At MultiSport Research we have now released the latest four-weekly social media category findings, as tracked by our Endurance Sport Social Analytics (ESSA) Data, the comprehensive datasheet that benchmarks 720+ leading international endurance sport brands across social media.
The ESSA Data helps brands to see how they stack up against: (1) the endurance sport industry overall; (2) specific endurance sport market sectors; and (3) against key competitors. Data is used to help brands monitor, adapt and refine their activation in each social channel.
Analyzing data for Mar 6th to Apr 2nd, 2018, summary findings include:
Overall, endurance sport brands on Facebook had a slight increase in engagement (combining post reactions, comments & shares as a proportion of overall fan numbers) in the four weeks to Apr 2nd. The latest period saw an average engagement of 0.20%, compared to 0.16% for the prior four-week period.
While Facebook is currently the most widely used social platform for endurance sport brands, in terms of average weekly growth, Instagram remains the fastest growing (+0.64% weekly growth on average). This compares to +0.53% for YouTube, +0.15% for Facebook and +0.11% for Twitter.
Not surprisingly, with an ongoing raft of endurance sport tweets, Twitter has the highest posting frequency (2.2 posts per day average). While post interaction rates on Twitter are lower, brands still rely on the platform for keeping endurance sport fans up-to-date.
On average, YouTube had a low frequency of video uploads in the four weeks to Apr 2nd, 2018 – at an average of 0.14 video posts per day. However, the power of video saw the platform leverage a high interaction rate for endurance sport brands (82m views over 1866 videos uploaded), which in turn contributed to the 0.53% uplift in YouTube subscriber numbers during the period.
In the four weeks to Apr 2nd, out of the 2473 social profiles analysed for 720+ endurance sport companies in the ESSA Data, there were 80,000 social posts across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. This resulted in 112 million social interactions.
High performing brands in the latest reporting period include: 3D Coaching, Aqua Blue Sport, Barkley Marathon, BH Bikes, Global Cycling Network (GCN), Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Rapha, Shamrock Shuffle, Swim Smooth, Trisutto.
“The Endurance Sport Social Analytics (ESSA) Data & Reports help brands to see how they measure up in the ever-changing world of social media,” said MultiSport Research Managing Director, Gary Roethenbaugh.
He continued, “Using the ESSA Data – through benchmarking against competitors and assessing key performance indicators (KPIs) – brands can compare, adapt & refine their own social activity. This translates into a more cost-effective and impactful social media strategy.”
Tracking extensive data on more than 720 brands, from 2XU through to Zwift, and encompassing the largest through to the smallest operators, the ESSA Data encompasses five main categories: Gear, Coaches, Media, Retail and Races.
MultiSport Research’s North America Director Kate Morefield, added “Given the amount that is being spent on paid-boosted posts, and the changes underway across all social platforms, particularly Facebook, the endurance sport industry should carefully analyze the trends in this increasingly diverse landscape. In turn, this will help deliver a return on investment.”
The April 2018 edition of the ESSA Data is available as an extensive Excel data workbook detailing 720+ companies across the four social platforms and all key performance indicators. The ESSA Data is priced at US$650 / £490 (data for the Mar 6th to Apr 2nd, 2018 period). Available now via the reports page on this site.
A summary infographic has also been prepared (with some category trend data thrown in!) to guide brand owners through some of the steps to tracking brand performance on social.
About Endurance Sport Social Analytics Data and reports
The ESSA Data and the recently introduced ESSA Gear and ESSA Media reports offer detailed analysis drilling down into sub-categories. This data helps companies answer key strategic questions, such as:
• How do we compare against our competitor brands? • What can we learn from social media activity undertaken by others? • What types of post are most likely to resonate with the athlete community? • What types of image, post text and subject matter is most successful?
Established in 2010, MultiSport Research (MSR) specialises in market insight and analysis services for the global endurance sport industry. Its services are independent, vigorously researched & strictly confidential.
To help the endurance sport industry continue its path to growth, MSR offers a core suite of services. These include: category & market quantification; consumer insight; benchmarking & competitor analysis; event services; and consulting.
Alongside these services, the MSR team keep their finger on the pulse through the industry news site: endurancebusiness.com. Feel free to sign-up for daily e-mail news and follow on social to check out the latest industry developments.