Catgory: Lessons Learned

#SMSports Advice on Networking

By Jessica Smith On October 28, 2015 In Lessons Learned with 2 Comments

This is the first post of a career advice series focused on networking, resumes, interviewing and and getting a job. More than 10 professionals in the sports industry and/or social media took the time to offer their advice. For this post, the focus is networking.

It’s now easier than ever to connect with people you admire in your industry. Social media networks like Twitter and LinkedIn provide opportunity to follow, learn from and talk with some bright and interesting people. And, you should absolutely take advantage of this digital world we live in to build relationships with people you admire in the space. Here’s what I’ve learned about networking so far:

It’s not about getting a job.
Networking is not about getting a job; it’s about building relationships. Don’t go into networking with the intention of getting anything out of it other than a relationship and the opportunity to learn. It’s from the actual relationships that doors will open.

You have to reach out the right way.
The sports industry is full of wonderful people who are often willing to offer their advice and insight. And while many people will lend advice, there’s an art to asking and networking. If you want to reach out to someone for advice, make sure you build a bridge the right way. Read how you can do so here.

There are many ways to network.
I’m a bit of an introvert, so networking in a room full of strangers is a little intimating to me. Thankfully, there are many ways to network now. If you don’t like networking in the traditional sense, take advantage of the digital world. From Twitter chats to LinkedIn to the #smsports community, let social media bridge that gap for you.

Now it’s time for great advice from some of my #smsports friends below:

 

 

A big thanks to everyone who contributed their advice: Chris Dion, Mark Burns, Tod Meisner,  Karen Freberg, Amie Kiehn, Samantha Hughey, Geoffrey Blosat, Eric Shainock, Neil Horowitz, Kari Culver, Michael Schottey, Natalie P. Mikolich, Tyler Pigg, Mat Smith, Rob Knox and Katie Prchlik. Stay tuned to the next post in the series!

 

 

What advice do you have to others for networking in the industry? Share below!

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

A Subtle Prompt from the @Seahawks

By Jessica Smith On October 11, 2015 In Lessons Learned, Twitter

We are extremely immersed in the platforms daily as social media managers. This is a blessing and curse. We know all about the latest and greatest, but we often use the apps and networks differently than the average consumer. It’s easy to forget that we are not our audience, and we can become jaded about certain things.

Calls-to-engagements are one of the things that get written off  because to us they feel forced, phony, cheesy, etc. And while you don’t want to always resort to gimmicks, sometimes your fans need a little nudge. Calls-to-engagement should be a tool in the toolbox.

If you don’t want to use obvious prompts though, there is good news. They can be subtle! The Seattle Seahawks gave a great example of what this look likes:

This tweet promoted their fans to reply “Hawks”. And whether or not this prompt was intentional, it’s a great example of thinking creatively about what might encourage your fans to action.

If you aren’t thinking about ways to get your community engaged, then start strategizing around it. Calls-to-engagement are a powerful rallying cry. They can catapult a great piece of content even further, draw new fans in and simply help to build a stronger community. They should absolutely used.

Want more ideas for calls-to-engagement? Check out this post here.

 

Have you seen any good examples of subtle prompts? If so, share them below!

Thanks for reading! 

5 Thought Starters from #BAEROD

By Jessica Smith On August 26, 2015 In Lessons Learned, Miscellaneous

Every now and then a tweet takes our industry by storm. One that we talked about, dissect and use as a case student for months to come. If you aren’t sure what I’m talking about, then let me introduce you to #BAEROD:

 

Screen Shot 2015-08-19 at 10.56.15 PM

 

The @Yankees tweeted this out when Alex Rodriquez hit his 25th grand slam. From a team that has been pretty vanilla in the past, this was quite a surprise to anyone who follows them. It ended up being a pretty polarizing tweet. #BAEROD generated 5,800 retweets, but it also unleashed an array of negative comments. I know haters are always going to hate, but it wasn’t just a few trolls. It was more widespread than that. Take a look through all the comments here.

The tweet also generated great conversation from people in the social media and sports industry with mixed opinions. I do imagine this tweet was a win internally, but it’s not that black and white.

