- Christy Berkery, social media manager for the New England Patriots (whose president, Jonathan Kraft, chairs the NFL’s Digital Committee)
- Jim Spinello, SVP of marketing communications, and Dan Lobring, PR and social media director, of rEvolution
- Laura Clemente, corporate communications assistant, New York Jets
- Kristen Baier, marketing coordinator, NETS Basketball
Below, you’ll find their tips and best practices for promoting your sports team and athletic events.
1. Invite Everyone to the Game
It’s a fact — not every fan can make it to every game … or even one. As the Facebook marketer, you need to be sure that those who are left at home still feel like they’re in the crowd.
The Patriots host an online “tailgate” on the Facebook Page, the JetBlue Patriots Pre-Game Social. There’s a live radio broadcast and chat, and there are more than 200 registered fan clubs so that fans can gather remotely and feel the energy of the game. “The Pre-Game Social is a cool way for thousands of our fans across the world to come together and talk Patriots for a few hours leading up to the game,” says Berkery. The Pre-Game Social has its own tab on the Patriots Facebook Page, and fan photos can be submitted and posted on that tab.
But engaging the crowd at home doesn’t have to be that resource-intensive. A few photos of the crowd, that day’s ticket, the field pre-game and the GameDay program could elicit thousands of Likes and hundreds of shares, helping fans — and their friends — feel like they’re in the stadium, too, says Berkery.
2. Initiate a Round-The-Clock, Full-Court Press
Football games are once a week, basketball games are a few times a week. But just because athletes take a day off to recover doesn’t mean the marketers should, too. Make an effort to continue the conversation on non-game days. Fans are fans 24/7 — they don’t let up just because their favorite team isn’t playing at that moment. With that in mind, be sure to post content before, during and after a game or event.
While you may work from 9 to 5 (or something around there), keep in mind that that’s not necessarily when fans are craving stats, pictures and trivia. “Our fans are most engaged in the days leading up to a game and during non-work hours, nights and weekends,” says Clemente. Be sure to have an active Page during those high-traffic times, as that’s when your fans are most excited and ready to engage. Clemente says that in-season, the Jets post “engaging and interactive content” three or five times per day, seven days a week, including images, Jets questions and trivia, fill-in-the-blanks and polls.
And be sure to promote games and special events well in advance. “With the NBA on ESPN RV Tour, we’ll post details on where the tour is going to be the week of the event, and then on game day, we’ll post photos of the event execution as it’s happening to build excitement,” says Spinello. After the game, the rEvolution team will post pics of that days event so fans can visit the Page to relive the day and share it will friends. In addition to providing great content for days at a time, it also hits on tip # 1 — allowing fans who are unable to attend to feel like they are a part of the action via Facebook.
Posting round the clock may seem overwhelming, but remember that the Facebook news feed is designed differently than the Twitter one, and you don’t need to post every hour on Facebook like you might on Twitter to stay in the feed. As Clemente says, three times a day is a good way to stay top-of-mind and maintain engagement.
Fans want to see and know everything about the team, so off days are actually a great time to capitalize on behind-the-scenes updates and photos — shots of practice, the players’ volunteer work in the community, the team loading the buses for a road trip. You also can ask about their favorite plays from the last game, do trivia, solicit pictures of superfans decked out in team gear and even host contests or giveaways if you have prizes available.
3. Offer Exclusive Content
Don’t just bombard fans with ticket deals — they’re there to learn more about the team and establish a deeper connection with the sport, team, athletes or event. Keep content special — these fans are opting in to your messaging — and be sure to interact with them and answer questions. Also keep in mind that Facebook is not Twitter or Tumblr or the team website — the content on each platform needs to be disparate in order to encourage people to follow the team on all platforms.
The aforementioned JetBlue Pre-Game Social is exclusive to the Patriots’ Facebook Page, as is the Pick & Win game predictions contest and the Fan Zone tab. So, on Facebook, fans have access to games, trivia, polls, exclusive video and behind-the-scenes images. The website is where you’ll find the team roster and schedule, and Twitter is used for play-by-plays, stats and real time updates during games and other news — team outings, pictures from a road trip, injury updates — on non-game days.
