Why you should go to the Digital Sports Fan Engagement Conference

kirk_wakefield 2014, Digital Strategy, Marketing, Relate, Social Media January 1, 2014November 1, 2018Dallas, digital conference, engagement, experts, fans, interactive, sports 0 Comment

by Kirk Wakefield – January 2014

The Digital Fan Engagement Conference to be held March 3-4, 2014, in Dallas (TX) looks promising.

Q1 Productions, a leading organizer of research-based, education program content, shared some content with us from some of the leading presenters. These interviews are posted in full on the Q1 productions blog and highlight the conference content.

Why should we go?

1. Best practices. The conference will highlight best practices in connecting with sports fans through advanced digital and social media strategies. The upshot is you’ll be more likely to develop content applicable and engaging for fans.

Speakers for the program represent leading experts among teams, universities and brands.

Tyler Tumminia, Senior Vice President of the Goldklang Group notes, “I am most looking forward to hearing and sharing the best social media practices, industry-wide. From Adidas to Nascar and everywhere in between, the Digital Sports Fan Engagement Conference will feature an array of experienced organization that leverage social media to create valuable content.” Tyler continues, “The conference is a tremendous resource for both fans and industry professionals to learn valuable practices on engaging fans via social media. Conferences where everyone is a creative sponge often lead to the best new ideas and adaptations.”

2. Interaction. All presentations will incorporate time for dialogue between the presenters and audience. So, the conference is, well, engaging. Brainstorming and knowledge sharing will allow for the opportunity to discuss and learn from shared experiences.

As Chris Yandle, Assistant Athletics Director, Communication at the University of Miami Athletics notes, “Social media is a telephone, not a megaphone. To be a successful brand, you can’t stand on your soapbox and just scream what you want to convey. You have to actively listen and communicate online. In order for your brand to be successful you have to provide customer service and give the digital sports fan content they can’t get anywhere else.”

We can learn from each other on what we’ve found works best in communicating with our fans.

3. Unique focus. With so much to discuss on trending topics, the conference will offer value and interest to teams and organizations throughout the sports industry. Focusing directly on fan engagement will allow for a unique and targeted discussion unlike any other conference program in the industry that we’re aware of. Here’s a look at just the first morning of the conference:

See you there

Who else plans to be there? Let me know (@kirkwakefield) and we’ll get together. For more information regarding the Q1 Digital Sports Fan Engagement conference, visit the Q1 website at www.q1productions.com/sportsfanengagement.

About Q1 Productions:

Q1 Productions designs and develops webinars, training courses, conference programs and forums aimed at specifically targeted audiences, including the life science and sports industries. Through a highly structured production process focused on research calls with end-users and key stakeholders in the industry, our team is able to understand the immediate business concerns of today’s leading executives. Whether focusing on new or pending legislative and health policy issues for the life science industry or upcoming marketing trends in the digital and mobile space for sports organizations, our programs provide solutions to the urgent educational and information needs of our attendees.

How would you describe your social media fans to sponsors?

kirk_wakefield 2013, Digital Strategy, Learn, Relate, Research, Social Media August 1, 2013November 2, 2018description, fans, monetize, percentage, quantified, research, social media, sponsor, study, who are 0 Comment

by Kirk Wakefield – August 2013

Brands highly prioritize social media engagement when partnering with sports properties. But who are these social media fans? Who are we reaching with the team’s social media?

Earlier this year we sampled registered users from a professional franchise (N = 469). The chart below displays the results of a cluster analysis grouping fans based on similar characteristics within the group, but significantly different between groups. These groups are not significantly different from each other in terms of ethnicity, household size or income.

Group 1: Passionately engaged

About a quarter (23%) of those studied frequently(66% of the team’s games) used social media (including texting, Facebook, Twitter) to send or receive information related to the team and games. This extremely passionate group (Passion Score = 95) is relatively young (M = 40) compared to other registered users of this team (M = 49). That the database skews older reflects typical season ticket holders, but may also indicate the need for teams to attract younger fans or at least get them to sign-up.

Looking at the chart, what else do you see? This group is more likely to follow on the team’s website, watch games on TV, and listen to games on the radio.

Since most of the sample are males (69.5%), the results show this group (64% male) is more likely to include females than the other three groups. They’re more likely to be single (61%) than the other groups. And, they’re relatively likely to have some form of season ticket plan (35%) and live within the metro area (e.g., within 20 miles).

