Catgory: Social Media

Good Sportsmanship is in Style on Twitter

By Jessica Smith On June 18, 2015 In Social Media, Twitter

There’s uniqueness in Twitter that allows for conversation more so than any other platform. Part of it’s the public nature of profiles (typically), Twitter’s reply features and the real-time cadence of the platform. On Twitter it is easy to feel like everyone is anticonvulsants-info.com in the living room with you. That’s a pretty awesome thing.

And with a platform powered by conversation and real-time moments, some amazing things happen in the heat of the moment. GIF wars happen, teams recite holiday poems and snark unveils itself. It’s a lot of fun to watch things unfold on Twitter.

There is another trend on Twitter that lends itself well to the conversational nature of the platform. And, it stood out during the NBA and NHL championships: Sportsmanship. So many teams sent congratulatory tweets to the Blackhawks and/or Warriors when they won the NHL and NBA titles respectively. Some of the tweets are fun opponents and some are from other teams in the cities they call home. This is a great way to add a human touch to accounts. Here’s a look at some of the tweets sent:

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Fans seems to like their teams showing some sportsmanship during big moments based on the engagement from most of the congratulatory tweets.  And as mentioned before, it’s a great way to show a human side to accounts and also shows the team is listening. If you are considering jumping into a congratulatory conversation, here are three pieces of advice:

1st- Plan ahead. 
More than likely, you know the different outcomes that can happen. Think through the different scenarios and plan ahead as much as you can. Think through how you will approach it no matter the outcome.

2nd- Find your voice.
Do your best to avoid a generic “congrats” tweet. Instead, find your team’s voice within the conversation. Did your teams play this year, are you rivals, is there a funny connection, etc? Connect the dots as much as possible and the content will resonate with your fans even more.

3rd- Know your fans.
When sending out anything that has to do with another team, even if it’s congratulatory, it’s important to know the pulse of your fans. Is there a beef between the two fan bases that even sportsmanship can’t transcend? If so, it might be better to just walk away. Know your fans and know what resonates.

 

 

So, what do you think about this sportsmanship? Share your thoughts below.

Thanks for reading! 

Say “Thank You” To Fans

By Jessica Smith On June 16, 2015 In Social Media

Community is what makes social media so unique and valuable. The platforms aren’t just an opportunity to push; they are an opportunity to connect, engage and build relationships.

If you want to build a community online, it’s important to take the time for your audience. You have to be willing to listen, exchange dialogue– and most importantly– thank your fans. It does not take much, but simple gestures towards those who engage in your community can go a long way in building brand ambassadors. It’s important to do. When you have an army of brand ambassadors your content gets shared, reach increases and your community grows stronger.

The good news is that saying “thanks” to your fans doesn’t have to be complicated. When you work in social media it’s easy to get jaded to the industry, but remember, people get excited about the smallest gesture from their beloved team accounts. Don’t underestimate the power you hold at your fingers tips to make someone’s day.

Take the time to put together a strategy for rewarding and thanking your biggest fans. Gesture by gesture you’ll build a robust community. Here are some ideas on how to thank your fans to get you started:

 

A Follow

A follow can go a long way in leaving a lasting impression with a fan. In fact, it can make their day. Take note of the fans that engage with your content and reward them with a follow. It’s free to do and takes no time, so what are you waiting for?

You can also get creative and hosts “follow back” initiatives where you prompt fans to take action in exchange for a follow. Here’s a good example from the Sacramento Kings:

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Fans love the #FollowFriday from the Kings. Check out the reply string here.

 

User-Generated Content

I can’t stress enough how valuable user-generated content is. It’s cost effective and helps your fans feel more connected to the online community. People are also more likely to share content they are a part of. The bottom line is that it makes your community stronger and is an easy thank you. User-generated content should have its place in your strategy.

Here a few good examples from teams who have leveraged UGC:

 

 

 

 

Personalized Content

Personalized content is a huge opportunity for teams, leagues and brands to develop one-on-one relationships with fans. Content will stand out more if a team goes the extra to show their fans they are listening and care. And, making it personal is a great tactic.

@OU_Football recently gave us a great example of what it means to “make it personal” for you fans. They celebrated 100 days out from football by tweeting out a few OU Football phone screen savers. Fans asked for their own screen savers with personal photos, and, @OU_Football delivered (a lot of them too). View the whole tweet chain here.

