Episode 80 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Grant Dovey of West Virginia University Athletics

Best Of... Grant Dovey
Episode 80 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast
featured Grant Dovey, Digital Media Manager for West
Virginia University Athletics
What follows are some snippets from the episode. Listen to
the full podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or at
www.DSMSports.net
@njh287; DSMSports.net

Grant's career path
Attended West Virginia and got involved right away his freshman
year with the student radio station doing sports reporting and
student newspaper as a beat writer for womens's soccer and
basketball
Majored in Broadcast News, but switched to Public Relations and
began working as a camera operator and production and PA for
WVU baseball → Got Student Assistant position or WVU
Athletics in spring of his freshman year and was primary SID for
swimming and badminton his sophomore and junior years

As a senior, Grant got promoted to be primary contact for Men's Soccer,
Baseball, and Swimming and Diving, taking on a big role as a student, a
still
After graduation, he decided to go after his Sport Management MBA at WVU,
he was hired full-time in PR and then switched to the digital media site in
Summer 2015
“When I was an undergrad, that was when social started getting big...we only
had one account...it was the overall sports (account)...and it was a big deal
when we wanted to (start) a sport account...
It's crazy how much it has evolved, but allowed me to kind of get involved in
the beginning...”

On social media and his time working as an undergrad and
GA or WVU Athletics
“I really enjoyed the SID stuff, and I still do...When I was a GA
was when we really started delving into social media...I was
able to...help with these different (social media)
initiatives...And I've always been into the websites...and,
once we decided to hire a digital person, I fit right there...”

Helpful Tool: Repost app for Instagram

On starting out in his new, dedicated digital role for WVU
Athletics
“It really started with a meeting we had with an outside
person, taking a look in and telling us what we needed to do
differently...(and they realized the needed more manpower
and resources, with just one person dedicated to website
maintenance, writing, and social/digital media)...It just
wasn't enough, so I was able to just come in and help...

“It started with the website for me...and we were in the midst of a
website re-design (while he was still covering baseball)...that
was the first task for me.”
“Content is not really an issue. We had great content on our
website. We were looking at it from a design standpoint. At
that point, everyone was going responsive (and) we weren't
sure exactly what we were going to do...We are one of the few
schools...that actually do their website (custom) in-house...It's
col that we're able to do whatever we want whenever we want
to do it...We worked with a great partner, CityNet (which has
full-time support)...'

On managing all the sports and their content and wants for the new
website
Throughout the whole process, you are having meetings every couple
of weeks...and updating them on how it looks and showing them the
development page o where it's come and where it's going...and then
you meet with the senior staff and, if they like it, it's a go, if they
don't...we tweaked a few things...
“Obviously, your most viewed pages are your home pages and your
roster page and your schedule page, so how do you make them as
user-friendly (as possible). And, with responsive design now, that
was our goal. We were able to get rid of our mobile site and now
everything is just responsive (regardless of your device)...”

On whether more programs will take their website development in-house
“I think most people will stick to where it is right now. There are things that
we get that people don't, but there are also things that (other vendors) do
that we can't do...(Grant mentions deeper integration with stats and player
profiles)...But we also have a website called WVUStats.com, that our head
statistician...made a number o years ago that has all the stats you could
ever want...We have been able to integrate that into our player profiles...
(Having our own site) is really the flexibility of doing what we want when
we want to do it, and really having a uniform look...
“The website I look at is CNN.com. If you look at CNN, sometimes it won't
look the same...and we're able to do it. Right now (on our website), so
maybe I change (our website)...if we win something, I make the whole top
of the page one whole column (for example, instead of thirds)...”

On WVU Sports social media when Grant took on his digital role
“@WVUSportsBuzz was our first Twitter account...All it was was really
retweeting other sports accounts, once the other sports finally got on
board...Once we got other sport accounts, that account disappeared,
because everyone was tweeting from their own sport accounts...About
two years ago, Nate and I stat down and said 'how can we give this
thing a little personality?'...
“(Sports Info and PR) have always worked closely with our athletic
marketing staff...and I think that's really important...Just the fact that
we've all always been able to work together, everyone is pretty much
on point with what we need to do together, and what we need to
produce (for social).”

Social media as a marketing tool v. PR tool for WVU Athletics
“I think it ha evolved a lot. It think it started out...just posting
press releases on Twitter...and do ads for that night's
game...Obviously, it has become much more of a recruiting
tool now...But we also still use it to publicize stories and to
market. You do a lot of Facebook Ads now and advertise an
upcoming soccer game on Twitter...”

