Many sports teams have held “Social Media Nights” over the past few years, but I recommend that you drop that strategy.

The idea for this post came about during the #SMSportsChat on Twitter last week – where a few people involved and interested in the social media aspect of sports marketing discuss ideas.

While there was a time when Twitter was new, that’s going to back to 2008/09 now. When we first saw the advent of Tweet-Ups, it made a lot of sense. But Twitter has come a long way since then and so have the fans (and players, leagues, etc…).

I recall a conversation I had with a client in 2009, when they figured their Twitter population would “matter” as a digital asset once it hit around 5000. Today, they are in solid 6 figure follower territory.

Having a theme night is a great way to drive some awareness, but focusing theme nights on your social media channels as the core of this is now passe. Furthermore, I think it can help undervalue your brand to a degree in looking dated and more importantly, undermine your social media marketing efforts.

Social marketing should be a part of the daily process of marketing your team. Your fans will be tweeting about your product at the game, from home or wherever they are. The role of social marketers for teams now is not to entice their market to tweet – but to integrate that into their process. Your fans can be your greatest marketing engine if you are prepared to leverage them.

I’m going to review two examples from the NFL’s New York Jets and the NHL’s LA Kings as they both provide some insight into Twitter’s role in how sports teams communicate (or not).

New York Jets

This case comes out of the New Orleans’ Saints Bounty fiasco. Basically, QB Drew Brees tweeted that he couldn’t imagine that his coach, Sean Payton could be suspended for the entire 2012 season. The NYJ decided to send a reply…

@drewbrees Know you’re frustrated but if he had admitted instead of trying to cover it up, maybe Williams gets a suspended.

Not long after, another tweet came from the NYJ…

At 11:21pm on 3/21 an unauthorized tweet was sent from @nyjets. This is not the view of the New York Jets. We are looking into this matter.

I know a thing or two about sports teams and twitter, and I’m pretty certain that most teams do not “authorize” their tweets, especially at 11:21PM at night. These things happen, sometimes due to the staff/resource in charge of the Twitter account that accidentally sent a tweet that was intended for their personal account and sent it as the team account. This goes beyond sports; such was Chrysler’s experience on Twitter in which personal and brand accounts were confused and resulted in the brand tweeting out an F-bomb.

It turned out that Chrysler’s mistake actually helped increase followers – and that segues into the next example…

LA Kings

During their recent first round playoff victory over the Vancouver Canucks (the most followed NHL team on Twitter), the LA Kings sent out the following tweet after game 1:

To everyone in Canada outside of BC, you’re welcome.

The tweet referenced the fact the Canucks were viewed as one of the most disliked teams in Canada and sent legions of Canucks followers into a tizzy. The tweet also garnered several thousand RTs (over 17K, I believe – good enough for 10th most RTs in Twitter history) and went on to help drive close to 10,000 new followers by the next game 2 days later. While many were expectedly upset, others did not take it so seriously.

There was no “retraction tweet” per the NYJ, in fact, a Kings Spokesperson pumped their digital tires with a light apology, which I felt was more than adequate. Many saw the Kings’ tweet as fun, and were suprised that the Twitter account was being taken seriously.

So What Does This Mean?

From my experience, I know that different teams have different opinions and approaches to Twitter and communications. We see many players across many sports as well as many members of the media engage in light chirping and making fun of one another on Twitter – and in a way that would not be seen in any other venue.

I see this as healthy debate… I think the only correct answer is that it entirely depends on the teams’ market – whether they are a dominant presence in their market or strive for PR. There is no escaping the fact that the Twitter account still comes from the brand, but…

• Is Twitter part of PR no matter what?
• Is it strictly fan engagement/loyalty and Marketing?”
• Is Twitter more valid than any “official” PR communication channel?
• Can Twitter be “just for fun”?

This is what makes this field so interesting (and at times, challenging). Everyone is paying attention now – and like it or not, Twitter may be more valid and “official” than you think. Teams used to provide announcements via press releases on team, game or organizational operations. Now, teams “release” tweets, updates, pins and instagrams all day, every day.

Where does all this sit with you?

All the greatest tools and gadgets can make things easier of course, but what it really takes is good ideas. And I feel the best ideas don’t come in isolation but from teams and groups. So the most important resource you need is people – Hands down.

Good teams can be built and they don’t just happen on their own. Teams shouldn’t be a by-product of company culture, but are what helps to produce the company culture itself. Good teams require the space (literally and conceptually) to become effective and produce results. The focus of building teams is the process to getting the ideas. Organizations need to create environments for ideas to take shape, get refined and move ahead.

And that is the key point – ideas aren’t worth much until they are turned into actions. Focus on creating teams that can function as idea generators, and then manage the process of having the ideas turned into actions and execution. Your digital execution is the technology – and we have come full circle

When you think about it, email should be part of a mobile strategy in that regard – and that’s a shift for many organizations.

