A look at the AFL pre-season Sports Social Media Index (SSMI) developed by Sports Geek sees a vastly different ladder than most AFL pundits are predicting for the 2010 AFL Season.

Bombers, Dees & Kangas lead

Essendon are front runners in the social media stakes engaging their fans via Twitter & Facebook then backing it up with “The Hangar” developed to bring fans to the club web site.  With an updated website expected soon look for more improvements from the Bombers.

Melbourne is proving itself in social media led by CEO Cameron Schwab (@CamSchwab) tweeting news and presenting Demons strategic plans on YouTube on Whiteboard Wednesday.

North Melbourne have a well rounded approach to social media they even have a Facebook fan page for CEO Eugene Arocca linked from their Facebook fan page.

Hawthorn had success on YouTube with a video poking fun at the new myki system getting 24,000 views even though it may have caused president Jeff Kennett some grief.

Middle of the pack

Some of the clubs in the middle of the SSMI ladder have gone through the steps on setting up on social media platforms such as Facebook & Twitter but are yet to truly engage with their online fan base.  Sports Geek will be keen to see what social media advances these teams make in the 2010 season.

Social Media Cellar Dwellers

Brisbane, Western Bulldogs & Geelong are dragging their feet with little or no social media presence.  They already find themselves behind AFL newcomers Gold Coast & Greater Western Sydney who are both developing fan bases via social media.

About SSMI

Sports Geek has developed the Sports Social Media Index (SSMI) to rate the performance of sports franchise using social media. The SSMI cover the key platforms of sports social media, how each platform is used and how they engage their fan base.

The key to the SSMI is not about comparing Facebook fans or Twitter followers but how teams connect with their fans and increase the value of their brand using social media.  SSMI was developed after meeting with US franchises in the NBA, NFL, MLB & NHL seeing how they are engaging fans using social media. US sports franchises are reaping the rewards from social media efforts securing sponsors for social media driven events as well as high fan satisfaction ratings from fan surveys.

If you want more information on SSMI please contact Sean on 0407047200.

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One of the biggest challenges many teams face is differentiating themselves whilst adhering league brand guidelines.  It was a common theme with the teams I met with on #sportsgeektrip.

Many leagues across the globe follow a similar digital model.  League web sites are developed and team web sites are created under the league umbrella.

MLB.com, NBA.com,  NHL.com, AFL.com.au are some examples of these Leagues that follow this “Umbrella model”.
(*edit thanks for comment: Essendon stand alone as an exception running independently of the AFL very successfully with EssendonFC.com.au)

If you take a look at team websites e.g. LA Dodgers Vs New York Yankees or Collingwood Vs Hawthorn you’ll see some team customization but they are locked into a League framework.  The NBA follows a similar model but teams are using custom landing pages (or splash pages like the Mavs do) to offer fans special deals.

Other leagues like the NFL.com & PremierLeague.com have decoupled the League’s web deal from the teams.

What’s better?

The “Umbrella model” makes administration of League branding much easier and sometimes can lead to a better sponsorship deal as it is league-wide.  However, it can be restrictive both creatively and financially to the teams who want to push the Web 2.0 envelope.  From a technical prospective a league wide CMS (content management system) does reduce the need for in-house web staff for teams but many people who use these systems find them too restrictive.  Leagues that abandon the “Umbrella model” face the problem of a potentially creating a tech gap between the have and have-nots.  Some teams like those run by MSG (Knicks, Rangers, Liberty) help promote their teams outside the standard team’s sites through the stadium (TheGarden.com), then again with so many sports properties MSG is a unique business.

What are your thoughts?

• Does the ability for league’s to secure deals outweigh a team’s desire to innovate?
• Would teams do a better job if they could go it alone?
• Would small-market teams struggle maintaining own website?

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A big focus of #sportsgeektrip was to see how much of the buzz around social media translated IRL (in real life).

