Author: Guest

Social Media Lessons Learned in 2014

By Guest On January 3, 2015 In Lessons Learned, Social Media

As a social media manager, it’s easy to get stuck in the habit of doing and not thinking, reflecting and strategizing. We have to always be on. As 2014 comes to a close though, now is the perfect time to take a step back and reflect on what you learned this year. Take this time to pause and reflect. 

  • How can you take what you learned to improve in the year ahead?
  • What do you want to accomplish in 2015?
  • Can you answer the “why” in what you do?

Some of the best minds in sports have taken the time to share their insights from 2014. It should help you get thinking about what you have taken away.  The contributors touch everything from college athletics to media to professional sports. Without further ado, here are their social media lessons learned in 2014. I’m sure there’s a thing or two that will resonate with you:

Greg Esposito, Digital Manager at Phoenix Suns
Connect: @Espo | @Suns

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Bryan Srabian, Director of Digital Media at San Francisco Giants
Connect: @Srabe | @SFGiants

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Lauren Gallo, Global Digital + Social Media Lead
Connect: @MissGallo

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Joe Morgan, Digital Media Manager at Team Great Britain
Connect: @MrJoeMorgan | @TeamGB

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Bryce Gustafson, Social Media Coordinator at NFL and
NFL Network
Connect: @brycegustafson | @NFL

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Kathryn Przybyla, Social Media Coordinator at Brooklyn Nets
Connect: @KatPrz | @BrooklynNets

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Chris Dion, Assistant Director of Social Media Strategy at NCAA
Connect: @ChrisMDion

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Chris Yandle, Assistant AD of Communications at Georgia Tech Athletics
Connect: @ChrisYandle | @GTAthletics

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Kurt Stadelman, Conversation Manager at EA Sports
Connect: @KurtStadelman | @EASports 

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Katie Cavendar, Assistant Commissioner of Strategic Communications at Mountain West Conference 
Connect: @KatieCavender | @MountainWest

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Caleb Mezzy, Social Media Strategist at 160over90
Connect: @Caleb_Mezzy | @160over90

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Stefanie Gordon, Social Media Producer at Sports Illustrated
Connect: @Stefmara | @SINow

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A big thanks to everyone who contributed to this post. The insights are greatly appreciated. Be sure to give all of them a follow on Twitter.

Now it’s your turn: What social media lessons did you learn in 2014? Be sure to share them below!

Thanks for reading! 

Teams Nailing a Consistent Look & Feel

By Guest On December 31, 2014 In Best Practices with 1 Comment

It’s no secret that visuals play out well on social media. Not only are most people are visual by nature, but graphics and photos also play well to people’s short attention spans. Today it seems that no matter the platform, visuals fit into the picture somehow.

This year I’ve seen more teams taking the visual aspect of social media seriously. They’re paying attention to the photographs selected and developing a look and feel.  Why does this matter? A look and feel can help tie your brand together, so if fans move across platforms the content is easily recognizable. It also helps to tie your story together. The results are sharp.

For most teams creating a look and feel, they are doing so for certain “moments”. Think end of quarter score updates, tip-off information, big milestones, post-game presser quotes, etc. I like this trend: Not every photo needs intensive labor, but if you have several areas where strong visuals make sense, it helps the content to stand out from all the noise.

If you need some inspiration, I’ve compiled a list of teams that have nailed a sharp and consistent look and feel. And please remember, this is all opinion as I am by no means a graphic designer:

LA Lakers
The look and feel of the Lakers’ graphics depends on the “moment” and range from score updates to Kobe’s milestone.  Everything ties together nicely through the use of team colors. Bottom line, their graphics always blow me away.


Kansas Basketball
Kansas Basketball has defined a look and feel for several moments. The design is bold, clean and really stands out when scrolling through the timeline. I love what they have going on:

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The Value in Curating Tweets to Tell a Story

By Guest On December 11, 2014 In Best Practices, Twitter

There are certain times with other voices can help tell a story better than your voice alone. Think about moments for your team where the pulse of the community was buzzing. Yes, if you’re Tweetdeck is moving a million miles a minute, then you might have a story that could benefit from the perspective curated tweets can provide. Leverage them.

What does this look like? Well, this week Cam Newtown was in a bad two-car wreck in Charlotte. As the news unfolded on Twitter, many teammates and NFL players took to the platform to offer their support. Both the NFL and Panthers saw the tweets as an opportunity to paint a broader picture, so they curated them from players around the league who offered support to Cam. Here’s a look at the results:

Panthers

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You Don’t Always Have to Play By the Rules

By Guest On December 9, 2014 In Best Practices, Lessons Learned

As a social media manager, I’m sure you are use to questions like this: What is the optimal video length, when is the best time to post, etc.? People love to have data to back up their decisions. And while I love studies and data that can help guide decisions, there is one thing I’ve learned:

Social media studies and analytics that aren’t tied to your team, league or brand are merely just a guide. They aren’t rules to live by. Test and see what works best for your audience. It’s all in the context. 

Brad Harrison, the social media manager at Atlanta Motor Speedway, sent me a great example that speaks to this. A few weeks ago the Atlanta Motor Speedway and City of Hampton welcomed big rigs to the city streets for its Hampton Hauler Parade. This year, for the first time, the haulers actually paraded through downtown Hampton. It presented a golden opportunity to get their audience engaged. Here’s how the team decided to cover it on Facebook, according to Harrison:

“When it came to posting a video of the parade, we kept it simple: Instead of limiting the video length to two to three minutes, we opted to run the full length (which was 11:24 long).

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By rule, we tend to limit our video’s length. But in this case, we decided that those parameters, while a good rule to follow, at times need flexibility. The move paid off in a large way: NASCAR fans are passionate and posting content where they would see their favorite driver’s transporter resonated strongly.

The post itself had the highest engagements of any post within the past year on our Facebook channel. It had an organic reach of 512,768 and was viewed by 95,136 people (our Facebook page has just more than 113,000 fans currently).”

We all know most studies would say an 11-minute video is way too long for social. In this case though, it worked for AMS.

The lesson is simple here: Pay attention to your fans and what works for you. Industry standards and rules are meant to be broken if you have a grasp on the why.

Do you have any examples of when you broke “the rules” in social and it worked well? If so, share your example below!

As always, thanks for reading!

Lessons from Baylor’s College Football Playoff Campaign

By Guest On December 8, 2014 In College Athletics, Lessons Learned

When Baylor found themselves on the bubble of the College Football Playoffs, they launched a PR campaign (even hiring a PR firm). Content and communications ramped up. They leveraged the hashtag #SettledOnTheField, created great social media content and rallied ambassadors. The results were pretty good:

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As I took a look at their Facebook and Twitter accounts, I couldn’t help but to wonder: Why don’t teams take this approach year round? This was more than just a PR campaign for a spot in the playoffs. It was a rallying point for fans, a way to generate engagement, content for recruiting and so much more.

Here’s the thing: Schools, teams and leagues should focus on making a splash through content year round. It should not take a national stage to think, “hey, we need to promote the heck out of our program”. After all, even in sports, content is king. Baylor’s campaign proves this.

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