Social Media Archives - Page 19 of 22

Social Media Opportunities for the 2014 ESPYS

By Guest On July 18, 2013 In Social Media

Since I’m a self-proclaimed social media dork, I can’t help but to watch everything through a social lens. So, when I watched the ESPYS last night (which I love), I analyzed what else could be done.

I jotted down my suggestions and thought I would share them, just for fun. Let’s be real… these suggestions are not ground breaking. In fact, most of these suggestions are “old” in the world of social media. Nevertheless, here are a few easy and simple social integrations / suggestions I think could help the 2014 ESPYS:

1. Designate specific team hashtags for fans to use in the ‪#ESPYSBestTeam Twitter voting.

Designating specific team hashtags for fans to vote with seems to help rally the cause. Perhaps it’s because fans need a little more direction or it helps people feel more connected (I’m not really sure). I do know this… if the MLB’s All-Star voting was any indication… specific hashtags work.

2. Share instant replays of the video montages for each awards category.

The video montages ESPN put together for the ESPYS is the type of content that does well in social media—compelling, powerful, emotional, etc. I would have liked to see ESPN do an “instant replay” with those videos, making them available on Twitter immediately after they were shown on the air. After all, if you are going to produce that type of content, why not maximize it?

In ESPN’s defense, they did a great job of putting up the powerful speeches through the night… I just wish they hadn’t neglected the great content they produced FOR the show.

Friday Finds: 06.28.2013

By Guest On June 28, 2013 In College Athletics, Digital, Social Media, Twitter

In our industry, there is always something to learn. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why I started this blog– it helps me keep up with industry trends, know what others are doing in the space and think through applications.

Every week I stumble upon share-worthy pieces of content, digital packages, social media campaigns, etc. from teams, leagues and others in the industry. But ecause there are so many great examples out there , and I can’t add commentary to everything, really good work (small or large) often goes unshared here.

Industry examples are a great way to get your creative thinking going though, so I thought I would start a regular column on Friday to highlight great digital pieces, social media campaigns and content from the past week. The column won’t be filled with a lot of commentary, but will serve as more of an inspiration board. I hope you find it useful in some form or fashion.

Thanks for the Small Reminders, MLS

By Guest On June 26, 2013 In Digital, Social Media

Today the Major League Soccer social media team announced this:

NEWS: @MLSinsider (this Twitter handle) is coming to an end. But, really, it’s just the beginning: http://t.co/RcHOTmxISO

Basically, they decided to merge their @MLSinsider account and content with @MLS. Here’s a snippet of the reasoning (you can read their full release here):

“We’re all insiders – fans, staff, and media alike. Everybody’s perspective brings something cool and different to the soccer experience. So today, we’re redefining what being an ‘MLS insider’ means.”

Whether or not you think the move is a good one, there are two, very simple (but important) reminders to us all:

We Need to Evaluate, Evaluate & Evaluate
We live in a communications world that is constant evolving. In my opinion, that’s one of the things that makes working in this industry so exciting and challenging. But, because the tides are constantly changing, we have to constantly evaluate.We all know that community shifts, new platforms emerge and what works today might not work three months from now. It’s up to us, as social media / digital professionals, to take the time every couple months (or whatever that timeframe looks like) to evaluate what we’re doing. What’s working well? What’s not working?
It’s Okay To Make Changes (even drastic)
If you’re going to crunch data, analyze statistics and evaluate, then you need to be willing [and empowered] to make changes. Social media is all about trying new things. If you try a new platform, and then realize you don’t have an audience there, you can remove your presence and it’s going to be okay. If something isn’t working, change it. You should never do something in social media / digital “because you’ve always done it that way.” That’s the beauty of the space we play in. We try, we evaluate, we tweak.

I say kudos to the MLS social media team for evaluating their work and making the changes they felt were best for their brand. In a fast-paced world it’s often hard to sit back and ask, “why are we doing this, is this still working?” The truth is though, there’s never been a greater need to ask those kind of questions as the communication world keeps on changing.

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:

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.