Most of the teams & even some of the facilities now have a presence on Twitter, it’s how they use it is where it gets interesting.  For a list of League & Franchise Twitter accounts check out our Sports Geek Stars list.

The tweets from sports Twitter accounts fall into 4 categories.

Sports News Information

These tweets are standard fare for sports accounts generally relaying news & articles from the team’s website or local news reports.  These can use tech like Feedburner or TwitterFeed to automatically post to Twitter.  The key is to ensure these tweets are sent at a time when your fans want them and are sufficiently spaced out so you do not flood your fans twitter stream.

@thenyrangers Rangers alum Steve Vickers was this week’s guest on Rangers Radio, check out this week’s show here: http://bit.ly/5ubq1v

But sports twitter fans love the easy “insider” access that you can get with services like Twitpic to get closer them to the team.  It is these kind of updates that give your stream value & are unique to your Twitter “broadcast”. News & notes from practice or simple updates from your team’s road trip that are exclusive to your Twitter stream are more likely to generate buzz amongst your fans.

@VanCanucks http://twitpic.com/117p7l – All #Canucks Olympians wearing their Olympic gloves at practice this morning.

Promotions & Marketing

This is where you can make offers to fans.  Some might be ticket offers like below from the Clippers or sponsor promotions.  The New York Rangers were the only team that I witnessed on #sportsgeektrip that used Twitter at the game when they upgraded some of their twitter followers.  As more sports fans tweet during games expect sports facilities to start engaging with fans in the stadium.

@laclippers Here’s an exclusive offer just for our followers: buy 1 ticket to Sat’s game v. @Spurs, get 1 free: http://bit.ly/951eYQ /CODE: CLIPTWEET

Play By Play

Using Twitter for play by play or score updates can be fraught with danger as many fans may tune out the tweets or worse unfollow due to the high frequency of tweets in a short period.  It can work in a low-scoring sport like hockey or soccer where scores are rare but in higher scoring sports twitter doesn’t translate.  The key thing to remember before tweeting is “Am I providing value to my followers with this tweet?” if the answer is no then don’t hit that enter key.

Score update or highlight tweets however can help generate fervor in your fan base triggering your fan’s Twitter support.  It’s a fine line if you turn your in-game tweets into a more conversational stream (next category) you may see more Twitter action from your fans.

Conversational

This is where Twitter can really help you engage your fans.  Ask questions, answer questions, join in the conversation with your tribe.  Conversations can happen with a “corporate” sports account but many people like talking to a person rather than a brand.  This is where Peter Casey has had success when covering St John’s games via Twitter.

@stkildafc RT @BridgetteHEY: Lock and load! Got my @stkildafc membership today. Two more weeks checking the mail box #gosaints

@CFL Not anymore! Thanks for the heads up… RT @merlin67: @CFL you are missing @MrMann86 on your cfl players list

Here’s one of my faves from a game I was at at MSG

@Peter_R_Casey The ref just copped a feel on the other ref. Right cheek. #awkwardmomentsinsports #stjbb

In a future post I will look at the tech you can use to monitor, track & build your Twitter presence.

Read more about the #sportsgeektrip in these posts.
Contact Sports Geek for more info on how to manage your Twitter presence .

I’ve been in New York for a few days now, absolutely amazing city. The city is abuzz about the J-E-T-S who take on the Indy Colts in the AFC Championship game this Sunday. I’m looking forward to attending a pep rally in Times Square tonight.

Madison Square Garden as they say is “The World’s Most Famous Arena” you can feel the history of the place as soon as you walk in. I caught the Knicks play the Pistons on Martin Luther King holiday. The MSG old feel & intimacy is stark contrast to the Staples Center in LA which was a terrific facility but fans were not as close to the action. However it was at the Rangers game that I saw the famous New York passion, the fans made the Garden come alive as they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 8-2.
However, a highlight for the #sportsgeektrip for me was meeting Knick legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier before the Knicks game.

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