their social media feed. Lastly, the giants have monetized their mock draft tracker which can be seen here. The Giants have found opportunities to monetize their social media feed through the incorporation of partners into various social media franchises.
Compared to non-sponsored content, the sponsored content performed better on all social media platforms. An example of an engagement comparison can be seen through the non-sponsored post linked here and the sponsored post linked here. The Giants were able to connect sponsors to posts announcing new player contracts which inherently gain more interaction on social media. By doing so, the Giants were able to create an enticing partnership opportunity that allowed them to monetize their highest performing content. Fans are most excited about new players and this allowed for the Giants to capitalize and further monetize their social presence.
It is clear that the most valuable piece of content to sponsor on the Giants' social media accounts is the announcement of new player signings. This post of Kyle Rudolph signing with the Giants linked here outperformed almost every post on the team’s Twitter timeline. It is clear that these posts offer the greatest opportunity for monetization and offer brands the opportunity to authentically connect with an avid fanbase. By connecting themselves with a moment of celebration for the Giants, Panini will create a positive association and further its connection with the Giants fanbase. This content is clearly the most valuable content to sponsor and the Giants have done an incredible job utilizing this opportunity to monetize their social media feeds on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
One opportunity for the Giants to monetize their social media feed can be seen through their Flashback Friday content series linked here. The Giants should look for brands that authentically connect with this content that can partner with them. This would be seen as authentic since the Giants already monetize their other franchises with brands that align with the content. This would allow for the Giants to further monetize their social media accounts. Additionally, the Giants could further monetize their social media feed by sponsoring their game announcements linked here. This is another content franchise that the Giants could utilize in order to further monetize their social media presence.
It can be seen from here that the Giants do an excellent job of monetizing their social media presence. It will be fascinating to see how the ever-evolving social media space continues to adapt to new monetization trends and the ways that sport franchises look to capitalize on them.
