Twitter Users Are Taking the Pitch Ahead of FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019

FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 kicks off June 7 and runs through the crowning of a champion July 7, and Twitter is already humming, as the social network said tweets about women’s soccer are up 200% since the start of the year. The spike should come as no surprise, as Twitter said women’s soccer tweets surged 2,000% during FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015. Twitter said fans of the tournament are 17 times more likely than average Twitter users to be interested in feminism, seven times more likely to be interested in college football and three times more likely to be interest in social justice. The most-tweeted-about athletes in the run-up to the tournament are: Ali Kreiger Ashlyn Harris Tobin Heath Alex Morgan Megan Rapinoe And the most-tweeted-about teams are: U.S. England Australia Canada Netherlands According to the social network, 68% of those tweeting about FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 believe the U.S. will win the tournament. Twitter vice president of global client solutions Sarah Personette shared three ways for marketers to capitalize on the buzz being generated by FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019: Connect to the conversation and convert: 84% of sports fans are interested in women’s sports, according to Nielsen, but the Women’s World Cup has captured 80% fewer hours of media coverage than the Men’s World Cup, according to FIFA. The result: 41% of Twitter users who don’t follow women’s soccer blamed lack of coverage by the media and television. Personette said, “Twitter offers a space to fill that gap. In the absence of ample media coverage, fans eager to hear and talk more about women’s soccer are doing that on Twitter. Marketers can connect to that conversation and engage with people who are already fans, but they also have the unique opportunity to play the role of a converter and help introduce more coverage and conversation that may inspire those 41% of non-followers to become fans.” Tap into a moment and a movement: Personette pointed out that the tournament will tip off just three months after 28 members of the U.S. national team began their quest for equal pay to the men’s squad, adding, “In this year’s Women’s World Cup, marketers who have joined conversations around gender parity, #InternationalWomensDay and equal pay—or who are figuring out their place in those conversations—have another touchpoint to walk the talk and jump into a moment and a movement that’ll give them the chance to flex their brand purpose muscle.” Find the white space and own it: Personette said, “There’s space between matches, in the earliest stages of the tournament and after the tournament for marketers to extend the longevity of the conversation about women’s soccer on Twitter. There’s opportunity for brands to come together with super-engaged fans, athletes and influencers on the platform to discuss topics beyond just specific matchups or wins. Celebration of the athletes, player backstories and team news are broadly relevant categories that brands can own to keep the conversation alive and continue engaging users who are thirsty for relevant content.” [kickout id="1"]