Tag: social media

7 Strong Social Plays During the NBA Finals

By Jessica Smith On June 21, 2016 In NBA

The NBA is one of the most innovative digital and social leagues, so it’s no surprise that the digital and social coverage has been top notch. From embracing technology to a focus on original content, the league, teams and other outlets nailed their coverage of the NBA Finals. Below are seven strong plays worth noting:

 

Sharp Graphics

Strong visual content is key to social now. Not only are people visual by nature, but it helps your content stand out from the crowd. The NBA, Cavs and Warriors had strong visual content throughout the NBA Final

The Warriors and Cavs defined a consistent look and feel, while the NBA mixed up their creative. I like the approaches respectively. For teams, there’s something to be said about strong, consistent branding. For the NBA, since they cover so many teams and games, it’s interesting to see different creative elements throughout the season.

Here are some of the highlights:

 
#NBAArt UGC
As a bonus, I also like how the NBA crowdsourced designs using #NBAart to give fans a chance to be featured on their Instagram and on @NBATV broadcast. There are so many creative fans out there. Not only does this leverage their creativity, but it build community and loyalty by getting your fans engaged. Below are some of the amazing UGC submissions they used.

 

Messenger Experimentation

There has been a lot of talk in our industry about bots. Thanks to the rise of messenger apps and the need for a personalized experience industry leaders are leaning to chatbots as the future, Here’s a good read on chatbots if you’re interested.

The NBA capitalized on this trend by launching a chatbot on Messenger. The bot delivered fans instant highlights during the NBA Finals. The process to set it up was easy and seamless, and I was pushed wonderful highlights at the end of each game.

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While there are limitations to what the chatbot delivers, I applaud the NBA for being on the forefront. All the data points to a strong rise in messaging and chatbots. And for a league that has built so much equity in their online and digital presence, it makes sense that they would be on the forefront. Brands that fall behind the curve risk being cut out of the conversation. The NBA won’t be one of those brands.

 

Snapchat Geofilters

Snapchat has been on the rise for awhile now, recently reaching 150 million daily users. And while teams, leagues and brands are going all in on it, there is one thing all of us as marketers should note: this platform is a lot different than others. It’s not about the push. The power on the platform is in empowering OTHERS to share brand love.

Snapchat gives teams, leagues and brands the opportunities to empower others to share brand love through their geofilters and lenses. And there were some strong, creative ones during the NBA Finals.

As you continue to build out your Snapchat presence, it’s worth investing heavily in geofilters around games and events. Be creative, have fun with it and empower your fans.

 

Smart Messaging to Fans

The Warriors did a good job of messaging to their fans. The content saluted Dub Nation and created an emotional, FOMO-like effect, whether it was their hype videos or their ticket promos.

When you directly speak to fans, it makes the content more personal and emotional. And, content that resonates emotionally is more likely to be shared. Don’t just push messages to your fans; speak to them directly and personally. It’s not about a push, but about pulling them in.

 

3-Second Ads

@UABasketball created three second ads for every three pointer Curry made during the playoffs. And, before you call me biased, let me state that I DO NOT work on the basketball business at UA. I’m extremely proud of the place I work, but I try to stay away from our own work… this one deserves a nod though.

There’s power in simplicity. The concept of three second ads for three pointers is simple, but that’s why it’s brilliant. UA Hoops doesn’t have to be everything to everyone during the finals; instead, they can offer their unique value. It’s an easy concept to grasp and the content is entertaining and humorous.

The lesson here is that the best ideas are often simple ideas. If you can’t communicate your big idea in 60 seconds, then you probably need to focus and hone in more. You can read more about the three-second ad activation here.

 

Bleacher Report’s Original Content

In the crowded social media and sports space, it’s hard to stand out from the noise. The key in doing so is creating your own, unique point of view and Bleacher Report has done just that. Throughout the finals and playoffs, Bleacher Report killed it with their own, branded content. They tap into humor, pop culture, drama and the sentiment of the internet. Their content not only performs well, but if often beats out the likes of media competitors, the league and teams. Here are a few highlights:

The approach Bleacher Report takes to content might not be right for your brand or team, but it’s an important lesson in defining your point of view. What’s your purpose for your fans online? It’s time to give some serious consideration to it if you want to stand out from all the noise. Read more about defining a POV here.

 

360-Video

During the NBA Finals, Twitter partnered with the NBA and Samsung for 360-degree video deal. Twitter cards linked out to videos shot with 360-degree cameras, allowing users to click and drag around the scene. Read more about it here.

