Catgory: Social Media

Letting Fans Get To Know Players

By Jessica Smith On September 17, 2015 In Social Media with 1 Comment

Creating content that helps your fans get to know players on a personal level beyond the scores and stats is important. Off-the-field stories and facts help humanize players and make them relatable to fans. If fans feel a personal connection to a player, they might be more likely to share content and pay attention. After all, stories about people and human interests tap into emotion.

There are many ways to help your fans get to know players through content. From simple graphic to more robust videos, the opportunities are endless. I’ve compiled a list of emmawatson-fans.com to help get the ball rolling.

No. 1- Get to Know “Infographics”

Several teams have created fantastic graphics that call out the likes and interests of their athletes. Graphics that are easy to consume and don’t need scrolling are key. Let the visuals tell the story of the athlete’s facts. Below are some great examples from simple name intros for rookies to more robust infographics:

 

No. 2- Music

Music moves us all and is a great way to connect fans with players. Find ways to highlight your athletes’ favorite playlist, the song that motivates them, etc. Here are a few good examples of teams leveraging music to build a more personal connection:

https://instagram.com/p/7ENxVwLJQK/

 

 

 

 

No. 3- Through the Words of Teammates

Sometimes it’s hard to get people to talk about themselves in a genuine way (after all, it can be awkward). For a fun, fresh perspective enlist teammates and coaches to help fans get to know the team. Here are some varying examples of what this can look like.

Superlatives
Members of the 2014-15 Oklahoma men’s basketball team participated in a 22-question player poll, supplying the name of a teammate for various categories. Oklahoma then featured the superlatives on exposure.co in a fun visual. Not only is the idea fantastic, but the photos do a great job representing the student-athletes. View it here.

Screen Shot 2015-09-17 at 9.46.28 PM

More Likley
For media day, the Mountain West Conference did a fun series with players that asked who more likely to do x. The banter the questions create back and forth makes for fun content.

Teammate Talk
Purdue Volleyball has a series called “Teammate Talk” where fans get to know players through the eyes of their teammates. It’s a fun angle that can be executed easily.

 

No. 4- In Their Own Words

First-hand accounts that tell an emotional story go a long way. If you want athletes to tell their own story, find the emotional angle and go beyond a talking head. Great b-roll paired with emotional voiceover helps paint the full picture.

Indiana has launched a campaign this year called #ImAHoosier that chronicles five student-athletes. It’s a great example of showing the full journey , in student-athletes own words, beyond the stats and scores. You can follow the campaign here.

 

This post only scratches the surface of how you can help fans get to know your athletes. Just remember, there are so many stories to tell about the people behind the uniforms… tell them.

 

 

 

What good examples have you seen of teams and leagues helping fans get to know players and athletes?

 

Thanks for reading! 

5 Solid Social Media Ideas from the NFL Preseason

By Jessica Smith On September 8, 2015 In Social Media

The NFL regular season hasn’t even started yet, but there are still plenty of great social media ideas coming from NFL teams. I’ll track and profile many teams and ideas throughout the season, but thought I would share five solid ideas from the preseason. Here’s to being inspired by these NFL examples and many more in the regular season to come.

 

1- Plan for unpredictable, predictable moments.

Sports are a weird beast. In order for coverage to be top notch, there’s a need to plan for the unexpected. Planning for the unexpected starts with defining the moments that can happen during a game. For football, it’s about the touchdowns, field goals, interceptions, sacks, etc. Define the moments you know will (or could) happen during the season and create evergreen content for it. Below are examples from the Panthers and Dolphins.

 

Want more advice on planning for the unexpected? I’ve got a blog post on it here.

 

2- Think of games as a series.

The 49ers have created photo overlays for each game of the season. Think about how we use hashtags to group content. The overlays function in a similar way. The game themes turn into “collections” for fans that make it easy to follow along and piece together the full story.  The design is also simple and sleek so it doesn’t detract from the heart of the content.

 

 

 

 

 

3- Tie in sponsors, naturally.

All too often sponsored social media content looks like it’s sold in, then teams slap logos on content without understanding why. You can’t create content, slap a logo on it and call it a win for anyone (fan, sponsor or team).

There is a way to do sponsored content right though. The Browns and Panthers are just two of the teams that have produced sponsored content that makes sense. Take a look:

Screen Shot 2015-09-08 at 10.02.12 PM

Screen Shot 2015-09-08 at 10.15.15 PM

In these examples, there is a natural connection between the content and the sponsor. The content doesn’t add noise to fans’ timelines and there’s an actual tie-in to the sponsors’ products and the content. Win, win, win.