Social Media Fan Groups

*Percentage of all games in a season

Characteristic	Passionately Engaged	Distant Lovers	Passionately Disengaged	Dispassionately Disengaged
Social Media Usage* Send/receive text messages about the game Post messages/comments on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Websites) about the game.	66%	36%	10%	11%
Passion for the team (100 max)	95	90	90	63
Games reported attended*	23%	8%	21%	11%
Team Website: Visit the team website before, during, or after the game.*	73%	68%	47%	22%
Radio: Listen to games on the radio or internet.*	54%	29%	25%	13%
TV: Watch games on screen (TV, Internet, DVR).*	65%	49%	51%	24%
News: Follow the results in the newspaper or internet.*	78%	89%	85%	23%
Distance from venue (miles)	20	113	19	25
Age	40	46	49	40
Males (Overall: 69.5% male)	64%	81%	72%	68%
Married (Overall: 52.5% married)	39%	66%	64%	47%
Fan base (% of fans surveyed)	23%	10%	32%	34%
Season plan member (partial or full)	35%	13%	45%	29%

Group 2: Distant Lovers

Although not a large segment (10%), this passionate (Passion Score = 90) fan group travels in from outside of town (average distance of 113 miles) a few times a season to attend a game or two. These somewhat older (M = 46) fans sometimes use social media (36%) to find or share information about the game, but they’re most likely to follow the team news through the newspaper or online (89%).

This group is less likely to tune in to TV (49%) or the radio (25%), which may be more a function of availability in their distant markets than interest. Consequently, the team’s website (68%) is a good way to reach this crowd, in addition to the relatively frequent social media use compared to the next two groups of fans.

Group 3: Passionately Disengaged

Although this group is as passionate as the second group (PS = 90) and attend about as many games as the first group, they rarely engage via social media (10% of games). This older group (M = 49) really don’t pay much attention to games on the radio (25%) even though they live in-market (~19 miles). Nor are they particularly avid viewers of TV broadcasts (51%). They do faithfully follow the team through the news, either print or online (85%).

This group is most likely to have some form of season ticket package (45%), particularly full-season.

Fans in this segment need to be energized as team partners to engage with the team. One suggestion is to partner with your local Apple store to offer fan workshops, perhaps specializing in the use of team apps. My 85 year old mother is on Facebook all the time, but would benefit from knowing what else to do with her iPad. The size and age of this segment suggest efforts like these could be worthwhile, because they also have higher discretionary income that would otherwise be spent on their grandchildren.

The Houston Astros target this older season ticket base by providing a headquarters for STHs, equipped with multiple iPads and other devices. And, as you can see from the cover photo, it’s sponsored.

Group 4: Dispassionately Disengaged

This relatively young (M = 40) are not particularly passionate fans (PS =63) and they show it by not following the team through virtually any media. They attend games (M = 9)a bit more than the out-of-towners in group two and live a little further out (M = 25 miles) than the two most frequently attending groups (1 and 3).

This group is the most likely to have mini-plans among the four groups, which suggests they get packages to occasionally go to the game–perhaps to entertain clients or go with friends–but they aren’t big fans.

One of the best ways to enhance fan passion is to provide direct contact between players and fans. Targeting this group with relevant events may be a way to move them into one of the other passionate groups, which in turn leads to more media usage and better fans for your partners.

Where is the next tech battlefield? Predicting the future of sponsors on the field

kirk_wakefield 2013, Digital Strategy, Relate, Sell, Social Media, Sponsorships July 1, 2013November 2, 2018Google Glass, IFAB, Microsoft, NFL, prognostication, sponsorship strategy, Surface, trends 0 Comment

by Eric Fernandez – July 2013

Microsoft Surface on the sidelines

In May, the NFL announced a ground breaking partnership with Microsoft that would bring interactive features to fans watching at home through the X-box One console (in-game Skyping, split screen to view game feeds with stats and fantasy updates, etc) and provide a significant tech upgrade to the field of play.

Until now, with the exception of headset communication, all technology had to be turned off 90 min before game time. Coaches used Polaroid images, static play sheets and wipe boards as in-game teaching aids. With the Microsoft agreement, the Surface tablet will make its way to sidelines allowing coaches a new, dynamic medium to provide players feedback and coaching in real-time. Additionally, referees will use the Surface tablet to monitor replays from the sideline.

