Playing the Digital Field as an Athlete — Part 1
We know that you will be able to get back in shape and chase that Olympic dream very quickly. Once you are done with your daily in house training, take down the notebook and write down your ideas. Think of life after sports. It’s never too early to start thinking about life after sports.
Why?
I remember when I was playing Basketball and practices would take 8–10 hours of my day. Between strength and conditioning, video sessions, physio etc.. you practically have no time to even think. I remember I picked up HTML coding and photoshop design at 16 because there was a scene in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air that got stuck in my mind forever where they really emphasized the importance to have an after sports plan, because the career of an athlete is very short.
Will purposely lets another player go around him to score the winning basket. Will admits to the player that he let him score in order to impress the scout and hopefully get to the NBA to provide a better life for himself and his son. Marcus tells Will that he is determined to have that successful life by using his brain and education rather than his talent because with one injury everything would be gone.
As an athlete with die-hard fans, you have a role to play today that is as important as winning medals and championships. You have a platform, reach and the potential to inspire people and make them do the right thing for themselves, their communities. We know the importance of sports on mental health, and you have the opportunity to educate the fans who wouldn’t otherwise engage with government messages.
What you can do?
Nowadays having a proper digital presence will be a major differentiator to get that endorsement deal. You can be the best person on the court, pitch, field track… you name it. But a sponsor will give you that cheque if you are not only dependent on what you do on the court and you can communicate directly to your fans.
IN THE NEW SPONSORSHIP STRATEGIES, AUDIENCE DATA, COMPELLING CONTENT, AND CONNECTION TO BUSINESS OBJECTIVES ARE THE WAY FORWARD.
There is a whole new generation of brand managers and marketers that are digital native that are taking the Fortune 500 brands by storm. And they don’t want the fancy VIP experience and the LED board on the side of your event. They don’t want a simple banner on your website. They want real engagement. They want to activate their brand through your channel.
Spending more time on social media might be just the solution to get you there. You don’t have to be a big athlete name to influence people. The beauty of social media lies in the “niches”. You as much as LeBron James or Serena Williams have people that care about you, and what you do. Today is the right time to show them that you care about them too.
But how and where do you start?
You want to build your audience.
You want to write a book.
And you want to blog as well.
You want to build an online business for your clothing line.
You want to help a charity.
You want to pick up a class.
Oh, and you want to start a YouTube channel too.
And let’s not forget you are most likely on: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Weibo, WeChat etc…
Seriously, how can you do it all?
You want to do it all, but you’re not able to yet. Is something missing? Some kind of magic formula is the answer, right?
Sadly, there are no magic formulas.
But, thankfully, there are some simple strategies that can give you clarity and insight.
For some, TikTok can be your driver. Or maybe Youtube is the driver. Or even writing a book or podcasting could be the driver.
The point is, when you start out, you must have one focus — one driver— to reach your goal.
You can’t create a bunch of drivers as you start out. JUST PICK ONE. Do one thing. And do it well. If you don’t you’ll likely get overwhelmed too.
Having a bunch of priorities means you don’t have a priority.
Part 2: https://medium.com/@motaelb/playing-the-digital-field-as-an-athlete-part-2-e34ae81d8cce
Most of all again, stay healthy and safe.
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