Twitter: top European clubs to conquer emerging markets

The big European clubs have been pursuing strategies to conquer emerging football markets (Asia, Middle East, United States or Brazil) since the early 2000s. A digital presence has become a must to increase brand awareness in target territories.

Asia is the continent most coveted. More clubs have decided to create Twitter accounts in different languages to develop their community of fans. These digital relays are often part of a broader strategy combining partnerships with local companies and pre-season tours.

Liverpool FC are the club that have advanced most as far as its Twitter strategy in Asia, by opening seven official accounts (Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and South Korea). This ambitious strategy is accompanied by the recruitment in these countries of people trained to work in community management.

This practice is not restricted to the bigger clubs, as Queens Park Rangers (English second division in 2013-14) have developed a Twitter page in South Korea and managed to bring together more than 3,000 fans in this country.

• China is a complex market…