Are you ready for some football? You may not even need to turn on the TV; the NFL has you covered on Twitter and Facebook along with your respective 4.5 million and 7.1 million friends.
For many companies, their social media is driven by a team of brand experts but the NFL relies on a one-man show to get the job done. Duane Munn is the NFL’s social media manager and oversees all the accounts for the NFL and the league’s broadcast arm, NFL Network.
Many companies chose to be on a schedule when delivering their social media updates; creating a set schedule that they plan and adhere to. However, Munn remains connected to his phone and e-mail 24/7, preferring to post information in real-time.
He reveals that, “There are certainly times when it is appropriate to schedule tweets, but we prefer to pay attention to trending topics and use intelligent measures to make sure each post gets traction.” If NFL likes to provide their fan-based with real-time data, how they decide when to post and how frequently?
The NFL utilizes Adobe Social to ensure they are scoring social media touchdowns with their followers and fans. Adobe’s platform allows Munn to access real-time analytics and provides him with trending information throughout the various platforms.
According to Adobe, Munn uses Adobe Social to, “Monitor online trending players, keywords, and buzz; track sentiment; identify key content creators and sources online to join the conversation; and harness rich real-time data about consumer preferences and behaviors to run a data-driven social program that truly engages their fans.” Once Munn can see what conversations are taking off, he can join in online.
Adobe Social is a relatively new product that was introduced by Adobe in 2012. It allows the user to integrate with Flickr, Foursquare and Instagram, Facebook, Google+, Reddit, Tumblr, Twitter and other channels into one platform, Adobe Social.
However, one of its more interesting features is its real-time analytics. For example, it can help you figure out what the best time of day to tweet and who your most influential followers are. Adobe Social gives users the analysis so that its users can determine which articles and interactions have the greatest impact with their audience.
Aseem Chandra, Adobe’s VP of product marketing, told Mashable in an interview. “We see a lot of focus on vanity metrics like ‘likes,’ shares and the number of followers, but how do you translate that back to the actual revenue the campaign will grow?”
Lessons Learned
Finding a tool that can help you connect with followers and fans at the right time and on the right platform is invaluable. It allows for a deeper level of engagement that you would not get with sticking to a regimented schedule.
Website References
1. How the NFL Is Running a Social Media Empire
3. Touchdown! How the NFL is Using Adobe Social To Power A Successful Social Media Offense
4. Adobe Social Solution Overview
Submitted by: Jaimie Short, University of Waterloo, SMBP student. To contact the author of this post, email aspenvale@gmail.com.
If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Program Director, Social Media for Business Performance.