With a new year, I always like to take a minute to reflect and look forward. What can we do better in the year ahead? This isnāt about forecasting trendsāitās about thinking how you to step up your game in the New Year. I know everyoneās goals and objectives are different, but my hope is that something sparks an idea or has you think about something differently. So without further ado, here are 14 things I would like to see in social media and sports in 2016:
1- Defining aĀ purpose.
Somewhere along the line, FOMO and vanity metrics have replaced the need for a smart, strategic approach. Itās easy to get caught up in, especially when our work is extremely public and opinions come from all four corners.
Consider taking a step back in 2016 to define your purpose. Forget all the outside influence. Create a strategy working off of organizational goals. Focus on your story. Define a strong point-of-view on how you will leverage each platform (please, please please stop treating every platform the same).
@WarJessEagle more buy-in from the top, a clear strategy rather than just throwing stuff against the wall, commitment to defining your story
— Kevin DeShazo (@KevinDeShazo) December 9, 2015
@WarJessEagle Purpose. Social is maturing as are our audiences. Just being cute or clever needs to be replaced by providing value.
— James Royer (@jamesroyer) December 9, 2015
When you define your purpose and get buy-in, stay your course. Itās easier to pushback on random social requests that donāt fit into your larger approach. Instead of simply saying ānoā, you now have a why. For example: If you decide Instagram is a pure photo play with no logos, graphic treatment, etc. then you can push back if you strategically when you get asked for sponsored content with logos everywhere.
Defining a purpose and point of view pushes good, creative thinking.
2- Tell a story.
On Saturdays in the fall youāll find me watching College GameDay. I donāt get up because I love college football (even though I do), I tune in because I look forward to Tom Rinaldi and his stories. The raw human emotion in storytelling like Rinaldiās is powerful. Itās a connector. It makes me laugh, cry and remember the people behind the numbers on the uniform.
Storytelling was on my list last year, and itās making the list again this year. Why? Because there are so many powerful and inspiring stories in sports.
@WarJessEagle Would love to see more holistic approaches of storytelling on game days.
— Jonathan MĆ¼ller (@dersportmanager) December 9, 2015
In 2016, focus on the emotion of sports. Weāre lucky to work in an industry where people already connect with teams. That doesnāt mean we shouldnāt take the time to dig deeper than the scores and facts. People connect with the off-the-field moments even more than the game scores. Emotion in sports is the common thread that ties everyone together. Focus on weaving the emotion and the stories into your content strategyāthe emotion transcends winning and losing.
Need some good examples of storytelling from this past year? Here you go:
The Team. The Team. The Team.#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/40pji414u2
— Michigan Athletics ć½ļø (@UMichAthletics) August 14, 2015
3- Thoughtful game coverage.
When I follow along on game days there is so much clutter. I mean, so much. From broadcast companies to teams and leagues, there are so many different accounts covering games. Itās often the same things over and over again: Stats highlights, play-by-play and boring dry updates.
Game days move quickly. You feel like you need to cover it all. I get it. The beautiful thing is you donāt have to cover every single play.
In 2016, take a step back and define your purpose for game day. Game day coverage doesnāt always have to be about dry and boring play-by-play. Focus on the stories and the behind-the-scenes moments. Be the eyes and ears for your fans. Add value, not noise. Do anything but tweet just to tweet.
@WarJessEagle how about a more strategic approach to Pre/post game content/video. Give the user a reason to follow account beyond updates.
— Luke Mueller (@Luke_Mueller24) December 22, 2015
4- Stop trying to win the Internet.
2015 was the year of social media mishaps. Sadly, some people lost their jobs from one single tweet. As a social media manger, you canāt try too hard to win the Internetā¦ it will only end up in trouble.
In 2016, platforms need to be treated with a little more tender loving care. Social media is often the front door to an organization. And while we should have fun on the platforms, it also shouldnāt be taken lightly. There are many ways to resonate with fans. The voice of an organization on social media should be an internal team exerciseā not just that of the social media manager. Once the voice and tone are set, it is up to the social media manager to leverage his or her creativity on the platforms, writing ability and artistic eye to shine. Creativity isnāt limited to voice and tone alone.
5- Investing in video.
Video, video, video. Youāre going to be hearing a lot about video in 2016 as itās growing exponentially:
Video takes more time, money and effort, but itās what people are going online to consume. Video is a more powerful piece of content. It’s better for recall, it’s more persuasive and it improves interaction rate.
In 2016, take the time to put together a thoughtful approach to video. Nearly every social media channel supports video in some form or fashion AND it gives the opportunity to tell a more powerful, emotional story way beyond the field and stats. FromĀ quick 10-second hits to more long-form storytelling, it’s time to take video seriously. Thereās no excuse to not include it in your content efforts.
6- Spending on social (on all fronts).
We all know the days of social media being free are over. It takes a strong budget and resources to do social the right way.
A good social media presence requires several things from a budgetary standpoint. First, it requires manpower from a community manager to content creators (photographer, graphic designer, etc.). Itās nearly impossible for one-man social teams to cover all they want AND interact with the community of fans. It’s also impossible to think that a one-man team (or small tam) can strategize, analyze AND create good content. Build the team it takes to succeed.
