Tomateros de Culiacán
How It Started
In September 2018, I traveled to Miami to present the Toros del Este’s digital success story at a Caribbean Baseball Confederation meeting. After my presentation, several team presidents approached me, but the one who showed the most interest was the president of the Tomateros de Culiacán.
He told me: “We need to talk about how you can bring this same kind of work to our team.”
That moment was exciting — a big step in my career. We immediately began conversations, and by November 2018, I was providing advisory services to optimize the Tomateros’ digital platforms, making the brand more visible in new media, creating marketing opportunities, building fan loyalty through storytelling, and above all, generating a high return on investment.
The Challenge
At that time, the Tomateros’ digital presence was behind competitors like Naranjeros de Hermosillo and Águilas de Mexicali. Their platforms showed stagnation:
57,390 followers in November 2018.
Only 162 website clicks in a one-week period.
20,544 profile visits on Instagram.
Reach at 41,568 and impressions at 2.1M, but with very low engagement.
Interaction rate of just 0.14% (below Venados 0.17% and Cañeros 0.16%).
Content share: 14.59% of league publications (vs Naranjeros with 25%).
We also noticed a lack of balance: the team focused heavily on Instagram but abandoned Facebook, losing potential engagement with a broader fan base.
The Strategy
To reposition the Tomateros brand, I developed a digital optimization and consulting plan focused on four pillars:
Optimization → Establish measurable goals to increase interaction, boost visibility, and place Tomateros among the top clubs in Mexican baseball.
Storytelling → Create authentic content by capturing memories, history, and fan perspectives, strengthening loyalty and trust.
Return on Investment → Demonstrate the commercial value of digital platforms to attract sponsors and create monetization opportunities.
Content Quality → Prioritize audiovisual storytelling: more videos, photography, GIFs, and behind-the-scenes content to increase shares and engagement.
Additionally, I created a commercialization roadmap to help the Tomateros use their digital platforms to attract brands and integrate them into the team’s growing online universe.
The Results (Nov 1–19, 2018)
In just 18 days, measurable growth was achieved across every platform:
Total followers: 456,256 → 476,247 (+20,000).
Instagram: +12,130 followers (45,912 → 58,042).
Twitter: +2,170 followers (112,897 → 115,067).
Facebook: +5,732 fans (297,456 → 303,188).
Engagement per post: 642.42 → 707.21.
Real reach: 20,792 → 21,719.
Geographic expansion:
Instagram: 71% Mexico, 21% U.S., growth in Venezuela and Brazil.
Twitter: Culiacán 28.3%, with growth in Tijuana, Mexico City, Mexicali, and Hermosillo.
Facebook: U.S. fans 31%, with strong presence in Spain and Colombia.
Highlights
Helped transform the Tomateros into a fast-growing digital brand in less than a month.
Positioned the team for new sponsorship opportunities by highlighting ROI in digital spaces.
Strengthened fan identity and loyalty through creative storytelling.
Proved that with the right strategy, a traditional franchise could become a modern leader in digital engagement.
Conclusion
Working with the Tomateros de Culiacán was a career milestone. What started with an invitation after my Toros del Este presentation in Miami became a full-scale advisory that transformed one of Mexico’s most historic baseball clubs into a digital powerhouse.
Through optimization, storytelling, and commercial strategy, I helped the Tomateros grow their audience, expand internationally, and generate real business value from their online presence.