social media and sports Archives - Page 7 of 7

What’s the Worth?

By Guest On March 15, 2013 In Best Practices, Facebook, Social Media with 2 Comments

Quality over Quality
I’ve seen it before, not just in sports, but with any brand: A large fan-base, little engagement.

It’s not a new approach, but I firmly believe engagement (clicks on links, shares, comments, etc.) is just as important– if not more important– than the number of fans or followers. If fans aren’t engaging, consuming, or seeing content, then what are they really worth? Think about it.

Long gone are the days of focusing on number of fans alone; here to stay are the days of creating killer content, telling a story, building a community and humanizing your brand.

NASCAR’s Decision to Remove a Fan YouTube Video: Five Lessons Learned

By Guest On February 24, 2013 In Lessons Learned with 3 Comments

During the NASCAR Nationwide race at Daytona International Speedway, Kyle Larson crashed on the last lap, slammed into the fence and sent debris flying into the stands where fans were sitting. It’s no surprise people were tweeting, taking pictures and filming during the moments of the crash; firsthand accounts popped up all over social media.

Among the things circulating on social media was a video of the crash a fan posted on YouTube (see video below). Though the video does not show anything graphic, the view from the eyes of the fan is terrifying. It is also apparent through the clip that a tire flew into the stands, injuring a fan.

This one video (below) would turn into a social media / PR debacle for NASCAR:

Brief Timeline
NASCAR had the video taken down from YouTube, without any acknowledgement of doing so. People were outraged that NASCAR censored the video and conversations unfolded with people trying to explain their copyright laws, reason for removing the video, etc. Through all of this, NASCAR had no voice in the conversation.

Elevating Behind-the-Scenes Content on Social Media

By Guest On February 2, 2013 In Best Practices, Facebook

If you work in social media and sports (for a team or league), one of your goals should include giving fans content they can’t get anywhere else. For teams and leagues, having a social media presence is not about competing with the likes of ESPN, Sports Illustrated and other major media outlets. It’s about bringing in your own voice, tapping in to your niche audience and delivering unique content.

Team and league employees have 24-7, behind-the-scenes access to players, practice, facilities, etc. Use it. Capitalize on it. Play off of it.

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Duke Athletics + Facebook Engagement

By Guest On May 19, 2015 In Best Practices, Facebook with 3 Comments

According to the Social Media Top 25 rankings, Duke sits at No. 11 for largest following on Facebook (FBS schools) with 407,000+ fans; Ohio State comes in at No 1. with 1.3 million.

In Comparison

I took a look at the last seven Facebook posts from Ohio State and Duke and found that- on average- Duke’s engagement trumps Ohio State’s engagement (despite the much smaller audience). Obviously, looking at a longer date rate could change this, but here’s the breakdown:

Last seven posts from Ohio State averaged 720 ‘Likes’, 50 comments & 92 shares.
Last seven posts from Duke averaged 2,139 ‘Likes, 98 comments & 170 shares.

Yep, Duke is rocking their engagement level with their fans this month.So now the question is… why? Below are the three things I think Duke is doing right on Facebook to increase their engagement (please note, I’m only looking at the month of January):

1- Photos

Duke is living by the golden rule to not post to Facebook without a photo. Photos generate more engagement than standalone text or a link. As the photo below proves, content does not have to be fancy; it just needs to draw fans in from the noise:

2- Fan-Generated Content

I love fan-generated content for several reasons. First (for the obvious reason), it gives you access to easy and unique content. Second, it requires your fans to take action. And finally, user-generated content fosters a sense of community with fans and rewards those who engage (when you actually use their photos).

Duke is asking its audience to email fan photos each week. From there, they pick three photos to upload to an album. Once the album is uploaded, fans can vote for their favorite picture by ‘Liking’ it (which is a win because it increases engagement). The picture with the most ‘Likes’ is then featured on the Facebook page, as shown below:

My only advice to Duke on their fan-generated content: Create the Duke Fan of the Week graphic within the timeline size constraints. This will make for a better visual when people visit your page.

3- Action Words

You know the saying, “If you ask, you shall receive”? Well, the saying is true for Facebook. The following words are key if you want to increase engagement, trust me: Like, Comment, Share, Why, What

If you’re a community manager, you always want your posts to come across as genuine. But, there are ways to “ask” for engagement without being too pushy… you just have to get a little creative with your copy. Duke does a good job of sneaking in action words with their post. Example:

In Summary

If you want to increase your engagement statistics on Facebook, take a few notes from Duke. Remember that photos are golden, user-generated content fosters community and action words are key.

So, what is key to engagement on the pages you manage? Share your secrets below.

Thanks for reading!