The Top Five Things Every Pro Athlete Should Know About Social Media

I have said it before and I will say it again: social media and sports are a perfect marriage. For years, athletes and their fans have been separated by the mainstream media. They were the “gatekeepers” and the only way for an athlete to speak to fans was through them (e.g. in an interview or a press conference). But this wasn’t direct, and fans never had the chance to talk back. Boy, how things have changed. Now, social media provides unlimited opportunities for interaction between athletes and fans. Sure, mainstream media still exists, and athletes still have their obligations, but social media now provides athletes with direct communication lines with their fans.

In my opinion, any current athlete not on Facebook or Twitter is out of his (or her) mind. Social media can provide incredible value and opportunities for pro athletes. These are the top five things that every pro athlete should know about social media.

1. Produce content and interact… Consistently!

Effective use of social media depends on two things, the consistent creation of content and consistent interaction. Content can be anything. Ask a question, write a blog post, take a picture, film a video, or record some audio. Give your fans something to interact with. Then, once you do that, engage! Respond to as many people as possible (shoot for everybody who talks to you) across all of your social media accounts. That one dude who said your Youtube video was funny? He deserves a response, too.

2. Authenticity is incredibly important. (To the same effect, watch what you say)

If you are going to use social media, really use it. Don’t let your PR team or your assistant take control of your accounts because people expect you to be behind them. If a tweet comes from your account, or a status is updated on your Facebook fan page, we assume it is you. You don’t want to catch fire for a message you didn’t send out, right? Social media is finally giving you direct access to your fans. Take advantage of it.

3. It doesn’t take much to please your fans

All they/we want is a response. Take a look at the Twitter feed for Kerry Rhodes. It is full of @replies to fans who have taken the time to say hello or ask him a question. Sure, most of the responses are only a couple of words long, but it doesn’t matter. A simple “yes,” “no,” or “thanks” is all it takes to make your fans happy.

4. Social media can (and will) make you money (if used correctly)

Think about it. Two athletes of the same ability and demanding the same amount of money are on the market. One of those athletes has 250,000 Twitter followers and 45,000 Facebook fans. At some point soon, those social media numbers will give that candidate the edge. He will win because of his following, because he has all of those people to reach out to when the team is running a campaign or trying to sell tickets. Similarly, that candidate will look more attractive to sponsors.

5. Patience

Your numbers won’t come in a day. Or a week. Or even a month. You weren’t a professional athlete when you were six, twelve, or fifteen (unless you are Freddy Adu). It took time, effort, and endless practice to hone your skills, attract attention, and make it to the big show. So, be patient and work hard or you won’t make it. End of story.

What are the biggest lessons you have learned from using social media? How do they match up to this list? What other advice would you give a pro athlete, or anybody, trying to use social media for personal branding?