Eddie Betts has more followers on media than any footballer in South Australia
WHICH players have the biggest social media followings of Adelaide’s footballers? And more importantly, who are the best at engaging with their audience?
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EDDIE Betts is Adelaide’s undisputed king of social media — leading the Adelaide players both in Instagram followers and interactions.
Melbourne based athlete publishing agency Unscriptd shows Betts has chalked up 110,003 followers to be the ninth most followed player in the AFL, leading teammates Taylor Walker and Rory Sloane.
Port Adelaide’s Chad Wingard, who often uses social media to discuss Aboriginality and other issues that are important to him, is the Power’s most followed player in fourth spot of the SA-based footballers.
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But media experts now say the more important metric is not followers — which is referred to as a “vanity” number — but the amount of interactions.
Unscriptd Jonno Simpson, who used to work for Twitter, said the interactions was a guide for how well players connected with their audience and was more important for brand building.
“Interactions essentially showcase both the quality of content and how well it’s resonating with an audience,” Simpson said. “The interesting one on Twitter is Brodie Smith.
“He is actually the sixth most engaged player in the league.
“His context is getting interactions; it is shared, retweeted, gets comments. He’s doing a good job; his fans like his context.”
The game’s highest-profile female footballer, Erin Phillips, would have landed ninth on the list of Instagram followers with 38,200.
Both of the South Australian AFL clubs said they encouraged their players to use social media to help promote their clubs, the game and their own brand.
But they also warned the players of the pitfalls of social media, warned them not to connect in the immediate aftermath of the game and counselled the players on the dos and don’ts of posting.
Some players, such as the Power’s Hamish Hartlett, have decided to jump off social media altogether and there is the risk of players being “trolled” or subject to torrents of abuse.
Port Adelaide media manager Daniel Norton said he would often get a phone call from players wondering whether it would be appropriate to post something but by and large, the players were encouraged to be spontaneous.
“It gives them a chance to show a different side,” Norton said.
Norton singled out captain Travis Boak as a master of the medium — he has Port Adelaide’s biggest following on both Instagram and Twitter — while former Brisbane captain Tom Rockliff also had a large fan base.
Adelaide Football Club’s general manager of media and communications Ian Shuttleworth said the Crowst educate their players about social media. “
We give them the necessary tools and skills to make the most of social media, given it is such a big part of their and most people’s day-to-day lives,” he said
“We also see it as a very important, powerful and effective way to engage with our fans and the wider football community.”
Adelaide’s Josh Jenkins, who has had to develop a thick skin because of some of the criticism that has flowed his way on social media, is the AFL’s most active Twitter user in the AFL.
Instagram Followers
1. Eddie Betts — 110,003 (9th in AFL)
2. Taylor Walker — 105,914 (11th in AFL)
3. Rory Sloane — 82,316 (17th in AFL)
4. Chad Wingard — 69,997 (19th in AFL)
5. Bryce Gibbs — 53,168 (27th in AFL)
6. Travis Boak — 50,007 (30th in AFL)
7. Robbie Gray — 43,266 (37th in AFL)
8. Steven Motlop — 39,417 (40th in AFL)
9. Ollie Wines — 36,779 (43rd in AFL)
10. Brodie Smith — 30,453 (58th in AFL)
Instagram Interactions
(most engaged player) since January 1, 2018
1. Eddie Betts (10th in AFL)
2. Rory Sloane (12th in AFL)
3. Bryce Gibbs (17th in AFL)
4. Taylor Walker (20th in AFL)
5. Travis Boak (27th in AFL)
6. Chad Wingard (35th in AFL)
7. Jack Trengove (40th in AFL)
Active on Instagram
Bryce Gibbs is the most active player on Instagram (51st most active in AFL)
Rory Sloane is 53rd most active in the AFL
Twitter Followers
1. Rory Sloane — 51,818 (11th in AFL)
2. Bryce Gibbs — 42,399 (16th in AFL)
3. Sam Jacobs — 30,092 (23rd in AFL)
4. Travis Boak — 29,973 (24th in AFL)
5. Hugh Greenwood — 29,410 (25th in AFL)
6. Tom Rockliff — 21,609 (35th in AFL)
7. Jack Trengove — 18,477 (43rd in AFL)
8. Josh Jenkins — 17,289 (47th in AFL)
9. Ollie Wines — 16,798 (50th in AFL)
10. Jack Watts — 16,555 (51st in AFL)
Twitter Interactions
(most engaged player) since January 1, 2018
Brodie Smith (6th in AFL)
Josh Jenkins (9th in AFL)
Hugh Greenwood (16th in AFL)
Sam Jacobs (17th in AFL)
Jack Trengove (21st in AFL)
Tom Rockliff (22nd in AFL)
Todd Marshall (29th in AFL)
Active on Twitter
Josh Jenkins is the most active Twitter user in the AFL
Brodie Smith is eighth most active in the AFL
*Source: Unscriptd
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