THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS A RELATIONSHIP MARKETING TOOL IN PROFESSIONAL SPORT

U ovom diplomskom radu je pobliže prikazana uloga društvenih mreža i njihov utjecaj kao alata marketinga odnosa u području profesionalnog sporta. Donio se zaključak koji mediji se najviše koriste za praćenje profesionalnog sporta, u kojoj mjeri se poboljšao, ili nije, odnos između ispitanika i profesionalnih sportskih organizacija nakon što su ispitanici zapratili organizacije na društvenim mrežama, te koje su najveće prednosti pri izgradnji dugoročnih odnosa koje su ispitanici stekli praćenjem profesionalnih sportskih organizacija. Nadalje donosi se zaključak o ponašajnim karakteristikama ispitanika na društvenim mrežama i aktivnostima profesionalnih sportskih organizacija na društvenim mrežama, te se na kraju donosi zaključak prema percepciji ispitanika o tome što je sve potrebno uložiti da bi se stvorio dugoročan odnos s ciljnom publikom u okviru društvenih mreža. U svrhu istraživanja uloge društvenih mreža kao instrument koristio se anketni upitnik na namjernom prigodnom uzorku. Anketa je namijenjena korisnicima društvenih mreža koji na svojim profilima prate barem jednu profesionalnu sportsku organizaciju i koji svojom aktivnošću na društvenim mrežama poput Facebook-a, Instagram-a, YouTube-a, TikTok-a, Twitter-a i mnogih drugih čine zajednicu kreiranu oko profesionalne sportske organizacije. Za sekundarne izvore koristila se stručna literatura domaćih i stranih autora poput knjiga, specijaliziranih časopisa i internetskih stranica. Provedeno istraživanje pokazalo je da se za praćenje profesionalnog sporta najviše koriste društvene mreže Facebook, Instagram i YouTube, te da je odnos ispitanika s profesionalnim sportskim organizacijama postao bolji nakon što su ispitanici zapratili profesionalnu sportsku organizaciju na društvenim mrežama, a glavne prednosti za izgradnju dugoročnih odnosa koje su stekli ispitanici su veća informiranost, poboljšano iskustvo, strast i psihološka privrženost. Nadalje, pokazalo se da su većina ispitanika pasivni promatrači, te da profesionalne sportske organizacije moraju uložiti više napora kako bi započeli dijalog s ispitanicima. Osim dijaloga pokazalo se da postoje mnoge prilike za profesionalne sportske organizacije koje bi mogle potaknuti razvoj kvalitete odnosa s pratiteljima na društvenim mrežama. Primjerice, promoviranje sadržaja tijekom utakmica u realnom vremenu kako bi se potakla interakcija s ispitanicima, češća slanja obavijesti povezanih s objavom novog sadržaja, davanje dodatnih pogodnosti u vidu poklona i popusta tijekom posebnih prigoda i nakon započinjanja odnosa s pratiteljima. Za kraj percepcija ispitanika pokazala je da kako bi se uspio izgraditi dugoročan odnos s ciljnom publikom nije dovoljno biti samo prisutan na društvenim mrežama, uz prisutnost potrebno je uložiti trud, vrijeme, ljudski kapital i financijski resurse u upravljanju društvenim mrežama kako bi se razvio dugoročni odnos s ciljnom publikom.In the following thesis, the role of social media and their influence as a relationship marketing tool in the field of professional sports is presented in detail. Conclusions are drawn on what type of media is mostly used to follow professional sports, if and to what extent the relationship between the respondents and professional sports organizations has improved after the respondents followed the organizations on social media, and what are the biggest advantages of building long-term relationships, which respondents gained by following professional sports organizations. Furthermore, we sum up the behavioral characteristics of the respondents on social media and the activities of professional sports organizations on social media. Finally, a conclusion is made based on the respondents’ perception of what is necessary to invest in order to create a long-term relationship with the target audience within social media. In order to investigate the role of social media as an instrument, a survey was used on a deliberate random sample. The survey is intended for users of social media who follow at least one professional sports organization and who, through their activity on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, etc., form a community created around professional sports organizations. For secondary sources, literature that includes domestic and foreign authors was used, such as books, specialized magazines, and websites. The research conducted demonstrates that Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are the most used social media for following professional sports and that the respondents' relationship with professional sports organizations has improved after the respondents followed a professional sports organization on social media. Also, the main benefits of building long-term relationships obtained by the respondents are larger sources of information for followers, improved experience, passion, and psychological attachment. Moreover, it turns out that most of the respondents are passive observers, and that professional sports organizations need to invest more effort in starting a dialogue with the respondents. In addition to the dialogue, it turns out that there are many opportunities for professional sports organizations to encourage the development of high-quality relationships with followers on social media. For example, promoting content during matches in real-time to encourage interaction with respondents, more frequent notifications related to the publication of new content, giving additional benefits in the form of gifts and discounts during special occasions, and after starting a relationship with followers. In the end, the respondents' perception showed that in order to succeed in building a long-term relationship with the target audience, it is not enough to just be present on social media. Apart from social media presence, it is necessary to invest effort, time, human capital, and financial resources in social network management to develop a long-term relationship with the target audience