The document outlines recommendations from a consulting team for improving the social media strategy of Ohio University Athletics' men's and women's basketball programs. Key recommendations include: 1) Producing non-game day content on social media, such as player takeovers and throwback posts; 2) Increasing presence on Snapchat with a weekly timeline of content; and 3) Promoting platforms across social media using a uniform hashtag and cross-posting content. The team also recommends expanding the digital street team by offering practicum credit to students to increase accountability and engagement with social media responsibilities.

1. Presented By:
Mac Bosel | Brad Hosmer | Connor McCurley | Anthony Pipia
2016 Ohio University Athletics
Street Team Consulting Project

3. Intro
SWOT
Analysis
Comparisons Recommendations
Executive Summary
As consultants for Ohio University Media Relations and the Digital Street
Team, the team has been tasked with outlining a successful campaign for the
2016-17 season for the Men’s and Women’s Basketball team. The plan the
team has developed allows the media relations to run this program on a zero
cost budget and provide students with incentives.
In order to see what schools run a successful social media campaign, the team
analyzed the Mountain West and Mid American (MAC) conferences. The
Mountain West represents a similar conference to the MAC. From research,
the OU Street Team did a great job of working the inaugural campaign for the
2015 football season. Other schools such as Toledo, Northern Illinois, Boise
State and Fresno State were very popular on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
in their respective conferences. Of the trends amongst these schools, popular
posts include team success in postseason play, past and player coach
achievements and interesting facts about current players.
A first recommendation the team has is to produce non game day material on
social media. Fans do not get the opportunity to see what goes on non game
days. Various ways that the team could do this is have player takeovers so fans
can see what the off days are like and even have posts remembering the five
year anniversary of the Men’s Basketball team’s Sweet 16 run.
The second recommendation for the Digital Street Team was to have more of
a presence on Snapchat. From analyzing the inaugural campaign, the team
was very good at promoting on Facebook and Twitter but did not have much
of a Snapchat following. Snapchat will be a great way to show behind the
scenes action to fans who cannot attend the game.
The next recommendation the team has is to promote platforms across
multiple platforms. The team feels that the university needs a uniform hash
tag. #BleedGreen is a suggestion to have a common hash tag. A cross
promotion could be as simple as posting the Snapchat code on Instagram.
A final recommendation the team has developed is to expand the Street Team
by offering practicum credit for students looking to get a taste at what the
Ohio University Street Team is all about. Since students will be getting credit
for working with the street team, they will be held accountable and won’t
drop their responsibilities with the street team.

4. SWOT
Analysis
Comparisons Recommendations
Table of Contents
SWOT 1
Competitive Analysis 2
Recommendations 4
Non Game Day Material 4
Snapchat 5
Cross Platform Promotion 5
Digital Street Team 6
Appendices 7

5. 1Intro
SWOT
Analysis
Competitive
Analysis
Recommendations
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
• Game day coverage
• Live game tweets
• Strong Twitter and
Facebook presence
Weaknesses
• Non-game day
coverage
• Failure to cross
promote
• Inconsistent use of
hashtags
Opportunities
• Weekly Snapchat
timeline
• Social Media link to
ESPN3
• Sponsorship
• Student-Athlete
takeover
Threats
• Producing same
material over many
accounts
• Losing fans/same
content each week
The Ohio University Digital Street Team ran its inaugural campaign during the
2015 football season. Comprised of three graduate students and two
undergraduate students, the team worked strictly game days. The two
undergraduates eventually left the Digital Street Team toward the of the
season. The task was to promote the football team and showcase fans
supporting their Bobcats. Our team has been tasked with creating a similar
plan for the 2016-17 Men’s and Women’s Basketball season.
After analyzing the inaugural Football Digital Street Team, the team was able
to break down the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of their
social media efforts. The Digital Street Team used social media outlets such as
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat to target fans and engage them
with Ohio University Athletics.
(See Appendix A for further SWOT Analysis)

