Guest Post: Using Social Media to Help You Run

According to statistics released by Social Media Today, 72 percent of all Internet users are now actively using social media. The use of social media is now widespread and more influential than ever. The strategic use of these channels has helped significantly in launching new businesses, amplifying brand exposure and promoting new and existing hobbies, leveraging even age-old games like bingo.

An article on The Independent said that the game industry has begun looking into games integrated with social media, converging under the umbrella term of “social gaming.” Free Bingo Hunter reports that many online bingo portals have begun using social media to promote not just their games, but contests and giveaways as well, giving players boons and bonuses for connecting their social media accounts to their games. This has helped the industry return, even after its steady decline of player numbers since the 1950s. Today, the online bingo industry is worth upwards of $557 million in the UK alone. Social media has helped to spread the word of this interesting twist on bingo, and it’s done wonders to improve participation in the hobby.

Similarly, social media has also made running cool again. An article from Running Times discussed how the use of social networking in particular has become the standard in promoting a sport that otherwise goes widely unrecognized. LetsRun.com attracts around 200,000 unique visitors every say because of its message boards that gets 2 million posts. Long distance runner Ryan Hall has 78,000 Twitter followers while Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has 3.32 million. Anyone who is anyone in the elite running circle has a blog, attracting scores of new and longtime fans.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned runner, sharing your runs on social media has lot of great benefits.

Build a community. Although running is a solitary sport, it is recommended to engage with other runners as the running community is a strong one. Every “like” or “favorite” after a post is a sign of motivation and support.

Be a better runner. By sharing your runs through social media channels, you can enhance your running skills. By sharing your stats, you can get a lot of information from more experienced runners on how to approach a particular challenge.

Inspire others to run. Tweeting or sharing a good run might get someone off the couch potato lifestyle and into running.