 

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The Sooners aren’t the only ones to deliver personal content though. Here are a few other recent examples to spark your creativity:

 

 

Celebrate Community Milestones

It’s important to let fans know that you appreciate the community around your accounts. Celebrate the big milestones reached. Positivity and thankfulness can go a long way.

 

Make It Exclusive

If there are fans that consistently share your content, why not make them feel special? Exclusive offers/experiences are a great way to reward your most loyal and engaged fans. Here are just a few ways you can do it:

  • Host a private stadium/facilities tour on Periscope for 20 of your most engaged fans. You can do an exclusive stream by using the private broadcast feature.
  • Do you have a fan that is a huge fan of a certain athlete? Send them a private digi autograph through Twitter or Instagram’s direct message feature. While the content isn’t public, I guarantee the fan will tweet it out with a big “thank you”.
  • Bring the relationships offline and invite some of your biggest brand ambassadors to a social media suite during a game.

 

Bring Them Into Your Story

Bringing fans into your story, like turning their tweets into content, is a great way to build community and recognize your fans. It’s also an easy way to tell a broader story and makes your fans feel like they are a part of something bigger. Take the time to bring fans’ voices into your strategy, whether you curate a Storify or turn tweets into content.

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These examples above are just a few of the many ways you can show fans that you care. Take the time to implement a strategy for engaging with and rewarding you fans. Even the smallest gesture can go a long way.

 

 

 

How else can teams thank and reward their fans? Share your ideas below!

Thanks for reading! 

Tips For On-the-Fly Social Media Coverage in Sports

By Jessica Smith On June 4, 2015 In Best Practices, Social Media with 2 Comments

The other night during the #NBALotteryDraft, the @Lakers content kept jumping out at me. It was clear they had put in the time to design a look and feel. Their graphics were sharp, consistent, on brand and visually appealing.

I became even more impressed as I started looking through their stats. Three tweets alone garnered more than 15,000 retweets. Take look at some of their content:


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Ty Nowell, the Lakers Digital Manager, tweeted a little insight into their process:

His tweet makes a great point. Even though you can’t plan most of the outcomes in sports, there’s still a need to prep. There is not just an intern or one person behind an account anymore. A team of people, from a ed-treatment-info.com to graphic designer, helps tell the game story.

Unlike most industries where evergreen content is a large staple to your social media strategy and real-time content is merely a tactic, sports requires real-time content all the time. It’s not an option to create content in the moment; it’s just an option of how well you do it.

So how do you plan for the unexpected in sports? It’s a key to a digital team’s success, but also a strange beast to tackle. This post offers tips to prepare for the unexpected, with a little help from some Twitter friends:

 

No. 1- Prepare for everything.

The Lakers planned for all scenarios with the draft lottery, as Ty Nowell pointed out. It didn’t matter if they had to create three graphics or twenty graphics ahead of time, they were going to do it. Preparing for any outcome allows teams to provide sharp and quality content to fans on the fly as we saw with the Lakers content above. It’s important.

The sentiment to be ready for anything was strong among others who work in the industry:

But what does preparing for everything mean? How can you get ready for a game, win or lose? There are two big things that can help you out:

Create templates.
Graphic templates are a lifesaver for those who work in sports. Define a look and feel, along with templates for each platform, is one of the keys to great game, draft, awards, etc. coverage.

https://twitter.com/EvTynan/status/601097832016187392

 

Here’s an example of teams that do the work with templates ahead of time:

 

 

Think through scenarios.
While you can’t plan the outcome of a game, you can think through different scenarios. How can we handle a loss? How can we celebrate a win?  Thinking through ideas on how to handle each situation allows you to turn out good content and copy a little quicker. You will need to tweak ideas based on the game or outcome, but at least you’ll have some ideas under your belt.

Anticipate
Along with thinking through scenarios, anticipation is key. You know the potential scenarios that could come, so how can you cover them creatively? Morgan Strehlow has a good tip for this:

https://twitter.com/morganstrehlow/status/601101231679930368

As you anticipate and make notes, think about pop culture references you can include, lyrics that might work well in a game, themes from the teams, etc. This will help you create better copy and unique content, as Morgan points out.

When you prepare you’ll be able to handle a win or loss in the moment and do so extremely well. Below are just a few examples of great content in times of wins and losses:

 

No. 2- Create evergreen content.

Play by play has evolved (thankfully) to much more color commentary, especially on Twitter. Reaction content that adds to the emotion of moments is a great way to cover games. You want fans following along to have “that moment” with your team.