Sponsors getting on the field

From a branding standpoint, the NFL field-of-play is arguably the most premium available real estate – a three hour engagement opportunity with no brand clutter. Branding opportunities have been limited to three categories:

player uniforms and coaches apparel (Nike),
isotonic drinks (Gatorade) and
coaches headsets, which until last season was owned by Motorola, but is currently available, and noteworthy that is was not part of either the Microsoft agreement or recent Verizon NFL extension.

Tech brands are finding the field-of-play, in particular the NFL gridiron, as the battleground for building their business and brands with consumers. Consider some recent examples and what might happen in the future:

1) Now: US Women’s tennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands using Google Glass as a training aid for her Wimbledon preparation. As a player, it providers her coach a first-person viewpoint of how she’s reacting. As the video lead-in shows, in addition to providing her training benefits, it provides a unique and intriguing camera angle for TV viewers (which is not available…yet). Or just check out Victor Oladipo at the NBA draft. The Future: Imagine NFL referees wearing Google Glass or better yet, quarterback’s helmets equipped with Google Glass to provide a unique TV camera angle.

2) Now: I.F.A.B., soccer’s preeminent lawmaking body, announced in 2012 that chip technology would be implanted in balls to identify when they’ve crossed the goal line. Using Hawk-Eye and GoalRef technology, the English Premier League has tested the technology to aid referees. The Future: The NFL should not be too far behind since one of the most controversial, and time consuming, officiating decisions is goal line touchdowns.

3) Now: Technologists are developing brain sensing pads that can be placed in NFL headgear to measure hit impact for concussions. The Future: Still in the early phases, given the NFL’s focus on game safety, I’d anticipate this rolling out by 2014.

Given the scale and deep engagement of the NFL, I’d anticipate more tech companies looking to use the NFL as a platform to build their business. If they can integrate their technology to improve the game and the fan experience, it can serve as a relevant content platform that would be better than any form of paid advertising.

How did the S3 Report grow over 400% in 4 months?

kirk_wakefield 2013, Digital Strategy, Lead, Learn, Networking, Relate, S3 Spotlight, Social Media, The S3 Program June 12, 2013November 2, 2018blog, digital leadership, growth, influencers, major leagues, MLS, NBA, NFL, social media 0 Comment

by Kirk Wakefield – June 2013

Thanks to you, the growth in readership and membership at the S3 Report has been exceptional. Let’s start with who we are and then how we’ve grown.

Who are we?

The S3 Report launched in January 2013 with a following of no more than 75 members of our S3 Board and staff who write for us. Within four months, we had 300 registered members (up 400%). Starting from scratch in January (visits = 0), where has your support taken us?

4,506 unique visitors, 7,174 total visits, and 37,625 page views since January 1.
1,792 unique visitors since May 1:
- 67% new visitors
- Over 98% stay on the site for 3 minutes and view over 5 articles each visit.
Now over 400 registered members representing exec’s from:
- Over 60 major league teams
- NFL, NBA, and MLS league offices
- Over 30 NCAA athletic departments
- Over 50 corporations/agencies

How did we get here? You.

First, we started with influencers. Executives from leading teams in every league and among major sports advertisers from the Baylor S3 Advisory Board provided the foundation as our writers.

Second, more influencers like you joined the community via social media. With the help of the first 75 influencers and their followers, traffic was generated primarily through Twitter referrals. Over half of our traffic (51.3%) comes from referrals via social media and other websites, with another 16% from search traffic and 30% direct traffic to the site.

Breaking down the referrals with Google Analytics, we can see how most new visitors get here:

54% Twitter
17% Facebook
16% LinkedIn
4% Team Sports Marketing
4% www.Baylor.edu

Bottom line? Keep on posting! As we all know from our careers in sales and marketing, referrals from friends are the most trusted source of information.

Content is _______

We get tired of hearing it, but the King is not dead. And, no, we don’t mean Elvis.

Excluding articles from the editor, what are our most popular posts so far?

Rank

Article

Author

Organization

Which comes first: Happiness or success?

Shawn Achor

GoodThinkInc

No more cold calls: 3 steps to making informed calls & increasing close rates

Flavil Hampsten

Bobcats

The Sales Commandments According to This Disciple

Carson Heady

T-Mobile

Sales Training: How to Handle Objections

Sean Ream

MLS

How to get promoted in sports sales careers

Rob Zuer

Rockets

How to manage the new generation of sellers

Murray Cohn

NBA

Executing successful sales events: Three teams who are doing it right

Corey Breton

Hawks

So you want a job in pro sports?