So if you’re in line with that, you need to ensure that your emails are technically sound and optimized for mobile viewing. Here’s 12 tips for that, and 6 design tips to keep in mind, and here’s a post with some estimates on %’s on just how many people are viewing your emails on a handheld – and it could be as much as half (!).

Poor ol’ email, way less sexy than social media marketing – it seems so 90′s now but without the retro-cool factor. Before Twitter, it was email that made the @ cool. And email is where emoticons really got their feet on the ground. But no one remembers that

With the rise of social media and SMS/BBM, Twitter DMs, many attempted to predict that email would die. Not so, and certainly not yet. Email continues to be of high importance as a digital asset – in fact, depending on your brand and your market, it might be your most important.

Don’t make “email too” your strategy – make sure that you have a plan, and ensure that your emails look as good as possible on a mobile device.

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. YouTube
4. Google Plus
5. Foursquare
6. Instagram
7. Pinterest

This is all about social segmentation vs. fragmentation.

Not that long ago, it was a binary system of Facebook and Twitter. Back in 2009, Twitter was struggling to be considered as a worthwhile platform. It was a “Twitter, too” approach. 3 years ago, most teams met social networking and marketing tasks with a “platoon approach” of multiple resources each contributing time to maintain the networks. It made sense at the time, but (I was right) this was a rapidly growing mandate – not just in terms of scalability (increasing populations), but now in terms of multiple platform management.

In 2009, one of the main elements of my work was to provide a focus on social media sports marketing to prove a business case to increase head count to manage the space effectively. Now, many teams have made this investment. What we are seeing now, is social media segmentation – niche networks that offer different value and benefits to fans and teams alike. The space is now a much more dynamic one than the binary Facebook/Twitter paradigm.

I’m not going to focus on Facebook or Twitter – we’ll take these at assumptive value. YouTube has huge value for many sports brands, but for upper tier leagues, hosting video on your own assets like your website or app makes the most sense. YouTube can still be a great value add, however.

Google Plus is a place you should be from a search value alone. This not about G+ vs. Facebook, it’s about Google enhancing what it already does best – search. A G+ presence will improve your search rankings and help your peripheral market find you.  Here’s where casual fans start – by searching on you. I had initially cautioned teams to hold off and to add G+ strategically, not just because it was there. Now’s the time to move (shout out to @peterstringer)

That leaves 3 social networks to focus on: Foursquare, Instagram and Pinterest.

Foursquare

Many teams have dabbled here, but Foursquare belongs in your digital asset mix. After all, you are in a location focused business. Your building, arena, stadium or field is a destination for thousands, and in many cases one of the prominent buildings in any city. You’ve already got this going for you, so make the most of it. Reward fans for checking in, and look to corporate partners to provide innovative activations. Try to get as much immediate gratification as possible with the reward, something they can redeem or benefit from during the event.

In addition to the building, having your team check-in while it’s on the road as well brings fan value and reinforces your Foursquare presence. It’s also a chance to share “insider” photos and content. Remember, Foursquare is a social network – not just, “Look where I am now.” Providing content and conversations here is what it’s all about. It also integrates with other sites like Facebook and Twitter which is important.

Lastly – Foursquare is all about mobile. And unless you’ve been living under a rock, mobile is where you need to be (now, go claim that rock on Foursquare!).

Instagram

In continuing with the focus on mobile – Instagram is a mobile photo sharing app. There is no destination site behind it. It’s a simple concept with a cool twist – there are a number of cool effects and retro filters you can apply to your photos. Users follow one another and can “heart” (read as “like”) photos and comment on them as well.

A number of teams are quite active (and effective) in Instagram such as the Dallas Mavericks. While the platform is becoming immensely popular, its still relatively small and the team to follower ratio is lower – so there are a lot of engagement opportunities.

Instagram also let’s you share with Twitter, Facebook, Foresquare, Flikr, etc… so it’s well connected. You can leverage it to enhance the photos you’re sharing, tap into a niche platform and look to host contests by searching for tags (much like Twitter).

Pinterest

The new kid on the block, Pinterest has got a lot of people “Pinterested” to say the least. One of the key factors here is the largely female user base – initially as high as 97% (!). So the obvious take here is how teams can look to market to their female fan base on a site like this. Pinterest is essentially a larger pin board in which users can display things that they like. It’s gotten a lot of legs very quickly, and some teams have been quick to take note, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins.

While the jury may still be out on Pinterest (was this simply a case of #Pinsanity?), it’s carving out a place in social marketing that it worth taking note of.

In summary – with dedicated resources for social marketing, the goal is to be nimble and use a multi-platform approach:

• Be where your fans are – and there are millions of them in these places
• Provide unique value and content pertaining to each platform’s strengths
• Avoid redundancy in what you post
• This is a dynamic space in terms of platform scalability/features but also in niche
• Fans First. Social media should be social, don’t just post – interact, engage, share, thank and converse

It’s a topic that had been on my mind recently and I was happy to take advantage of the opportunity to speak at the event. I used to do presentations to entrepreneurs back when I lived in Toronto. When I started my business in 2005, I benefited from a great program that supported entrepreneurs so I’ve always been happy to give back.