6. SWOT
Analysis
Comparisons RecommendationsIntro
SWOT
Analysis
Recommendations ConclusionCompetitive
Analysis
Competitive Analysis
Boise State Fresno State Toledo
Northern
Illinois
• Fan voting
• Fan giveaways
• Ticket price/seat
graphics
• Former players
• User Generated
Content (UGC)
• Holiday posts
• Showcasing
personal lives of
athletes
• Awards and
accomplishments
• Recent/current
coaches and
athletes
• Fan contests
• User Generated
Content
• Showcasing new
uniforms/facilities
• Player stats and
awards
• Sponsorship
promotion
• Highlights and box
scores
• Hype videos
• Articles/links
• Funny
pictures/videos
• Promotion of
upcoming off field
events
• Raffle items
• Meet the coaches
The team analyzed all 12 teams in both the MAC and Mountain West
Conferences. The team chose the Mountain West based on similarities in size
and prestige in their athletic programs. The schools below showed the most
consistency at the top of their respective conferences in regards to their
engagement with fans on their social media platforms (see Appendix B).
Listed above are examples of tactics that the researched schools used to
generate fan engagement over their social media platforms. One can see by
viewing these platforms, the successful interaction between the athletic
programs and their followers.
Boise State used their social media platforms to showcase different seating
areas and their respective views of the stadium. By posting photos and videos
generated by fans, Fresno State was able to connect with their followers on a
individual level, something many schools struggle to achieve. Toledo used
hype videos to create excitement among their followers for upcoming games.
Northern Illinois’ coaching staff made themselves available to meet and greet
with fans in unique areas such as the trophy room through social media to
connect with them on a personal level. All of these schools used unique
techniques on their social media platforms to create excitement and generate
engagement with their fans and followers, proving why they are at the top of
their conferences when it comes to social media interaction.
2

7. Intro
SWOT
Analysis
Recommendations 3Competitive
Analysis
Competitive Analysis
2.7k likes – Alumni Paul George on cover of 2K – Fresno State
8.6k likes – Alumni players winning Super Bowl – Boise State
869 likes – Happy Holidays post – Toledo
1.6k likes – 6 straight MAC West titles – Northern Illinois
106 interactions – Basketball coach attempts to break Guinness
World Record – Fresno State
1,134 interactions – Football player drafted by the Ravens – Boise
State
129 interactions – Former baseball player being called up to MLB –
Toledo
110 interactions – Current baseball player earning All-League
Honors – Northern Illinois
1,224 likes – Student Athletes being named Bulldogs of the Year –
Fresno State
1,608 likes – Spring Game Announcement – Boise State
761 likes – Head Football Coach first victory – Toledo
485 likes – Game statistics for running back – Northern Illinois
After analyzing the top two
schools on social media from
the MAC and Mountain West
conferences, the team
discovered several popular
trends from each teams
most fan engaged posts. The
team found a correlation in
the success of each team’s
social media activity with the
team’s former and current
player’s successes.
Popular Social Media Trends

8. Non Game Day Material
SWOT
Analysis
Comparisons RecommendationsIntro
SWOT
Analysis
Recommendations ConclusionCompetitive
Analysis
Recommendations
4
The team recommends a few ways to add additional impressions during the
non game days. First off, this year marks the five year anniversary of the
Men’s basketball team making the Sweet 16. At a school the size of Ohio
University, this is an accomplishment that is very rare and should be
celebrated. During the off days of the basketball season, throwback
Thursday posts and different posts throughout the year should be used to
remember this accomplishment (as seen in the example picture below). For
more examples see Appendix C.
Additionally, based off the trends
the team examined in the
competitor analysis, notable
individual and team awards should
be targeted when posting to social
media.
Example Posts:
• Antonio Campbell All-American
Honorable Mention
• Antonio Campbell MAC Player
of the Year
• Jaaron Simmons top five in
NCAA in assists
This will give the fans a better
awareness of how the players are
performing and who they should
look out for during the games.