Charles Johnson

Sixers

Part 2: Managing the next generation of sellers

Murray Cohn

NBA

Practice? We talkin’ about practice?

Bob Hamer

Suns

S3 Board Member Spotlight: Kelly Cheeseman, AEG Worldwide

Jerry Ruiz

S3 Editorial Staff

Social media in the NFL: Strategy and tools

Nick Schenk

Texans

Here’s a method to turn sponsorship assets into answers

Bill Glenn

The Marketing Arm

How to look good at the interview

Jeannette Salas

Texans

S3 Alumni Spotlight: Taylor Bergstrom, Texas Rangers

Jennifer MacIntyre

S3 Editorial Staff

I’ve got the golden ticket!

Ken Troupe

KT SportsMarketing

Ticketing technology: How can we reduce barriers for renewals?

Chris Faulkner

Broncos

Just trust me

Lolly Daskal

Lead From Within

Are you investing enough time into training? The 3 elements of good programs

Drew Ribarchak

Blue Jackets

Evolution of analytics in sports: What’s next?

Aaron LeValley

LA Kings/AEG

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”lifted-both” width=”400px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]If you missed any of these, the good news is our archives are always open. If you haven’t yet joined our community, the best news is it’s free. Just click here![/dropshadowbox]

Social Media Strategy: Put your voice where the ears are

kirk_wakefield 2013, Digital Strategy, Relate, Social Media June 1, 2013November 2, 2018best practices, channel, fans, Instagram, Mariners, Penguins, pinterest, RGIII, social app, social media, sports, Tumblr, WhoSay 0 Comment

by Daniel Fleming – June 2013

“Put your voice where the ears are.” At least that’s the way Ohio University classmate and fellow S3 writer Ken Troupe puts it.

Remove the name given to the internet-based communication platforms, social media, and look at what they actually are: FREE marketing outlets with the capability to reach thousands of fans, create exponentially more impressions, and push a desired message. Put your voice where the ears or eyes are.

How does social media fit into the bigger marketing picture? Think of the hub and spokes metaphor: With each additional spoke you create (traditional media, PR, community efforts, etc.), the stronger the wheel and the better it runs. Social media should serve as a spoke in your marketing strategy and an extension of traditional marketing strategies.

How to invest social media efforts

With so many platforms, how do you decide where to invest?

When you take an objective look at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Pheed, and all the other social media platforms, Kevin Johnson, Director of Mandalay Creative Services at Mandalay Baseball Properties reinforces the realities of social media, “Content has been and always will be king. Fans love to see photos, videos, and participate in polls.”

Start with a presence on Facebook. Facebook may be at its peak before it becomes MySpace, but you need to be there now.

Comparing the platforms, there is very little fundamental difference among the social media outlets. Understand that your content can be adjusted slightly to optimize it for the different platforms. Johnson emphasizes, “focus on the same tone, style, voice, and messaging throughout.”

Best Practices

A best practice among professional sports organizations on Instagram is the Seattle Mariners. They add production value to their posts by creating a game summary graphic which needs no explanation. The same image can be posted to Facebook with a headline, Tweeted with 140 character or less caption, and posted on their (hypothetical) “Games Played” board on Pinterest.

[slideshow_deploy id=’2265′]

The Pittsburgh Penguins are always on the forefront of social media innovation. During the season and this year’s playoff run, the team posts 6-second videos on Vine of fans before the games, players coming on the ice, and other exciting moments easily captured with anyone with a smartphone. Click here to see a Penguins Vine in action. The Penguins are also one of the first to be on WhoSay, which is geared more to fans following individual celebrities and players like RGIII (see below).

Where am I supposed to get the additional resources?

[dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-both” width=”250px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]

white_sox_social_media_lounge — White Sox Social Media Lounge
Picture thanks to Zach Hample.

The Chicago White Sox installed a social media lounge for fans to charge devices, connect with other users, create and promote White Sox content, and ultimately serve as brand ambassadors. White Sox Vice President of Sales and Marketing was quoted on CSN Chicago saying, “It doesn’t have to be marketing and sales, but it’s the best way to communicate with your fans and give them accurate info. It’s a great way to communicate what’s going on with the team and with the ballpark.” It also creates impressions to organically increase brand affinity. The increased and continuous relevance brings fans to your building and have them wearing your gear.[/dropshadowbox]The magic of social media is the vast community of viral ideas.

