How to Score Big With Sports Influencer Marketing

Sports, fitness, and physical wellness are some of the most popular topics for influencers. From 2022 to 2023, sports tripled in popularity with influencer marketing campaigns. It has a natural tie-in with beauty, wellness, and fitness. Among the 10 most-followed Instagram profiles in the world, three are those of sports figures.

A seismic shift in sports influencer marketing happened in 2021, when the NCAA introduced NIL (Name, Image, Likeness), which granted collegiate athletes the ability to profit from their notoriety as athletes. Download our guide to NIL marketing.

Since the advent of NIL, influencers such as LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne and college basketball star Angel Reese have become social media superstars.

Sports influencer marketing nuances and effectiveness

There are many aspects of sports influencer marketing. Sports content created by influencers can include peeks behind the curtain of high-level professional sports, workout tips and tutorials, memorable sports highlights, interviews with athletes, fitness lifestyle content, and much more.

As several key aspects of an athlete’s life exist, there are infinite creative ways to deliver sports or fitness content. Athletes who are social media creators implement their workout routines, personal life, and diet and nutrition into their content.

Athletes have always been key figures in advertising. Wheaties, a cereal brand, became iconic in the 1930s by featuring baseball players, football players, Olympic stars, and more on the front of boxes. Nike’s Air Jordan sneakers exploded in the 1980s and continue to be the premier sneaker brand in the world.

Social media is the main venue of marketing today. Brands still partner with athletes, but content creators are of increased importance. Influencers of all types, especially those who relate more closely with everyday people, produce content that entertains, informs, and inspires. A high-profile high school or college athlete, or a personal trainer, can develop a strong following and feature in marketing campaigns of their own.

Content creators develop important skills in connecting with large numbers of people as they share their expertise and take followers into their approach to life. These influencers are successful for marketers because they cultivate close relationships with their audiences.

To work with influencers, you often need to do so through an agent, as many are signed to agencies and talent managers. Thanks to IZEA’s talent partnerships, we have access to many of these talent rosters for our clients. 

Why does sports influencer marketing work?

Trust is a key ingredient in a successful sports influencer marketing campaign. An influencer who has the trust of loyal followers will be successful in introducing a product to their audience. It’s even better if that influencer truly believes in the product and features it in their content in an organic way.

Some aspects of influencer marketing can be measured. Engagement rate is one of the most important metrics to track. Authenticity, however, may be the most important of all, though it is difficult to measure.

Sports influencer marketing is effective because influencers can embody the ideals that your product represents. For example, if your brand is selling exercise resistance bands, the influence you will work with will display not only the effectiveness of the product but also the essence of it. That includes their personality, appearance, training methods and fitness goals. The influencer will embody all the product can do or mean for its target customer.

Another aspect of influencer marketing in sports is the diffusion of innovation theory. Influencers are either innovators – the first people to try something new – or early adopters – people who find new ways to change or improve.

Air Jordan shoes are a perfect example of this theory in action. Nike created the iconic Air Jordan 1 for Michael Jordan, ushering in a new era for style and performance in basketball shoes. Did Jordan’s shoes factor into the greatness he established? We will never know, but from that point on, everyone associated Nike’s Air Jordans with on-court greatness and off-court style.

Who’s leveraging sports influencer marketing?

Brands that produce gear for athletes to use while playing their respective sports, brands that make foods and drinks that appeal to athletes, and even brands that have little to do with the sport itself all tap into the popularity of athletes and trainers to access influencer marketing. Here are a few examples.

Dreame Tech

This creative example of sports influencer marketing shows how Tyrone Crawford, a defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, keeps his house clean. This campaign plays on the busy, heavy-travel schedule of an NFL player. Fans can relate, as many of them deal with the scramble to clean their space before inviting company over to watch their favorite NFL team.

Sparkling Ice

Sparkling Ice, a sparkling water brand with tasty, low-calorie flavors, has leveraged athletes in its social media marketing, with posts from college basketball player Angel Reese and college cheerleaders R. Nathan Paris and Matthew Loucel. These athletes compete in very different sports, but hydration is key to each of them, which shows one thing Sparkling Ice can deliver.

Michelob Ultra

Michelob Ultra is a light beer that can be enjoyed during a day on the course with friends, so it makes sense that the brand partnered with PGA golfer Colin McCarthy for this campaign. Colin’s neat trick shot shows off his skill and encourages viewers of the British Open to enjoy a cold Michelob Ultra that weekend.

How to find sports influencers

So, partnering with sports influencers or athletes seems like the right move for your brand. How do you go about finding and partnering with the right sports influencers? Unless you’re a big brand like Nike or Adidas, you can’t exactly call up a pro athlete out of the blue (and, likely, even the biggest brands don’t do that).

You have a few options for finding sports influencers.

DIY

Start searching on social media. Take note of the platforms your competitors post on and whether you can compete in the same vertical.

Identify top hashtags related to your sport or industry. For example, professional soccer player Ali Krieger created a buzz around #LightTheNight in a campaign for the Lymphoma & Lymphoma Society.

People who post in these circles may be athletes or fitness influencers. Find ones who align closely with your brand’s image or audience.

One option is to start searching on social media. Choose a platform (such as Instagram or YouTube). Then search for relevant hashtags. Look for ones related to your product or the sport you want to connect with. Follower count and engagement rate are important metrics to note. An influencer with a tight handle on their audience and a natural tie-in to your product or industry could be a great option to work with.

Additionally, izea.com’s homepage lists creators with followings large and small. You can find creator listings from athletes or sports influencers. It makes starting an influencer marketing campaign simple. You can browse influencers available for hire, see what type of posts or content they offer, and contact them to bring your campaign to life.

Influencer marketing experts

An influencer marketing service can help you target influencers who fit your brand. At IZEA, our team of Managed Services experts assists brands and agencies with influencer discovery, negotiations, contracts, campaign execution and much more. 

Influencers:

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Marketers:

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