Independent research carried out by search marketing agency, Red Hot Penny, reveals that the Club are ranked alongside some of the UK’s biggest sports clubs in terms of Social Media engagement.
Across the UK, 80 professional sports teams spanning football, rugby, cricket, basketball, and ice hockey had their social media channels analysed to find out how they’re using the platform as a marketing tool.
Red Hot Penny published this information in a report titled ‘Social Scorecard: Sport‘, which breaks down social media channels across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and gives the clubs an overall score based on number of followers, average post engagement, and overall engagement rate.
Although Somerset County Cricket Club claimed the overall top spot, Essex secured second place in the county cricket clubs table, and placed 12th overall across sport as a whole, scoring 69.875.
The Club’s strong performance was worthy of beating rivals Kent County Cricket Club, who scored 32.6. Even Football Premier League clubs Manchester United and Newcastle United bowed to Essex, scoring 62.125 and 59.75, respectively.
Commenting on their strong performance, the Club’s Marketing and Communications Manager, Ashley Neave said:
“We are extremely pleased with the findings of the report, especially after the emphasis we have put on social media within our digital strategy in recent years.
Our social media channels continue to grow into a fundamental platform for interacting with all our stakeholders on a daily basis, such as supporters, sponsors and cricket followers. As a Club, we strive to develop new and engaging content, which is relevant to supporters in Essex, as well as across the globe.
“The support that the team has throughout the season at The Cloudfm County Ground is mirrored online and we thank all of our fans for their continued support.
David Schulhof, CEO of Red Hot Penny said:
“This study has unveiled some huge opportunities for the nation’s top sports clubs, showing the massive potential they have to grow and develop. Sports clubs are a hub of opportunity, filled with influencers, exciting events, and news. We want to see these opportunities seized, and hope that our research has highlighted ways for clubs across the nation to improve their social media strategies”
The full report is available to download here.
