Every team in just about every sport has a social media presence these days, but how a team or league activates and interacts through those channels is where the differentiation is made. The all-access feel that teams can provide fans through social media -- such as a Twitter Q&A with Astros President of Business Operations Reid Ryan -- helps soften the barrier between the team and its fans, fostering a deeper, more personal relationship with the community and creating a year-round operation for those in organizations tasked with generating engagement.
SPRING BOARD: Even with a 365-day focus on driving engagement, Spring Training serves as a time for organizations to ramp up efforts on social media, and these focused efforts can be seen in the engagement increases across several platforms. MLB saw overall gains on both Instagram (4.68%) and Twitter (2.5%) during March. While individual teams do not have their own verified YouTube pages, the league’s page increased its subscriber base during Spring Training by over 8,000, a 2.2% increase.
WHERE THERE’S A WILL: Actor Will Ferrell on March 10 played for 10 Cactus League teams, and at the heart of capturing the buzz team social media departments. Giants Dir of Social Media Bryan Srabian said, “It’s just a reminder that we are in the entertainment business, and social media is a great way to connect with fans using content that makes people smile and laugh.” D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall added that the level of social media engagement from Ferrell’s stint with the team was “on par with what the Diamondbacks normally see over an entire week.” On the day of Ferrell’s appearances, the Padres (14.2%), Mariners (10.1%) and Cubs (8.1%) also accounted for three of the top four follower increases among all MLB clubs on Instagram in March.
ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL: While there are some overlapping themes across various social media platforms, there is not one standard strategy that should be blindly applied en masse. White Sox Senior Social Media Coordinator Colleen Maxwell said, “It’s important to us to understand our purpose and presence on each platform.” The White Sox went as far as to write out a different mission statement for each of the platform they work with. Maxwell: “Once we created the mission statements, it was much clearer to see our strategy as a whole and develop ideas for each individual platform.”
JUST A BUNCH OF TALK? While neither Srabian nor Maxwell cited increased revenue as a core goal of social media interaction, they both highlighted the positive impact on the organization as a whole. Srabian said the Giants employ an 80/20 model, in which 80% of content is aimed at engaging fans and the 20% is marketing related. Srabian: “Revenue is the last thing we think of. I think if you truly want a strong social media presence, to be fully engaged with fans, you can’t think of monetization. That will come in the end. The more focused you are on fans and delivering a truly entertaining presence, the more successful you will be.” Srabian did add the Giants have “seen a strong increase in sponsorship-related content as a result of our highly engaged social media fan base.” Maxwell also noted, “The buzz we generate through social media connects fans to everything, whether it’s finding information about tickets, browsing the calendar for special events or just keeping audiences up to date on the latest White Sox breaking news.” Hall said that while it is difficult to tie the two together, “the organization believes that increased social media engagement leads to increased revenue and will strategically try to time promotional messaging when sentiment is high.”
