Xeerpa likes to see other places and talk to people in all sorts of industries. One such place is Rotterdam and one such “different industry” is sports. We were recently thrilled to be invited by our partner Sports Alliance to their once-a-year convention which highlights major up-and-coming trends related to marketing and soccer. Attendees included major, medium-sized, and small European teams, as well as partners and sponsors and other collaborators. Four companies, ourselves included, were invited to offer workshops in this year’s event in the Netherlands and tell attendees a bit about what Xeerpa and social login is all about and what social login can do for them.
Some 150 people were on hand to discuss the fan’s journey online and to the stadium for this one-day event. What better place to talk soccer than overlooking a soccer field? The venerable Sparta stadium, our conference center for the day, was built in 1916 and is distinctive because of its decidedly medieval-looking towers at one entrance (hence its nickname, the Castle). The discussion started out with a bit of our current experience working with European soccer teams and then we shared how we thought Xeerpa could help teams improve their particular marketing, or Fan Relationship Management in this case.
Soccer teams, like most major sports teams, have a close relationship with their sponsors. Xeerpa’s social login tool can help teams make the most of those backers, helping them hone their ecommerce and launch campaigns targeted at highly defined fan profiles. The information the social login can glean will help them better attune their sponsors − and their sponsors’ campaigns − to their fan base. Knowing what their fans like, what brands they’re following and supporting, will help teams look for and sign agreements with other new partners, facilitating contact between fans and brands, and finding financing for teams.
Which brings us to our top four business advantages of social network profiling for sports teams. They can be divided into off-the-pitch actions and game-day actions. We’ve already hinted at the top advantage: the tool allows teams to tailor their relationships with sponsors. The next benefit is being able to customize merchandising and capitalize on ecommerce by knowing where your fans are and what they want. Thirdly, and here we enter the bleachers, the information provided by Xeerpa’s tool can allow a team to adapt its VIP areas, monetizing the experience beyond just the tickets and the catering by personalizing their experience: you’ll know what your high-end and business fans like. Teams will also have the opportunity to identify potential customers, diving deeper into relatively untouched industries or positions, for boxes during games. The last major advantage is that it gives teams the ability to design fan zones for game day that are made-to-measure. There, the team can host events before and after the game further monetizing their fans’ experience.
