Social Media Communication Strategies of Turkey’s Big Four Football Clubs on Twitter (X): A Content Analysis of the 2024–2025 Super League Season

This study examines the social media communication strategies of four major Turkish Süper Lig football clubs—Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, and Trabzonspor—on Twitter (X) during the 2024–2025 season using a qualitative content analysis approach. The dataset includes a total of 4,320 tweets shared from the official accounts of the clubs between March 2024 and February 2025. The posts were analyzed according to thematic categories, including sportive, commercial, social responsibility, corporate, and fan-oriented content. The findings indicate that sportive content dominates the clubs’ social media communication, accounting for approximately half of all posts. Video and visual content were found to generate higher engagement compared to text-based posts, highlighting the importance of multimedia use in digital sports communication. Galatasaray achieved the highest total engagement, while Trabzonspor placed greater emphasis on transparency through corporate content. Most posts carried a positive emotional tone, although negative content increased during periods of crisis and following defeats. The study reveals that while clubs effectively use social media for information sharing and brand promotion, interaction-oriented and fan-centered strategies are not fully implemented. Accordingly, it is recommended that clubs increase their use of multimedia, develop data-driven communication strategies, integrate social responsibility content more effectively, and adopt two-way engagement practices. Overall, the research underscores the strategic role of social media as a key tool in modern football communication and brand management.