The UFC has become the biggest and most popular fighting organization on the planet not just by featuring the best fighters in the world. Through the leadership of CEO Dana White, the UFC has achieved success partly thanks to its excellent marketing tactics. While the company struggled to gain fans in its early days, creating interesting and unique content helped it gain traction.
Today, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is bigger than ever, with an average of 41 events per year. UFC 300 is just around the corner, and it’s shaping up to be a huge night for UFC fans. You can find UFC odds tonight to see all the latest betting odds on the upcoming cards. In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at how content marketing has helped propel the UFC into the limelight.
The Ultimate Fighter: A Reality Show That Saved the UFC
For many years, the UFC was seen as a barbaric and ugly sideshow. Its early events had few rules, and it faced bans and restrictions from many states. Few venues would even host fights, and it even struggled to find networks willing to broadcast them. The executives of the organization came up with the idea of creating a reality TV show that would showcase the talents of its fighters to a wider audience. They pitched the idea of the Ultimate Fighter to several networks and in the end agreed to pay all the costs associated with the show.
The first season of the Ultimate Fighter aired in 2005, with Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture coaching two teams of fighters who had to live and train together in a house. The episodes included fighter interviews, challenges and the drama of a reality show. In addition, the fighters would be competing for a chance to win a UFC contract. The show was broadcast on cable TV, and helped introduce more people to the sport. Despite costing the UFC money to produce, it became a huge success.
Not only did the Ultimate Fighter get rebooked by TV channels, but it also helped bring the concept of the UFC to a much wider audience. It’s credited with saving the organization from bankruptcy, as it led to a major increase in pay per view sales and over time the sport became more mainstream. The show has now had more than 30 seasons, and it’s helped to bring more fans to the sport.
Utilizing Social Media to Grow the UFC Brand
Aside from creating the Ultimate Fighter, Dana White and the UFC have been savvy in their use of social media to help grow the band. Sports leagues all over the world create a lot of social media content, but the UFC was one of the early pioneers. For UFC 173, they began creating the Embedded video series, which follows the training and preparation of fighters in the buildup to pay per view events.
The Embedded series is published on YouTube and it’s a big hit with fans, helping to showcase the personalities of fighters while also generating regular content in the buildup to an event. Embedded is a way for fighters to introduce themselves and show part of their life, humanizing them and creating a stronger connection with their fans. This creates engagement and hype around every event, leading to more interest and higher sales.
Aside from creating YouTube content, the UFC has also been quick to create and share content on various social media platforms. Posting clips of fights can showcase the fighting abilities of fighters, and also highlights the production values of events. These short video clips are a great way for the UFC to boost engagement and reach new audiences.