 

4- Work with influencers, content creators.

There are creative people all around you, from fans to artists, who see things through a different lens. Don’t go on the content journey alone. Instead, enlist creative people who can help you tell a more powerful story. Influencers, artists and photographers provide a different angle and/or unique content; they will also bring in their own audience when the activation is cross promoted.

The Chargers and 49ers give us two good examples of enlisting influencers and/or content creators. The Chargers enlisted a YouTube influencer for a Snapchat takeover, while the 49ers use content creators to create branded Vines in a series called the #FortyViners. Both are big wins in creating unique content.

 

The bottom line is this: Find other creatives around you and don’t be afraid to let them help you tell your story.

 

5- Think about GIFs differently.

Reaction, pop-culture GIFS are no longer the only type of GIFS we see. Can I get a hallelujah? In all seriousness, teams are starting to think about GIFS differently and it’s refreshing to see. GIFS have gone beyond humor and moved into a bigger storytelling role. From score updates to countdowns and sticky content, teams have used GIFS in a more creative and engaging fashion.

But why do GIFS work so well on Twitter? I have a few theories. The cadence of GIFS makes the content more memorable and shareable. They catch fans’ eyes as they scroll through the feed. Additionally, while GIFS are engaging, they tend to be short and sweet (which we all knows wins on social). Find a way to use them creatively.

Below are a few examples of teams creating on-brand GIFS this season that are used for much more than a reaction:

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This list only skims the surface of the great social media ideas from NFL teams during the preseason, so let us know what has stood out to you so far. Comment below! 

 

Thanks for reading! 

Give Fans a Front Row Seat Through Content

By Jessica Smith On September 3, 2015 In Social Media

When you work in sports, it’s a little easy to get jaded or take for granted the shoes you walk in daily. It’s not a bad thing per say. No one in the industry should walk around at work like a fan girl, but it’s also important to take a step back and look at your daily work with a little bit of awe.

You see, perspective is important in social media and sports. In an online world filled with clutter, it’s essential to understand what value your team account can add to fans. One of the values is a front-row seat to the action. Let fans know what it’s like to walk in your shoes, the players’ shoes, the coaches’ shoes, etc. on a daily and weekly basis.

When you are on the ground at an event or practice, find ways to give fans front-row access like they have never had before. Try to find that “extraordinary” in your ordinary. How can you provide them with a new angle, vantage point, perspective? If you approach each day through this lens, then you will create content that wins. It’s all about perspective.

Are you curious what first-hand perspective looks like? Below are three recent examples:

 

No. 1- From the Dugout

This clip from the Dodgers is a great example of giving fans a front row seat to the game. There’s nothing edited here; it’s just a simple, 14-second clip shared natively on Twitter. The value comes in the perspective. The social media manager has a great spot/angle on the dugout that makes fans feel like they are up close and personal with the team. Remember, great access doesn’t have to be invasive.

 

No. 2- Autzen Player Experience

Thanks to technology, Oregon was able to create a 360 video of players walking into the stadium for fans to experience. While this is much more robust than the Dodgers example, it’s a great showcase of how powerful first-hand perspectives can be. If you are looking to push the envelope with content, 360 and/or virtual reality is definitely a great option. And, you can’t get any closer to a front row seat than this.

 

No. 3- First Look Around

When Manchester City FC signed a new player, they let fans in on the journey as he had his first look around the stadium. The content was simple, unedited video uploaded natively to Twitter (much like the Dodgers). The team shared videos of the player driving to the stadium and walking in. The content wasn’t fancy, but it performed extremely well. Why? Because it gave fans a front row seat to the moment. Good content isn’t necessarily complicated; it just has to provide value or add something different. The two tweets below are great examples of that.

 

If you take anything away from this post, it’s this: Perspective is important in social media and sports. Give fans that front row seat they crave and want. This access is often the one thing you can control and own. Take advantage of it.

 

 

 

What other great examples have you seen of teams giving fans a front row seat? Share them below!

Thanks for reading! 

Four Solid Social Media Ideas from Wimbledon

By Jessica Smith On July 11, 2015 In Social Media

The Wimbledon social media team has aced the coverage of this year’s tournament. From fantastic photos to a strong Snapchat presence, they are serving up great content over and over again. To help deliver up some inspiration to you, I’ve compiled four of my favorite ideas coming out of Wimbledon’s social media accounts. These ideas can transfer over easily to the work you do.