Try crowdsourcing for ideas.
Look internally. There are people in your organization that are paid for their great ideas. And there are people that don’t need to be paid to produce great ideas.
Look externally. Allow fans to produce content and create another level of connection with your fan base. Check out what the White Sox did with their social media lounge!

Cutting through the clutter

BE CREATIVE!

One of the best recent examples comes from BNP Paribas, corporate partner of the French Open, and their activation with homegrown tennis superstar, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. A social-media controlled tennis ball machine launched balls cross-court to help Tsonga train for the upcoming French Open. Fans have a unique connection with their tennis hero and feel a part of his team in helping him practice tennis.

Social media is a space intended for creativity, for innovation, and for busting down walls. It dares you to take chances, attract attention, and create viral buzz. In an incredibly competitive industry, sports, accept the challenge to beat your competitors. Create social media campaigns that leave your fans cheering and your opponents in shock and awe!

Why aren’t sports teams building the most popular Pinterest boards?

kirk_wakefield 2013, Digital Strategy, Relate, Social Media May 9, 2013November 2, 2018ballparks, creativity, demographics, digital leadership, pinterest, selling, sports, teams, weddings, women 0 Comment

by Kirk Wakefield – May 2013

Why your digital marketing manager should be all over Pinterest

The majority of Pinterest users are women (about 2/3rds). What should this tell teams?

A great way to reach women is through Pinterest. Last time I checked, women are an important audience for any sports team. The fact that teams aren’t effectively using Pinterest likely says more about the makeup of the digital marketing team than it does the potential benefits of building out the team’s Pinterest boards with the same intensity as we have our other social media.

What should stand out to you from these Pinteresting facts is that 28% of users are moms with household incomes above $100,000 and that the referral rate from Pinterest dominates other social media.

In addition to directly building and reinforcing fan passion among women, teams should effectively communicate with women because of their influence on joint family decisions, like buying season tickets and influencing media viewing habits.

How can we do a better job?

What teams are doing a good job with Pinterest? Comment below or send an email to suggest follow-up articles on the S3 Report.

A couple of suggestions

Given what’s of most interest on Pinterest now (below), how could teams capitalize on the millions of followers? I’ll start with two ideas: First, partner with a brand who does well in targeting women. Second, start a board on Weddings at the Ballpark.

Most popular brand boards on Pinterest (click to go to source article)

How Will Teams Stay Personal In This Social Media Era?

kirk_wakefield 2013, Relate, Social Media May 1, 2013November 2, 2018customer service, fans, high touch, personal attention, quick response, relationships, social media, teams, twitter 0 Comment

by Bryan Apgar – May 2013

Look at these “kids” these days; all they do is tweet, text, and Facebook each other and don’t get out and do anything together. Some even sit in the same room texting each other.

Social media can help or hinder personal relationships. You might react to these “kids” like I do sometimes. Or, you might see social media as offering opportunities for new and extensive personal relationships, especially when relating to your customers.

Let’s look at a few ways social media can be used to keep or create a more personal level with your customers.

Low touch media = High touch service

Long gone are the days of dial up internet or even DSL internet (which we used to think was lightning speed).

Everything has to be faster. We need our information faster, our answers faster, everything faster. That makes social media the perfect medium.

Several months back I was having some issues with my cable/internet company (to remain nameless). While on the phone on hold, I tweeted something along the lines of “having issues, terrible service, #onhold, @companyx.”

Within seconds I had a tweet back from a company rep asking me to direct message them so I could give them my number and they could call me immediately.

I was just trying to let my frustration out (albeit it to my low number of twitter followers), but was immediately contacted and had the situation resolved because of the instantaneous nature of social media. What we might think of as impersonal and low touch, but the immediate service response times via social media communicates a higher level of personal attention: “They must really care about me.”

Get personal

Social media gives the customer a greater sense of being “a part” of something. Especially in the sports industry, fans are very passionate about their teams and players. Fans join groups, like pages, follow certain players, teams, reports, and blogs. The list can go on and on.

Through those verticals, we can open up a community that helps bring people together and increases their connections with the team. Doing contests, tweet photos, text to win, tag yourself here, etc. are a great way to get fans to directly connect with the team. And it allows the team to show a personal connection back.