Creating evergreen reaction content to use for those intense moments during games provides quality coverage on the fly. Think about content specific to players and big moments (like home runs, touchdowns, etc.). This content is different from graphic templates because it’s more generic. The photo, GIF, etc. does no need to be tailored or tweaked during the game. Instead, you rely on the copy to pair it with the moment.

Here are a few examples of evergreen reaction content from teams and leagues:

No. 3- Be organized.

Social is all about timing. If you’re in the heat of the moment and can’t find want you need to create the content, then the opportunity is going to pass you by. Organization is key to be able to produce on the fly.

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Make sure you have photos, potential copy, evergreen content, related links, Twitter handles, logos, etc. easily accessible so you don’t have to waste time finding what you need. Organization is a huge to being successful with real-time content, in sports and social media in general.

 

No. 4- Have a system and plan in place.

It’s important to have a strong foundation in place with your plan and system.

Before you jump into real-time coverage, know the story you want to tell, the type of access you want to provide, etc. This will help you focus your direction on what’s important and not the million other things going on. You can’t cover everything, so have a plan as to what is most important. There will be times when you detour from the plan, but the plan will at least keep the team honed in on the right content and moments.

It’s also important to understand the system and team duties during game coverage. Who is responsible for what? Who helps to gather content? Is there a specific shot lit? If you need to run a tweet by someone, who is the person to take a look at how can you get the tweet to them quickly?  You won’t always have to rely on the system, but having a plan and protocols in place will help immensely:

 

No. 5- Listen to the sentiment.

It’s important to know the sentiment of both your fans and coaches/players when covering games. Take a lead from it. This ensures you will produce content that resonates and is on brand.

In addition to understanding sentiment, look for content opportunities from all the voices around you. Are there fan tweets you can repurpose? Did the coach just have a powerful quote at the press conference? All of these real-time opportunities can make for powerful content. Bring voices into your story. Listen and react.

Here are a few examples:

 

No. 6- Take a deep breath.

As mentioned, timing is obviously important in social media and sports. That said, it’s also important to remember that every tweet is a reflection of the organization, team and brand. Don’t get so caught up in the moment that you make a mistake. It’s okay to take a deep breath. It’s okay to ask for a second opinion before sending a tweet. Those extra seconds are worth it if it means protecting the brand.

https://twitter.com/morganstrehlow/status/601101796380016640

 

These tips are just the start of what it takes to be successful in social media and sports in real time. If you want some more inspiration, be sure to check out this post from Justin Taylor (@TheSwarmyBum) on Medium here.

 

 

What tips do you have for producing real-time content? Share your tips below!

Thanks for reading!

Snark & Edge Aren’t the Only Way to Win the Internet

By Jessica Smith On May 19, 2015 In Miscellaneous, Social Media with 1 Comment

It’s been a hot topic lately: There’s enormous pressure that comes with working in social media and sports. Social media managers don’t just carry the weight of the brand at their fingertips. There’s also pressure to get more eyeballs, better reach and be hip. Add this pressure on top of the addicting nature of social media (as in the instant gratification of shares and comments) and it’s a pretty intense situation.

This combination of internal and external pressure has caused an interesting trend in social media and sports: The idea that to win the Internet you have to resort to snark and edge. With the recent Houston Rockets incident, we’ve had many people write about the industry. People have talked about how it’s hard to balance the need to win on Twitter while remaining on brand. The notion that you have to be snarky and edgy to get reach is not true though. There are many ways to resonate with fans.

So if snark and edge aren’t the key to success, then what is?

The voice of an organization on social media should be an internal team exercise— 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 isn’t limited to voice and tone alone.

It’s time to shine light on some of the creative ways teams and leagues have won their fans over— in a fashion other than snark. There’s so much more creativity in this industry than an edgy voice.

Below are just a few examples of how teams/leagues have resonated with fans through creative use of the platforms, good content, stellar writing and thinking outside the box:

 

1- Hawks Spotify Playlist

After the Hawks’ winning streak came to an end, the team delivered a special message to fans through a Spotify playlist. Not only did the move resonate with fans, but it garnered media attention:

 

2- NY Rangers Go Lowercase

The New York Rangers have done away with capital letters during the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs as they face the Washington Capitals. The no-caps policy is enforced on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. This is a smart and fun play that has earned them media attention, including a write-up in Mashable. It’s not about snark, but about being clever.

 

3- Trail Blazers GIF in Review

Forget the regular season recaps, the Trail Blazers decided to take it up a notch and celebrate their year in GIFS. The team created a fantastic, interactive Tumblr where fans could relive the top moments in GIFS. It’s a smart use of an often underutilized platform, and a great way to capitalize on a popular trend (GIFS). View it here.

