Is your social media team ready for its one shining moment – well, hopefully more? It’s that time of year when those of us with dual monitors have one dedicated to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and one we work on.
It’s also the time of year when we should all take a look at our social media strategies to evaluate what’s going well, and what we can change to give our client a slam dunk.
We’ve compiled a list of social media tips to get you in shape for March Madness:
Fill Out Your Bracket, AKA, Bracketology
Not everyone who fills out a March Madness bracket has been following college basketball throughout the season. That means they have a very different strategy for filling out a bracket. Strategies vary from picking the team playing against an ex’s favorite team to the best mascot, to the most colorful or prettiest uniform. Either way, the strategy is everything, and it’s the same for social media. Choose which social media platforms work best for the client or brand. Decide on tone. Is it funny, sarcastic, serious, a mix of all of the above? These things should be decided prior to posting to have the most impact.
Run the Play
Once you have a social media strategy in place, it’s time to get moving. Keep in mind, not every social media channel needs to have the same content every day, in fact, they shouldn’t. Just like a point guard can’t do the job of a forward, don’t try to make Instagram do the job of Twitter or Facebook. Everyone on the basketball team has a job, just like every social media platform has a different purpose and a slightly different audience.
Now, that doesn’t mean to post randomly. The social media channels should all be consistent and on brand. The point guard may be doing something different than the wing, but they are all working towards a common goal, and playing for the same team. Social channels should work together to deliver key messages to the audience.
Team Huddle
Take a time out to evaluate your social media strategy. During a campaign, it’s a good idea to take a step back to see how it’s performing. If it’s doing well, great. If not, it may be time to switch from man-to-man defense to zone, and by that we mean adjust the strategy.
Be the Cinderella Story
The Cinderella team is the 15 seed that beats the number two seed in the first round. The team that against all odds, won and made it to the second round. It’s the team that no one has really heard of but cheers for anyways because they are the underdog.
Obviously, not every brand is an underdog, but that doesn’t mean we can’t tell their stories and tell them well. Social media is a great outlet to share a brand’s story. Some easy ways include participating in #ThrowbackThrusdays, spotlighting products or team members (if the product is service), and general brand awareness.
Post-Game Huddle
After every campaign, debrief with what went well and what you could have done better to win the next game. Teams watch game film, both their own games as well as future competitors. Look at what you have done in the past, as well as competitor social media channels for inspiration. This will help you plan your next campaign and hopefully, you will enter a winning streak for years to come.
Follow these tips and maybe your team will be the one with the trophy at the end of the day.
About Scooter Media
If you’re a PR pro looking for more advice, don’t miss our “5 Lessons PR Pros Can Learn from Baseball Season,” “Three Tips for Reaching Trade Publications in 2019,” or “Harnessing the Power of Digital Word-of-Mouth Through Review Sites.”
