Posts Tagged ‘Twitter’

How the NBA Used Social Media for the NBA Draft

25
June
2010

During the recently held NBA draft several teams utilized social media to interact with fans and keep them informed about the latest news.


Ryan Moss
Lead Strategist

Back in April we discussed how the NFL embraced social media during its annual draft as it made the push to turn the event into a “prime time event.” Now in June the NBA held its draft and as expected social media played a prominent role.

Nearly every team leveraged social media to keep their fans up to date with the latest information and also engage them in conversations.  One of the most popular tools used was  “Twackle”, which allows a team  to compile all related chatter from Twitter in one place. Through the use of this tool anyone could see what was being said about the team and who was saying it, whether it be media members, bloggers, fans, celebrities or players. Through the use of this tool fans can easily see all the relevant conversations in one place and at the same time the team can observe what is being said about them.

A Twackle page specifically for the NBA draft was also created, aggregating all relevant Tweets and news posts in one central location. Several of the top prospects in the draft also had their own Twackle pages, including John Wall who was taken with the first overall pick by the Washington Wizards.

While most teams focused on aggregating online conversations, the Minnesota Timberwolves took a different route. The team held its annual draft party at its practice facility with the event being hosted by Jonah Ballow (Timberwolves.com editor/writer) and John Focke (Timberwolves radio studio host). What made this event unique was the fact the team encouraged fans to submit questions to Ballow and Focke through the team’s Facebook and Twitter pages. This allowed fans who couldn’t attend the event to still participate. At the same time for those fans who did attend the draft party, the team setup a video booth where fans could shoot videos welcome the new draft picks to Minnesota and then upload them directly to YouTube.

Several other teams embraced social media in different ways, but teams weren’t the only ones using social media during the draft as several prominent and lesser known players posted updates throughout the draft. These continuous updates allowed fans to stay up to date and interact with team representatives and players.

It’s great to see that the NBA and its teams have embraced social media and understand that the benefits of utilizing it.

Bringing Social Networks Offline and Taking it to the Streets

27
April
2010

Follow that truck! Or should I say: Follow that food truck on Twitter! A look at how food trucks are using social media marketing to create online lead generation for offline purchase and consumption.

Stefanie Berliant
Client Services Manager

While I do not hold Twitter in high regard in my personal life, I do recognize that value it brings to breaking news, connecting people real time, and allowing companies and organizations to participate in conversations and interact with their audience. One niche industry that I think has used Twitter as their only online marketing campaign and performed all of these aforementioned things successfully is with a trend that has recently hit the streets and stomachs of DC: food trucks. I’m not talking about the taco trucks underneath the highway overpass- I am talking about pimped out trucks serving gourmet food at hot dog stand prices. Foodies and fat kids of DC rejoice!!

I realize these food trucks have been around in other major cities and technically broke on the DC scene last year, but I feel that the DC adoption rate for these food trucks has been skyrocketing. Additionally not enough attention has been given to how these food trucks have become so successful through their free social media marketing campaigns via Twitter. I really can no longer say that I don’t use Twitter for my personal life now that it updates me on where I can get delicious, cheap (or even free) food.

These trucks serving up food ranging from pizza to banh min to cupcakes have harnessed the power of the underground revolution through Twitter and other online social networks. Marketing their menus, locations and special promotions on Twitter creates demand in the form of a fun scavenger hunt and allows people to feel “in the know” and part of something unique. These food truck vendors have found a free and engaging way to market their products to their audiences online even though the end goal is to move people offline into the real world. Of course the food doesn’t suck either.

What’s more is that these trucks all have Facebook profiles as well as Foursquare check-ins tagged as a “moving target.” These trucks are promoting their products with flair and adding their personality into their tweets all the meantime getting feedback from customers on new meals to offer or new locations to set up shop…or park their truck. Ultimately this creates a sense of community and builds up a loyal customer base. I must applaud these social media savvy entrepreneurs who want to feed me good food from a ridiculous looking van. Just brilliant! I’ve compiled a list of local DC food trucks for your consumption:

Twitter lists that aggregate food truck tweets:
http://twitter.com/MobileCravings/dc-food-trucks
http://twitter.com/CHOWagons/dc-area-food-trucks

Twitter handles for individual food trucks:
@rebelheroes
@fojolbros
@CurbsideCupcake
@SweetflowMobile
@OnTheFlyDC
@DistrictTaco
@EatSauca
@wheresauca
@DCSlices
@PupatellaPizza
@FLmeetsDC

There is confirmation of a food truck providing the hungry people of DC with lobster rolls (http://redhooklobsterpound.com/). Please excuse me as I wipe my drool from my computer screen.

