The Phillies (@Phillies) have been one of MLB’s hottest commodities after signing RF Bryce Harper and getting off to a strong start this season. Despite the team being covered more heavily than in recent years, Social Media Coordinator Tim Stoeckle (@TimStoeckle) doesn’t know if the hype has reached a fever pitch yet. He said, “To say there’s renewed excitement and popularity might be underselling it. Philadelphia is hungry for a winning baseball team, and although the season is young, the hype surrounding the team is palpable.” Stoeckle said that while the team is going to stay on-brand with how they have handled their social media platforms in the past, there may still be some new wrinkles that come into play. Stoeckle: “We’re constantly trying to think of new and creative ideas for social. … I can’t give too much away. People will just have to give us a follow and stay tuned.”
SOCIAL SNAPSHOT
Must-follow: We always keep an eye on what other MLB teams are up to on social. Personally, I’m particularly fond of @Cubs, @Indians and @Rockies.
Favorite app: I spend most of my time on Twitter and Instagram.
Average time per day on social media: On a game day, I’m on social media for probably 10-12 hours. I try to distance myself on off days, but that’s tough to do in this line of work.
Staying the course despite added hype:
From a social perspective, I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily changed our approach, but it’s kind of perfect timing in a way. We’ve grown our resources and have a team ready to tackle the added pressure and expectations. We’re going to put out great content all year, from graphics to videos to in-game updates, and now with more eyes on us we’re hoping that more people will recognize the work we’ve been putting in behind the scenes.
Managing Harper's arrival:
Bryce Harper-mania has swept over Philadelphia, and it would be foolish of us to not take advantage of that. The week following the signing, we posted a lot of Harper content and it all performed extremely well, but we also need to remember that baseball is as much of a team sport as any out there, and there are 24 other guys in that clubhouse who deserve attention as well. There's a balancing act between leveraging the excitement around a single player while also ensuring the entire team is reflected in our content.
Competing in a city of stars:
I truly believe that as a whole, Philadelphia has the best sports social media accounts, which is only fitting to go along with such passionate fans; they deserve the best. I think our platforms set us apart because we’ve built our own voice. We’re not trying to be the Sixers, or the Eagles or the Flyers. We’re the Phillies. We pride ourselves on having fun and capitalizing on trends, but we also find it important to cater to the baseball fan as well with stats and information about our team and players.
Connecting with a growing fan base:
We’ve found that fan engagement is very important. People like to feel as if they’re part of something bigger, and we’ve built a community on our social platforms where fans not only have conversations with each other, but with the official team account as well. We’ll respond to questions, but also just a simple “happy birthday” to a fan can go a long way in building a relationship that lasts a lifetime.
Integrating players into the social media scheme:
We love getting players involved on social. We had custom graphics made for each player for Opening Day that many posted on their Instagram accounts. We encourage players to share things about their life off the field on social so the fans can get to know them better. From @Phillies, we like to highlight our players as much as we possibly can, both on and off the field. Our guys do a ton of work in the community that we think is important for fans to see. They also do some pretty impressive work on the field that we obviously highlight as well.
If you know anyone who should be featured for their use of social media, send their name to us at jperez@sportsbusinessdaily.com.