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4- ’Night Before Christmas, Sports Edition

It all started with a simple “Night Before Christmas” tweet from the Phillies on Christmas Eve. Other teams took note and decided to join the fun. The result was an epic sports-style version of the “Night Before Christmas”. This was a quick-witted use of Twitter. A great example of how teams can engage with one another the right way!

 

5- Forty Viners

Forty Viners was launched in 2014 as a way to create one-of-a-kind Vines about upcoming games, behind-the-scenes content, highlights and more. The campaign, which continues into the upcoming season, features work from well-known Vine artists as well as creations from fans (featured on video boards or on 49ers.com). It’s an amazing example of creative content. Below are a few examples:

 

 

These five examples above skim the surface of creativity in the industry. Winning on the Internet doesn’t have to mean snark and edge, unless of course that is simply the brand’s stick. Through strong writing, creative content and pushing the boundaries of platforms, social media managers can win fans over again and again.

 

 

 

What are some of your favorite examples of creativity in social media and sports? Please share them below!

Thanks for reading! 

50 Social Media Moments from NBA Teams During Round 1

By Jessica Smith On May 19, 2015 In NBA, Social Media with 1 Comment

The NBA consistently sets the bar as a league in social media, so it comes as no surprise that the teams stepped up during Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs. From clever copy to stellar video content, the coverage was consistently on point.

And even though Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs is in full swing, it’s not too late to reflect on the great social moments of the playoffs so far. Here are 50 memorable social media moments from teams during Round 1 (in no particular order). It’s hard to capture all the great moments, but this list at least shows why NBA teams continuously get praise for their social media work. Enjoy!

 

1- Hawks Make it About Family

The Hawks always find unique ways to rally their fans. As the playoffs kicked off, they asked fans to change their last name on Twitter to “Hawks”. It’s great to see teams use unique call-to-actions because it builds a strong sense of community among fans.

 

2- Strength in Numbers Video Series

The Warriors have produced fantastic video content this season. One series that stands out is “Strength in Numbers”, chronicling their season in chapters. The Warriors have continued the series into the post-season and the content continues to get stronger and stronger. The series does a great job of hyping up fans, tapping into emotion and telling a piece of the story. Below is a look at three “Strength in Number” videos created for Round 1. Together these videos had more than 400,000 views on Facebook:

 

3- Brooklyn Nets Use Storify to Provide Players’ POV

The Brooklyn Nets created a Storify featuring tweets and social content from their players during Round 1. Players are obviously a huge part of a team’s story and this example is a great way to leverage them, their stories and point of view. See the Storify here.

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4- Pelicans Use a Simple But Powerful Pairing

Content does not have to be labor intensive from a creative point of view. This example from the Pelicans shows how strong copy with a strong image can resonate with fans, with or without design work.

 

5- Hawks Have Fun With Post-It Notes

The Hawks had a little fun in the office, so they used the opportunity to create social content. This is a great example of how content opportunities are all around. Keep your eyes and ears open and get creative!

 

6- Cavs Thanks Fans & Look Ahead

Once the Cavs secured a spot in the Playoffs, they released a video thanking their fans and looking towards the playoffs. The video features the players saying “thanks”. It would be easy to have two different cuts of this video ready to go– one if the team makes it and one if the team does not. The video is a great example of planning ahead with content and catering to your fans:

 

7- Bulls Let Artists Take the Reigns

The Chicago Bulls have one of the sharpest Instagram accounts in the NBA. Their look is fresh, clean but also dramatic. Take a look through their photos at the engagement and you’ll see that the content resonates with fans too.

During Game 1 the Bulls let two artists takeover their Instagram account. The artists’ style fit the team’s look and feel, and they ended up producing stellar content for them. This is a great example of leveraging influencers creatively!
 


 


 


 

 

8- Brooklyn Suits Up

Inside access is important in sports, but access doesn’t have to be intrusive. This picture from the Brooklyn Nets is a great example of giving fans a peek behind the curtain without being invasive:

 

9- Spurs Create Quickly

The Spurs were able to tweet out this celebratory graphic for Kawhi Leonard during the game and it got great traction. It’s a good example of the need to turn out quick, sharp graphics during milestones and moments of celebration. Creating templates can help ease the process and turnaround time.