Consistency of brand, message, and appearance on all WVU channels
“I think the goal was to do that, but (initially) there wasn't the
manpower...When you create these accounts, you don't think about
branding, necessarily. So one might be on Twitter WVU_Baseball and the
other on Facebook might be WVUBaseball...Now that we have the
manpower, I've been able to make all those consistent...I really think that
was an important thing, to make the brand consistent...”
“As far as the look on graphics, we hired a graphic designer about a year
before I was hired...(She) has really done a great job of getting everyone
on the same page, and we actually have a brand guide now (for fonts, size,
text look, style, etc.)...and kind of makes a brand for each particular sport,
based on that year...But they (all) have the same general look...”
(Grant talks about the value of creating a handful of templates to allow for
consistent and compelling The look and branding to all WVU social media /
digital graphics)

Determining tone and content on social media
“We've really delved deeply into the video aspect of things. We
like to put out hype videos...Our engagement is just
connecting with the fans, knowing what they;re feeling on an
emotional level...Just connecting with them and having feel on
the situation. If we're getting blown out, there's no need to act
like we're not...Just have feel (to base on) what the fans are
going to want to see...”

Balancing all the sports on WVU social media and website
“We like bringing up everyone...The goal is to bring everyone up
to the same level; we don't want one sport, maybe because
it's a smaller sport, suffering because we;re putting all our
efforts to grow that football and basketball page.”

WVU and live social media video
“We started with some Facebook Live stuff, but nothing crazy...But we've
really just wanted to get everything out on all mediums (social media and
website)...[Grant mentions interactive, live pregame shows and weekly
shows on social media for football and other sports]...
[Grant notes several WVU sports doing interactive, live social media video
sessions]
On using Periscope API → “We just love the professional look of the
video...it's not me sitting there with an iPad (but professional video and
audio)...and people just love being able to watch that however they want to
watch it...I think it's something that is only going to continue to grow [in
sports]...[Grant mentions live webcasts for several sports in HD quality, for
free, and having the ability to take that to any platform]

Balancing live video vs. produced videos, especially with limited resources
“We do a lot of live stuff, but the produced stuff obviously looks good and
sounds really good. [Grant mentions connectivity issues affecting quality
for live content]...I have a couple of student assistants that help me during
the game that will do videos during the games we can post...It's definitely
a mix between those two, and I think that's definitely the way to go.”
“We've used it so far as more of a recruiting tool. Our webcasts are
sponsored...But we've used it more strictly for marketing. There are videos
that go out that have some sponsorships attached to them (Grant
mentions a couple of lifestyle videos)...but we do a lot for the recruiting
aspect.”
[Grant also discusses the WVU-IMG relationship, as well a some limitations
on how monetization with social video works]

On using social media to help WVU Sports stand out among the
crowd
:I think when you see the flying West Virginia logo, you kind of
know what it is...So we have a really good brand and I think
we've been able to do a lot of things with that. We talked
earlier about the WVU125...just to get the recognition out there
for WVU...People see those flags and they start asking
questions and they realize it's the 125th year of WVU
football...We have tradition, people know about West Virginia.
People know about (all our alumni that made it big in pro
sports)...[Grant also mentions on-field success helping to
continue to augment brand recognition and awareness]

Being innovative and trying new thing in social media
[Grant mentions working closely with reps from Facebook and
Twitter]
“I am all about trying new things. If they have something new
they want to throw our way, I am all about it...[Grant mentions
working with Twitter lat year during the NCAA Basketball
Tournament for inside access and content with the
team]...Just continuing to try anything new is what we're
down for.”

Working with the coaches to drive social media content, access, and
innovation
“I think it's all about trust and, if you don't have trust, obviously they're
not going to let around...I think the coaches know what we're there to
do, and that's to help grow their brands, so they're extremely visible to
not only the fan base, but to recruits...[Grant also note collaboration
with the football video team to content when Grant can't be there every
day]...”
“And I get it, as well. Sometimes,. I'm a new face to the players, but the
(football) video coordinator is not a new face. And we've definitely
gotten some great stuff from them. [Grant notes a great tunnel
video]...It's just great having those relationships with those people that
can help us.”

How Grant keeps up with social media and tech evolution
“I'm very into what other schools are doing, just really to stay on
top of the game. Whether it be different social media platforms
or equipment...I like to communicate with others to see what
successes and failures they've had on different mediums.
Maybe something that's a success for us might be failure for
someone else, or vice-versa. My superiors have been
unbelievable in helping grow this thing..and we've made some
serious investments in cameras and gear to become one of
the best in intercollegiate athletics.”

Share-able Stat: In 2000, the average attention span was 16
seconds. Now, in 2016, it is just 12 seconds!

Grant's favorite West Virginia or Mountaineers tradition
“Country Roads is played after every event at West Virginia and
there is nothing better than the team singing along with the
crowd after a big win. Nobody leaves until that song is finished
playing. It's a great tradition.”

The best pro sports team on social media and why
“I'm a Philly guy, so I'd love to say the Philadelphia Eagles, and I do
think they're one of the top in the NFL right now. But, overall, I'd
have to go with the Chicago Cubs. They just have a great feel for
what's relevant and they've just continued to do wonderful
things...”

