Sports fans are much more likely to use location-based social media platforms than the general population, according to new survey data compiled by Indianapolis-based Coyle Media Inc. and Indiana University.
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| COYLE MEDIA |
The survey data, developed from responses of more than 5,000 fans who follow nine undisclosed pro and college teams on Twitter and Facebook, showed as many as 43 percent of those fans have used a check-in service, such as Foursquare, at least once.
By comparison, a recent Forrester Research survey showed about 5 percent of U.S. adults with online access and mobile phones have used a check-in service at least once a month.
The data give additional credence to anecdotal suggestions thus far by check-in service companies that sports fans represent a powerful group of early adopters to this emerging wing of social media.
“This suggests a powerful target for sports marketers,” said Pat Coyle, Coyle Media Inc. president. “The fan interest is certainly there, provided teams are giving them a real reason, and meaningful benefits to use these services. It’s all still very early days for location-based [social media], but this data gives more support that it’s worth trying.”
