With sports cancelled, now is THE time for Athletic Directors to refine and elevate their department's social media strategy. Go through this deck to learn must-have basics. If you're interested in learning more or in a consulting relationship, send me a message! Or you can email info@thesocialmediacoach.net.

1. SOCIAL MEDIA
STRATEGY FOR
COLLEGE ATHLETIC
DIRECTORS
T H E S O C I A L M E D I A C O A C H . N E T
M A S O N W A T E R S

2. SOCIAL MEDIA IS CENTRAL TO
OUR DAILY LIVES.
EVERYTIME YOUR ATHLETIC
DEPARTMENT OR TEAM MAKES A
POST, IT IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO
GAIN A FAN, A BOOSTER, A
TICKET SALE, A RECRUIT, OR
PEAK INTEREST WITHIN YOUR
COMMUNITY.

3. DURING THIS TIME WHERE SO MANY
SPORTS ARE CANCELLED, NOW IS A
GREAT TIME TO REFINE AND
IMPROVE YOUR DEPARTMENT'S
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY.
IN THIS DECK, I AM SHARING IDEAS
AND TACTICS ATHELTIC DIRECTORS
MUST HAVE TO TAKE THEIR SOCIAL
MEDIA TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

4. THIS IS CURRENTLY WRITTEN FOR
ATHLETIC DIRECTORS
BUT ALL THESE TIPS APPLY TO
COLLEGE COACHES
AND
SPORTS INFO
DIRECTORS

5. TICKET SALES
FUNDRAISING
RECRUITING
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
FAN SUPPORT
BOOSTER ACTIVITY
ALUMNI SUPPORT
YOUR BRAND
WHAT DOES SOCIAL
MEDIA ENHANCE?
... AND MORE

6. EVERY GREAT COACH HAS A PHILOSOPHY.
GREAT BRANDS HAVE ONE TOO. YOUR
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT CAN BECOME A
GREAT BRAND WITH A GREAT PHILOSOPHY.
LET'S LOOK AT 5 PILLARS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
PHILOSOPHY THAT CAN HELP ACHIEVE THAT.
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PHILOSOPHY

7. CONTENT
ENGAGEMENT
DISTRIBUTION
COLLABORATION
SYSTEM
THE BIG 5
E V E R Y A T H L E T I C
D E P A R T M E N T N E E D S
T O M A S T E R T H E S E 5
K E Y A R E A S O F
S O C I A L S T R A T E G Y

8. CONTENT IS THE STUFF YOU
POST. IT CAN BE...
CONTENT
AUDIO (PODCAST)
WRITTEN (A BLOG)
VIDEO (UM, VIDEO?)

9. YOU CAN ALSO TAKE A VIDEO AND
TRANSCRIBE IT INTO A BLOG AND A
PODCAST. THIS MAKES YOUR CONTENT
PRODUCTION EFFICIENT.
VIDEO
TURNS INTO...
A BLOG A
PODCAST

10. " N O T A L L C O N T E N T I S C R E A T E D E Q U A L ! "
T H E B E S T C O N T E N T A D D S V A L U E T O Y O U R
A U D I E N C E . W H E T H E R T H A T B E I N T H E
F O R M O F E N T E R T A I N M E N T , T I P S ,
R E S O U R C E S , U P D A T E S , A S T O R Y , O R
W H A T E V E R !

11. MAKING VIDEOS, PHOTOS, BLOGS, AND MORE IS TIME
CONSUMING.
AND YOU'RE PROBABLY WONDERING... WHO IS GOING
TO MAKE ALL THIS STUFF?
IF YOU CAN HIRE A FULL-TIME PRODUCER, THEN
GREAT. DO THAT. BUT MOST DEPARTMENTS CAN'T
AFFORD THAT...
WHO WILL MAKE
CONTENT?

12. YOU DONT HAVE TO BE STEPHEN SPIELBERG.
THERE ARE SOME EASY WAYS TO MAKE AMAZING
CONTENT FROM JUST A SMART PHONE.
(PART OF THE CONSULTING I OFFER WILL SHOW
YOU HOW)
BUT BEYOND THAT...
SO, AGAIN... WHO MAKES
YOUR CONTENT?

13. LOOK TO YOUR CURRENT
TEAM MEMBERS!!
TO MAKE CONTENT, USE YOUR STUDENTS,
MANAGERS, COACHES, AND EVEN STUDENT-
ATHLETES TO MAKE YOUR CONTENT!
ITS LIKELY THEY ALREADY KNOW HOW!