While I wish users were not driven away from the platform, I love the immersive experience and how intuitive it is to mobile. As technology improves, fans expectations are going to continue to grow around the experience we provide through digital. Part of that expectation will be a more immersive experience, and this is a great example of how it can be delivered.

 

 

What stood out to you from a social and digital perspective with the NBA Finals this year? Share your thoughts below.

Thanks for reading!

Social Media Inspiration from the 2015 NBA Draft

By Jessica Smith On June 29, 2015 In NBA, Social Media

Teams often come out swinging during big moments like the NBA Draft. With a captivated and engaged audience, it’s the perfect time to make a big social media splash. After following along during the first round, it was clear that many teams approached the night with a vision and plan; there was a lot of stellar social media content shared.

Below is a look at some of the best trends from teams during the 2015 NBA Draft First Round. There is sure to be some inspiration for your work in here:

 

Draft Graphics

Teams rolled out some great graphics as picks were announced. Teams, like the Lakers and Knicks, even hit send as the picks were announced. So speedy! It’s clear many of the teams prepped templates and prepared for all scenarios. This is key to winning on social in sports, no matter the event or situation. Below is a look at some of the great graphics from the draft.

 

Behind-the-Scenes Content

Behind-the-scenes content is always golden in sports. It brings your fans closer to the action, team and players. Below are some of the ways teams gave fans a glimpse inside the NBA Draft.

 

Creative Content

Several teams got creative with their content, which is always refreshing to see. Don’t get stuck in a content rut. Push the boundaries and think creatively!

https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/614262983946964993

 

Anticipation Graphics/Tweets

Several teams tap into fan anticipation. Right before a pick emotions are high, so on-the-clock graphics, countdowns, etc. are a good way to evoke emotion and get fans to share content.

 

Personal Messages

Several teams shared videos of their players sending personal messages to their fans. Video messages like this are a great way to showcase players’ personalities, while fostering a stronger connection with your fans online.

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/614239385056378880

 

 

 

What were some of your favorite trends from the 2015 NBA Draft? Be sure to share them below!

Thanks for reading! 

Tips For On-the-Fly Social Media Coverage in Sports

By Jessica Smith On June 4, 2015 In Best Practices, Social Media with 2 Comments

The other night during the #NBALotteryDraft, the @Lakers content kept jumping out at me. It was clear they had put in the time to design a look and feel. Their graphics were sharp, consistent, on brand and visually appealing.

I became even more impressed as I started looking through their stats. Three tweets alone garnered more than 15,000 retweets. Take look at some of their content:


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Ty Nowell, the Lakers Digital Manager, tweeted a little insight into their process:

His tweet makes a great point. Even though you can’t plan most of the outcomes in sports, there’s still a need to prep. There is not just an intern or one person behind an account anymore. A team of people, from a ed-treatment-info.com to graphic designer, helps tell the game story.

Unlike most industries where evergreen content is a large staple to your social media strategy and real-time content is merely a tactic, sports requires real-time content all the time. It’s not an option to create content in the moment; it’s just an option of how well you do it.

So how do you plan for the unexpected in sports? It’s a key to a digital team’s success, but also a strange beast to tackle. This post offers tips to prepare for the unexpected, with a little help from some Twitter friends:

 

No. 1- Prepare for everything.

The Lakers planned for all scenarios with the draft lottery, as Ty Nowell pointed out. It didn’t matter if they had to create three graphics or twenty graphics ahead of time, they were going to do it. Preparing for any outcome allows teams to provide sharp and quality content to fans on the fly as we saw with the Lakers content above. It’s important.

The sentiment to be ready for anything was strong among others who work in the industry:

But what does preparing for everything mean? How can you get ready for a game, win or lose? There are two big things that can help you out:

Create templates.
Graphic templates are a lifesaver for those who work in sports. Define a look and feel, along with templates for each platform, is one of the keys to great game, draft, awards, etc. coverage.

https://twitter.com/EvTynan/status/601097832016187392

 

Here’s an example of teams that do the work with templates ahead of time:

 

 

Think through scenarios.
While you can’t plan the outcome of a game, you can think through different scenarios. How can we handle a loss? How can we celebrate a win?  Thinking through ideas on how to handle each situation allows you to turn out good content and copy a little quicker. You will need to tweak ideas based on the game or outcome, but at least you’ll have some ideas under your belt.

Anticipate
Along with thinking through scenarios, anticipation is key. You know the potential scenarios that could come, so how can you cover them creatively? Morgan Strehlow has a good tip for this:

https://twitter.com/morganstrehlow/status/601101231679930368

As you anticipate and make notes, think about pop culture references you can include, lyrics that might work well in a game, themes from the teams, etc. This will help you create better copy and unique content, as Morgan points out.

