Today I’m excited to share a special story on the power of social media, social listening and caring about your fans. The story starts with a simple observation from a man named Rusty Elrod in Six Mile, South Carolina. Just like any normal day, he drove by the assisted living center to find Clemson fan W.T. Wooten standing outside waving and cheering as people passed by. Wooten does this nearly every day, spreading cheer to all who encounter him. The odd thing though, was that Wooten wasn’t wearing his beloved Clemson baseball cap. The sight of this gave Elrod an idea:
Elrod took to social media to see if the Clemson community could rally to get Wooten new gear. And rally they did. The Facebook post above was shared nearly 2,000 times with friends, family and the Clemson Athletic Department. The minute the athletic department staff saw the story, they knew they wanted to do something to show Wooten they appreciated how much joy he brings to people everyday.
So yes, Clemson set out to hand deliver new gear to him. The trip resulted in two things: A wonderful memory made for Wooten and a treasured story for Clemson fans to share. You can view the digital package the athletic department put together here.
The story of W.T. Wooten is a great reminder of the powerful connection teams, leagues and athletic departments can make with fans on social media. Thankfully Jonathan Gantt, the Director of New Media for Clemson Athletics, was nice enough to take some time to answer a few questions about this wonderful story and how to harness the power of your fans:
Why was it important for Clemson Athletics to tell this story?
The most important thing was to show W.T. how much we appreciated him and to make sure he knew how much he positively impacted people every day. But being able to share his story through our channels meant we could spread his joy to an even greater audience. We were able to introduce the story to a lot of people and also provide many who see him frequently with background on who he is. We plan and work tirelessly to provide unique content that resonates with our fans. But occasionally, situations like this pop up out of nowhere that you could never plan for and provide the best opportunities for creating memorable experiences.
The story has been received really well on social media. Can you give me an insight into some of the stats?
When you include the 2,500 shares from other Facebook users, our Facebook post from last night has already reached 530,000 people and generated 15,000 likes and 1,100 comments. The line you hear so often with stories on the Internet is “don’t read the comments” because they can be unnecessarily negative or off-topic—but the nearly 500 comments on our post are probably the best part of the story. Jane Crawford, W.T.’s daughter, received more than 800 likes on her comment alone. And it’s so much fun to read through people’s responses and see how W.T.’s story has had a positive effect on so many people.
At the end of the day, this story is a powerful demonstration of social listening. Why should all teams, leagues and athletic departments harness the power of social listening?
As I mentioned above, we can plan and strategize all day but sometimes the best stories come from unexpected places. And if you’re not paying attention to what your fans are talking about, you’ll miss out. We can’t be everywhere at all times but with social media we have that opportunity. Certainly you won’t see a story like this every day but you can absolutely benefit every day from listening to the discussion that’s taking place around your brand.
Do you think it is important to tell fan stories? If so, why?
The overwhelming response to W.T.’s story is evidence enough that it’s important to tell fan stories. We care about our fans and value who they are and what they care about. And if you have that approach with customer service, you occasionally get the opportunity to share stories like this that help reinforce that close relationship we have with our fans.
What are some of the ways athletic departments can leverage social media and digital to find these stories?
The more we communicate with our constituents and get everyone on the same page that we’re interested in telling these types of stories, the more top-of-mind that strategy becomes when people are going about their everyday lives. The simple fact is that we never would have been able to share W.T.’s story if others hadn’t told us about him. And if we don’t facilitate that kind of relationship with our fans where they can communicate those things with us, then we’ll miss out on great opportunities like this one.
Closing thoughts from Gantt:
Like most people in the sports industry, the most rewarding part of my job is having the opportunity to create memories and experiences like the one with W.T. I’m fortunate to work for Clemson Athletics and be involved in something that can generate those kinds of emotions for people. And I enjoy sharing those kinds of stories with as many people as I can. W.T. brings smiles to plenty of people every day standing out by the road. And now hopefully he brought smiles to a lot more people who saw his story through social media.
So, what’s the lesson for social media professionals in the sports industry?
This is what teams, leagues and others in the sports industry can takeaway from this great story:
Listen for stories.
There are amazing stories being shared about your brand across social media. Keep your eyes and ears open for those stories, and when you see them, seek to learn more. Sports bring people together, give people hope and enrich lives daily. Listen for the stories.
Stories can extend beyond athletic department / team / league walls.
It’s easy to look inside the walls of an organization when you are searching for stories. The power of sports extends far beyond the team and personnel though; sports impact people in positive ways everyday, even thousands of miles from where the team calls home. People want to hear the emotional stories about the fans and communities your team inspires because they can connect with the hope, joy, laughter and camaraderie. Look beyond your walls for inspiration.
Surprise and delight.
If you know of a lifetime fan that is deserving of a little joy or thank you, then take the time to surprise and delight them. Don’t take the passion of sports fans for granted. Be thankful and let your fans know.
So remember, there’s power in social media, social listening and being thankful for your fans. Take a deep breath and look around you: You could be missing a hidden gem.
I would like to send a big “thank you” to Jonathan Gantt for sharing his insight. Please be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@Jonathan_Gantt) and check out Clemson Athletics’ social media accounts here.
Thanks for reading!
[…] it’s a great example of the power of social listening, perfectly pointed out by Jessica Smith in her Social ‘n Sport post. Smith also interviewed Jonathan Gantt, the Director of New Media for Clemson Athletics, who told […]