14. CONTENT EXAMPLE
AS A BASKETBALL COACH AND
BUSINESSMAN, I MAKE DRILL
BOOKS WITH FREE APPS.
ITS EASY STUFF TO MAKE!
H E R E ' S A P O S T I M A D E G I V I N G A W A Y A
R E S O U R C E .
L O O K H O W M A N Y
P E O P L E I T R E A C H E D !
F O R F R E E !

15. ANOTHER EXAMPLE
I USED A FEW BUCKS IN FACEBOOK
ADS TO BOOST THIS ONE.
IT REACHED 7,730 PEOPLE!
THE CONTENT YOUR DEPART-
MENT POSTS WILL DIFFER. IT
WILL BE NEWS ABOUT GAMES,
TEAM ACHIEVEMENTS, INTER-
VIEWS, ETC.
BUT THIS SHOWS YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU CAN
EXPOSE YOUR DEPARTMENT TO.

16. YOU CAN REACH THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE... FOR FREE!!!
AND YOU LIKELY ALREADY HAVE
PEOPLE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT WHO
CAN MAKE CONTENT.
IF NOT, MY CONSULTING SERVICES
SHOW YOU HOW.
BUT ONCE YOU SET YOUR CONTENT
CREATORS IN ORDER, ATHLETIC
DIRECTORS NOW BECOME...

17. " E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F "
A T H L E T I C D I R E C T O R S D O N ' T
H A V E T O M A K E C O N T E N T .
W I T H A T E A M O F C O N T E N T
C R E A T O R S , A T H L E T I C
D I R E C T O R S N O W D E C I D E W H A T
C O N T E N T G E T S P U B L I S H E D !

18. OK, SO CONTENT IS THE MEDIA YOU MAKE...
WHAT DOES IT MATTER?
WHEN TALKING WITH THOSE IN COLLEGE
ATHLETICS, I ALWAYS HAVE TO CONVINCE
WHY ALL THIS MATTERS.
HERE'S WHY...

19. WELL.. THIS IS ONE REASON WHY
YOU ARE BUILDING COMMUNITY!
THE BEST ATHLETIC DEPARTMENTS HAVE THE
STRONGEST, MOST LOVING COMMUNITIES.
YOUR FOLLOWERS AREN'T MERE STRANGERS...
THEY ARE YOUR COMMUNITY!
AND CONTENT KEEPS THEM PASSIONATE,
CONNECTED, AND SUPPORTIVE.

20. PLEASE ALLOW ME TO REPEAT THIS
IMPORTANT POINT... EVEN LOUDER
YOU ARE
BUILDING
COMMUNITY!
THE IMPORTANCE OF
THE COMMUNITY
SURROUNDING YOUR
ATHLETIC
DEPARTMENT AND
TEAMS IS EVERYTHING!

21. IT'S ONE THING TO POST GAME RECAPS
AND STATS FOR EACH OF YOUR TEAMS.
BUT IT'S AN ENTIRELY HIGHER LEVEL
TO PRODUCE CONTENT THAT MOVES
YOUR COMMUNITY TO BE MORE
CONNECTED, INVESTED, AND
SUPPORTIVE.

22. OK. SO YOU'VE GOT CONTENT.
LET'S KEEP MOVING.
YOU WANT YOUR COMMUNITY
TO ENGAGE WITH YOUR
CONTENT.

23. ENGAGEMENT IS WHEN
PEOPLE INTERACT WITH YOUR
CONTENT.
ENGAGEMENT INCLUDES
LIKES, SHARES, SUBSCRIBES,
COMMENTS, & MORE.
ENGAGEMENT
D O N ' T L E T Y O U R
C O N T E N T G O
T H R O U G H S O M E O N E ' S
T I M E L I N E W I T H O U T
T H E M C L I C K I N G !

24. " H A V I N G S O M E O N E C L I C K O N
Y O U R C O N T E N T I S L I K E H A V I N G
A F A N C H E E R O N Y O U R T E A M A T
A G A M E . "

25. 1- WHENEVER SOMEONE CLICKS, COMMENTS,
SUBSCRIBES, OR SHARES, YOUR CONTENT GOES UP THE
ALGORITHM.
2- YOUR AUDIENCE GETS BIGGER, AND MORE PEOPLE
SEE YOUR STUFF.
3- IF YOU WANT A STRONG BRAND, PEOPLE GOTTA SEE
IT!
ENGAGEMENT MATTERS
BECAUSE...

26. THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO GENERATE MORE
ENGAGEMENT.
THE SIMPLEST STRATEGY IS TO SIMPLY ASK YOUR
MOST DEVOTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO COMMENT,
SHARE, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, AND MORE.
BUT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TOO...
HOW CAN YOU GENERATE
MORE ENGAGEMENT?

