Report: Sporting Events and Concerts Are the Most Social

We know the power of events when it comes to engaging audiences, either those at the event or those watching the event remotely. Sporting events present marketers with huge opportunities to capitalize on the buzz, and to generate brand advocacy of their own. A report from Tagkast examines the current state of social sharing at events, and offers tips for improving your strategy for events like these.

Overall, live events are increasingly becoming social events too. From Q1 2014 to Q1 2015, the rate of sharing from tablet photo marketing platforms has increased from 25 percent to 51 percent because marketers have begun providing better ways for event attendees to share. Additionally, users are more at home sharing branded content than ever before.

The report defines a social event for brand sponsors:

[T]he most social live events result from on-site consumers exhibiting the capacity and propensity to share their brand experiences through photo endorsements.

Photo endorsements are the best choice for marketers, as they give the highest chance of maximizing the social reach of content. Images could potentially receive 94 percent more views compared to text-only posts, according to the report.

And it isn’t just sporting events that generate high social engagement; in fact, several types of events receive more engagement on average. Concerts and music events, fundraisers, bar events, and recreational activity all have social share rate of 50 percent or above. Auto shows, conferences and expos generally have low social share scores.

However, overall, there has been a significant growth in share rates for all event types. Sharing about sports events has increased 121 percent, auto shows increased 96 percent, and concerts increased 73 percent.

Sponsorships at these events can pay out huge dividends for brands. Marathon Music Works, a streaming service, was able to generate almost 50,000 brand impressions despite generating only 62 shares at the actual event.

For more examples of brands vastly expanding their reach, or for tips on increasing shares even at small events, download the report.

Image courtesy of Faraways / Shutterstock.com.