Tweeting contest winner’s names makes it personal, especially for that person who won. How cool is it to have your favorite team tweet or post your name or picture? And even those that didn’t win like it because they can see it and think, “Wow that’s cool, hope I win next time” or even “Wow, I know that person.”

Increase transparency

Social media can also open up the transparency of a team. Give a behind the scenes look that people would not normally get to see. Social media allows for interaction through Google hangouts, or Twitter and Facebook Q&A’s with a player or coach that would not normally happen. Fans love just seeing pictures or comments posted by players that delve more into their personal lives.

So whether we want to brand social media as hindering or helping in personal connections, we can probably all agree that it is an effective way to bring community, stay connected, and increase personal connection with your fans.

Some of us can’t seem to put down our phones or be away from iPads, computers, or tablets. Our world might seem to be losing the in-person-to-person connection, but properly used, social media can increase our perceptions of personal connections.

Top 20 Tips for Blogging and Writing Good

kirk_wakefield 2013, Digital Strategy, Relate, Social Media April 5, 2013November 2, 2018blog, blogger, blogging, how to, John Grisham, The Pelican Brief, tips, top 10, top 20, what sells, what works, write, writer 0 Comment

by Kirk Wakefield – April 2013

Why you should be blogging

Your profile picture may be ridiciously good looking and you may already write good like Derek Zoolander. But why should you write anything for others to read? Because you have something to say–and if you work for a team you have a built in audience. [dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-both” width=”250px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Little known fact about John Grisham

John and I were church ushers together in Oxford, Mississippi. Some time after getting to know John, The Pelican Brief was published with a character named F. Sims Wakefield. Unfortunately, F. shoots himself. So, I was never certain if his outcome was just because he was a lawyer or maybe the impression I left on John. [/dropshadowbox]

You may not think of yourself as a writer. But, if you follow these guidelines, in time, you’ll be as popular as my friend John Grisham.

CEOs from major corporations use blogs as a way to build personal and corporate brand equity. You can follow some of the best here.

Top 20 tips for blogging

Adapted from McGraw Hill’s Online Marketing book, we share the Top 20 Tips for writing ideas.

Note: Read this book if doing anything in digital marketing.

Write as simply as possible. Like that.
Keep it short. See?
Plan a writing schedule and keep it. See #5.
Make a list of topics to cover. Think about your target market.
Look at the calendar. What’s in season?
Create editorial departments. Like a magazine.
Stay informed. Try www.google.com/alerts.
Look to the key phrases for inspiration. What is trending?
Take advantage of inspiration. Write down clever thoughts during the day. Or night.
Plan “think pieces.” Provide background, analysis, and opinions. 400-500 words.
Slice the onion thinly. Divide longer pieces into part 1 & 2. Stay tuned.
Author how-to articles. Like this one.
Include educational articles. Be authoritative. Research and facts help.
Share your checklists. What works for you? Make a list. With numbers. Like this one.
Try a Top 10 list. Or even 20.
Interview people in your industry. Now you have an excuse.
Embed videos from YouTube or elsewhere. Videos engage. Try it.
Link to podcasts. Then add your opinion.
Outsource to experts. Get a guest blogger. Day off!
Get the best blogging advice everyday. Where? Here.

What sells?

According to the same Online Marketing book, six things:

Comparisons between two competing ideas or products.
Problems solved. How have people made mistakes doing something? Show pitfalls and how to do it right.
A better way. Sure, that’s a good way, but have you tried this “cool trick”?
New uses. People forget what used to work still works. Or maybe it’s used elsewhere (corporations), but not here (music, sports, entertainment).
New features, new prices, and, well, news. What’s new?
User stories. (No, not drugs.)People trust people like them. What have you or others you know used and it worked?

Looking for something to write for the S3 Report? If you work in professional/collegiate sports or affiliated agencies/brands, pick a topic from one of the six that sell and you can start today. Or in the off-season. Either way, let me know.

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”lifted-both” width=”250px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]S3 Editor Contact Info: Kirk_Wakefield@baylor.edu or connect via LinkedIn.[/dropshadowbox]

Can social media make or break interview chances?

kirk_wakefield Careers, Learn, Personal Development, Social Media April 1, 2013November 1, 2021careers, employer, employment, Facebook, interviews, jobs, linkedin, ruin, search, social media, Success, twitter 0 Comment

by Jeannette Salas – April 2013

Social Media, Networking, Common 1st Year Mistakes, and Tips for Success

Social media shows up in the most unusual places

Employers frequently search candidates on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linked In, and blogs to see what they find. Maybe they find a cute picture of your dog (Griffie, above). Or maybe other things not so cute.

