Why Sports Bars Need to Start Live Streaming Video

By Rob Cressy, Founder, Cress Media

Houston, we have a problem.

Consumers and Facebook love when brands post native videos (including live streaming), but there are very few, if any, sports bars or restaurants that make this part of their ongoing content creation and social media marketing mix.

Lucky for you, I want to help you solve this problem, and I’m going to do so in a fun and engaging way.

Let’s start with the nuts & bolts

Facebook ranks live-streaming videos higher in the news feed, and users spend 3x more time watching live broadcasts than traditional videos on the platform.

A recent study also showed native videos have an 186% higher engagement rate, and are shared 1000% more than videos linked to from other hosting sites like Youtube and Vimeo.

What does this mean for you?

Creating videos as part of your social media marketing mix will increase your awareness and engagement (assuming the content is good, of course.)

Considering you are using social media to promote your brand, this seems like a no-brainer. Posting native videos will give you better results on social media. End of story.

“OK, I’m in. What do I talk about?”

Assuming you are on board with instantly seeing better results, the next problem we need to solve is who is going to create the videos or live streams and what are they going to talk about?

The content (aka “What are they going to talk about”) is the layup of the century because you are a sports bar. You talk about sports. Duh!

via GIPHY

Just take a look at the sports calendar — both on a national and local level — and create content based on that.

For example, right now we’ve got the NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs, and MLB regular season going on. The NFL Draft is coming up and there are still three of the four golf majors remaining, on top of the UFC and MLS.

There are more talking points than you can handle.

After you decide what events you want to focus on, you can create a 1 to 5 minute video everyday, talking about trending sports topics and games.

At the beginning you can drop a quick promo for your establishment (your daily specials, events coming up, etc.), then you sandwich in the sports content, and at the end you drop an opportunity for engagement and another plug. This way you not only get the increased awareness and engagement you are looking for, but you are also tying it back into getting people to come to your establishment (aka. dollars in your pocket.)

“Yea, but who creates all this stuff!?”

As for who creates the live streaming videos: Sure you could have one of your staff members do it, but do they have the time and knowledge of what to do, and can consistently deliver the level of quality that your establishment demands?

If so, aces. But most likely, probably not.

That’s where I come in. Who better to handle your video and live streaming marketing than a digital marketing company that specializes in content creation and sports fan engagement. You can check out what we did with Bacon Sports (a sports comedy website) as well as DraftPros (a daily fantasy sports website) to get an idea for how I get down.

“Well, what about sports bars? Have you created this exact concept for them before?”

No. The reason is because I typically work with larger brands, but I see such an opportunity to help you deliver results that I want to offer up my services.

As a fan and consumer of sports bars, it pains me to see bad social media marketing because we all lose. It’s time to give your fans what they want, and in doing so delivering the results you are looking for. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Here’s what I want you to do. If you are a forward-thinking sports bar that wants to increase your awareness and better engage your sports fans on social media then lets talk. Shoot me an email to rob@cressmedia.com and we can schedule a time. It’ll definitely be one of the best decisions you ever make for your establishment and customers.