Tag: social media lessons

Social Media Lessons Learned in 2014

By Guest On January 3, 2015 In Lessons Learned, Social Media

As a social media manager, it’s easy to get stuck in the habit of doing and not thinking, reflecting and strategizing. We have to always be on. As 2014 comes to a close though, now is the perfect time to take a step back and reflect on what you learned this year. Take this time to pause and reflect. 

  • How can you take what you learned to improve in the year ahead?
  • What do you want to accomplish in 2015?
  • Can you answer the “why” in what you do?

Some of the best minds in sports have taken the time to share their insights from 2014. It should help you get thinking about what you have taken away.  The contributors touch everything from college athletics to media to professional sports. Without further ado, here are their social media lessons learned in 2014. I’m sure there’s a thing or two that will resonate with you:

Greg Esposito, Digital Manager at Phoenix Suns
Connect: @Espo | @Suns

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Bryan Srabian, Director of Digital Media at San Francisco Giants
Connect: @Srabe | @SFGiants

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Lauren Gallo, Global Digital + Social Media Lead
Connect: @MissGallo

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Joe Morgan, Digital Media Manager at Team Great Britain
Connect: @MrJoeMorgan | @TeamGB

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Bryce Gustafson, Social Media Coordinator at NFL and
NFL Network
Connect: @brycegustafson | @NFL

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Kathryn Przybyla, Social Media Coordinator at Brooklyn Nets
Connect: @KatPrz | @BrooklynNets

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Chris Dion, Assistant Director of Social Media Strategy at NCAA
Connect: @ChrisMDion

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Chris Yandle, Assistant AD of Communications at Georgia Tech Athletics
Connect: @ChrisYandle | @GTAthletics

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Kurt Stadelman, Conversation Manager at EA Sports
Connect: @KurtStadelman | @EASports 

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Katie Cavendar, Assistant Commissioner of Strategic Communications at Mountain West Conference 
Connect: @KatieCavender | @MountainWest

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Caleb Mezzy, Social Media Strategist at 160over90
Connect: @Caleb_Mezzy | @160over90

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Stefanie Gordon, Social Media Producer at Sports Illustrated
Connect: @Stefmara | @SINow

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A big thanks to everyone who contributed to this post. The insights are greatly appreciated. Be sure to give all of them a follow on Twitter.

Now it’s your turn: What social media lessons did you learn in 2014? Be sure to share them below!

Thanks for reading! 

Taking Notes from the Miami Hurricanes

By Guest On September 19, 2014 In College Athletics, Social Media

I have a strong appreciation for the Miami Hurricanes in the social space. Brian Bowsher and company continue to shine season after season, consistently ranking in the top 25 for athletic departments across all platforms. Their Facebook page sits at No. 6 for engagement, which in my opinion is more important than the number of fans.

From the outside looking in, it seems that it’s not so much about jumping on the latest platform, but being great at where they choose to play. I admire that. Year-after-year they continually improve their content across platforms, always coming out with something a little different. This year is no exception.

Below is a look at four of my favorite trends and initiatives from Miami this year, with some thoughts on what we can takeaway:

No. 1 – Video infographics.

Miami has always been on the emerging trend of using infographics to highlight game notes and stats, but this year they took it up several notches and turned their infographics into video productions. The results are outstanding:

Takeaway: Everything can be tweaked. Take a look at your content and the story you want to tell. Ask yourself how it can be improve. Your social media presence will not continue to grow and shine if you get stuck in a content rut.

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Thanks for the Small Reminders, MLS

By Guest On June 26, 2013 In Digital, Social Media

Today the Major League Soccer social media team announced this:

Basically, they decided to merge their @MLSinsider account and content with @MLS. Here’s a snippet of the reasoning (you can read their full release here):

Whether or not you think the move is a good one, there are two, very simple (but important) reminders to us all:

      1. We Need to Evaluate, Evaluate & Evaluate
        We live in a communications world that is constant evolving. In my opinion, that’s one of the things that makes working in this industry so exciting and challenging. But, because the tides are constantly changing, we have to constantly evaluate.We all know that community shifts, new platforms emerge and what works today might not work three months from now. It’s up to us, as social media / digital professionals, to take the time every couple months (or whatever that timeframe looks like) to evaluate what we’re doing. What’s working well? What’s not working?

         

      2. It’s Okay To Make Changes (even drastic)
        If you’re going to crunch data, analyze statistics and evaluate, then you need to be willing [and empowered] to make changes. Social media is all about trying new things. If you try a new platform, and then realize you don’t have an audience there, you can remove your presence and it’s going to be okay.  If something isn’t working, change it. You should never do something in social media / digital “because you’ve always done it that way.” That’s the beauty of the space we play in.  We try, we evaluate, we tweak.

I say kudos to the MLS social media team for evaluating their work and making the changes they felt were best for their brand. In a fast-paced world it’s often hard to sit back and ask, “why are we doing this, is this still working?”  The truth is though, there’s never been a greater need to ask those kind of questions as the communication world keeps on changing.