Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Publication Date

Spring 2019

Publisher

Henry Stewart Publications

Source Publication

Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing

Source ISSN

2050-0076

Abstract

This analysis examines why fans would visit a professional baseball team’s Facebook page. The broader objective is to understand motivations for using communication channels in social media. Given the popularity of Facebook[A1] , with over 2 billion active monthly users starting in 2017 according to Statista1, insights from use of this communication channel should provide an important understanding of how digital and social media channels work. The results support a proposed model for understanding fans’ interactions with a sports team’s Facebook page. Team identification related positively with the value fans put on relevant outcomes from visiting the site. Socially relevant outcomes were highly valued among those who visited the team's page. From the standpoint of practice, the results suggest that sports teams may want to enhance their marketing efforts by employing strong emphases on the social relationships that fans have with other fans of the same team, and relationships the fans might build with players through live encounters with them on the team page. Managers of team pages should determine what various outcomes (gratifications sought) fans value as part of their identification with the team.

Comments

Accepted version. Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Spring 2019). Publisher link. © 2019 Henry Stewart Publications. Used with permission.

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