Given all the great conversation the tweet has spurred, I thought there are points for us to mull over. As social media managers, there’s a lot to pushing the envelope with brand voice or content. Here are just some initial “thinking points” from #BAEROD:

 

1. Pop culture comes with pros and cons.

If you and your team find yourself in a moment to jump on a popular trend or moment, just remember pop culture comes with its pros and its cons in sports. Strong pop culture content (like #BAEROD) often evokes strong emotion- surprise, love,hate— that causes people to share.

On one hand pop culture can help to humanize a brand. The Yankees have been bland on social in this past, so this approach was a breath of fresh air for some. For others, “bae” just doesn’t fit it in with baseball and their team.

It’s important to have conversations with your internal team to make sure you are all on the same page about content and why it makes sense. If you are looking for eyeballs, something like #BAEROD might make sense.

 

2. Retweets mean a lot of different things.

When you are looking to measure success during a pop culture/polarizing moment, it’s important to remember engagement can mean a lot of different things. People don’t retweet just because they love the content. People also retweet moments like #BAEROD because of shock or anger. You can’t look at things in one dimensionally. You have to dig deeper. In this case, looking at the sentiment of the replies is also important.

 

3. Remember everything and everyone the brand represents.

When You have to wonder what A-Rod thinks of #BAEROD. Teams want to have a fun brand voice, but the voice is also a reflection of the organization, team and its players. Make sure you showcase the team and players in the right light—one that reflects who they are. I’ll just leave it at this: If someone spots A-Rod wearing a #BAEROD shirt, I’ll be shocked.

 

4. Don’t push luck.

Even if #BAEROD was an internal win for the Yankees team, they can’t abuse their luck. Based on the comments alone, their audience won’t be receptive to this sort of tone all the time. These moments are best when used strategically and sparingly. Don’t push your luck or you might push fans away.

 

5.Remember your core audience.

One of the great things about Twitter is that content reaches way beyond your audience when it’s shared. This is important to keep in mind with content like #BAEROD. Polarizing and pop-culture content spreads way beyond your core audience and often to the masses. Just because people are sharing, does not mean it’s your core audience.

If your target audience is male, talking about players in terms of BAE might not resonate. Don’t be fooled by engagement and neglect your core. Look at the demographics and pay attention to sentiment. More eyeballs are great, but not at the sacrifice of your most dedicated and loyal fans.

 

This post isn’t meant to say the #BAEROD post was right or wrong for the Yankees. Only they truly know their goals and brand. I simply wanted to get all of us thinking about some of the different angles, so hopefully these were thought starters for you!

 

 

 

What did you think of #BAEROD? Love it or hate it? Did it challenge your thinking in any way?

Thanks for reading! 

Under Armour Uses Hashtags to Rally Community

By Jessica Smith On July 21, 2015 In Lessons Learned

It’s the “social” in social media that sets it apart from other mediums. Social media gives brands a first-hand connection to consumers unlike traditional methods of advertising. Brands need to practice listening and interacting to make the most of the platforms. Why? Because this builds community, relationships, advocates and likability.

All too often though brands forget the “social” though. They push, preach and sell when they should be cultivating, conversing and storytelling. They add noise to the Internet instead of building relationships/community.

Let’s face it: Building a community online is a commitment. It’s not a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, but an all-the-time gig. It means stepping away from your agenda and adding value to the consumer, while also accomplishing goals and the bottom line. It means treating your online consumer as an individual and not just a click metric.

The past few weeks Under Armour executed two great social media plays. They brought fans into the story, built up community and were all about interacting. Below is a quick look at the two examples.

 

Misty Copeland

When Misty Copeland became the first African American principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, Under Armour found a unique way to shower her with congrats from their social media community. They encouraged fans to congratulate Misty using #PrincipalMisty. The more times consumers used the hashtag, the more flowers UA would deliver to Misty.

Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 9.42.46 PM

Under Armour followed through on their promise, delivering a SUV full of flowers to Misty. As an added touch, the bouquet of flowers even featured some of the tweets. This was all documented on social media for their community to see too.

Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 9.43.51 PM

Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 9.45.21 PM

Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 9.44.55 PM

Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 9.44.42 PM

This was a great call-to-action that put meaning and power behind a hashtag. It also rallied their community.