Grant's most memorable game in his time at West Virginia
“My favorite was actually the only game I've gone to as a fan, since
I've been at West Virginia. And that was when we beat Clemson
70-33 in the 2011 Orange Bowl. Another one was when we beat
Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007, 48-28. Nobody expected us
to win either game, and the Mountaineers came to play.
Unfortunately, though, my most memorable game is a 13-9 home
loss to Pitt. Final game of the 2007 season, (a win) would've sent
us to the national championship game against Ohio State, and I
will never forget December 1, 2007.

The one thing people don't know, but should, about the state of West Virginia
“West Virginia is probably one of the most beautiful places in the country,
with its scenery. But, more importantly, it's home to a hard-working, proud
community. The people are what makes the state so special, and
everybody is always pulling for the Mountaineers, which is great.
Throughout the state, we have some of the most media coverage. Our
press box is full because everyone cares about how the Mountaineers
perform on Saturday or how they perform in a basketball game, any given
night...
“Coach Huggins always told a story during the Final Four run a few years ago
about how they were piping the feed of the game down into the coal
mines. So when you think of that, it's just a special place.”

Grant's favorite digital or social media tool and why
“I'm kind of torn between the Facebook publishing tools and the
relatively new Twitter Studio. They've just made it so easy to
schedule posts, view analytics, and post video, and I use them
constantly.”

Grant's #1 tip for an effective digital and social media presence in
college athletics
“My whole thing is about having feel, and use what will resonate
with your fan base. Just because an idea or a campaign isn't
working at another school, (it) does not mean it will not succeed
at your institution. So just really have some feel on what the fan
base is feeling emotionally, and I think if you do that, you're
really going to succeed...”

The West Virginia student athlete that we'll most likely see make it big in their
sport
“The first is wide receiver Shelton Gibson...The dude just knows how to get
up and get the ball...He personally reminds me of DeSean Jackson, when
he first entered the league, with his ability to just toast defenders and get
up and get it.
“The other one Kadeisha Buchanan of the women's soccer team. She's
already an international superstar, having won a bronze medal with
Canada this past summer. She's a senior who was named the 2015 FIFA
Women's World Cup best young player. When her career is done here,
she'll be a four-time All-American and will likely be the four-time Big 13
Defender of the Year. So she ha some pretty crazy credentials; just an
unreal athlete.”

What was it like covering (Olympic gold medalist in rifle) Ginny
Thrasher, a WVU Student Athlete, during these past Olympics and
after?
“We obviously knew with her personality that she was going to
succeed...And obviously being the first person to win a gold medal
at the Olympics was pretty special...She is a hard person not to like,
and us a wonderful ambassador for WVU...

“I was actually fortunate enough to hang out with her, her first day
back in Morgantown. We followed her around all day with a camera
and had her mic'd up. And I also flew down to the West Virginia
State Fair with her. And accompanied her to the White House, where
she got to meet President Obama, along with the rest of the
Olympians and Paralympians from the United States...
“The coolest thing for me was going to the hotel before they all took
buses over to the White House and just seeing hundreds and
hundreds of Olympians, the best athletes in the world, just sitting
there on a hotel floor waiting for those buses to take them to the
White House.”

The best food to get on or around the West Virginia campus
“We have some pretty good local breweries. My personal favorite is a
place called Mountain State Brewing Company – great pizza, great
beer...”

The West Virginia sport that has the best chance to win a title in 2016-
17 (besides the football team)
“Other than the 18-time national champion rifle team, (head coach)
Nikki Izzo-Brown's women's soccer team has made the NCAA
Tournament 16 straight years and they're on their way to winning
their fifth straight Big 12 championship. They're currently ranked #1
in the country and hopefully they continue to ride that success, and
have home field advantage throughout the NCAA Tournament this
year, and it will be great to follow them in the postseason.”

Grant' Social Media All-Star to Follow
Jason Matheson (@JasonRMatheson) and his company Skull Sparks
→ “Jason is a great guy and pretty much invented digital media in
collegiate athletics when he was at Oklahoma. He was the leader,
the first guy to do it, and had much success with the Sooners,
Miami, and Auburn. He's now doing consulting, but really stays on
the beat and does a great job aggregating the best content from
around the country. He has some Pinterest boards separated into
categories, and whenever you're in a funk looking for some design
ideas, that is where you go.”

Where to find Grant and WVU Athletics on digital / social media
Grant is @GrantDovey on Twitter
@WVUSports on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and all the individual
sports accounts with uniform branding and nomenclature

Thanks so much to Grant for sharing his time, knowledge,
experience, and expertise with the Digital and Social Media
Sports podcast!
Listen to the podcast and find more episodes and content on
iTunes and at www.DSMSports.net.
You can also follow me on Twitter @njh287

Episode 80 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Grant Dovey of West Virginia University Athletics

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Episode 80 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Grant Dovey of West Virginia University Athletics