Pro Sports Teams on Social Media
#pssmp
Danny Cuneo (@DannyCuneo)
Louise Chouinard (@LouiseAtCuse)
Christina Ventura (@cl_ventura)
Brandon Wimberly (@bmwguitar)
James Gloria (@jdgloria)
Sports in Social Today
#pssmp
Team Twitter Followers/Presence
Forbes’ 50 Most Valuable Pro Sports Teams by SM Presence
http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/2013/07/17/forbes-50-most-valuable-pro-sports-teams-by-social-media-presence/12819
Total Followers:
1. Soccer, 207 million followers2. Football, 60 million followers3. Basketball, 34 million followers4. Baseball, 20 million followers5. Formula 1, 1.6 million followers
● 83% of fans watching the game will check social during a sporting event
● Mississippi State’s end zone reads “#HAILSTATE”
● Philadelphia Wings utilize Twitter handles on the backs of uniforms
● MLB: 36% increase in All-Star fan voting after creating a hashtag campaign on Twitter
http://www.kttape.com/game-change-social-media-in-the-sports-world-infographic/#pssmp
http://bit.ly/RnI8iQ
Examples of Social Influence
Latest Trend: Multiple Screens Social Media Used to Discuss Sports:1. Facebook (73%)2. YouTube (54%)3. Twitter (37%)4. Google+ (33%)5. Instagram (18%)
28% difference in usage ofmultiple screens between devoted and casual sportsfans
http://www.dr4ward.com/dr4ward/2012/11/how-many-sports-fans-go-digital-infographic.html
Klout
#pssmpSource: http://fanpagelist.com/category/sports-teams/view/list/sort/influence/
Top 3 Most Influential Sports Teams:
The WWE; Klout 99.0Over 21 million combined likes/followers
Los Angeles Dodgers; Klout 99.02.6 million combined likes/followers
Philadelphia Eagles; Klout 98.5 2.9 million combined likes/followers
Business and Sports
• Businesses use sports to advertise and spread their brand
• London 2012 Olympics
http://visual.ly/sports-and-social-media#pssmp
Sports’ Reach in Social
2012: 13.7 million tweets during the Super Bowl
Euro 2012 final: 267,200 tweets per minutes after Juan Mata’s 88th minute goal against Italy
184,535 tweets per minute during the UEFA Champions League Semifinal between Barcelona-Chelsea match (Fernando Torres goal)
http://oursocialtimes.com/great-stats-on-sports-and-social-media-infographic/
#pssmp
Why Use Social for Sports?
67%-celebrate team wins
48%- talk smack
85% of fans like a brand on Facebook
(teams, organizations, etc)
67% follow a brand on Twitter
http://jem499.blogspot.com/2013/04/social-media-week-infographic-sports.html
• The League has been on the cutting edge of breakthroughs in sports social media
• Sacramento: First NBA team on Twitter (January 2007)
• Denver: First team to sell tickets on Facebook
• 2012: NBA hosts first ever social media awards; celebrates social content
The NBA Ahead of the Game
#pssmp Source: http://www.sporttechie.com/2012/08/09/interview-with-sacramento-186/http://www.sporttechie.com/2014/01/29/denver-nuggets-become-first-nba-team-to-sell-tickets-directly-from-facebook/http://www.sporttechie.com/2012/06/07/nba-becomes-first-129/
Survey Time!https://twtpoll.com/1zayy527ydg773k
• Manager of New Media - LA Lakers
• Twitter - @lakers - 3.72M followers
• Instagram - @Lakers - 1.1M followerso @LakersScene - 25K followers
• Facebook - 19M likes
#pssmp
Tyler Nowell - @tynowell
• Coordinator of Digital Media - Buffalo Bills
• Twitter - @buffalobills - 223K followers
• Instagram - @buffalobills - 74K followers
• Facebook - 546K likes
#pssmp
Anna Stolzenburg - @annastolz
• Social Media Managers - Buffalo Sabres
• Twitter - @BuffaloSabres - 196K followers
• Instagram - @buffalosabres - 50K followers
• Facebook - 403K likes
#pssmp
Craig Kanalley - @ckanal
Adelyn Biedenbach - @adelynlee
• Coordinator, Digital Media and Communications for the Florida Panthers
• Twitter - @FlaPanthers - 110K followers
• Instagram - @flapanthers - 17K followers
• Facebook - 115K likes
#pssmp
• Varies from team to team
• Position could be called Social Media Manager, SM Coordinator, Digital Media Manager, etc.
