How to use social media to boost your team
As a coach of grassroots teams, social media can be a powerful tool. Your practical sessions and the team's social media must work together, here's my tips on how to do that
When coaching grassroots teams, I often had the blessing/curse, of being the main social media person as well.
Now I had a possible advantage, two arts degrees helped me build what looked good on the page. However, I’ve built up an idea of what has worked well and what hasn’t over the years.
Words matter
If you’re posting about the team to hopefully attract new players, then potential attendees want to know what to expect and what the sessions will be like.
Think about what words describe your training or, better yet, ask the players. Alongside this, write down the goals of the team and your coaching style.
Now you have some theme words to describe your training sessions and team, which you can use on either images or the written elements of your social media posts.
Using buzzwords that you and the players say describes the sessions means you’re accurately portraying the team and training.
It’s important to practice what you say and to ensure your posts aren’t filled with empty promises.
For example: during my time in a previous coaching role we emphasised there was “3 ways to play”. This included “social fitness”, “non-contact” and “build to contact”.
This was a core element of our practical programme and our social media recruitment.
Consider the FAQs
This seems obvious but if you’re new to rugby you won’t know what to bring to training.
Think about what is helpful for players to bring and ask your team what they would like to know before they attended their first session.
Include answers focusing on:
Whether they need boots or whether trainers are fine for the first session.
What they need to wear (warm outdoor fitness clothes etc)
What they need to bring (water bottle etc)
Where to park
Where to walk from their car/club entrance to the training pitch
What images to use
Firstly, ensure that no one is pressured to be in any photographs. If you coach juniors then make sure you’ve checked the forms for photo/video consent.
I often take candid photos at training and would post them on the team chat. This wasn’t just for social media.
It was so that the players could see themselves in action at training. Sometimes it was a helpful confidence boost, other times it provided some funny memories and often players would review their technique.
Use some of the candid photos for social media, alongside standard team photos. This helps showcase the hard work and fun the team is having. It also helps potential recruits get an idea of what training is like.
Any background colours you use for your social media posts will be already decided by the team or club colours. Check in with your club committee in case they have guidelines over colours and typeface.
I sometimes use reoccurring shapes or templates across a season or multiple season. I think of it like a social media theme (even better if it ties into any theming you’re doing with the players too)
Use videos at training
Videos, just like photos, can be useful for players to reflect after training.
Footage can also aid your social media. This is not new information. However, the time spent recording the videos is just as important.
There is immense value in players coming together to have fun whilst recording a social media value.
This time at training is important and can act as a bonding experience for the team. As a coach, it’s easy to plan training sessions down to the minute and want to squeeze every second of rugby out of the session.
However, recording videos and fun challenges also has value. It benefits the team’s social media and creates time for players to have fun together.
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