In Social, we are a lot of things. It’s 2020 and our positions are still not as defined as others in our respective organizations; which means we wear a lot of hats.
If you work in social, you are a:
Marketer
Photographer
Videographer
Editor
Graphic Designer
Data Analyst
Customer Service Agent
Community Manager
Revenue Generator
Brand Manager
Advertiser
Email Marketers (Thanks, Nick Storm!)
Copywriter
Webmaster
PR / Crisis Management Director (Thanks, Kasidee Karsten!)
Event planner
Recruiter
Motion artist
Lead generator
Sales fulfillment-er (Thanks, Katie Cavender!)
And my personally favorite:
ALL THE THINGS
Say it louder for the people in the back, Jen.
I’d like to spend a few moments and share some examples of what I have seen in our industry that show some of this in action:
Revenue Generation
A couple years back I profiled an exciting fundraising driver we did solely on Facebook. After spending $500, we earned over $17,000 for our Scholarship fund. This was the result of a targeted spend on specific individuals giving them an opportunity to take their donation levels to a new horizon.
Another rev. gen. example that comes to mind more recently is through the use of Instagram Shopping. As IG’s Will Yoder shows here, the official NFL accounts utilized it for championship merchandise this past postseason. Great combination of illustrative creative, linking to something ‘hot’ and taking advantage of a moment.
Content Creation / Asset Management
There are several of these examples throughout our industry (especially in the past year) but Riley Joslin on our team at Michigan executed an awesome campaign for Rivalry Week for Michigan Men’s Basketball, leading up to two games vs. Ohio State and Michigan State. Our student-athletes took this creative and launched it on their personal platforms and they performed really well.
Copywriting
Eric DeSalvo is one of the best copywriters in our world, in my opinion. While this particular example is a jab at Tennessee, he delivers a wide-range of copywriting techniques that are clever, emotional and focused.
Photography
Another important aspect of our jobs is top-notch, quality photography. Oftentimes we are the ones at some of the biggest events -- or games -- our organization will have. With enough practice, an eye for art and some talent we are able to capture some powerful moments. Tim Brogdon does a tremendous job and it’s been cool to see his growth in photography (and other aspects) in recent years.
Data Analyst
This is a good example of what it takes to really succeed in our world. Understand what you’d like to do, test things out, review performance -- and make data-driven decisions. Riley shows a glimpse of some social numbers (in spreadsheet form) from a recent Michigan Football game.
Videography
This video. Enough said. I think it might be the most famous video in our #smsports circles. Well, either that one or this one. Props to the LSU crew!
Design
Here is a tweet I remember from a couple months back from Chris Charizopoulos, who works with Ohio State. He highlights the thoughtful points he uses to convey important messages to his social audience.
Marketing
I have very much enjoyed this series from Carl Schmid and Louisville. In an effort to sell tickets for the Music City Bowl game, Louisville went creative with a take on the classic ‘This is Sportscenter’ commercials. Entertaining and certainly helps the consumer click the link to learn more about ticket opportunities.
Sponsor Fulfillment
This is an example from Scott Kegley and the Minnesota Vikings. A FedEx PrimeTime Stats video focused on some of the bigger stats of a win… that delivers what I call a WIN-WIN-WIN: A win for the sponsor, a win for the Vikings and a win for the fan.
These are JUST A FEW of the real-world examples that I can think of. Did I miss anything? I’m sure I did, so don’t be shy when sharing your feedback with me. You can tweet me @BrianRWagner.
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We provide a place for family, friends -- heck, even strangers -- to be unified for a common good of a winning team. And that is global; it could be at the specific arena of play, at your house or a local bar.
We strive to put together an incredible community, and that’s what is magical: sport and social brings people together. While we connect with our fans on an individual basis, our fans also connect with other fans.
We spend our time doing a variety of creative, analytical and mindful tasks — but it is all part of what I call the long game.
Social Media Directors have a hugely important role in an organization in 2020 -- a role that touches nearly every department. While the position has its downfalls (when do you turn off your phone!?) it’s a very powerful position.
This is a gratitude post to all folks who work in social -- for any brand. You are doing a terrific job.