27. T H I S T W E E T G O T
3 9 0 R E T W E E T S &
1 9 6 F A V O R I T E S
B E C A U S E I G A V E S O M E T H I N G F O R
F R E E A N D A S K E D F O R A R E T W E E T
I F A N Y O N E W A N T E D A C O P Y
L O O K H O W M A N Y
P E O P L E S A W I T . . .

28. T H I S T W E E T S H O W E D U P
O N
8 2 , 2 6 2
T I M E L I N E S
A N D
4 , 4 4 7
P E O P L E
C L I C K E D O N I T .
T H A T ' S A L O T O F
P E O P L E !

29. YOU CAN ALSO...
DO GIVEAWAYS
ASK A QUESTON
USE PROPER HASHTAGS
TELL PEOPLE TO LEAVE THEIR THOUGHTS
.... AND MORE
HOW CAN YOU GENERATE
MORE ENGAGEMENT?

30. OK... SO HERE'S WHAT WE GOT
1) CONTENT
2) ENGAGEMENT
AND NOW, NUMBER 3...
DISTRIBUTION

31. YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW
ABOUT YOUR TEAMS.
WHETHER YOU ARE PROMOTING
A GAME, A FUNDRAISER, OR
YOUR PROGRAMS GPA, YOU
WANT PEOPLE TO SEE!
DISTRIBUTION
L I K E A N E W S P A P E R H A S
A P A P E R B O Y , Y O U N E E D
A W A Y T O B R I N G Y O U R
C O N T E N T T O P E O P L E ' S
D O O R S T E P . . .
I M E A N P H O N E !

32. D I S T R I B U T I O N
I N O R D E R T O G E T M O R E P E O P L E ' S A T T E N T I O N ,
Y O U M U S T B E S T R A T E G I C .
Y O U H A V E F O L L O W E R S A N D T H E Y ' L L S E E Y O U R
S T U F F . B U T D I S T R I B U T I O N S T R A T E G I E S H E L P Y O U
R E A C H P E O P L E W H O A R E N ' T F O L L O W I N G Y O U .
M E R E L Y P O S T I N G A P I E C E O F C O N T E N T A N D
H O P I N G P E O P L E S E E I T I S N O T E N O U G H .
T H E R E A R E M A N Y S T R A T G I E S T O G E T M O R E V I E W S ,
F O L L O W E R S , S H A R E S , E T C .
H E R E I S O N E E X A M P L E . . .

33. TO GET MORE ATTENTION, YOU
MUST BE POSTING YOUR
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
CONTENT INTO FACEBOOK
GROUPS.
FACEBOOK GROUPS

34. FACEBOOK GROUPS
FACEBOOK GROUPS ARE GROUPS OF
YOUR...
COMMUNITY
STUDENTS
ALUMNI
SPORT
AND MORE
... AND THEY ARE ALREADY CREATED!

35. A S A B A S K E T B A L L C O A C H I A M A M E M B E R
O F O V E R 3 0 B A S K E T B A L L G R O U P S . . .
T H R O U G H T H E S E G R O U P S I A M A B L E T O
S H A R E M Y V I D E O S , B L O G S , A N D
R E S O U R C E S T O A S I A , A F R I C A , E U R O P E ,
A U S T R A L I A , A N D M O R E !

36. H E R E ' S A N O T H E R G R O U P
T H I S I S A R E G U L A R C I T I Z E N G R O U P . N E A R L Y
5 0 , 0 0 0 P E O P L E F R O M A C O M M U N I T Y . T H E S E
G R O U P S H A V E Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y M E M B E R S
W A I T I N G T O S E E Y O U R C O N T E N T !

37. HERE'S WHERE WE ARE.
WE'VE GOT...
CONTENT, ENGAGEMENT, AND
DISTRIBUTION.
COLLABORATION IS
THE NEXT PILLAR

38. CREATING CONTENT WITH OTHER
BRANDS OR INDIVIDUALS ALLOWS
YOU TO GROW YOUR AUDIENCE,
EXPAND YOUR BRAND, AND ADD
CREDIBILITY.
COLLABORATION

39. J O I N S O M E O N E O R H A V E T H E M J O I N Y O U
T H E R E A R E A T O N O F W A Y S T O
C O L L A B O R A T E . H E R E ' S A F E W .
1 ) C R E A T E A P O D C A S T A N D I N V I T E O N
L O C A L L E A D E R S .
2 ) W R I T E A G U E S T A R T I C L E F O R A
W E B S I T E O R L O C A L M E D I A E N T I T Y .
3 ) T A G Y O U R P L A Y E R S H A N D L E ( T H E I R @
U S E R N A M E ) S O T H E Y C A N G R O W T H E I R
A U D I E N C E T O O .
T H A T ' S C O L L A B O R A T I O N I N I T S S I M P L E S T
F O R M .