Some employers may say, “What you do outside of the organization is your own business.” But, at the end of the day, employers want great company representation 24/7/365.

The best way to find out what potential employers can see is to Google yourself. How can you manage your social media and use it to your advantage? Don’t publish anything in social media you wouldn’t want your mother (or next employer) to read or see.

While running a minor league sports team, a few arena employees were tweeting opinions on our low attendance one night. Once received on others’ feeds, tweets can’t be erased. Their comments were out there for the world to see, including their boss (me), our fans and customers and most importantly, any future employers of theirs. These young employees underestimated the power of social media, almost lost their jobs and could have damaged chances for employment elsewhere.

Social media is the new extension of your resume.

In what is an already difficult job market, employers use social media to eliminate candidates, even those with great resumes. As a hiring manager, once I found candidates I wanted to interview, I first looked them up in four places: Google, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (images included). If anything at all gave me the sense they were unprofessional or wouldn’t represent our company well, they were eliminated immediately. While it’s cool to post fun pictures from your last vacation with your friends, think about who might see those pictures and how they may be construed.

Managing Social Media

Make sure your profile picture is appropriate. Microsoft Outlook pulls up your social media profile picture whenever an email is received directly from you. Not sure a keg stand (or any other “party” picture) would get you in for an interview. THINK PROFESSIONAL!
Beware of content in personal blogs! Everyone is subject to their own opinions BUT negative and/or inaccurate content can come back to haunt you. (See cancel culture circa 2021.)
Social media outlets allow you to reach millions of people in seconds. Use it to your advantage when searching for jobs/internships. Let friends and family members know you are looking for a position.

Networking

When it comes to sports business careers, networking is king. Like everything else in life, it always comes down to relationships.

Stay in touch. When you make a contact keep in touch. Forward your resume immediately after contact. Make contact at least every 6 months and after career achievements like graduation, obtaining a certificate [e.g., HR Cert, Sales Cert, etc], or an award.
Join professional organizations and relevant social media networking sites and groups on LinkedIn like the S3 Report, Ticket Sales & Technology, or Ticket Sales Best Practices.
- Make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and professional in appearance.
- These are great ways to connect with professionals that may be able to help you on your career path and offer insight, as well as search for positions.
- Some groups and individuals frequently post open positions. Follow them.

Common First Year Mistakes

Mistakes entry-level employees tend to make during the first year of employment:

Lack of communication: Afraid to ask questions or for help; don’t call in when out sick; no notification of being late.
Staying out of spotlight: Make an IMPACT within the organization; get involved in committees, events, etc.; EVERYONE should know who you are or at least heard of you.
Poor networking: Get to know employees in other departments. This isn’t high school – don’t fall into a clique. Attend all company events – GREAT networking opportunity!
Not leading: Don’t be scared to pitch ideas/take lead on projects. You bring a fresh thought process to the table – voice your ideas! Volunteer to take the lead on a project to develop leadership and project management skills.
Complaining: DO NOT complain. PERIOD! Complaining is:
1. unprofessional,
2. unattractive, and
3. unpromotable. People will not want to work with you or consider you for other positions within the organization. They will think of positions for you outside the organization.
Inflexibility: Adapting to change is important. Business can change at the drop of a hat. Be open to new ways of completing tasks or approaching scenarios. Flexibility helps you grow with and within an organization and seamlessly transition into another one.

Tips for Success

Continue learning. Stay abreast with the latest in your field. Attend training, seminars, conferences, and certificate programs.
Ask for help. Not sure? Ask for clarification and guidance. Then you’ll be able to help others who don’t know.
Ask for feedback. Feedback lets you know how you are doing and where you are lacking. This is essential for professional growth and development.
Communicate. Make sure lines of communication are always clear and open.
Create Raving Fans. A customer service based fundamental: All co-workers should enjoy working with you because your product is top quality and you are great to work with. If people like working with you they are more willing to help and listen to you.
Read self-help books. Start with How to Win Friends and Influence Others and Emotional Intelligence. These are great books to help you continue growing both personally and professionally.
Look to the future. Keep moving forward. Plan your career and move towards your ultimate goal.

