The NFL is Making Millions in “Extra” Sponsorships with Twitter Amplify
Via @adweek. The term “extra” sponsorship is present here, but doesn’t this demonstrate a shift in what a sponsorship destination Twitter has already become?
At this point, there is no other app or platform that can compete with Twitter for a second screen strategy.
One of the most common questions I’m asked is, “So, how are we doing?”. They’re asking about their social media efforts. I always reply with the same response, “I don’t know, what are you trying to do?”
Then they blink at me.
It used to be enough just to be active in social media, To have a Facebook page and Twitter following and watch those numbers grow. Then innovative organizations started dabbling in Instagram, or Pinterest, or Google Plus. I remember when G+ came out and I saw a number of sports teams launch a presence there – mostly just because they could.
There’s only really two platforms that don’t require an explanation for use in Facebook and Twitter. They are pervasive and have a reach beyond the platforms themselves (both are frequently discussed in other forms of media). No one’s gonna call you out for using them. But that’s where my point is stemming from…
Why are you using any social platform? What kind of content are you posting and to what end? Do you have an app – why? Do you sponsor an app – why?
Objectives first, assets second. Objectives should be tied to an over-arching marketing plan. There’s often a rush for Business Development teams to sell, for sponsors to be in the mix, for PR companies to commit the client’s budget – but to what end?
When you start with identifying objectives the rest of the path can become clear, as long as you know what each platform can do for you – but that’s a deeper dive…
Many teams struggle with selling social media assets. In my opinion there are 2 reasons why:
A few years ago, I was a fairly lone voice in my position on selling social media assets to corporate sponsors.
Today, digital assets are premium buys and social remains the most dynamic property available. Trouble is, many teams are challenged in selling it (it’s a solution sell, not a transactional sale) and some sponsors think they need it but don’t know what to do or why.
One challenge that holds up sales teams is the classic QUOTA. The development or standardization of social assets means that quotas will go up, and sales manager/director targets go up in turn. This is a cultural issue – teams continually are looking for revenue stream development, yet some stand in the way of adopting this category of digital inventory. Broader thinking is required here…
The other problem is rooted in skill.
I mentioned that social is a solution sell – one that takes a different set of skills and discovery questioning. Often, sponsors need some guidance here to develop a social strategy for the deal. In this way, many web/technical resources have become “sales engineers” of a sort – as they better understand the platforms involved – and can lend good skill sets to these sales conversations.
Since some sellers struggle with how to sell social assets – here’s a list of questions to use in your own sales process to help uncover deals with social media activations:
What we’re trying to avoid here is “Do you want to buy some Facebook updates and Twitter posts? They are $X each – how many would you like?”. These are simply conversation starters to get your partners talking – there are endless ways to structure a promotion, but you need to start somewhere.
Here are some other tips:
One last thing… both problems – Cultural and Skill – are very solvable for organizations looking to uncover the dollar. I can help with both.
Yesterday, Facebook announced that users can tag Pages in Facebook photos. This is kind of a big deal and can provide a profound effect on sponsor activations in the social space.
The first impact falls on your sports brand as fans can now tag your Page in their photos. Consider fans’ photos wearing team jerseys/apparel, or photos in your arena… the ability to tag your team Page layers a new level of visibility and engagement.
The second impact falls on your sponsors. Activations can now involve your Page tagging a sponsor’s Page in a photo – situations like this provide:
Up to now, most sponsored activity on Facebook has been located in status updates or tabs. Photo tagging presents a new opportunity to include images as an important asset to include in your social media kit.
One of the big challenges that teams are facing when selling social media sponsorships is dollar visibility.
The rapid rise of activations in the social space has teams building deals/packages with social elements, but without a breakdown how these items are priced out. Now, that’s a good problem to have – but teams need to be careful as they are setting standards and precedents on how their social inventory is valued and priced.
Some teams have hundreds of thousands of fans/followers – this is a premium buy for a sponsor and should not be treated as a value add activation. Innovative sponsorships look to position the social element at the core of the deal and then build in value adds around it. If you are suddenly “throwing in” custom tabs and contests on Facebook, you run the risk of having to justify any increase in this area down the line. Teams need to be aware of how social sponsorships can factor in renewals, and how this is positioned against new business.
Beyond that – social $ spend is a number that teams need to be tracking. If their in-house/CRM systems are not set up to track it, then there needs to be some sort of excel sheet that accounts for what % of deals or entire social deals that are being quoted and sold to your corporate partners.
I was invited to speak at the Wild‘s Corporate Partner Summit this week on the topic of social media. The event was held in the Xcel Energy Center and used the scoreboard as the presentation screen – which was a cool idea.
My topics ranged from:
The attendees were the Wild’s corporate sponsors – which is a great value add that the team provides it’s partners. Other presenters included Tom Reutter of Scarborough Research who presented some great data on Wild fans and social media, and Dewayne Hankins / Michael Brinkman of the Wild’s internal DIG group (Digital Interactive Group) who presented on the Wild’s social presence, successful promotions and future direction.
Thanks also to Anna Johnson and Kathleen Borschke of the Wild’s Corporate Services team for all their work in preparing for the event.
