Tag: social media content

Capitalizing on History in Social Media + Sports

By Jessica Smith On February 23, 2015 In Social Media

Every team and league has history: Legacies, fond memories and moments of greatness tucked away in history vaults. And this history is a goldmine of content. People love nostalgia. Science proves it. So, are you capitalizing on it?

The other day the US Olympic social media team proved that the opportunities to unleash history are endless with a little creativity. In honor of the 35th anniversary of the Miracle On Ice, the @USOlympic account live tweeted the game as if Twitter existed 35 years ago. The event had januvia-sitagliptin.net, photos, score updates and more. Here’s a snippet of the coverage:

The results were stellar. @USOlympic tweeted 70 times, garnering more than 13,600 retweets (please note these numbers were compiled manually). The initiative is a great reminder that a little creativity and planning can go a long way in mixing up your content and coverage.

March Madness also did something similar this year to drum up excitement for the start of basketball season: They hosted #MMVault Watch Parties featuring classic title games. Fans could relive the magic on NCAA.com and follow @MarchMadness for game-action tweets. The Twitter coverage included video clips, photos, color commentary and more:

Unlike @USOlympic, @MarchMadness was not celebrating an anniversary; they were using content to drum up excitement for the season. It’s a good example of how content that focuses on history does not always have to take the “on this day” theme.

Both of these are a great example of how to leverage the stories in the history vault to create excitement and buzz. And, it got me thinking. How else can history be leveraged in social media + sports? Here are just a few ideas:

Photo Essays
Photo essays are a great way to recount the past. Focus on the story, letting pictures and strong copy tell it. Whether you use exposure.co or create a Facebook photo album that fans can flip through in sequence, a photo essay is a great way to tell the history of your team/league.

Radio Clips
Many teams have had golden “voices” over the years. And, hearing those voices again can evoke a strong sense of nostalgia for fans. How you can incorporate old radio clips into your content? Whether it’s the sound byte all by itself or mixed with photos, videos, etc., incorporating radio clips into your content strategy could be a powerful play.

Podcast Interviews
Celebrating the anniversary of title win or big milestone? Produce one or two podcasts featuring key team members from that team to recount the memories. Think about it as a fireside chat. Podcasts are all the rage right now, so I’m sure you’ll earn some extra points.

Quizzes/Trivia
Want to make the content a little more engaging? Take your facts and turn them into a quiz or trivia piece for fans to learn more. Below is a good example from the @NCAA.

 

 

Hosts a Contest
Take the engagement level up a notch and host a contest where fans can vote for their favorite all-time game, play, etc. This type of initiative would need a large digital presence where fans could replay video and read about the history, but the voting mechanism can be social. Just make sure you give fans a reason to engage!

Recreate the Moment
Photo recreations from 20+ years ago are so much fun. If you ever have a notable team together for a reunion, find a way to recreate an iconic team photo. Yes, something like this:

 

I hope these examples give you a few ideas on how to unlock history. As we saw with @USOlympic and @MarchMadness, it can be a powerful piece of your content strategy when done right. Take the time to figure out how you can leverage it creatively and strategically.

 

 

 

Have you seen any creative ways that teams/leagues have taken fans down memory lane? Share any examples you have below! 

Thanks for reading! 

Why the @Colts Sponsored Content Works

By Guest On August 28, 2014 In Best Practices, Twitter with 4 Comments

I can be tough on sponsored programs. All too often it’s forced or simply screams advertisement (think the “sponsored by” copy you see everywhere), adding noise to the community and little value to the sponsor. But this football season the @Colts have found a formula that actually works. They’ve found a way to integrate sponsorships into their content in seamless fashion. Go ahead and take a look:

The Colts have created mini series of sponsored content. The series range from behind-the-scenes sideline photos (sponsored by Taco Bell) to score updates (sponsored by McDonalds). The idea of sponsored content in the form of simple graphics makes a lot of sense. I have a feeling it’s something we will see more of from teams and leagues in the next year to come.

continue reading »

A Look at Twitter Graphics from the 2014 NBA Draft

By Guest On June 26, 2014 In Twitter with 3 Comments

If you are looking for a little content inspiration, league drafts are always a good place to start as plenty of content is created. For your viewing pleasure, I’ve compiled graphics and photos from schools and NBA teams on Twitter for the top 25 picks of the 2014 NBA Draft (please note, not all teams created graphics or used photos):

Athletic Department Graphics / Photos

continue reading »

MLB Brought Baseball Back In Style

By Guest On April 5, 2014 In Social Media with 1 Comment

The start of any sport season is always the perfect opportunity for teams, leagues and sponsors to capitalize on the excitement of fans who have been waiting months for the action to kick off. We have seen some great countdowns from teams and leagues to the start of the season, but the MLB took a different approach as baseball season kicked off. Instead of counting down, they celebrated baseball being back and highlighted all the great things about the sport and league.

In my opinion, they nailed their baseball is back campaign:

  • Copy was short and sweet
  • Content had a consistent look and feel
  • They tapped into emotion (which compels people to share)

continue reading »

How Can I Create Compelling Content for Social Media With Limited Time, Resources, Etc.?

By Guest On June 16, 2013 In College Athletics, Digital, Social Media with 2 Comments

If you work in athletic communications, I understand time and resources can be half the battle when it comes to social media. Here’s the good news; you can create compelling content with a limited budget, time, resources, etc.

Yes, it’s true… you can create visuals like the one below with just your phone:

Screen Shot 2013-06-11 at 3.51.38 PM

During the 2013 CoSIDA Convention I shared the apps / platforms I use to create compelling content, like the graphic above. I’ve had several people ask me what they were, so I thought I would go ahead and compile a list for you all. So, without further ado, here they are…

Apps I use to create graphics with just my iPhone (please keep in mind it’s almost always a combination of apps):

  • PicFrame (.$.99)- This app lets you combine multiple photos into awesome collages.
  • SnapSeed ($4.99)- There are four great filters on this app- Grunge, Vintage, Drama & Tilt Shift. In addition, the app is great for basic editing (crop, rotate, etc.) and fine-tuning your image. You can really make colors pop with this app.
  • PhotoToaster ($1.99)-  This app is great for textures (canvas, old paper, antique, concrete, etc), vignettes and adjusting light.
  • Over ($1.99)– Add beautiful typography and artwork to your photos.
  • InstaFonts ($3.99)– Add text and filters.

Additional content generation resources / platforms:

  • Infographics– Check out Piktochart, Easel.ly, Info.gram if you’re looking to create infographics with little to no graphic design experience.
  • ThingLink– This app / platform offers an online tool to create interactive images. To create the image, you simply upload a picture, identify hot spots, and add text and links. The best part? The tool is integrated with Twitter.
  • Storify– Storify is a social network service that lets the user create stories or timelines using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.