Recently, the Kano Pillars Football Club had its image making section reshuffled by the Kano State Ministry of Information.
The reshuffling saw Sharif Zahraddeen Usman Kofar Nassarawa from the ministry of information replacing the longest serving Media Officer of the club, Lurwanu Idris Malikawa as the new Kano Pillars Football Club image maker.
Even though not much is known about Sharif Zahraddeen Usman Kofar Nassarawa, the information available about this particular individual is that he is a promising and hardworking staff member who joined the service in 2009.
His appointment made him the forth Media Officer of the club since its formation in 1990. Ado Salisu of the Triumph Publishing Company was the first, Shehu Adamu of the Nigeria Television Authority, Kano the second and Rilwanu Idris Malikawa of the same ministry the third.
With this development, I will start by congratulating Kofar Nassarawa on his new assignment, wish him well and pray for a successful and crisis free tenure.
But it is certain that for him to succeed, Kofar Nassarawa must know that his new assignment is not an easy one but one which is hectic, stressful and too demanding.
Thus, for Kofar Nasarawa to succeed as the best Media Officer of the club, he must know what he is there for and do what is before him.
Kofar Nassarawa must know that he is there as the head of the image making section of Kano Pillars FC. Which simply means that he is there to provide information that can project the team well to its followers and other stakeholders.
And the best way to achieve this is by being open and friendly to all sports journalists which will help them report stories that are attractive to the audience.
The media office must be very friendly too to all stakeholders by making information available about the team as it will perfectly block room(s) for hearsay, rumors or other negative narratives about the club, its management and its players.
The media office must not play or joke with the public opinion because it is one of the most powerful forces that can promote or destroy Kano Pillars FC image instantly.
Kofar Nassarawa must also know that his vital function as the media officer, is not to pass on information alone but to foster relationships with anybody that matters be it local, national and international media conventionally or those from social media.
Doing this will surely enhance the brand image of Kano Pillars FC not only in the country but the world at large.
He must equally know that he is responsible for all the club’s publications – including Press releases, media guides, publicity, schedule cards, promotional posters and flyers.
He is also responsible for organizing post-match conferences after each and every Kano Pillars home contest.
He must keep all the game and seasonal statistics as well as maintain all-time records of the club and make them available to the press from time to time or when requested.
He is also responsible for updating the general public on the true situation on the players fitness or otherwise. This will include those sick or injured and those to be or on transfer. Not only that, he is to unfold to the general public the amount the club rakes on various deals.
He must also know that his main function as the Kano Pillars FC image maker is to build and maintain a strong relationship with the media and the general public.
Besides, being the spokesperson of the club, he must see himself as the liaison officer between the club and the media and also expected to produce as much positive publicity for the club.
It is his responsibility as Kano Pillars FC image maker to diffuse potentially damaging situations or matters concerning the club that could attract media’s interest and hopefully play a role in controlling or solving the crisis.
Similarly, the image maker can also assist in providing media training classes or clinics to help prepare coaches, players or any other member of staff for media spotlight or appearances.
The new Media Officer must therefore know that he is there to make positive changes in Kano Pillars FC image making section.
I vividly recall that prior to this new development, there were cries from various angles on the need for a more active, functional and modern image making section of the club.
This is because the then media office was not functioning as expected because it was not doing what was expected from them. All they focused was radio reportage which many people frowned at.
They sidelined some sections of the media which negatively affect the club. They forget and ignore the present day realities which gave birth to the proliferation of social media in society.
This is why the team was always crying for government funds because it was not adequately marketed to the individuals, firms or multi-nationals who will sponsor the team.
The previous media office ignored social media which the world over which many relied on presently to communicate with their supporters, build brand awareness, and attract corporate sponsorships.
This must be stopped and you must know that social media platforms are very important because they allow fans to interact and communicate with their favorite club.
Kofarr Nasarawa should know that Kano Pillars FC are massively supported all over the globe. Their fans are scattered in all corners of the world, so they should use social media to reach out on them.
Social media sites are serving as a commercial venture which equally increased clubs’ incomes and reduced their dependence on their respective owners for funds.
Bookmakers have believed that football teams that have an alliance with social media are generating sponsorship which in return is paid back in dollars.
Because it has been established that a football team may via social media reach a large audience.
This is because social media has a positive effect on teams as it may among others raise awareness of their name and grow their fan base.
Commercial income might be boosted due to increased ticket sales, retail purchases, and sponsorship possibilities.
Therefore, football teams that are active on social media platforms may get significant consumer insights and data on the tastes and habits. The clubs may use this information to improve their commercial earnings through advertising and marketing.
Consequently. a team like Kano Pillars may use social media to reach out to their supporters and interact with their audience and other stakeholders whose commercial earnings may be greatly influenced by its social media followers.
Bookmakers have also listed three ways for a good Media Officer to be effective in his image making job. Thus:-
The first is the Proactive Media Relations Approach: Here the media officer is expected to initiate promotional information and make it available to the press. He could distribute packages of players’ bios, media guides or video clips and club documentaries to select media outlets without having been requested to do so. This approach ensures that a club gets regular media spotlights.
The second is the Reactive Media Relations Approach: In this approach, the media officer should always respond to inquiries and guide club personnel to respond to questions, queries and requests from the media and other interest parties. He should put in mind that in a football setting, such requests may concern player interviews, appearances, autographs, photographs, biographies etc.
The last approach is the Interactive Media Relations Approach: This approach involves developing mutually beneficial relationships with media. As the media officer assists the press in a variety of ways, it has reciprocal effects.
This is a relationship marketing approach aimed at building lasting, long term relationships with the media.
From the above, I will suggest an urgent rehabilitation of the social media section of the club if at all there is one but if none the media officer should not hesitate to establish it without delay.
It is unfortunate and sad to know and understand that the last time Kano Pillars FC updated its Twitter handle was on 22 Oct 2023 during their home match against Rivers United. Therefore, with these, I wish Kofar Nasarawa the best of luck.