Facebook Case Study MANCHESTER UNITED

It’s case study time. We promised more on Facebook marketing and taking a close look at successful Facebook campaigns is the perfect way to learn how to do it yourself. The first example we’ll look at is a company that utilized its Facebook page and a simple app.

The company is Manchester United. They are one of the top English Premier League football (or soccer in the states) teams. Manchester United has a global fan base but are located in Manchester England, so a majority of their fans cannot go to their stadium, Old Trafford, and see the team play. Their Facebook page serves as a medium for fans to have a sort of community and place to talk about and get news about Manchester United.

Man United did three things effectively in their Facebook campaign: utilized their page for posting relevant news about the team, created a simple and effective app, and used targeted ads to generate ticket sales.

The first thing Man United did was establish a reason for fans to go to and to like their Facebook page. They did this in two ways. First, they posted news about the team such as match details, injury news, player acquisitions or departures, awards won by the team or individual players, highlights, ect. By posting this information fans could then log on and comment about the latest news and talk with other fans about the team. Second, Man United held online competitions and sweepstakes on their Facebook page. You doesn’t like to win free stuff? Man United held competitions and gave away team apparel, signed jerseys and jackets, and other products fans would find appealing. These two strategies gave fans a reason to go to Man United’s Facebook page, to like the Facebook page, and to come back for more.

Man United also created a very simple app which fans could use to show their support for the team. This app was called “Join Man Utd.” The app allows fans to create a virtual Man United jersey with the fan’s name on it. The fans could than send this jersey to friends or use it as their profile picture or anything else that tickled their fancy. The app created a fun simple way for fans to show their support.

The final thing Man United did was leverage their Facebook page to drive ticket sales. They used their Facebook page to target individuals who lived within driving distance of upcoming games and sent direct advertisements to those fans. Last summer Man United played a number of games in the United States and their Facebook page allowed them to inform their U.S. fan base when and where they would be playing.  The entire U.S. tour effectively sold out.

The campaign has been widely successful with almost 200,000 new users connecting with the Man United Facebook page making them the number one supported English team on Facebook.

When creating a Facebook advertising campaign think of what your customers are looking for and what your customers are already doing. In Manchester United’s case, the fans were already taking about the team and recent team news, Man United just gave them an organized place that they could continue to talk.