How the NFL Is Using Social Media for the NFL Draft

23
April
2010

The NFL has fully embraced the social media community in hopes of increasing the popularity of the NFL draft and also building loyalty with the fan base.

Ryan Moss

Lead Strategist

For the first time ever the NFL Draft has become a “prime time event.” The draft was previously held on Saturday and Sunday, but this year the draft was moved to Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday afternoon in hopes of attracting a larger TV audience. Television coverage of the first round started at 7:30 PM on Thursday April 23rd and according to an NFL spokesman ratings were up over 30% from last year.

While the shift to prime time TV was a big change for the NFL, the league also fully embraced social media, especially Twitter, which likely also helped increase the number of viewers. The league created the hash tag #nfldraft and aggregated Twitter posts on its website. This gave fans the chance to express their thoughts and opinions and at the same time, league officials like Commissioner Roger Goodell also joined the conversation with their own posts. As NFL.com General Manager Laura Goldberg said “The key to the NFL’s online social media draft strategy was recognizing that conversations are happening in a lot of different places. We want to make sure we’re aggregating comments no matter where they are.”

By creating this online community centered around the NFL draft, league officials are hoping to not only promote the draft but also continue to increase loyalty with their fans. The results have been great so far. On Wednesday the NFL draft joined Justin Bieber and Glee as the most popular topics of the day. This popularity is expected to continue until the day after the draft ends, Sunday.

The NFL has proven that using Social Media can be very beneficial to promote their annual draft and it will be interesting to see how the NBA adopts social media for their upcoming draft in June.

Fractured Attention Span Friday: 10 Social Media Stats To Ponder

19
March
2010

Stats that may or may not blow your mind, but understanding the implications is essential. And the questions they pose that all digital marketers need to answer.

Blake Bowyer (@BlakeBowyer)
Media Program Analyst

1 – In 2009, US marketers spent 13% of online marketing time on social media, the second-largest share of any tactic. Then why is it still so clumsy?

2 - 6/10 consumers said their chances of buying from a company increased when they followed it on Facebook. What value are they getting? Savings? Intimacy? Exposure?

3 – The same above applied for Twitter … at a clip of 8/10! Are users following companies on Twitter just to get deals?

4 – The average number of tweets per hour is around 1.3 million. How quickly are yours running through the feeds?

5 – 72% of marketing executives said they were planning a social media strategy in 2010. How many will actually be strategic?

6 – 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States. Are you a multinational? Regardless, you’re speaking globally.

7 – Number one reason execs use social media is “brand-building”, at 82%. Sounds great, but how many are using different definitions?

8 – Foursquare is nearing 16 million check-ins. When are small businesses going to seize this opportunity?

9 – 47% of baby boomers maintain a user profile on at least one social network. You know who isn’t bothered by your parents stalking you on Facebook? Businesses.

10 – 42% of social media users check their email 4 or more times a day, compared to 27% of those who aren’t active on social media. You didn’t declare email dead already, did you?

Reflect on these questions while you daydream this afternoon. Happy Friday!

The Obligatory Year End Review

8
December
2009

Santa’s not the only one making lists.

Stefanie Berliant
Client Services Manager

It’s the end of the year and you know what that means: Top ten lists and year in reviews!  What’s more is that we have survived the first decade of Y2K!  Most of the top 10 lists include new developments in technologies, and the people that created them, including Twitter, Google, Facebook, DVR, and Wii.  Whether you love or hate these advances, they have made a significant impact in our lives in 2009. Categories got as specific as top 10 YouTube videos and best Tweets of 2009.  Our nation has clearly accepted social networking and microblogging as part of mainstream life. Additionally all the major search engines have released their top 10 searches for 2009.  The topics that had people talking (and searching) include Michael Jackson, swine flu, Twilight, Lady Gaga, and cash for clunkers.  As I scroll through these lists and reflect on this year, I find myself intrigued on what the nation has picked as significant events/people/technologies and can’t wait to see how thoughts change next year.

Check out the lists below to see what made the cut!