National Signing Day is one of those events athletic departments must capitalize on in the social media and digital space. Today, the drama of where prospective student-athletes decide to sign unfolds right before our eyes. More than ever, the fans and media crave the drama and coverage.
Social media has played a huge role in elevating National Signing Day– coaches tweet about it, signees react to it and fans cheer along as their team’s recruiting class grows. Thanks to the digital landscape we get instant results, instant access and instant reactions. What’s not to love? Social media and the digital space have made National Signing Day easier to follow; it has also made it more exciting.
Today, as I followed Auburn’s recruiting class, I couldn’t help but to notice that the Auburn Athletic Department did an outstanding job elevating their social media and digital platforms. Yes, as an Auburn alum I might be a little biased, but their communications staff completely rocked National Signing Day.
Below are the elements that helped Auburn put together a great social and digital package for National Signing Day:
1. National Signing Day Microsite
Auburn’s microsite was a one-stop shop that made following the National Signing Day action extremely easy. In addition, the microsite had social elements that allowed fans to engage and feel connected to all the happenings. You can check out the site here. Some of the highlights include:
- Live Blog
- Scrolling Roster of the Signees
- Twitter Roster
- Live Board Cam
- Easy to Navigate Layout
2. Unified Hashtag
This of course, seems like a no-brainer these days, but having a unified hashtag around a major event is always a good thing. It allows fans to rally around the conversation and helps athletic departments, teams, etc. track what is being said. Auburn used the hashtag #AUNLI.
3. Staff / Coaches Involved
I’ve never seen a football coaching staff at Auburn so involved in social media, and it’s awesome. Coach Malzahn, Coach Lashlee, Coach Horton, Jay Jacobs, etc. were among the “personalities” tweeting throughout the day. Having coaches and staff involved on social media helps to humanize the program. Not only that, but it gives fans inside access and a unique perspective.
Coach Malzahn mainly used his account to welcome the signees today, and while I would have like to see more commentary or behind the scenes insight from him, it’s a definite start to his social media presence. I’ll take it.
4. Behind the Scenes Content
In order to be successful in social media, athletic departments need to provide content that people cannot get anywhere else. The Auburn Athletic Department did a great job of capitalizing on the content only they had access to. In addition to this awesome “day in the life” video with Coach Malzahn, a few examples include:
5. Different Content
When athletic departments, teams or leagues are covering an all-day event like National Signing Day, they need to make sure the content pieces are different from each other. The last thing any brand wants is for fans to feel like they’re getting the same content over and over again. That’s when people start to unsubscribe.
Auburn mixed up their content throughout National Signing Day, so nothing felt redundant. They had a great combination of pictures, videos, links, etc. In addition to the traditional National Signing Day coverage, they also added some other elements. Two examples include:
- A feature story on one of their signees
- A Google map of where all the 2013 signees went to school (as seen below)
Results
From what I can gather, the content Auburn produced on National Signing Day generated great engagement. On Facebook alone, their National Signing Day coverage (all posts combined) had 10,800+ ‘Likes’, 580+ comments and 1,580+ shares. In addition, according to their @AuburnFootball account, the live blog had nearly 12,000 views. While I don’t have access to all of their analytics (obviously), I imagine the team was pretty happy.
So, did your school produce great coverage of National Signing Day? Let’s hear what they did in the comments below!
