Opportunity in Uncertainty

Football has finally come home. After more than 500 days without competition, League 1 is finally back on track. But what I want to talk about today is not about my longing for football but about how I create opportunities in uncertainty through social media.

Social media has definitely revolutionized the way we interact with each other and the way we communicate. This technology has changed the way we buy products, communicate with public figures and so on.

The media landscape has changed, and the world is changing in ways we have never seen before. As an athlete, I see many fellow athletes underestimating the power of the internet and the social media apps we use every day. In fact, if we can properly use it, we athletes can get many positive things.

Remember my message: when we become athletes, we have many doors to lead us to many opportunities. Those doors can take us to unimaginable places. However, the doors will not always be open for an athlete. Those doors would lock if we lost our primary time as athletes.

One of the tools that can open the doors of these opportunities is maximizing social media. Many athletes have been able to leverage social media in many different ways, which can be very lucrative in marketing and branding.

I can show you how beneficial it is if we are aware of social media. When Indonesian football is without competition, maybe after more than a year and a half without competition, I see the frenzy on social media dim. It's hard to talk about football without the game.

However, that hope came when the Menpora Cup was held. But it was just a short tournament. It's not a competition that lasts all season. The public is treated to entertainment every week with a fixed schedule.

Amid these conditions, I tried my best to remain consistent in creating content. Whether photos or videos, I try my best to maintain my relationship with my fans on social media.

And it's proven. The last time the Indonesian top-flight football match was played, was 25 April 2021. I took my role and won the trophies (including individual achievement).

The rest of it was no football. The competition in Indonesia has been postponed many times. But, I kept trying to maintain my presence on social media. And we can see how that consistency pays off in my interactions with the audience. See the interactions data below,

The growth of my followers also gets a high rate. I had an unfollow movement from fans of my last club. Still, I maintained my presence on social media. I was thrilled to get a bounce back, even more, significant than the number I lost.

The best part about all of this being that it costs you or anyone else absolutely nothing to voice an opinion, create a brand, and/or publish any kind of media. You just only need some investment. Remember, it's an investment, not a free expense. It will benefit you later on.

Many athletes are confused about how to be consistent on social media, what kind of brand statement to choose, how to choose the right time and moment on social media.

There is no same strategy for every athlete doing social media, because each individual has their own uniqueness. But if athletes don't do anything about it, then they can be nothing. Whereas every athlete has a phone, access, moment, fans and all the things, but they should take advantage of that.

I think athletes should start investing a little of their time, thought, effort, even money in social media management. They can hire people who understand and are experts in this field and see the benefits obtained in the future.

Marc

*data timeframe: 26 May-27 Aug 2021