Yes, even sports like horse racing need to adapt to modern times and make a few changes in how it operates. In this case, we have the power of social media and its impact on the sport. Just because horse racing is a sport carefully tied to tradition, it doesn’t mean it should not be present on social media.
In fact, this is a crucial factor for both the growth and the future of the sport. After all, the sport must attract a younger demographic (which is usually social media active), in order to thrive in the future.
We’ve seen big events like the Kentucky Derby that are very socially active online, but we are interested in the deeper impact of social media on the sport.
In today’s article, we will take a look at how social media affects horse racing and why it is important.
The Importance of Social Media in Horse Racing
Social media has altered almost every business imaginable, including horse racing.
These social media platforms have transformed how we connect with one another, consume digital media, and interact with companies and enterprises. They are the ideal route for providing material, whether photographs, videos, or blogs, and have evolved into vital marketing platforms for a wide range of sectors.
Horse racing fans are just like supporters of any other sport. They are passionate and willing to learn whatever they can. They will devote themselves to their favorite riders and teams, giving their support digitally if they are unable to do it in person.
For horse racing brands, social media is a vital tool for increasing interaction. It may be used to send race schedules, jockey updates, and activity calendars.
Extra content can also be shared on social media, such as behind-the-scenes photos and videos, interviews, and opinion articles. This provides spectators with more information about the sport they like, as well as a sense of connection and belonging to the horse racing community.
Billions of people throughout the world utilize social media. With such staggering numbers, it’s no surprise that these digital platforms have become such effective marketing tools.
The Monetary Impact of Social Media
Money data may be used to determine the strength of social media. It is critical to note that professional teams regard social media as an excellent approach to promoting their products.
Famous soccer teams place a $10 value on each of their followers, and clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona have hundreds of millions of them.
The horse racing industry is also attempting to profit from this. Although this sport is not as popular as soccer, football, or basketball, it might employ the same social media strategies to increase fan interaction.
There is still potential for development, as research performed in 2018 indicates that horse racing companies could invest more money in social media campaigns and provide more mobile-friendly content. There’s also a need to collect demographics and other fan data so that better plans may be developed later.
How Social Media Impacts Horse Racing?
Social media can have a positive impact on horse racing as a sport in many different ways, such as:
Building Communities
We’ve all witnessed the power of communities through NFTs, and social media is perfect for like-minded people to come together and discuss the things they like. For a sport to have a strong community it usually suggests that the sport is in good health and will last for a long time.
Communities will increase the popularity of horse racing, and share a passion for the sport that will create more horse racing fans.
But horse racing events are not the only organizations responsible for building communities. Horse racing betting companies who provide future event wager pools like TwinSpires.com, data organizations like EquiBase and every entity involved in horse racing need to promote the sport on social media and build communities around their topic.
Promotions and Advertising
We live in a world where if you are not present on social media you do not exist. It’s sad, but true.
Social media is really important especially when it comes to promotions and advertising. Imagine there is a freshly-built racecourse that aims to host some of the biggest horse races in the world. How would this sporting event reach that phase if there wasn’t social media to attract more people?
Attracting Younger Demographic
This is probably one of the most important advantages of social media to horse racing. Being a sport that isn’t very popular with millennials and Gen-Z, something needs to change in order for the sport to survive another 100 years.
This means that attracting younger people and getting them interested in the sport is crucial.
Since most young people are usually active on social media platforms, this becomes the perfect tool for horse racing in order to convince them to watch a race.
Final Words
The good thing is that we are seeing a lot of activity from big horse racing associations in the field of social media. This can bring more fans to the sport, help horse racing build a better image, and lastly share the passion for this incredible sport.