6 ways to make your brand’s social media strategy a masterstroke this IPL season

The Indian Premier League isn't just a cricket tournament – it's a cultural phenomenon. With a viewership exceeding 50 crores in 2023, we can expect it to be just as glorious this year, if not more. Where there are eyeballs, there exists a goldmine for brands to market to their potential customers. 

16.8 crore unique viewers watched the broadcast of the opening day of the IPL 2024 on TV while, JioCinema clocked 11.3 crore viewers, the platforms reported in their official statements, respectively. In this digital age, where OTT viewership is on the rise, Social Media Marketing is a no-brainer for brands to capitalise on.

Here are 6 steps for brands that want to capitalise on the IPL Buzz on social media:

1. Know your audience: Targeted content is key

2. Capture the moment: Real-time engagement

3. Think about distribution and amplification

4. Increase brand trust through influencers

5. Promotional offers and discounts

6. Run interactive contests

Know your audience: Targeted content is key

Just like a bowler tailors their deliveries to a batsman's weaknesses, brands need to target their social media content to resonate with their ideal customer. With every brand trying to market during this season, there is only one way to guarantee that your content is seen. That is, to create lazer sharp focused communication for your exact target customer. 

Actionable tips

• Deep-dive into audience research and understand their problems, wants, interests, and even fears.

• Don't just create noise, create a campaign they'll proudly share!

• Speak directly to their interests, using cricket references to connect.

Examples

• Fitness brand: can offer custom routines inspired by IPL players.

• Travel agency: Offer travel packages to cities hosting upcoming matches.

• Electronics store: Promote TV upgrades for a more immersive viewing experience.

Capture the moment: Real-time engagement

The IPL brings along a storm of moment marketing, from the despair of a dropped catch to the euphoria of a last-ball win. Brands can capitalise on this by creating witty content that reflects these moments and has the potential to get shared far and wide.

Actionable tips

• Brainstorm "ready-made" ideas beforehand that can be easily adapted to match situations.

• Keep an eye on trends and use them to amplify your content.

• Be quick on the turn-around time and publish in real time.

Examples

• A batsman just won’t get out? A glue brand could tweet about the bails being glued to the stumps.

• A massive six sails out of the stadium? A ride-hailing app could mockingly post how it made a dent in their car.

Think about distribution and amplification

While you can share your message with your followership or put ad-spend behind it, there can be smarter ways to distribute your brand message. This is where your creativity and growth hacking skills will play a part. Leverage UGC, AI and any other form of marketing or collaboration that can work towards your brand’s amplification.

An epic example

Last year’s campaign Match ho toh Zomato. While Zomato launched brand films with Ranveer Singh and Chris Gayle, what made the campaign’s presence on Social Media super successful was their AI-generated amplification. Every restaurant could adapt this ad-film with their hero dish and brand name making every restaurant Zomato’s amplification partner. 

Increase brand trust through influencers

While big brands can rope in cricketers to gain their fans’ trust, they may be out of reach for most brands’ marketing budgets. In such cases, a different set of influencers that may resonate with your target customers can also be brought in. 

Actionable tips

• Explore influencers or industry experts with a strong niche following.

• Partner with creators who genuinely align with your brand values.

• Get creative with collaborations and explore co-created content or live Q&A sessions.

Examples

• Partner with a food blogger to create cricket-themed recipes using your brand's ingredients.

• Collaborate with a tech influencer to review your latest electronics during an IPL viewing party live stream.

• Team up with an ex-cricketer turned coach to offer training tips using your brand's sportswear.

Promotional offers and discounts

Everyone loves a deal and IPL viewers are no different. Leveraging this by offering exclusive discounts and coupons tied to the season, makes your brand the go-to choice.

Actionable tips

• Unlock exclusive merchandise discounts or season-time sales for fans.

• Get creative with flash sales. Run time-bound offers on your products perfectly timed with match milestones or breaks.

• Club the Offer with match moments eg. when a cricketer hits a century or hat-tricks.

Examples

• A pizza brand can give a discount offer only applicable in the first innings to support their hometeam.

• A fashion brand can run flash sales on clothes of the playing team’s jerseys.

• Offer free shipping but change the code to the latest man of the match to interest fans with trivia.

Run interactive contests with seamless purchase journeys

We can take such offers a step further by making the customers engage and “win” those offers. Since social is a two-way channel, gamified contests reap the best rewards of customer attention.

Actionable tips

• Keep it simple to comprehend and quick to participate in. Don't overcomplicate the contest rules or entry criteria.

• Leverage social media features like polls, quizzes, or hashtag challenges.

• Integrate purchase journeys and seamlessly integrate buying options within the social media platform itself.

• Offer prizes that resonate with your target audience and the IPL season.

Examples

• Run a prediction contest on social media, asking fans to guess the Man of the Match/winning team.

• Host a photo contest using a specific hashtag, asking fans to share their best IPL viewing experiences.

• Offer signed team merchandise or gift cards to your store as contest prizes.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that the IPL season brings a lot of excitement to the fans and your brand is trying to integrate in the celebration seamlessly. Any selfish push marketing tactics or forced advertisement will push your customers away instead. Think selflessly about the viewer’s experience and what they will gain from your campaign and it will surely be a hit! All the best and may your brand be the real winner this IPL season.

(Our guest author is Darshil Shah, Director of ChtrSocial, a division of Chtrbox.)