• Could be 1 person, 4 people, or more
Structure of Social Media Teams
#pssmp
• Social Media Center controlled by 25 fans
• Follow the Devils’ buzz
• Allow fans a place to converse
• 70,000+ Facebook Fans
Mission Control Centers
Environment: The New Jersey Devils
#pssmpSource: http://www.brafton.com/blog/four-winning-sports-social-media-marketing-campaigns-you-can-learn-from
• Every team handles it differently.o Lakers - Aim towards marketing even though they
don’t need help with ticket saleso Bills - Need help with ticket sales so it’s a combined
PR/Marketing strategy
• But when it comes down to it…o “Fans just love when they can interact with us--
when we’re a face and not just news.” - Anna Stolzenburg
Social Media as PR or as Marketing
#pssmp
• Varies
• Some PR departments step in and take over
• Others have control, but work closely with PR department
• Example: Ralph Wilson passing; Kobe Bryant injury
How teams handle situations...
#pssmp
When Do You Respond?
• Customer Service Questions and Legitimate Concerns
• Engaged, Consistent Fans
• Especially Unique Photos
• Improvement to Come for In Game Interaction
Sports Promotions on Social Media
#pssmp
• The University of Michigan in 2011
• Football tickets presale via “Michigan Football” Facebook
• Must “Like” the Facebook page to be eligible…Incentivize!
• 7,000+ “Likes”
• $74,000+ in ticket sales
More than just events...
Sales: The University of Michigan
#pssmp Source: http://www.brafton.com/blog/four-winning-sports-social-media-marketing-campaigns-you-can-learn-from & https://www.facebook.com/michiganfball
• Dewayne Hankins (@DewayneHankins)
• Pat Donahue (@patatack)
More than just events...
Tone: The LA Kings
• Entertaining• Funny
#pssmpSource: http://www.brafton.com/blog/four-winning-sports-social-media-marketing-campaigns-you-can-learn-from
“Access, 100%”
More than just events...
Andy Pregler (@acpregler) of SIDEARM Sports
#pssmpSources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0dGJMwZaPg & https://www.facebook.com/andy.pregler?fref=ts
Andy Pregler, radio play-by-play man Matt Park and SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins in a Google Hangout as part of #CuseMadness.
Access
#pssmp @Seahawks, @Colts, @Lakers
Access: Information and behind the scenes action you can give your viewer that they can’t get from home or other sources
63% will browse social media even if they’re at the game! Team pages provide access they can’t even get from their seats.
#pssmp @Rangers
Ty Nowell@tynowell@Lakers“Pictures and video are essential. Gives
fans at home the experience of being at the event! We can show fans things they wouldn’t normally see like locker room pictures and practices. Anything that can make the players seem more human.”
Anna Stolzenberg@annastolz@buffalobills“Something we focus on a lot is the fact that only we have the access we need to take fans behind the scenes. It’s what makes our brand special and what people will keep coming back for. Access is what will be important for the future.”
#pssmp
Access
Offer incredible access to fans with photos and video
Joined Twitter: February 9, 2009
Klout Score 93#pssmp
“Only a small percentage of our fans get to attend a game so anything we can show them from the in-arena experience is of value in communicating with our fans.” -Nick Kioski, Director of New Media and Technology for the Los Angeles Lakers
#pssmp
120.5K followersUses: Practices, giveaways,
flashbacks, locker room
Los Angeles Lakers Vine
#pssmp
Monitoring Draft PicksTeams are using Facebook and
Twitter to check out possible draft picks to make sure they won’t be a PR liability for the team.
What’s Next
#pssmp
Bitcoin● Implemented by the
Sacramento Kings starting March 1, 2014
● Fans can purchase tickets and merchandise with online currency
● Using Bitpay, Kings are paid in actual cash
Source: http://www.sporttechie.com/2014/03/07/why-the-sacramento-kings-have-gone-tech-crazy/
Sacramento Kings and Google Glass
Implemented January 24, 2014
Gives fans courtside experience through
the eyes of reporters, dancers and some
players.
#pssmp Source: http://www.sporttechie.com/2014/03/07/why-the-sacramento-kings-have-gone-tech-crazy/
“While social TV is moving to a world where time doesn't matter, sports is still very much a live, spectator event. Social media is the place our fans check when they are
unable to watch the game.”
-Adelyn Biedenbach @adelynlee
Future of Social Media and Sports
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