 

10- LA Clippers Create Time-lapse Video

When thinking through a content plan, it’s important to figure out how to differentiate the content and provide a unique point of view. Time-lapse videos, like this one from the @LAClippers, are one way to do so:

 

11- Cavs Hype Kids Wins

This hype video is everything. Not only is this hype video fantastic, but the Cavs asked fans to create their own hype video. It’s a great example of thinking outside the box, having fun and getting fans engaged with a call to action.

 

12- Warriors Nail Heartbeat Tweet

This is the social media content trifecta: The perfect image, the perfect copy and the perfect timing. This is a great post from the Warriors!
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13- Nets Movie-like Promo

This short playoff clip on Instagram feels like a vintage movie promo. It’s great to see teams mix up the type of content they share and try different themes. Differentiation is key from standing out in all the noise.

 

14- Cavs Prove Simple Is Often Best

The Cavs have shared emotional team pictures with simple one-word statements throughout the first round that have performed well across platforms. It’s a great example of how simple is often powerful.

 

15- Mavs Give Fans a Pass

Excuse notes like this from the Mavs are not new idea, but they are still a great opportunity to empower fans to share content. If a team finds itself on the big stage, it’s important to share content that encourages fans to rally.

 

16- Spurs Show What It Means To Represent

When covering a game, it is important to keep eyes and ears open. What’s the extraordinary in the ordinary? This photo used from the Spurs is a great example of finding the unusual in the arena and turning it into stellar social content.

 

17- Cavs Serve As the Eyes & Ears

The Cavs social media team caught a video of the players shaking hands after the game. This little piece of content is a small glimpse into the chemistry and camaraderie of the team. It’s so important to be at the right place at the right time to capture these moments for fans.

 

 

 

18- Trail Blazers Journey Begins Tonight

The Trail Blazers created a fantastic promo video for the start of the playoffs featuring the voices of the players, their insight and how they felt about the games ahead. This is a different take on the normal game highlight promo videos we see; it’s strong because it taps into the emotional side of the team.

 

19- The Clippers Lay It All On the Line

This is another great example of the perfect image and copy choice. Simple wins, so don’t overthink it.

 

20- Spurs Share Simple Quote

There’s absolutely nothing fancy about this, but it still got 23K+ interactions. The emotion in the quote does all the work. Remember, not everything has to be labor intensive. If the content taps into emotions then people will engage with it.

 

 

21- Grizzlies Practice Good Sportsmanship

Showing good sportsmanship is a great way to humanize the team and account. This is a good example from the Grizzlies.

 

22- Warriors Get Clever

This photo is a result of a social media manager thinking cleverly on her feet. It’s also a great example of creating fun content that resonates with fans without being edgy. So well done!

 

23- Mavs Have Fantastic Creative

Not every piece of social content needs to have a lot of creative behind it, but it’s always good when teams think creatively about certain graphic series. The Mavs have some fantastic creative for their score graphics, game plugs, etc.
 


 


 

 

24- Trail Blazers Stay On Brand With GIFS

GIFS are a great way to a make statement through content. The Trail Blazers do a great job of taking their own video footage and splicing it for some on-brand GIF fun. This is a great way to resonate with fans without resorting to pop culture GIFS.

 

25- Hawks Give Fans Hope

The Hawks tapped into the hope of the season, finding an emotional storyline for this playoff video. The message ties in nicely with their True Believer slogan. It’s one of those sports videos that will give you goosebumps (and it had 185,000+ views on Facebook).

 

26- Spurs Share Notable Fan Content

Many teams have fans who are celebrities/influencers. It’s important to monitor the conversation around teams and engage or share influencer content when there’s an opportunity.

 

27- Nets Highlight Fan Photos

The Brooklyn Nets put together a simple but cute Instagram video featuring fan photos. User-generated content is a great way to build community, thank fans and create content in a cost-effective manner.

 

28- Trail Blazers Waste No Time

After their season-ending loss, the Trail Blazers wasted no time thanking their fans. They didn’t just have a graphic and copy ready; they had a video ready to share. The video got more than 300 retweets on Twitter alone. It’s a great example of being prepared.

 

29- Rockets GIFs Get a Little Crazy

It’s hard to know what to think of this GIF exactly. It is on brand though and certainly stands out. Nonetheless, it seems appropriate for this list because it is so… different (plus, fans seemed to like it).

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/590692664435171328

 

30- Celtics Keep Game Time Simple

The simplicity in these game graphics make for a powerful statement from the Celtics. They evoke a certain nervousness (in a good way) and help fans imagine the calm before it all. It’s another great example of how simple can be powerful.