The carry over to my blog is this – give back. The sports business is a niche to say the least. It’s tough to break into, and there are a lot of challenges despite its high-profile perception. I’ve always gone out of my way to support people I’ve worked with and recommend individuals for positions with teams. Like any business, sports is about people and networking is critical.

In addition, I always admire entrepreneurs and those people who go about building their own business. Building a career in sports or building a business requires tireless efforts, bouncing back from mistakes/rejection, adapting and growing. It’s about people and networking – so thank you for being a reader and let me know how I can help you.

Sometimes rivaling the game itself, Super Bowl commercials are of big interest for everyone from the hardcore to the peripheral fan and specific interest to those of us focused on sponsorship. This year saw not only “teasers” for some ads, but the outright release of the entire ads on YouTube.

With nearly 10 million views (at the time of writing) The Honda Ferris Bueller commercial debuted this week – does this diminish the “actual” airing during the Super Bowl? I say yes, but if Honda sells a record number of CR-V’s – isn’t that the point?

Last year, Foursquare clocked over 200,000 check-ins in a nationwide Super Bowl event. I’m guessing that should be well over 500,000 this year – and in addition, Foursquare has partnered with Pizza Hut and American Express.

Here’s the official Super Bowl 2012 Foursquare page.

We’ll see a ton of content on Twitter from fans, media and celebrities no matter what happens at the Super Bowl, and there’s potential to break some records here too. With over 9,420 tweets per second, Twitter and the NFL broke some records this past season with the #Tebow playoff pass.

Twitter launched Ad Scrimmage this week, which kicks in for the week immediately following the game to allow users to vote on their favorite Super Bowl commercials,  so be sure check that link again.

There’s also a Super Bowl Facebook Page.

When you look back 4 years ago, when the Giants and Patriots last met in the Super Bowl, social media was still pretty new – and now these two teams have fully embraced social marketing. Mashable provides a good breakdown of this analysis here…

The Super Bowl event committee  has a Stay Connected Hub with a staff of 50 resources to monitor and respond on various platforms.

Will you be tweeting? Or checking in? See you online…

Twitter

1. Complete the sentence: @PlayerOnTwitter hits like a _______ !
   • Swap players in and out, use other attributes as well…
   • Use #’s to measure and track, also for trending purposes
   • RT what fans push out… show em you are listening
2. Ok fans, let’s get it trending… RT #GoYourTeamGo!
   • Use other #’s depending on the game situation
     • Use humor, be fun
3. Fans – send us  a pic or tweet in your @Team gear
4. Who will score the 1st #YourTeam goal tonight?
5. RT @SomeFan: What a wicked play!
   • RT what fans are tweeting for key moments in games
   • Use them for game updates – don’t have to come up with them all
6. Hey fans – send a tweet to our opponent tonight, let @otherteam know we’re ready for ‘em!
7. If there’s 1 thing that makes #YourTeam fans the best, its _________
8. #YourTeam fans – what’s your pre-game ritual?
9. Where are you watching from tonight #YourTeam fans? Let us know…

Facebook

1. Post a pic from featuring action from the next opponent: Ok fans – write a caption for this photo
2. Do a fan poll once per week as a standard engagement practice
   • Why not look for a sponsor for this?
3. Ask for pics from fans decked out in their team gear
4. Scan for fan questions – answer them/direct them to the right email or phone #
5. Thank fans for uploading their photos
6. Comment on their status updates/posts

Digital Return Optimization. In a nutshell, it’s what I do.

Every team/project is different. Some are focused on fan engagement, some on driving ticket sales, others on sponsor activations. Either way – DRO is a methodology of determining what kind of “return” is desired from digital efforts and investments.

When ever I start a new project, I am often asked, “How are we doing?“. My response is always the same… “I don’t know, what are you trying to do?“

That kind of dialogue usually is in reference to a teams’ social media activities. But a lot applies to web sites as well. It comes down to a Content Management Strategy (or lack there of). It’s no longer ok to simply participate in the social space and have a 3rd party validate your efforts. Goals for social are as important as any other facet of marketing, and the plan of “social too” just doesn’t cut it anymore.

If this has been your process, don’t sweat it. You can change this. Deciding to change it is the easy part – how to change it and what it should look like is another story. That’s usually where I come in…

Teams have been working with social/digital for long enough now to have some things to measure. Start by looking back at your digital returns – the numbers and the dollars.

• Do you like what you see?
• How did you get those returns?
• What’s missing?
• What is a priority?

Those are the questions I’d start asking you. Then we start writing the story – last page first. Identify what we want to get out of this and then find ways to make it happen.