The document outlines practical steps for rugby organizations, sponsors, and suppliers to effectively leverage social media for business value, emphasizing the importance of defining measurable objectives and understanding target audiences. It suggests creating an online interaction policy for staff and players while developing a content strategy to engage audiences meaningfully. Additionally, it highlights the need for training and infrastructure to support online interactions and achieve business goals.

1. Practical Steps for Rugby
Organisations, Sponsors and Suppliers
to Leverage Online Social Interaction
By
Colm Hannon
Founder of eSocialMedia

2. Is an enterprise social media consultancy based in London
We advise and train companies to achieve real business value
from having online interactions with clients and talent

3. The Bar Analogy

5. How we add value…

6. What is a social media strategy?

7. Define quantifiable objectives that can be
helped by digital marketing
Examples:
 Increase ticket sales by 9,000 or £225k in
2013
 Fill 10 more corporate hospitality boxes in
2013 worth £15,000
 Sell 3,000 more jerseys worth £150k in 2013
 Attract 10 more sponsors worth £250k in
2013

8. ID the resources you have available
V

9. Understand your target audiences
 Demographics? Fans/CEOs/Marketing
Directors?
 What are they most interested in?
 What content would they like?
 What are their stories?
 How and when do they use online and
mobile?
 What calls to action would they follow?
 How do they want to engage with you?

10. Your audience can help to build and
improve your organisation if you let them
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K3hLBGO53s&feature=player_embedded

11. Listen to what your audience is saying
Other tabs
display relevant
videos, convers
ations and Google
competitor news
mentions summary
RSS News
feeds
Conversations on
forums
Conversations on
blogs

12. Super Bowl Social Media Command Centre
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wje1a16Ubec&noredirect=1

13. Will there be a command centre for:

14. Create one of these:

15. Content Questions
 What do CXO’s and
Marketing Directors care
about and talk about?
 Are you set up to facilitate
these interactions online?
 What do the fans want to
see?
 Do you currently have this
targeted content on your
site?

16. You have a secret weapon….

17. Your Players and Support Staff

18. Create an online interaction policy for staff and
players
 Create a policy and educate your staff
and players on the benefits, risks and
opportunities of interacting online
effectively.
 Create online learning materials they
can refer to.
 Remember to use the carrot over the
stick and show them what is in it for
them.

20. Infrastructure

21. Market reaction to Eversheds

22. Blog:Website
8:1

23. The UFC is training fighters on social media use
CEO leads by example
Rugby MUST train it’s players to interact online and to a plan that
benefits both them and the club or union

24. Calls to action and advertising should be
balanced alongside content

25. Social Media Manager
 Listens online for
opportunities
 Co-ordinates the
planning, creation and
publishing of content
 Facilitates interactions
online between the
target audience and
your staff

26. Potential Online Communities
 Fans
 Sponsors
 Your internal community
 Suppliers
 Community
 Governing bodies

27. Mobile Apps or Mobile Sites?
 Don’t build a mobile app before you have defined your
objectives and are clear on why you want one, what you
want it to do and where the content will come from.
 However mobile enabled sites are now a necessity

28. Huggity – Fan Tagging at Scotland v New Zealand

29. To Recap
 Define your business objectives that digital
communications could help to achieve.
 Understand your audience related to your
objectives and listen online
 Create a content strategy, content plan and
online tone of voice that is targeted at your
audiences and linked to your objectives
 Have an online interaction policy and train
your staff to create content & interact online in
the right way
 Share content in the right places in the right
way
 Have balanced calls to action relating to your
business objectives

30. How we could help your organisation
 Objective setting and resource ID
 Content strategy and content
planning
 Social media policy and training
 Build social media online
infrastructure
 Train staff on content creation and
online interaction
 Social media support and
management

31. Contact
Colm Hannon
Managing Director
eSocialMedia
Colm.Hannon@esocialmedia.co.uk
Phone: +44 7704 921 651
Twitter @ColmHannon
Skype: Colm.Hannon
Linkedin: uk.linkedin.com/in/colmhannon
www.esocialmedia.co.uk