Reinforcement from the Houston Astros

I agree with all Jeannette points out. Two related thoughts to share:

Don’t underestimate the importance of a resume-appropriate email address. Stick with the traditional last name, first name (or some version of name). This format is simple and it works. An unprofessional address can mean the difference in a team contacting you regarding a job or passing you over for lack of professionalism.

In the interview, be sure to follow the lead of your interviewer. When you are informed at the beginning of the interview that this is going to be a quick phone screen (e.g., 10 minutes on Handshake), stick within that time frame. Everyone’s time is valuable. Sometimes you only have a short time span to sell yourself…PRACTICE THAT SKILL. It proves you can be clear, succinct and respectful of other people’s time. Consider it to be an extended elevator speech.

PS: That said, you need a 30-second elevator speech and a USP of eight words or less about who you are. Read m0re about branding you in our next article here.

~Jennifer Springs, HR, Houston Astros

How NOT to run a team Twitter account

kirk_wakefield Digital Strategy, Relate, Research, Social Media March 8, 2013November 2, 2018beautiful game, engagement, fans, haters, interactive, not selling, opinion, point-of-view, Premier League, twitter 0 Comment

by Matt Briggs – March 2013

Newcastle United fans have their say on club’s Twitter use

Newcastle United supporters – a passionate bunch.

Digital communications is now the front line of fan engagement for football clubs. The Premier League is a world wide brand and online means messages instantly disseminate around the globe.

Just look at the number of followers a typical Premier League side commands – many exceed average league attendance, with more supporters lurking elsewhere in the deep, dark bowels of the internet. Not surprisingly how clubs use social media to connect with stakeholders generates strong opinions from supporters.

Newcastle United began using Twitter a few years ago with currently around 200,000 followers, one of the largest numbers in the league. I asked supporters about the club’s use of the platform to find out whether they thought NUFC’s use of Twitter put them top of the table or that the club is in a basement battle.

What do fans (not) want?

Supporters were asked five simple questions – whether they followed the club, what they liked, what they disliked, what they wanted to see more of and what they wanted to see less of.

First off, of those fans who responded 25% didn’t officially ‘follow’ the official Twitter account. The main reason for this, mentioned by 61% of respondents, was the glut of marketing messages sent out by NUFC. It turns out that spammy and invasive tweeting will put off even the most ardent supporter.

This complaint was not simply restricted to those who have opted against following @NUFCOfficial. 84% of all respondents made reference to the use of the Twitter account as a vehicle for little more than adverts as one of their main dislikes of NUFC’s use of Twitter and it was a commented on frequently by those surveyed:

“Too many tweets about club shop offers”
“They just use it to sell stuff from the shop in the main. They never reply to genuine questions”
“The amount of tweets about selling items instead of news about the club”
“Getting spammed by offers of merchandise from the club shop. The club shop should get a separate account”

Oh dear. It’s pretty apparent that the club’s policy of using Twitter to drive traffic and increase sales isn’t well liked and probably isn’t working either.85% of fans said they wanted to see much less of it. But anyway, what about plus points?

To the surprise of no one, fans said they want to hear more about new signings.

When asked what they liked about the club’s Twitter almost 55% could muster an answer that wasn’t a variation on the word “nothing”. As you’d expect many of these responses focused on information that the club could publicise before anyone else, such as team line ups, signings and other breaking news:

“Team news on match day”
“Ticket announcements”
“Goal updates from matches are usually the quickest on Twitter”
“Picture galleries”

So it turns out there are a few redeeming features of the club’s Twitter use. However that cannot escape from the fact that the feeling among many supporters is that if engagement is the name of then game then the club’s presence is not fit for purpose. When pushed on what they’d like to see from the account an increase in interaction was at the top of the pile:

“More interaction with supporters. Better use of social media tools in general to connect with fans”
“Interaction with supporters. Greater innovation in terms of how it is used too. Twitter can be used for great things but Newcastle have not embraced it.”
“More interaction with fans”
“Fan engagement. A teeny tiny bit of opinion now and then and the odd exclusive signing pictures rather than having to pay for NUFC TV”

A nice, round 40% of respondents made some mention of increased engagement with supporters in some form or another. There was also a clear interest in more exclusive, behind the scenes content similar toManchester City’s Inside City video series. Granted, that’s not strictly a comment on Twitter but more proof social media must be coordinated cross platform.

I’ll leave the final word to one respondent who was pretty damning in his assessment of Newcastle’s use of the platform…

“They’ve totally missed the point of Twitter”