 

Pull Fans Into Content

During the first day of The Open, Under Armour hosted a #SpiethOver asking fans to show their support for Jordan Spieth. As the tweets of support came in, UA turned the tweets into content. This continued throughout the tournament.

Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 9.54.05 PM

Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 9.56.01 PM

Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 9.56.16 PM

This is social media at its best. It pulls fans into Under Armour’s community, content and story. It shows consumers that Under Armour is listening. And, it makes them feel important and valued. Interactions like this go a long way in building brand loyalty.

So, what can you learn from these two great social media plays? Here are three simple takeaways:

Give hashtags meaning.
Consumers/fans won’t just use a hashtag because you told them to. Put meaning behind hashtags like Under Armour did. Give fans a meaningful call-to-action that will incentivize them to rally.

Keep the idea simple.
With any social media campaign, the idea should be easy to digest. If you can’t articulate it eloquently in 140 characters or less, then it’s too complicated. The ideas from Under Armour were simple: Use a hashtag to make x happen. Fans got it and they acted. Simple ideas are memorable and easier to act upon. Don’t make the point of entry difficult or fans will move on.

Bring fans in to build community.
Community is key in social media. If fans/consumers feel included, then they will be more likely to share and spread your content. Make your social media platforms a community by listening, interacting and pulling fans into your content. Social media is not just a broadcast channel; don’t treat it as such.

 

 

 

What other ways have you seen brands and teams rally their community? Share an examples you have below!

Thanks for reading! 

Lessons from US Soccer’s Coverage of the Women’s World Cup

By Jessica Smith On July 10, 2015 In Lessons Learned, Uncategorized with 1 Comment

The verdict is out! The US Soccer Women’s Team didn’t just win with their on-the-field performance; they also won with their social media strategy. From great behind-the-scenes coverage to fantastic graphics, their approach to social was some of the best we’ve seen in the industry. Many in the #smsports community agree.

https://twitter.com/morrisewhite3/status/616060528465739776

With all the great coverage, what can we takeaway? Below are some thoughts on the lessons learned from US Soccer’s rockstar approach to covering the World Cup.

 

No. 1- Plan for what you can control.

The social media and sports industry is a weird beast because you have to plan for the unexpected. Social media managers can’t predict the outcome, but there is still a large need to prep.

In most industries evergreen content is staple. For sports, it’s real-time content. It’s not an option to create content in the moment; it’s just an option of how well you do it.

Looking through US Soccer’s content, it is clear they didn’t focus on what they couldn’t control. Instead, they planned for what they could control. This is key to winning the live coverage game.

Want to see actual examples? Here is a look at some of the ways they planned for the World Cup.

Graphics
It’s clear US Soccer did a lot of prep work with graphics because of the speed at which they were able to turn them out. If they had not prepped, then they would not have been able to share them instantaneously.

In addition to the speed, the graphics looked sharped (as @jackie_berra pointed out). The branding was crisp and clean and the template design was often tweaked to mix up the look and feel (without stray from the branding). Through a long tournament or long season it’s a great idea to mix up the look and feel a bit for fresh graphics. Here’s a look at a few of the graphics shared during the tournament:

 

 

Features and Videos
Along with creating a look and feel for the graphics, US Soccer also did a lot of prep work with videos and features. The features, like “One Team. One Nation. 23 Stories” helped fans get to know the players on a more personal level. It’s important to look beyond the field and tap into stories of the team, just like US Soccer did.

 

 

 

The team did not let these features and videos go to waste either. They had them in the queue for whenever there was an opportunity to promote a player. Here’s an example:

 

Screen Shot 2015-07-09 at 2.29.51 PM

 

 

No. 2- Bring fans inside the journey.

Behind-the-scenes content is important in sports. After all, there is a lot more to a team’s journey than on-the-field action and scores. Strong social media coverage brings fans beyond the scoreboard and inside the team’s journey; it taps into the heartbeat of the team, community and players.

Behind-the-scenes content is important for several reasons:

First, this content is often exclusive to the team or league. In the noisy world of social media, inside access provides value to fans. They crave it.

Emotion evokes people to share. And, sports are emotional. They’re even more emotional when you tell a story beyond the game itself. Tug at people’s emotions with the full storyline. Let them get to know the people behind the jerseys.