40. WHEN YOU GO ON SOMEONE ELSE'S PODCAST (FOR
EXAMPLE), YOUR ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT GETS
INTRODUCED TO THEIR ENTIRE AUDIENCE.
THESE ARE NEW PEOPLE TO YOU, AND MANY OF THEM
WILL NOW FOLLOW YOUR ACCOUNTS.
WHEN YOU BRING A GUEST ONTO YOUR PODCAST, THEY
BRING THEIR AUDIENCE WITH THEM, MOST OF WHOM
LIKELY DON'T KEEP UP WITH YOUR ATHLETIC
DEPARTMENT. YOU GET IN FRONT OF NEW PEOPLE.
COLLABORATION

41. EXECUTING ALL OF THIS WILL NOT COME
NATURAL TO 99% OF PEOPLE READING
THIS. IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE A LOT!
THAT'S OK. MAKE A SYSTEM.
PUTTING IT ALL
TOGETHER

42. SYSTEMATIZE YOUR SOCIAL
MEDIA STRATEGY
MAKE IT A ROUTINE
SYSTEM

43. M A K E S O C I A L M E D I A A
R O U T I N E . H A V E A C H E C K
L I S T A N D C O N T E N T
S C H E D U L E .

44. CREATING A SOCIAL MEDIA SYSTEM
REFERS TO WHAT CONTENT YOU POST
AND WHEN YOU POST IT. THEN
MAKING IT A REGULAR ACTION.
PICK ANY GIVEN TV CHANNEL, THEY
HAVE THEIR REGULAR
PROGRAMMING..
SYSTEM

45. AT 5 OCLOCK, A SHOW COMES ON.
AT 6, THE NEXT ONE COMES ON.
ON WEDNESDAYS, A NEW EPISODE OF
ANOTHER SHOW AIRS. THAT'S THEIR
CONTENT SCHEDULE.
YOUR DEPARTMENT SHOULD HAVE A
CONTENT SCHEDULE AS WELL.
SYSTEM

46. SEND AN ALUMNI NEWSLETTER 2X/MONTH.
YOU CAN TARGET SPECIFIC ALUMNI AS WELL
SO THAT VOLLEYBALL ALUMS GET
VOLLEYBALL UPDATES, BASEBALL ALUMS
GET BASEBALL UPDATES. BASKETBALL
ALUMS GET BASKETBALL. AND ON AND ON.
(MY CONSULTING SHOWS YOU HOW TO DO THIS)
SYSTEM IDEAS

47. POST A PRE-GAME INFOGRAPHIC TO
FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM,
TIK TOK, LINKEDIN, YOUTUBE, AND
ANYWHERE ELSE, EVERY GAME.
MORE SYSTEM IDEAS
ONCE A MONTH, DO A
GIVEAWAY TO YOUR FANS
AFTER EVERY GAME, EACH HEAD COACH DOES A VIDEO
INTERVIEW. THAT VIDEO GETS EDITED BY A MANAGER
AND POSTED TO INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, ETC.

48. MAKE A LIST OF ARTICLES YOU
WANT TO POST, VIDEOS YOU WANT
TO MAKE, AND PODCASTS YOU
WANT TO RECORD.
CREATE A SCHEDULE, THEN
EXECUTE.
THAT'S A SYSTEM!

49. CONTENT
ENGAGEMENT
DISTRIBUTION
COLLABORATION
SYSTEM
THE BIG 5A L T H O U G H T H E R E I S A L O T
M O R E T O S O C I A L M E D I A T H A N
T H I S , T H E S E A R E T H E
F O U N D A T I O N A L E L E M E N T S !
I F Y O U G E T T H E B I G 5 A R E A S I N
O R D E R , T H E N Y O U R A T H L E T I C
D E P A R T M E N T I S W E L L O N I T S
W A Y T O T A P P I N G I N T O T H E
A B U N D A N C E O F O P P O R T U N I T Y
T H A T I S O N S O C I A L M E D I A .

50. NOW IS THE TIME TO IMPROVE
YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE
MY
SERVICES
I HELP ATHLETIC DIRECTORS TAKE
THEIR DEPARTMENTS SOCIAL MEDIA
PRESENCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
TO LEARN ABOUT MY CONSULTING
PACKAGES...
EMAIL
READY@THESOCIALMEDIACOACH.NET
EMAIL
READY@THESOCIALMEDIACOACH.NET
WANT A FREE
CONSULTING CALL?
WE'D LOVE TO GIVE YOU
10 FREE MINUTES OF
CONSULTING. IF YOU'D
LIKE TO ARRANGE A
CALL...