The World Cup — the most watched sporting event in the known universe — is something of a niche phenomenon in the United States, where another sort of football is king.
But Facebook reminded marketers in a blog post today that there are legions of soccer fans in the U.S. on Facebook. In fact, the social network reports that of the 500 million soccer fans with Facebook accounts, 48.9 million are from the U.S., the second highest total after Brazil.
And these U.S. soccer fans on Facebook are an especially active and connected bunch. They post from 1.7 times to 1.9 times more messages, photos, videos, updates and comments than the average Facebook user and 62% were on Facebook every day of a recent week. They are also young — 60% are between 18 and 34 years old — and balanced gender-wise, with a 51%-49% male-to-female ratio.
Of course, they talk about soccer on Facebook. During a game in March, Facebook reports, they took 16.8 million actions related to the game on the network.
Because Facebook isn’t an official sponsor of the event, it isn’t using the term “World Cup” in its messaging, but it isn’t being shy about the opportunity. Later this month it’s expected to offer a “global football event” audience targeting segment to its biggest advertisers, the first time it has created a segment related to a television event.
Today’s reminder appears to be directed at marketers of more modest means (who might not plan campaigns months in advance). Some suggestions from Facebook:
Reach people who are most likely to be engaged with the event — football fans or fans of specific teams
You can also target more specific groups, including the 10 million soccer fans in the US who have Hispanic affinity, and the 4 million soccer fans in neighboring Canada
People who watch the game need food and supplies to make the most of the experience. Target them with special offers before kick-off using Partner Categories to identify and reach the right people based on their activity off Facebook, including purchase history, intent and demographics.
As you develop your creative, you can use sight, sound and motion with Facebook’s Page post video ad to bring your message to life
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