When you prepare you’ll be able to handle a win or loss in the moment and do so extremely well. Below are just a few examples of great content in times of wins and losses:

 

No. 2- Create evergreen content.

Play by play has evolved (thankfully) to much more color commentary, especially on Twitter. Reaction content that adds to the emotion of moments is a great way to cover games. You want fans following along to have “that moment” with your team.

Creating evergreen reaction content to use for those intense moments during games provides quality coverage on the fly. Think about content specific to players and big moments (like home runs, touchdowns, etc.). This content is different from graphic templates because it’s more generic. The photo, GIF, etc. does no need to be tailored or tweaked during the game. Instead, you rely on the copy to pair it with the moment.

Here are a few examples of evergreen reaction content from teams and leagues:

No. 3- Be organized.

Social is all about timing. If you’re in the heat of the moment and can’t find want you need to create the content, then the opportunity is going to pass you by. Organization is key to be able to produce on the fly.

https://twitter.com/ae_westendorf/status/601095044880142336

Make sure you have photos, potential copy, evergreen content, related links, Twitter handles, logos, etc. easily accessible so you don’t have to waste time finding what you need. Organization is a huge to being successful with real-time content, in sports and social media in general.

 

No. 4- Have a system and plan in place.

It’s important to have a strong foundation in place with your plan and system.

Before you jump into real-time coverage, know the story you want to tell, the type of access you want to provide, etc. This will help you focus your direction on what’s important and not the million other things going on. You can’t cover everything, so have a plan as to what is most important. There will be times when you detour from the plan, but the plan will at least keep the team honed in on the right content and moments.

It’s also important to understand the system and team duties during game coverage. Who is responsible for what? Who helps to gather content? Is there a specific shot lit? If you need to run a tweet by someone, who is the person to take a look at how can you get the tweet to them quickly?  You won’t always have to rely on the system, but having a plan and protocols in place will help immensely:

 

No. 5- Listen to the sentiment.

It’s important to know the sentiment of both your fans and coaches/players when covering games. Take a lead from it. This ensures you will produce content that resonates and is on brand.

In addition to understanding sentiment, look for content opportunities from all the voices around you. Are there fan tweets you can repurpose? Did the coach just have a powerful quote at the press conference? All of these real-time opportunities can make for powerful content. Bring voices into your story. Listen and react.

Here are a few examples:

 

No. 6- Take a deep breath.

As mentioned, timing is obviously important in social media and sports. That said, it’s also important to remember that every tweet is a reflection of the organization, team and brand. Don’t get so caught up in the moment that you make a mistake. It’s okay to take a deep breath. It’s okay to ask for a second opinion before sending a tweet. Those extra seconds are worth it if it means protecting the brand.

https://twitter.com/morganstrehlow/status/601101796380016640

 

These tips are just the start of what it takes to be successful in social media and sports in real time. If you want some more inspiration, be sure to check out this post from Justin Taylor (@TheSwarmyBum) on Medium here.

 

 

What tips do you have for producing real-time content? Share your tips below!

Thanks for reading!

Brewers’ Monday Mind Games

By Jessica Smith On February 16, 2015 In Social Media

Creating compelling and consistent content is hard in the offseason sometimes. When games are not in swing, content requires a little more creativity to ensure you don’t get stuck in a rut. Content series that you can feature weekly are a great way to combat the rut though. Examples of a content series include synthroidnews.net information (lThrowback Thursday), training diaries (Training Tuesday), motivational series (Motivational Monday), etc.

The Brewers have a great series they feature every week called Monday Mind Games. Every Monday they post a fun baseball-themed puzzle for fans to solve; the answer to the puzzle is shared on Tuesday. I love this example from the Brewers because it’s different but also on brand with the baseball theme. Here’s a look at some of their latest puzzles:

The takeaway here is simple: Content series can be a great way to create compelling content year-round.  Don’t be afraid to think outside-the-box. If you come up with a great and creative idea, just find a way to tie it back to your brand like the Brewers did.

 

 

Have you seen any creative content series? Be sure to share them below. 

As always, thanks for reading! 

Repurposing Tweets for Content

By Guest On December 18, 2014 In Twitter

In the past week, I saw two good examples of teams repurposing tweets from players and fans as content. I really like this idea because it’s an easy way to tell a broader story and also makes your fans feel like they are a part of something bigger. While simple, I thought the idea was worth sharing:

 

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This is something teams and leagues can replicate easily with little time and resources. Now it’s time to start brainstorming all the opportunities to turn tweets into content and tell a broader story!

Thanks for reading!