The Miami Dolphins have an extremely strong social media presence. They currently activate across five social media platforms and boast an audience over 2.6M: Facebook (2M), Twitter (379K), Instagram (232K), Snapchat and Yo. If you follow them on any of their platforms, then you’ve probably noticed their content this season. I really like what their social media team has done. From their #StrongerTogether rallying point and gameday-score graphics to their use of compelling images, they have found a way to create a community that is passionate and engaged. They get it.
Their social media manager, Vincent Pannozzo, took the time to answer questions on their approach to social media. Below he tackles everything from activating on Yo to creating engaging content. I hope you enjoy the questions / answers below. It’s always great to learn some of the best in the business!
What are the goals for the Miami Dolphins in the social space?
Our number one goal is to deliver great content to our fans. We are always looking for new and creative ways to expand and reach our fans across all platforms. To do this, we work with our content and creative teams to produce exclusive and entertaining content that engages our followers. We also work closely with our sponsorship and sales teams to help drive revenue for the organization.
You all are currently on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Yo.How do you decide what platforms to activate on?
We want to provide content to fans in the way they want to receive it. The same fan that is on Facebook may not be on Twitter or Instagram, so we want to ensure every fan has the opportunity to have a similar experience. We also realize the importance of programming to the platform; the same content that does well on Facebook may not succeed on Twitter.
The Dolphins became the first NFL team to join Yo. Can you talk about why you all decided to activate there, the type of content you are pushing and early success?
We pride ourselves on being early adapters to new technologies and platforms. When Yo approached us, we saw two opportunities with it. First, it was an opportunity to connect with current fans and expand our reach. Second, it positioned our organization as an early adopter next to major brands like the NBA and Starbucks. Yo is a network that delivers a push notification to the forefront of your phone. Because of that, we want to be cognizant of what we send to our followers and not overload them with messaging. We try to limit our messaging to about two per week.
We have found infographics and locker room victory speeches are great for Yo. Currently if a a fan sends the Miami Dolphins a “Yo,” they will receive our fight song in return delivered through Sound Cloud.
Managing five platforms for a team is no easy feat. What tips do you have on managing many platforms for other people working in sports or across large brands?
Organization, planning and communication are so important. Depending on the initiative, we may begin planning weeks or months in advance. Flexibility and adaptability are also key.
We always monitor the conversation, and when appropriate, we like to jump in. We have a few fun examples from our game against Jacksonville. The game play was going pretty slow, but on social and TV everyone was talking about the pigeon on the field. During the game, we pushed out a photo of the pigeon and it saw a great deal of engagement. The next day, with the help of our creative services team, we had the pigeon “appear” at various moments throughout the game (even changing our logo on our #StrongerTogether bug to the infamous pigeon). Listen to the conversations and interests online and adapt accordingly.
Another important key is to know your audience.
The Dolphins have good engagement across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. What do you think are the three biggest keys to creating content that people want to share and engage with?
- Programming to the platform.
- Beautiful and Engaging Content. We pride ourselves on the content that our team is able to create. A beautiful and powerful image can tell a story within itself. Fans expect more from us, and we want to provide the best for them.
- Timeliness. Breaking news and playing off emotion leads to incredible engagement. A compelling image from a game with the score posted seconds after a big win carries the excitement of the game over the social space and through the rest of the day. Likewise, we strive to own and break our news over social. Working closely with our communications team, we have been able to become the source of breaking announcements for our organization.
While we are on the topic of engagement: There’s a lot of talk about decline in organic reach on the Facebook. Have you all still seen success on the platform organically? And, what platform do you see the largest amount of reach and / or engagement?
While the changes to Facebook’s algorithm has decreased organic reach, we still see success. It is still that platform that we see the most reach on. The key is to deliver engaging and meaningful content that taps into fans’ emotions. In addition to posting organically, we are working on case studies around paid posts. We have found great success with these and continue to build out our paid strategy for the future.
I love that you all have rallied around #StrongerTogether. What’s the story behind the theme? Why did you all decide to use this hashtag versus a generic one, like #MiamiDolphins?
For us #StrongerTogether is much more than just a hashtag, it is the ethos of our organization. Much like how Nike has “Just Do It,” we have #StrongerTogether. It is also something that goes beyond just the football team. We look at it as a unifying force among the players, coaches, front office staff, fans community and business partners. We strive to build at 365-day relationship with our fans, rather than just on Sundays at the stadium.
Finally, what do you think is the next big thing in the social media and sports industry?
I think we are just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to social media and the sports industry. As new platforms continue to emerge, I believe that we will continue to see sports teams adapt and reach fans like we have never before. In addition, I expect to see social media teams within organizations to continue to grow.
A big thanks to Vincent Pannozzo for taking the time to answer these questions. Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter: @vjpannozzo
Thanks for reading!