9. Intro
SWOT
Analysis
Recommendations 5Competitive
Analysis
Recommendations
Snapchat
The team has advised Ohio’s Digital Street Team to expand their presence on
Snapchat. To expand their presence, the Digital Street Team would need to post
on Snapchat everyday, not just on game days. One way to organize content and
timing of the Digital Street Team posts, would be to create a schedule or
timeline (such as the example schedule below). The team came to this
conclusion based on the success of other colleges, such as Iowa State (see
Appendix D for more information).
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Ohio SWAG
giveaway.
Snap location
and have fans
come find.
Live look-in
from practice
session
Pre-game tour
of
Convo/locker
room
Pre-game tour
of
Convo/locker
room
#TBT Posts
about Bobcat
memories
Player take
over
Pre-game tour
of Convo/locker
room
Snaps of
Coaches
Rufus take
over
Live game
posts for
Men’s Team
Live game
posts for
Women’s
Team
Live look-in
from practice
session
Player take
over
Live game posts
for
Men’s/Women’s
Teams
Announce
winners of
SWAG
giveaway
Rufus take
over
Post game
press
conferences or
Recap
Post game
press
conferences or
Recap
Live
scrimmage
from practice
Breakdown of
upcoming
opponent
Fan giveaways
promotions
Cross Platform Promotion
• Uniform
#BleedGreen
• Promote all social
media accounts in
biography sections
with links to each
account
• Cross sharing of
content among
accounts
• Promotion of all
accounts on
giveaway items

10. SWOT
Analysis
Comparisons RecommendationsIntro
SWOT
Analysis
Recommendations ConclusionCompetitive
Analysis
Recommendations
6
The Digital Street Team
The 2016-2017 Digital Street Team for the Men’s and Women’s Basketball
programs here at Ohio University will consist of three graduate students and
three undergraduate students. These six students will each be receiving
practicum credit for their time and effort with the Digital Street Team. The
three graduate students will primarily be the leaders in this initiative, guiding
the undergraduate students through their different roles on the team. With
six students making up this team, not every member will be required to cover
each game. Each home game will consist of two graduate students and two
undergraduate students at each home game with a rotating schedule. Below is
a breakdown for the responsibilities for game days and non-game days.
Game Days
Non-Game Days
Areas and roles to be covered:
• Pregame/Warmups
• Crowd/Fan Engagement
• Live Game Activity
• Student Section
• Bench Activity
• Post Game
Areas and roles to be covered:
• Future game promotion
• Interaction with Student
Athletes
• Away game coverage from
campus
• Weekly Snap Story
• Practice coverage

11. Intro
SWOT
Analysis
Recommendations 7Competitive
Analysis
Conclusion
Appendix A: SWOT Analysis
Strengths were most common on game days the team thrived and proved
successful, coverage of the football team. The in-game tweet keeps fans not
at the game in the loop and were very well received. These strengths are good
things to build on for the future.
Weaknesses in the inaugural football campaign occurred on days where they
were not playing a game and connecting promotions of the team on different
social media outlets. This weaknesses are not big and can become a strength
of the campaign if more people are added to the campaign.
Opportunities for the Football Street Media Team to improve fan engagement
include more involvement with Snapchat, be it a weekly timeline or student-
athlete takeovers of the account, and linking the social media outlets to
ESPN3 productions to reach a broader audience. ESPN3 will help aid to
increase fan engagement even when fans aren’t around to see the Ohio play.
Fans will have the ability to stream the games and stay engaged with the
social media platform that sent them there, whether it be Twitter, Instagram,
or Facebook.
Losing engagement because of recycling content on a weekly basis and across
each media outlets were threats that hindered the success of the Street
Media Team. Another source of loss of engagement is from an inconsistent
use of hash tags, such as #BleedGreen, #BobcatNation, and #OhioBobcats.
Lastly the most threatening source of loss of engagement would be from
subpar content. After intensely analyzing the Ohio Bobcats Twitter page, the
team found that an alarming number of the posts were actually shared from
other sources of the internet.