 

31- Rockets Use Hashtags to Make a Statement

At first glance there is nothing fancy about the copy or graphic from this @HoustonRockets tweet. Look closer though: The hashtag seals the deal with perfection punctuation. Hashtags, used sparingly, can make a great statement.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/590733233987440640

 

32- Trail Blazers Have Emoji Game

Emojis have become all the rage online. In fact, they are replacing slang on the Internet. Emojis can be a great way to spice up your content when used sparingly and strategically. This tweet from the Trail Blazers is a great example of how to use emojis right. It is cool, effortless and on point.

 

33- Warriors Plug Tickets the Right Way

When pushing ticket sales out on social, it’s important to pull people in with a strong piece of content. How are you going to get their attention? A hard sell alone won’t work. This tweet from the Warriors is a great example of plugging ticket sales the right way; it features a video of Curry along with the link to buy tickets.

 

34- The Bulls Showcase Staff

It’s rare for fans to get a peek behind the curtain of front office staff. The Bulls found the perfect opportunity to showcase a glimpse of life for their staffers while resonating with their fans. It’s all about the copy and tapping into the emotion of being “ready”.

 

35- Rockets With the Perfect Pair

This is just another great example of strong imagery with strong copy. Again and again simple wins.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/590730503709401089

 

36- The Nets Lets the Image Work

Sometimes there is a perfect picture waiting for the perfect moment. This from the Brooklyn Nets is a great example of that.

 

37- The Bulls Arrive

Many of the teams in the NBA are good at showcasing their players arriving to the venue, in style of course. Below are a few examples from the Bulls. As you can see, this small piece of behind-the-scenes content resonates with fans.

 

38- The Clippers Fly Away

A large part of working in social media and sports is telling a story, from practice to travel to the game. This is a great example of telling that story in a subtle way. It’s a generic plane shot, yet it got more than 17,000 likes. Why? Because fans want to be a part of the journey and this post was a simple way to bring them into it.

 

39- Bulls Design for the Platforms

Too often we see teams creating one set of graphics for every platform. The Bulls are one of the few that actually design for each one, making the content much easier to consume.

40- Spurs Go Twining

This is exactly how it sounds: Combining tweets with singing. And yes, it’s utterly brilliant.

 

41- LA Clippers Start With a Perfect Picture

Sometimes no caption is needed. This is a perfect example of that.

 

42- Raptors GIF, Literally

This is a good example of using a pop culture GIF that’s on brand. If anyone can get away with a GIF of running dinosaurs, it’s the Raptors. Fans loved it too.

 

43- LA Clippers Share a Great Moment

It’s so important for social media managers to be the eyes and ears of their fans. This picture from the LA Clippers is a great example of taking your fans behind-the-scenes for more intimate moments. A strong piece of content!

https://instagram.com/p/2HkbgIqlea/?taken-by=laclippers

 

44- Pelicans Handle a Loss Through Sportsmanship

Handling a loss is no easy feat, but this is a good example of how to handle one. Show sportsmanship!

 

45- Warriors Snapchat Scavenger Hunt

In the days leading up to the Warriors’ first home playoff game, the team gave away playoff tickets and prizes on Snapchat through a scavenger hunt. This is a great way to engage with fans on the platform.

 

46- Trail Blazers Going up, on a Tuesday

Everyone likes good lyrics in their life. When the moment is right, don’t be afraid to bust them out (or a rhyme).

 

47- Raptors Leverage Facebook Photo Albums

After every game, the Raptors shared a photo album of action shots. This is a great way to recap the game and give fans content to consume. Don’t forget to leverage Facebook albums when you have a broad story to tell!

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48- Bucks Follow Up a Big Win Accordingly

Timing is everything. When the Bucks beat the Bulls in by a buzzer shot from Bayless, they immediately posted two videos on Facebook. The first was a raw video view of the bench as the team ran to the court and the second was a clip of the game-winning shot.. The quick turnaround on this videos was key for the Bucks— tapping into fans’ emotions while they are high.

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49- Celtics Give Due to Their Fans

Fans are the heartbeat of your community. It’s important to show them thanks, especially as the season comes to an end. This graphic from the Celtics is a great example of how to do so.

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50- Raptors Photo Gets a Treatment

The unique color treatment on this Instagram post made the content stand out. The picture has one of the higher engagement rates in recent weeks. It’s a great reminder that it’s important to mix things up.

 

What moments stand out to you from Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs? Be sure to share your thoughts below!

Thanks for reading!