3 Simple Social Media Lessons from the @ATLHawks

If you follow the social media and sports landscape at all, there’s a good chance that the Hawks have been on your radar this season. As their social media team would say, their Twitter account has been on fire (insert fire emoji). The Hawks have defined a brand voice that is loud, unique and unapologetic. Their efforts are paying off.

Since last season alone, the Hawks have seen an increase in followers and attendance (winning never hurts) tenfold. According to the Hawks, fan engagement on social media in January 2015 was up exponentially from January 2014, including 14,000 new monthly followers on Twitter and 450,000 more daily impressions.

So what can you learn from their success? While the Hawks tactics and voice won’t work for everyone, their avodart-dutasteride.com approach to social media has takeaways for us all:

 

No. 1- Know your audience.

The Hawks have a unique voice on social media, and it’s clear they know their target audience.

I’m sure their loud Twitter account or Tinder night has alienated some, but their team knows and understands their goals/target. I admire the team for understanding their audience and staying the course. They’ve taken the time to define their audience and build a brand voice that resonates with them. The Hawks don’t have to appeal to the masses if they are appealing to their core fan. And based on their success, they are doing just that.

Knowing your audience is a huge key to social media success. It will help guide which platforms to activate on, how to define brand voice and direct content creation. Take the time to define and then understand your core audience. After all, it’s your job to think, talk and act like your fans.

 

No. 2- There is no box.

The Hawks haven’t played by any rules. Whether it’s platform best practices or Twitter name character limits, the Hawks do things their way and creatively. From adding all the “Ws” to their name to the Spotify playlist thank you letter, they continue to push the boundaries. All of us should take note of this.

Screen Shot 2015-02-09 at 3.41.40 PM

It’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing since the social media industry is extremely public. The Hawks are a great reminder that in this industry there is no set box you have to play in. Own your brand and do things your way.

 

No. 3- Have fun.

At the end of the day, the Hawks social media team has fun. It shows in their work:

While your team/brand might not love emojis or GIFS as much as the Hawks, it’s always good to remember that this is simply social media. People watch sports to escape and be inspired. This isn’t about politics, religion or anything serious; relax and have some fun. Watch the sentiment of your fans and don’t be afraid to play along. It’s absolutely okay for your account to more human and evoke humor. As the success of the @ATLHawks Twitter account shows, fans will appreciate it.

So as you go about planning and tweaking your social media strategy, remember these quick and simple lessons from the Hawks: Know your audience, push boundaries and have some fun.

 


 

So, what lessons have you taken away from the @ATLHawks social media strategy this season? Be sure to share your thoughts below.

Thanks for reading!

Like what you read? Please share!
RSS
Follow by Email
Facebook
Google+
Twitter
LinkedIn
0

2 comments.

  1. […] SocialnSport’s Jessica Smith lays out three reasons why the Atlanta Hawks social media figures are spinning upwards at an exponential rate. First, they know their audience and the voice they employ speaks directly to that audience. Second, they break any and all rules of social media, redefining what social media can achieve for a team. Third, they know how to have fun, and what is social media if not fun? […]

  2. I didn’t realize this at the time, but the Atlanta Hawks definitely were doing very well in their social media campaign. Being from Atlanta, this time for our basketball team was quite entertaining, and the social media strategies only made this more fun for the fans. Crazy to know I didn’t realize at the time, but the Hawks were marketing themselves very well.

Comments are closed.