Secondly, good content often needs a little boost to take off. Put aside money for paid. This will ensure your content is seen and will help you reach new fans. With all the noise online now and algorithms to deal with, the days of organic reach are long gone.
In 2016, itās time to take the investment in social media seriously. If social media is a priority for your brand, team, league, etc. then build out a budget and resources appropriately. The right investment is important as this space becomes more and more clutteredāgood content and coverage comes at a cost.
7- Mobile messaging
Mobile messaging continues to rise in dominance. Thirty-six percent of smartphone users report using a messaging app (via Pew). That number increases to 49% with those 18 ā 29. Messaging apps capture attention in a more powerful way. Users often spend more time in the apps and engagement is personal and deep (way beyond a double tap). If youāre looking to attract future fans, messaging is a good place to start. Hereās a look at the stats:
While we donāt have a lot of case studies for mobile app activation in sports, there is a great example from the Colts. In 2015, the Colts became the first sports team on Kik. They launched a promoted chat that takes followers through seven levels of a choose-your-own adventure story about rising through the football ranks from high school player to the pros. You can read more about it here.
If you want to think outside the box and attract a younger audience in 2016, then think about how you can activate with mobile messaging. Hereās a good list of four apps on the rise.
8- Build community.
Engagement lands on my list of teams and leagues need to do all too often. Social gives brands a first-hand connection to consumers. Listening and connecting– above anything– is what makes the platforms so special. Community engagement takes a lot of time, but itās worth it. It builds a stronger relationship with fans. Kelly Mosier of Nebraska makes a great point:
When you work in the industry itās easy to be jaded about what a reply from a team account can mean to a fan. But trust me, thereās a lot of valueĀ in it. In 2016 take the time to focus on community. Personal interaction is important– and it’s going to stay that way.
9- Focus on the raw moment.
Social media sometimes get a bad rap for the āperfectā picture people portray online. Everything is filtered, censored and edited. Thereās another side to social thought: The raw side, and itās alive and well. Thanks to apps like Snapchat (where people are happiest) and Periscope, teams, fans and leagues can offer a first-hand and unedited version of whatās going on around them. People want that.
In 2016, offer those raw moments that fans are craving. Live and unedited doesnāt make sense for everything, but it certainty has itās place. Take advantage of all the new apps and functionality out there to offer a first-hand perspective and live content.
10- Leverage content creators.
The world is full of creative people, and the Internet helps us find those people quickly and easily. If youāre looking for a way to differentiate your content, enlisting another creative is a great way to do so. Here are a few good examples of teams that have done this.
Enlist creatives to help tell the story. Great ex from Dynamo using photographers/artist to takeover IG. #smsports pic.twitter.com/PyX7KX2kko
— Jess Smith (@WarJessEagle) July 26, 2015
In 2016, donāt be afraid to leverage people outside your organization/team to tell a unique story. Whether you host a contest, encourage UGC, show the fanās perspective of hire a creative to produce for a day, there are so many opportunities to tell your story in a unique and different way.
11- Respect for each platform.
Please repeat after me: What you put on one platform doesnāt belong on every platform. I still see way too many teams and leagues sharing the sharing the same content across everything.
In 2016, take the time to define a point-of-view and āreason for beingā on each platform. Study the way users use each platform and see how you can bring that to life for your account. Itās okay to cross-promote some content across all platforms, but nothing should be an all-out blanketed approach. Map out a way to play to each platformās strength (like real-time moments on Twitter and raw perspective on Snapchat) and give users a different experience across each of your accounts. Youāll build a stronger community and audience if you do this.
12- Not treating content like a billboard.
We saw a lot more sponsored content in 2015. Itās not a bad thing, but all too often the sponsored content is forced or screams advertisement. When content becomes forced, it just adds noise to the community and little value to the sponsor.
In 2016, be smart, strategic and creative with your sponsored content. You should approach sponsored social content like you do every other piece of social content: Focus on creating value. Whether the content is to inform, entertain or educate, the value does not come from logos or brand names; the value comes in the heart of the content. This it ends up being a win-win for the sponsor and fans. Read more about making the most of sponsored content here.
Below are a few examples of good sponsored content. Don’t just slap logo on things. Integrate authentically.
Louisville rallied together during an emotional 2013 Championship run. #MarchMadness #RealStrength http://t.co/XxUOJl9qvo
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2015
13- Empowering others.
A lot of industries lean on influencers to help spread the word, so why not do the same in sports? Whether itās a celebrity fan, influencer or others in your athletic department, donāt be afraid to give influencers within your circle content/tool kits/resources to help spread the word.
Several teams leverage their coaches to push out messages for them with stellar branded content and they get great engagement. It’s an example of what can be done, but I would encourage you to think even broader:
Couldn't be more proud of this record setting senior class. O-H!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/r0t1ayTpCM
— Urban Meyer (@CoachUrbanMeyer) January 1, 2016
Game Day. #GoGators pic.twitter.com/wMS9zy0udC
— Jim McElwain (@CoachMcElwain) January 1, 2016
In 2016, take a look at your circle of influencers and find a way to empower them. You donāt have to spread the word and build a community alone.
Now itās your turn to sound off! What would you like to see in social media + sports in 2016?Ā
Thanks for reading!Ā
