The March Madness Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament is fast approaching, which is why Twitter has decided to also share a couple of timely insights into how Twitter users engage with the event. These insights could provide you some valuable pointers for your tie-in strategies, should you look to tap into the event’s reach and influence too.

In The Basket

This annual event is the biggest showcase of collegiate basketball stars of whom many will likely go to the NBA further down their sports careers. Combining big local followings and the chance to become future Basketball celebrities, the NCAA games generate a lot of buzz.

All this hype eventually leads to a corresponding amount of Twitter chatter. According to Twitter’s stats:

  • There was a 291% increase in video views on college basketball content during the event.

  • 67% of those tweeting about the NCAA tournament have also tweeted about the NBA.

  • 59% of fans tweeted about basketball for the first time during the event in 2021.

Those Tweeting about the event have also been found to increase mentions relating to shopping, dining out, and the purchase of related accessories, reflecting the broader influence of March Madness on social gatherings and related interests.

As per tradition here on DoS, you can read up the full report here, while those who would like a quicker, easier read can refer to our highlight section down below. These might be worth considering for your strategies.

  • There has been a 12% increase in total Tweet volume per game from 2019 to 2021.

  • Video views on Tweets near 300%, with an average of 2.5x activity and engagement rates around the event. The numbers are amplifications of observed data that compare engagement between the 2021 NCAA regular season and the NCAA tournament.

  • There’s nearly a double-increase in brand category mentions in 2019 vs 2021 NCAA Basketball season, particularly with casual dining and retail apparel.

  • 67% of the NCAA basketball Audience also Tweeted about the NBA.

The Wrap

Before the NBA season, the March Madness NCAA Tournament is probably the biggest and loudest Basketball event for enthusiasts and supporters. Based on Twitter’s data, it’s clear that engagement rates can nearly triple around each tournament game, which does supply you with a couple of marketing insights as to when you should launch tie-ins and what interests you should target. Even if you’re not a Basketball fan, you might just end up being one after creating enough pushes to squeeze out as much as you can from the event.

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Sources 

https://bit.ly/3t3L6w5