 

Leverage Vine Creativity

Wimbledon launched a series called #14VinesForWimbledon that features one fun, creative Vine everyday during the tournament. I like the idea of committing to one unique Vine each day; it’s a great way to focus the content plan. Here is a look at a few of the Vines shared:

 

 

 

Vine is a great platform to unleash creativity. The platform has a community of amazing artists on it that brands and teams can leverage (like #FortyViners does). Vine also integrates seamlessly into Twitter, so the content not only adds value to your Vine community but also your Twitter audience. It’s worth figuring how to leverage the platform in unique and surprising ways.

The biggest lesson from #14VinesForWimbeldon is to have a content plan and stick to it. The idea of 14 Vines for 14 days allows the Wimbledon social media team to focus on creating good content. They know what they want to deliver without over-promising. It’s the focus that allows them to create top-notch Vines and the theme ties into nicely with the event.

 

Instagram Simplicity

Take a look through Wimbledon’s Instagram account and you’ll notice the focus is on one thing: Great photos. There’s something powerful in the simplicity of letting the photos tell the story on Instagram. After all, it’s a platform with a clear focus on visuals.

Screen Shot 2015-07-11 at 10.40.39 AM
The lesson here is you don’t have to put any design work behind the content on Instagram. Reserve your best and brightest photography for the platform. There’s no need to distract people from beautiful images when that’s why they’re coming to Instagram for.

 

Approach Win Graphics Differently

Win graphics tend to focus on the final score. Wimbledon is mixing this up by highlighting the theme of the match in their winners’ graphics. I like this idea because it tells the story (very simply) of the match and tugs at emotions. Here’s a look at a few of them:

Screen Shot 2015-07-11 at 10.51.38 AM

Screen Shot 2015-07-11 at 10.51.05 AM

Screen Shot 2015-07-11 at 10.49.58 AM

 

A Spin on Play-by-Play

Twitter and social media is all about enhancing the second screen. The coverage should not detract from the television broadcast (if it’s on TV), but enhance the viewing experience. Many teams are moving away from straight play-by-play. It can add a lot of noise to your Twitter stream, so it’s important to think through on how you approach live game coverage. What adds value to the fans?

Wimbledon has added value to play-by-play by including a photo with every match comment. It tells an emotional and compelling story. And, fans love visuals!

Screen Shot 2015-07-11 at 11.07.09 AM

Screen Shot 2015-07-11 at 11.06.20 AM

Screen Shot 2015-07-11 at 11.05.47 AM

Screen Shot 2015-07-11 at 11.05.27 AM

At the end of the day, social media coverage is not about documenting every single moment. It’s about highlighting the moments that evoke emotion. It’s about resonating with your fans. Add value, not noise.

 

So there you have it! Four great ideas from Wimbledon that you can easily implement into your social media plan. Be sure to check out their accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more inspiration.

 

 

What stands out to you about Wimbledon’s social media coverage? Share your thoughts below!

Thanks for reading! 

Social Media Inspiration from the 2015 NBA Draft

By Jessica Smith On June 29, 2015 In NBA, Social Media

Teams often come out swinging during big moments like the NBA Draft. With a captivated and engaged audience, it’s the perfect time to make a big social media splash. After following along during the first round, it was clear that many teams approached the night with a vision and plan; there was a lot of stellar social media content shared.

Below is a look at some of the best trends from teams during the 2015 NBA Draft First Round. There is sure to be some inspiration for your work in here:

 

Draft Graphics

Teams rolled out some great graphics as picks were announced. Teams, like the Lakers and Knicks, even hit send as the picks were announced. So speedy! It’s clear many of the teams prepped templates and prepared for all scenarios. This is key to winning on social in sports, no matter the event or situation. Below is a look at some of the great graphics from the draft.

 

Behind-the-Scenes Content

Behind-the-scenes content is always golden in sports. It brings your fans closer to the action, team and players. Below are some of the ways teams gave fans a glimpse inside the NBA Draft.

 

Creative Content

Several teams got creative with their content, which is always refreshing to see. Don’t get stuck in a content rut. Push the boundaries and think creatively!

https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/614262983946964993

 

Anticipation Graphics/Tweets

Several teams tap into fan anticipation. Right before a pick emotions are high, so on-the-clock graphics, countdowns, etc. are a good way to evoke emotion and get fans to share content.

 

Personal Messages

Several teams shared videos of their players sending personal messages to their fans. Video messages like this are a great way to showcase players’ personalities, while fostering a stronger connection with your fans online.

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/614239385056378880

 

 

 

What were some of your favorite trends from the 2015 NBA Draft? Be sure to share them below!

Thanks for reading!