Anna Stolzenburg recently shifted from Bills Social Media Editor to her new position as Pegula Sports & Entertainment Manager of Social & Digital Strategy, where she oversees both the Bills and Sabres, as well as PS&E's restaurants and fitness properties. Here, Stolzenburg discusses the efforts for the Bills (@BuffaloBills) around last week’s NFL Draft. She said, “We went through extensive draft planning with our marketing, PR, content and creative teams to put together a comprehensive plan to present all aspects of the draft and our new players. Since there’s so much you can’t plan for in the draft, we had to be ready with a host of assets to keep our fans informed and engaged no matter what happens.”
SOCIAL SNAPSHOT
Must-follows: Cubs, Trail Blazers, Humans of New York, The Onion
Favorite app: Instagram and The Weather Channel
Average time per day on social media: Eight hours, split between work and personal
Importance of incorporating players into social media efforts:
The players, as influencers, reach more collective fans than any team can individually. It’s vital to the Bills brand that we’re on the same page as the players and are sharing a unified message.
How social media enhanced the Bills' brand:
It’s the biggest mouthpiece for the Buffalo Bills brand, so not only has it enhanced what we do but it’s also become the way we convey every message to our fans. We’re able to connect with our audience in ways we never have before and make their Bills experiences more frequent and fun than ever, and the best part about social media is that it’s…wait for it…social! It’s a constant conversation, and it’s on us to make it informative and engaging.
Preparing for being more active than other teams on Draft night:
We had a crazy draft Night One, trading up twice to pick (Wyoming QB Josh Allen and Virginia Tech LB Tremaine Edmunds). We worked hard beforehand to have an extensive and flexible plan in place from which platforms content would appear on to the specific order of graphics we needed from our creative team when we learned the pick.
Planning for potential players drafted:
When you’re picking outside of the top 10, there’s really no way to plan extensively for any single player because anything could happen, but we had a feeling we’d pick a QB and planned on a few assets we could alter based on the quarterback we drafted. What’s most important is that the plan and the assets created are malleable and can take the shape of the players picked.
How the team’s social media direction changed under the Pegulas:
When the Pegulas bought the team, there was actually no social-specific position in the organization. They recognized the need for a centralized social media department and I was moved into that role at the Bills. Since then the social media department has only grown in size and importance. The Pegulas are all for innovative social media usage and encourage creativity on social media across all the brands within the Pegula Sports & Entertainment umbrella.
If you know anyone who should be featured for their use of social media, send their name to us at
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