17 Jun How Twitter will shape the World Cup
Twitter has changed the world. Well, it has at least changed the World Cup. People can now be informed of any situation at any time via Twitter, so the latest team news, match updates and group placing situations will be instantly available to anyone who wishes to know.
News such as the state of pitches, information about the match balls and updates about players are already appearing on Twitter, meaning that fans are more informed than ever. The biggest problem with these updates is that often rumours are posted without confirmation, which those that are new to Twitter should be aware of.
Twitter has dramatically changed the way that we interact with each other. A new study from Global Web Index has shown that 87% of regular Twitter users will be watching the World Cup and tweeting at the same time. This all helps to build the buzz of the World Cup and makes watching the games (even if watching alone at home) a social affair. Just like watching in the pub, comments can be made and exchanged making watching a match much more interactive and engaging.
The study also showed that 46% of football news breaks faster on Twitter than anywhere else and that 42% of UK users follow footballers on Twitter showing the inevitable impact that social media will have on the tournament. Footballers tweeting can strengthen the link between players and fans and make us all feel close to the action, such as posting about how they are feeling, photos of them interacting with local people or enjoying a day off at the beach. Likewise, supportive tweets from fans can be a useful tool for building player confidence and keeping them in touch with the real world.
Official World Cup / Twitter video:
The study reveals that 56% of Twitter mobile users admit that they are influenced by content on Twitter when buying products or services. This means that savvy companies can use Twitter as a powerful marketing and promoting tool, especially over the World Cup period, to maximise their exposure. This can be done by tweeting interesting and engaging information about the World Cup to gain the attention of potential customers, and making the most of a period of heightened Twitter usage or getting involved in trending hashtags.
Twitter will almost certainly change how people experience the World Cup. By forging stronger ties between fans of the same or different countries, players and teams, the social side of the cup will be bigger than ever before. Information will be received at the click of a button and businesses who take advantage of this situation will be the real World Cup winners.
(Image from Twin Design / Shutterstock.com)
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