April 17, 2012

Wake Forest AthleticsAction Learning Project #2

Creative Solutions: Social Media

By Team 17: Patrick Borders, James Cain, Lauren Cooper, Victoria Osborne,

Will Turner

Agenda

Executive Summary Main Objectives Background Methodology Key Findings Conclusion

Executive Summary

• Fan engagement on social media sites has been stagnant

Problem

• Create a social media strategy to improve and integrate WFU Athletics’ social media

Vision• Enjoy an improved Facebook

page and improved presence with fast-growing social media sites

Result

Main Objectives

Develop an all-encompassing social media strategy for Wake Forest Athletics

Discover new, fast-growing sites and encourage WFU Athletics to join them

Have the best social media pages in the ACC and NCAA

Background

Marketing Challenges Changing from traditional

marketing to nontraditional

Maintaining product loyalty despite decreased product quality

The competition has better social media presence

Importance of Social Media Facebook pages are

primary for many teams

The majority of your market can be reached through social media

The mission of the Wake Forest Athletics Department is to optimize the fan and student athlete experience and to sell

tickets.

Methodology

Primary and

secondary research

Advertising and social media

experts• Mike Fox, The

Mullingar Group• Kathleen Hessert,

BuzzManager

Social media best practices

Key Findings – Wake Forest* Posts with photos vs. without photos 54% of fans "Talking About This" are

women 33% of people reached were 18-24

*all findings taken from Facebook Insights

Facebook Insights Changes from March to April

Facebook Profile – Before

Facebook Profile – After

Key Findings – Social Media

Importance of Video

“One Voice”

5 Hours a Week

Fans Seeking “Unique

Experience”

Engagement Requires

More than “likes”

Key Findings – Social MediaPinterest's Rapid Growth – 2073%

http://yourstory.in/2012/04/pinterest-for-your-interest/

What the Competition is Doing

Increasing engagemen

t through posts

Cleaner, more

professional-looking pages

Attracting more fans

Why the Competition Matters

Innovation Wake Forest strives to

be a leader in social media

Must have an appealing, crisp page

Better pages = more visitors = more revenue

Recruitment Athletic departments

use social media sites to attract prospective athletes

ConclusionShort-Term Recommendations:

All posts should elicit a response—a comment, "like" or “share” ask questions hold contests post unique pictures and videos

Update cover photo relevant to appropriate sports season

Conclusion Integrate social media sites to create a user-

friendly ecosystem

Join Pinterest

Adopt "one voice" to increase authenticity and transparency

Appoint a head of social media

ConclusionLong-Term Recommendations:

Invest in smartphone and/or tablet constant, immediate responses and updates

Implement survey on Facebook to find fans’ social media preferences

Expand Data Collection to Twitter and Pinterest look for long term trends in fan engagement

Questions?