Major League Baseball is notorious for its long season, with each team playing 162 games over 26 arduous weeks. Ask Terry Rodgers, and he’ll tell you “it’s a grind.” And no, he’s not a professional baseball player – he’s the Social Media Manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Terry Rodgers has been and always will be a die-hard Pirates fan, which makes his job easier. He takes advantage of his background by serving up great content that he knows Pirates fans will appreciate and love. But how does he keep fan engagement and momentum high throughout a long season? Rodgers shares his top three tips with us.
Constantly think about fresh content
What do fans like or dislike? What are they hoping to see today? Every morning when he gets to work, Rodgers sifts through news articles and media posts to help him brainstorm the best content. He digs deep into the Pirates website to find stories, videos, photo galleries, and gifs to share with fans. Rodgers says this helps him push fans back to the Pirates website because it’s important to “build off your brand.” He wants fans to come to the website for everything from merchandise to news.
We made your playlist for tomorrow. And put them all in BALLPARK app: http://t.co/byZ5MPgEYd #BlackoutPNC #Buctober pic.twitter.com/WnimgtNrnc
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) October 7, 2015
They’re also not afraid to think far outside the box. For example, the Pirates recently created a playlist with song titles containing the word “black” to hype up #BlackoutPNC, a campaign to encourage fans to wear black for their first playoff game. Great marketers understand that their customers are emotionally-driven, which is why compelling, fresh content will continue to drive better engagement.
Directly involve fans in the strategy
Especially in a 365-day social media news cycle, your audience can get tired of hearing everything from just one, official voice. Mixing in fresh perspectives is a great way to give your fans reasons to keep coming back to your social media accounts.
A couple of years ago, the Pirates launched a social media campaign called “All You Can Tweet Seats,” where they invite three super-fans to “take over” the @Pirates Twitter account for a home game. They tweet about the game from their personal accounts, and Rodgers will then retweet the posts on the official team account.
Rodgers has seen a substantial increase in fan engagement since starting this campaign. He’s found that bringing in celebrities like Ian Cole (defenseman for the local NHL team Pittsburgh Penguins) also adds to the results. These super-fans are excited for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a tour of PNC Park and enjoy a game as if part of the Pirates’ social media team.
Do you have behind-the-scenes moments or “beta” programs that you can give your super-fans access to? Directly involving fans in your social media efforts not only adds a genuine and credible perspective to your feed, but also gives those fans an unforgettable experience that will keep them talking about you for years to come.
Be consistent and you will reap the results
According to Rodgers, the final and most important ingredient is consistency. As social marketers, we’re creatives that love to come up with new ideas but sometimes have a hard time keeping up our energy executing those ideas for long periods of time. He acknowledges, “It’s easy once the game starts to bombard your fans with great content. But it’s not so easy whenever there’s downtime.”
For Rodgers and his team, it’s imperative to build a steady habit or routine of execution, day in and day out. From how he dives into fresh content upon arriving to work, to how often they measure their results, the Pirates’ social media team maintains a disciplined rhythm. “Every day runs into the next, so we need to remain consistent with our content and our campaigns. Fans know what to expect, and they’ll keep coming back looking for it.” Turns out, it’s as true for social media managers as it is for the athletes who train day in and day out — consistency is unglamorous, but it’s the real driver of momentum and results.