The secret is out with Instagram… it’s a place where brands should play. The recent numbers, according to Simply Measured, validate the need to have a presence in the space:
- 90 million monthly active users.
- 40 million photos being posted per day.
- 8,500 likes per second.
- 1,000 comments per second.
Why Instagram?
Instagram is a visual tool that uses photos to tell the story. The rise of brand engagement on Instagram proves that using social media as a branding tool– not a hard sell– is a powerful, powerful punch. In addition, Instagram is easy to use and requires little resources (except for the access to photos).
Instagram + Sports
In regards to teams and athletics departments, using Instagram should be a no-brainer. The access to behind the scenes photos, action shots, venues, student-athletes, players, etc. makes it extremely easy to generate draculalespectacle.com content on the platform. The content is literally right at your fingertips. While some athletic departments are taking advantage of Instagram, there’s still a lot of room for schools to engage and elevate their presence in the space.
I decided to take a look at the Pac 12 to see which schools have a presence on Instagram– and also– what they are doing well. I found that out of the 12 member schools, only four are engaging on the platform: Cal, Washington, Arizona State and Oregon (if the others are, it’s buried somewhere on their website where I can’t find it and that’s another issue).
With that in mind, below are a few examples of how the athletic departments are using Instagram successfully:
Quote Tiles
Social media tiles work great across multiple platforms– Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.– to evoke emotion, emphasize a point, etc. Washington Athletics does a good job of adding them to their content mix (as seen below).
Selling Campus
I think athletic departments have a great opportunity to showcase their campus– it’s a chance to draw in admission applications and prospective student-athletes. If athletic departments want to get really creative, they can have student-athletes and coaches showcase their favorite spots on campus through Instagram.
Behind the Scenes
This is a broken record we hear over and over again: give people content they can’t get anywhere else. Just like other visual platforms, behind the scenes photos do extremely well on Instagram.
Results
I love how Cal is using a photo ands text to highlight final scores / results. Simple, easy and effective. Really, there isn’t commentary that’s needed here.
These examples only scratch the surface of how athletic departments can use Instagram– user generated content, campaigns, etc. also present huge opportunities for those who want to take their Instagram presence to the next level. In the future, I will explore that more.
What other athletic departments have a great presence on Instagram? Please share your thoughts below!
Thanks for reading!
