Social Media for Race Directors Part 1: Facebook

What do people do on Facebook? Does my event really need a Facebook Page, or is it just a channel for cat videos and baby pictures? How the heck do I even get started?

If these questions are running through that bee hive you call your mind, you’re not the only one. Race directors are continually evaluating how much effort they should dedicate to social media, and for the time being, Facebook is the big boy on campus with over 1 billion users (yep, ONE BILLON). Even with this massive user base, is it worth your time? Let’s take a look:

Pros to Having Your Event on Facebook

The mass of 1 billion users are on Facebook to share things they like in the form of photos, videos, and text updates. Users create personal profiles and connect with friends, acquaintances, people that share similar interests, company pages, and content pages. 55% of Facebook users in 2014 were between the ages of 25-54, according to Facebook Social Ads Platform. Critics have been talking about the end of Facebook and the migration of the youth to other networks for a long time, but somehow Facebook still remains the dominant player.

Cons to Having Your Event on Facebook

One downside to Facebook Pages is that Facebook tinkers with algorithms (complex mathematical formulas that try to understand your likes and needs based on your habits) that affect how often your posts show up in individual fans’ News Feeds. Therefore, getting the exposure you want (especially initially) can sometimes be challenging.

So…What Should You Post If You Do Create a Facebook Page?

Whatever you post should be brief and relevant—no one wants to read long paragraphs about your Aunt Ida’s bunions. And, pictures rule. Post lots and lots of pictures of people participating in your event, inspirational athletes, t-shirts or medal designs, funny quotes, training ideas, etc. You can also use Facebook as a channel to promote your price breaks and promotions.  Want to know what people would prefer on their t-shirt? Ask them on Facebook.

Bottom line, post the things you’d want to read yourself. Interact with your followers and give them content they’d find interesting and fun.

The Verdict

Because of its huge following, we advise that you create a Page for your event and post at least once a week. Yes, there’s a lot more to it and Facebook is just one piece of the social media pie. If you want more tips for both Facebook and other social media channels, we’ve got cliff notes on all the major social channels in our comprehensive Social Media Guide for Race Directors. You can download it here:

 

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