True to social media form – some attendees were tweeting during my presentation – which I think is an effective way to measure engagement:
A corporate partner summit is a good way to offer value for any team – and it’s great to have the opportunity to see what your audience is picking up on. As I have mentioned many times, along with many other voices in the social space – one of social media’s key benefits is the opportunity to listen.
Facebook launched some potent new tools yesterday and I will start to break down what it means for sports marketers…
You may have heard/seen that recently Facebook changed the term “Fans” from its Pages to simply, “Like”. So now, your Page doesn’t have fans, but people who like it (too bad – “Fans” was a perfect fit for sports teams). Now, the idea of “Like”ing something gets a whole lot more engaged.
Social Plugins
If you are familiar with Facebook, the ability to “Like” something is not new. But through the use of social plugins – check them out here – the “Like” button can show up anywhere, on any website – even your own.
Here’s an example from NHL.com with Alex Ovechkin.
What this means is that now, Facebook can be pretty much anywhere. The web is increasingly semantic and social. Furthermore, “Like”s can dynamically alter a Facebook users profile, and the act of “Like”ing something can create a long-term communication between the user and NHL.com. Whenever there is an update on Ovechkin from NHL.com, the “Like” will update the user on the Facebook platform. Pretty neat stuff.
Ok – Now What?
So now that you have an idea of what technology is in place – here’s what to start doing with it.
I will be thinking/blogging more about the last bullet – in the meantime, more to come on Facebook’s new tools and how to best put them to use.
If you have some ideas or some other great examples/models to look at, please leave a comment and let us all know…
Where is the ROI from social media? From a sports marketing perspective – here is where you find the money:
7 tips to get your social media strategy integrated into your marketing mix and draw an ROI as well.
Have you tried any of these?
As sales teams look to incorporate social media space into their inventory, I think its time to focus for a minute on Linkedin.
Many people call Linkedin the “Facebook for business”. I’m not 100% in agreement with that statement, but Linkedin certainly is a powerful and important social network. Personally, Linkedin has been vital in my own experience having been the stating point for projects, clients and even full time jobs. I consider being on Linkedin a must.
As sports sales teams are out there looking to increase their sponsor business – and for many accounts, this means the incorporation of social spaces, I think it makes sense for sales departments and marketing teams to spend some time ensuring their presence on Linkedin is strong.
Here’s how:
If you are selling the social space, you need to be on Linkedin. It just makes sense.
More about using Linkedin as a business development tool by clicking here.
2010 will be the year that social media earns its rightful place along side other traditional marketing media. Many teams have managed to grow a toe hold into a solid foot in the door and with that comes the inevitable ROI question.
If you are looking to layer social media as part of your sponsorship inventory, here are a few ideas/tips on how to get started:
1. Profile Your Base
If you have 100 or so brands that you work with, you should start by profiling your account base. By that, I mean to map out commonalities in the industries (retail, beverage, financial, etc…) and get a picture of what kinds of businesses you are working with. Finding similarities can provide the path of common strategies and approaches to speak the language of your customer. Profiling your base will give you a deeper understanding of what you have to work with.
2. Build a Social Media Matrix
Take those 100 brands and determine which ones are already active in social media. Do they have a Facebook Page or a Twitter feed? Are they active in this space? This is your “A” list.
The next group would be the “me too” brands that are emerging social media marketers. Small followers and small fans, less than consistent content and engagement. This is your “B” list.
The remaining group of brands are your “C” list – brands that are not yet active in social media or not interested.
3. Engage Your “A” List
Time to become a fan and follow your “A” list. You might consider building an alias profile to do this. The idea here is to understand how the brand operates within these platforms and get a real feeling for what the brand is about and how their social media strategy is playing out. Spend a bit of time on this as the information and insight you gain will be very valuable down the road when it is time to talk about alignment.
By alignment, I mean that you will be looking for brands that would be interested to partner with/leverage the online brand that your team represents in the same social media spaces.
4. Collaborate with Your “A” List
Request to meet with your partners to discuss their social media strategies. Find out what their goals are – what their challenges are – what their successes have been. Successful social media sponsorships are built collaboratively with the sponsor and are unique and custom in their approach. Creative teams, web teams and marketing teams need to be in communication to pull ideas together into promotions and campaigns. It’s all about working together, not about just another piece of inventory to sell.
5. Farm the “B” List
Meanwhile, your “B” list may see the opportunity to work with you as a chance to establish their social media presence. Keep going back to this group who may consider you a thought leader and look to find ways to leverage your presence and market. Your “B”s want to be here, and they see you as being in a position to help them. Stay close to them, but spend your time preaching to the converted with your “A” list.
6. Wait for the “C” List to Catch Up
Sponsorship sales can be difficult enough – you shouldn’t be spending your time and energy educating on social media benefits and strategies. These brands will catch up if they feel the need or simply continue on with current marketing efforts outside of the social media sphere. This isn’t a criticism, just the highest and best way to spend your time when social space sales are on the table.
I hope this gives you some ideas and plans on how to approach your base. Remember these are not off the shelf deals – this is not about dropping a link into your Twitter stream or posting a sponsored status update. There is a great deal more at stake in the social space for teams, brands and fans – engagement and collaboration is the key and there must be something in it for everyone.
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