The Jets Facebook Page features exclusive content, and Clemente says she’ll post something so long as its perceived as a value add for the fan, such as a discount at the Jets Shop. If players are shooting interviews for the website or a TV show, the social media team will ask one question that will go live only on Facebook, so there’s nowhere else for fans to hear that response but on Facebook.
It also helps to reward Facebook fans for, well, being fans — it makes them feel like the Facebook community itself is an exclusive group and that its members are entitled to special rewards. Baier says that during select games, the “Facebook Fan of the Game” is allowed to write one status update per half on the Nets Facebook Page (there’s also a Twitter counterpart). Baier also posts player videos and ticket offers that aren’t available anywhere else, so that fans have a reason to keep coming back. And two or three times throughout the season, there are exclusive Social Media Nights, for which the Nets’ social media followers have access to steep discounts on tickets and access to an exclusive Nets experience — previous “experiences” included private post-game autograph sessions, free-throw shooting on the Nets court and spots on the Nets’ High Five line. “Because our followers on our social media platforms are some of our most passionate and loyal fans, we want to provide them with once-in-a-lifetime experiences they can’t get anywhere else,” Baier says.
4. Get Players Involved
Every sports fan has a favorite player, and it’s a dream come true for them to be able to interact with that player. On Thanksgiving, the Jets Facebook Page featured a video of cornerback Kyle Wilson wishing fans a happy Thanksgiving, which took all of six seconds for Wilson. On sports teams, the rosters are big enough so that players don’t even have to devote much time to make an impact — they can even record a ditty on a smartphone and send it to the social media team — and the payoff is excellent when it comes to fan engagement. “The players are a great asset to our social media efforts,” says Clemente. “They are the people that our fans have the greatest affinity for, and their personalities help humanize our brand.” And so, part of Clemente’s job is making players available to fans and helping players build relationships with them as much as possible.
This season, the Patriots started a weekly “Ask a Pat” post, for which Berkery solicits questions on Facebook, and then the video responses from the players are posted on Facebook he next day. “It’s a pretty simple idea, and fans love that they are getting a chance to ask a Patriots player a question,” she says. The most recent Ask a Pat garnered 487 comments (which contained the questions) and 1,061 Likes.
On the agency side, Lobring says players are getting more involved with social media efforts and that “savvy clients are recognizing the value as they enter into endorsement or sponsorship agreements.” If an athlete has a strong following on Facebook or Twitter, then “a post to the fans can have a lot of value to the brand,” he adds.
5. Have a Game Plan and Play to Win
Just like sports teams, you can’t win without a strategy. Be sure posts are timely, relevant and have a purpose. “Don’t over post — post with a specific call to action in mind,” says Spinello.
And don’t be scared to try new things and experiment a little. After all, no player attempts the same play over and over without trying anything new. If your new move fails, you can try something else. Clemente says the Jets Facebook Page has seen success with user-generated content, like Motorola MotoPics and Fan of the Month contests. “Fans want to feel like they are a part of the team and that they have a degree of ownership in our Facebook community,” Clemente says. Anything you can do to lock in those fans and tap into their passion and energy will translate to a successful and growing fan community on Facebook. Set goals and plan ahead to get the most out of our efforts and your Facebook Page.
Weekly features are a great way to develop a consistent content schedule and will keep fans coming back for more. The Patriots do Trivia Tuesday, Flashback Friday Photos and Ask a Pat every week, so fans have gotten used to tuning into these series.
Lastly, with all of your Facebook content, remember to have fun — you’re promoting a game! “Sports is a fun business with an engaged, passionate fan base,” says Spinello. “As new technologies continue to emerge, it’s important to take chances and try new things. If social media and technology can help you facilitate engagement and deeper relationships, it’s a win-win.”
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Willard
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