12. SWOT
Analysis
Comparisons RecommendationsIntro
SWOT
Analysis
RecommendationsCompetitive
Analysis
Appendix B: Conference Social Media Rankings
8
Mid-American Facebook
Rankings
Mountain West Facebook
Rankings
Rank School Likes
1 Northern Illinois 27,837
2 Toledo 27,306
3 Akron 26,104
4 Ohio 25,133
5 Kent State 19,367
6 Central Michigan 16,219
7 Miami (OH) 14,295
8 Buffalo 12,968
9 Ball State 12,242
10 Bowling Green 9,858
11 Western Michigan 8,994
12 Eastern Michigan 8,309
Rank School Likes
1 Boise State 130,844
2 San Diego State 103,171
3 Wyoming 101,328
4 Fresno State 93,951
5 Nevada 80,910
6 New Mexico 76,803
7 Hawaii 65,840
8 Air Force 33,314
9 San Jose State 25,784
10 Utah State 22,843
11 Colorado State 17,870
12 UNLV 13,566

13. Intro
SWOT
Analysis
Recommendations 9Competitive
Analysis
Appendix B: Conference Social Media Rankings
Mid-American Twitter
Rankings
Mountain West Twitter
Rankings
Rank School Followers
1
New Mexico 47,300
2
Fresno State 46,300
3
Nevada 33,000
4 San Diego
State
32,300
5
UNLV 26,700
6
Wyoming 26,300
7
Boise State 24,300
8
Hawaii 17,600
9
Colorado State 17,500
10
Air Force 13,900
11
Utah State 12,500
12
San Jose State 3,410
Rank School Followers
1
Ohio 26,900
2
Ball State 16,700
3
Bowling Green 16,500
4
Northern Illinois 15,400
5
Miami (OH) 14,900
6
Kent State 12,600
7
Central Michigan 12,300
8
Buffalo 11,200
9
Toledo 10,000
10
Akron 8,847
11
Eastern Michigan 7,230
12
Western Michigan 5,246

14. SWOT
Analysis
Comparisons RecommendationsIntro
SWOT
Analysis
Recommendations ConclusionCompetitive
Analysis
Appendix B: Conference Social Media Rankings
10
Mid-American
Instagram Rankings
Mountain West
Instagram Rankings
Rank School Followers
1
Northern
Illinois
7,117
2 Bowling Green 5,488
3 Toledo 5,294
4 Ball State 4,886
5 Kent State 2,798
6 Ohio 2,714
7 Buffalo 2,522
8
Central
Michagan
2,379
9 Miami 1,869
10
Eastern
Michigan
1,803
11
Western
Michigan
1,587
12 Akron 840
Rank School Followers
1 Boise State 41,200
2 Fresno State 27,300
3 Hawaii 17,500
4 Nevada 14,500
5 San Diego State 14,000
6 New Mexico 10,200
7 Wyoming 9,035
8 Colorado State 8,130
9 UNLV 7,304
10 San Jose State 6,153
11 Utah St. 2,878
12 Air Force 1,296

15. Intro
SWOT
Analysis
Recommendations 11Competitive
Analysis
Conclusion
Appendix C: Example Social Media Posts

16. SWOT
Analysis
Comparisons RecommendationsIntro
SWOT
Analysis
Recommendations ConclusionCompetitive
Analysis
Appendix D: Iowa State Snapchat Data
12
The graph above shows how allowing athletes to take over the athletics
Snapchat account for a select day creates more viewers and in turn attracts
more followers. The team recommends Ohio implement similar strategy with
star athletes such as Antonio Campbell and Kiki Lampkins. When athletes
takes over the Snapchat during non game day, it provides entertainment for
fans that may only have interest on game days.