Content Strategy and Fan Engagement in Social Media, the Case of PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games

This paper investigates the pillars of content strategy and fan engagement in social networks during 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Objectives. The purpose of this paper is to seek reasons behind the differences in fan engagement in social media channels of PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Methods. Facebook and YouTube channels are used to analyze engagement and growth. Subsequent effects of fans engagement with different social media content have also been analyzed in the study. Data were collected using the Social Bakers Suite platform for the period of fifteen days of the Winter Paralympics. For the purpose of analysis 3 platforms have been used for 25 different analysis. From 25, the most significant analysis was presented in the findings. Content and sentiment analysis is used as a main research methodology. Results. The findings of this paper showed that the fans are more engaged with the contents of the Paralympic channel even though the number of followers were almost as half as the Olympics channel. The contents that were generated through marketers/organizer did not perform as well as user/fan generated content. Conclusion. This study will add to the body of academic practitioner research on social media content creation and will provide an opening for marketers to leverage social media networks for marketing communications. This cross‐channel study of the Olympics and Paralympic channels found positive effects on content consumption and in the promotion of fan engagement.