When it comes to college athletics, it is well known how important they are to this institution. Recruiting athletes is long process to ensure that universities are getting the best students possible in terms of athletic ability and being a face of the school. College athletics is a lucrative industry, so when using social media it is important that it is appealing to the students, alumni, and fans. There are many different approaches universities can take to making their social media for athletics engaging and entertaining.
A popular approach is focusing on athlete's "stories". Especially for D1 athletic schools, athletes will use their journey to becoming a college athlete as a way to humanize the team and make people really engage with and feel closer to the players. This approach is very inspirational to those who are wanting to become college athletes or who have overcome other challenges to attend college.
Using Instagram and Facebook and Snapchat stories is a great way to give frequent updates to fans of these schools. Stories can be streamed live to show parts of the games. They can also ask questions and do polls so the audience can be more engaged with the team. There is often a "socially acceptable" amount of times in which posts on Instagram can be shared per day, so stories offer a way to update fans quickly and often to ensure maximum engagement. Also, stories are so fast and easy to produce/watch that this is a great way for social media marketers to quickly get their messages out about their athletics program.
Focusing on fans and their role in athletics is a great direction to take your social media in. Most colleges have student sections - typically with a name specific to that school - where all of the students sit to cheer on their college's team. There are often times "theme" nights or body painting, along with chants and cheering. Featuring this on your university's social medias for athletics is the perfect way to show fans how valued they are and that they are a part of the team as much as they players.
Traditions are important in campus culture - particularly in athletics. There are often certain superstitions or activities that take place on game days. Particularly for events like Homecoming - when alumni come back to their alma mater, typically for a football game - there are traditions going on that entire week. Whether or not it is parades, homecoming royalty, songs being played at games, or the way the student body is dressed at the game, it should all be posted on social media. Traditions like these make prospective students excited about joining the school, current students feel a sense of family, and alumni feel nostalgia. These are all great emotions that can be evoked through social media which will hopefully contribute to a growth in fans and higher attendance numbers to games. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter should all be representing college traditions to increase engagement overall.
Social media for athletics can also be used in the recruiting process. There are athletes who are offered scholarships from multiple colleges. They want to go to a school that values the importance of their contribution to the university. Having a strong social media presence that emphasizes athletes and supports them may be a deciding factor for athletes, especially when they are being offered the same full-ride scholarship from multiple schools. Having a feature on social media such as an "athlete of the week" will acknowledge the accomplishments of individual players which will resonate well in the recruiting process.
For more information on college athletics engaging fans on social media, check out Libris Stories and Bold Online!
Using Instagram and Facebook and Snapchat stories is a great way to give frequent updates to fans of these schools. Stories can be streamed live to show parts of the games. They can also ask questions and do polls so the audience can be more engaged with the team. There is often a "socially acceptable" amount of times in which posts on Instagram can be shared per day, so stories offer a way to update fans quickly and often to ensure maximum engagement. Also, stories are so fast and easy to produce/watch that this is a great way for social media marketers to quickly get their messages out about their athletics program.
Focusing on fans and their role in athletics is a great direction to take your social media in. Most colleges have student sections - typically with a name specific to that school - where all of the students sit to cheer on their college's team. There are often times "theme" nights or body painting, along with chants and cheering. Featuring this on your university's social medias for athletics is the perfect way to show fans how valued they are and that they are a part of the team as much as they players.Traditions are important in campus culture - particularly in athletics. There are often certain superstitions or activities that take place on game days. Particularly for events like Homecoming - when alumni come back to their alma mater, typically for a football game - there are traditions going on that entire week. Whether or not it is parades, homecoming royalty, songs being played at games, or the way the student body is dressed at the game, it should all be posted on social media. Traditions like these make prospective students excited about joining the school, current students feel a sense of family, and alumni feel nostalgia. These are all great emotions that can be evoked through social media which will hopefully contribute to a growth in fans and higher attendance numbers to games. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter should all be representing college traditions to increase engagement overall.
Social media for athletics can also be used in the recruiting process. There are athletes who are offered scholarships from multiple colleges. They want to go to a school that values the importance of their contribution to the university. Having a strong social media presence that emphasizes athletes and supports them may be a deciding factor for athletes, especially when they are being offered the same full-ride scholarship from multiple schools. Having a feature on social media such as an "athlete of the week" will acknowledge the accomplishments of individual players which will resonate well in the recruiting process.
For more information on college athletics engaging fans on social media, check out Libris Stories and Bold Online!
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