Finally, it helps to humanize the team. It is easier to connect with the team/players when fans see players off the field in more intimate and familiar moments. Behind-the-scenes content of the day-to-day makes players a little relatable.

US Soccer’s access for the Women’s World Cup was beyond anything we have seen. From the players relaxing at the hotel room to locker room access after their win, US Soccer did a fantastic job of giving fans a look behind the curtain.

 

 

No. 3- Great content trumps gimmicks.

US Soccer didn’t have a sassy, sarcastic or off-the-wall brand voice, but their reach was out this park. Why? Because they focused on good content and storytelling.

There is a trend in social media and sports to push the envelope when it comes to brand voice, even when it doesn’t reflect the organization. US Soccer proves that if teams focus on good content and tell a story, then they can rally fans and generate excitement. Of course winning doesn’t hurt, but the team had great engagement even before their winning streak began.

You don’t have to resort to gimmicks to win on social media. If you stay true to your brand, share content that adds value and engage with your fans then you’ll put together a winning presence.

 

No. 4- Immediacy is key.

It’s important for teams and organizations to focus on being in “the moment” with fans. Fans should feel like they are sitting in the living room with the team reacting in person. Being immediate with coverage is important for several reasons. First, emotions are higher right after something happens (and emotions cause people to share). Second, if you aren’t one of the first to the story you’ll get lost among the noise.

The conclusion is out too. US Soccer did a really good job with their speed of coverage:

Here’s a look at some of the content they were able to roll out during games with near real-time photos:

 

 

If you want to step up your game coverage, take the time to work through a process and flow. It’s impossible to cover a game solo and do everything you want. Find ways to work with your photographer, designers (creating templates ahead of time), video staff, etc. It takes teamwork to be immediate and add value.

 

No. 5- Tap into your network.

US Soccer again (like they did in the Men’s World Cup) mobilized fans, teams, celebrities, etc. online in an impactful way. Their influencer campaign worked because it tapped into US pride and went beyond the sphere of soccer to draw in fans that otherwise might not follow the tournament.

https://twitter.com/PuraVidaChris/status/616050101509754880

 

Here’s a look some of the people that chimed in their support:

 

 

My guess is US Soccer did a ton of planning with their influencer program. Even then, they also did a great job listening online to leverage to influencers who chimed in organically. Not only did they retweet ambassadors, but sometimes they got creative. Here’s a good example of how they included Tom Hanks in an impromptu way:

 

Screen Shot 2015-07-09 at 10.34.01 PM

 

Screen Shot 2015-07-09 at 10.33.39 PM

 

If your team wants to attract a wider audience, a smart and strategic influencer campaign could be a great place to start. Take the time to strategically mobilize people online and listen ambassadors you can reward.

 

No. 6- Build an emotional connection with fans.

Social media is not just about pushing all the time; it’s about building a community and engaging with fans. While US Soccer didn’t have the chance to engage with fans all the time, they did find unique ways to bring fans into the community and build a more personal connection.

One of my favorite examples is from US Soccer’s #SheBelieves campaign. US Soccer fielded questions from fans on Twitter. They then selected certain questions and let players share words of encourage and advice through video. What an amazing personal piece of content for fans (and something even other fans liked to watch).

US Soccer also got creative with fan-generated content, even using motivational tweets in the team’s locker room. Here are two examples (submitted  by @_KyleBruce).

CJirBuaUYAIfjbC

 

All of these gestures help build an emotional connection with fans. They lets fans know the team is listening and cares.

 

No. 7- Find the team’s theme.

Every season and every year is different. It’s important for social media managers to tap into their team’s story and theme; it helps to build a more a storyline and differentiate the way you approach content year after year.

US Soccer did a great job of rallying around a theme for their team. The theme was 23 strong. The emphasis was that person on the team could and would make an impact. This was not just a one-man team, but a roster of 23 impact players. Here are some great examples of the content they produced around this theme:

 

 

 

As you can see, there is a lot for us to takeaway from US Soccer’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup. And, this list just skims the surface. If you have an interest in social media and sports, then I highly recommend you take the time to look through US Soccer’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram  account for inspiration. The case study will be worth your time!

 

 

 

Now let us know. What stood out to you about US Soccer’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup?

Thanks for reading!