It’s no secret that professional sports teams are finding tremendous value in engaging in social media these days. It provides them with an additional touch point to connect with their fans and drive traffic to their website.  However, many sports teams are finding it challenging to monetize social media because of the fine balance between using social media as an engagement tool versus using it as a means to generate revenue.

Carson McKee is a sports social media consultant that works with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.  I had a chance to talk with Carson at the Strategic Sponsorship Summit hosted in Toronto, Canada and asked him to share some insight on how he works with teams as well as some of the ways the Wild are attempting to monetizing social media.

Interested in learning more about how Carson works with sports teams to monetize their social media? Visit http://directcontact.ca and connect with Carson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/carsonmckee

Join the Sports Executives Association to watch Carson’s video presentation on “Monetizing The Digital Experience” 

Know of any sports teams that have been able to monetize social media?  Leave your comments below and make sure to share this article with your friends on Facebook & Twitter!

Monetize Social Media In Sports – Carson McKee Interview – Transcript

Trevor

Hey guys it’s Trevor Turnbull here from sportsnetworker.com and I’m in Toronto, Ontario Canada right now at the Canadian Sponsorship Summit and I’m actually here to present on how to leverage the athlete brand from a social media perspective. I’m also here with my good buddy Carson McKee who just presented today on monetizing the digitial brand. So I wanted to ask Carson a couple of questions on that to give you guys some insight on what he does and how he works with some of his clients to essentially monetize what they’re doing from an online perspective. So I’ll take the camera from Carson here.

Carson

Hi, I’m Carson.

Trevor

And there he is.

Carson

My company is Direct Contact. I work with sports teams on their digital spaces, their social media sites for monetization; an engagement perspective. One of my clients is the Minnesota Wild and we’re doing some work right now in activating current sponsors in the digital space and in the social space. So the focus is really taking those sponsorships and driving them through other activations as well. From a renewal perspective and from an up-sale perspective I provide those clients with other values in digital and social. Things that fit into their current digital campaigns or social media strategies; those are really important to the deals that we do.

Trevor

Awesome. So Carson, you obviously have a ton of experience and a wealth of expertise to offer in this area. A very social guy; I actually met Carson on Twitter. How can people connect with you so they can continue these types of conversations online?

Carson

The first, best and easiest way to reach out to me is on Twitter @CarsonMcKee.

Trevor

Perfect. Let’s go inside and grab a drink with all the attendees

Carson

Sounds good.

About Trevor Turnbull

Trevor Turnbull is the COO of Sports Networker & the Sports Executives Association .

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I’m a big Ohio State football fan.

Whenever I get a chance to watch my Buckeyes crush opponents on television these days, I always catch myself checking my Twitter stream or Facebook feed in between plays and during commercial breaks. I may catch a commercial here or there, but for the most part, I am too busy socializing online about the game to pay attention.

Social media has become a regular part in my sports-watching experience. For kids growing up now, it’s a whole new ballgame than the one we grew up where we had to bear through every single advertisement impatiently wondering if there will be another first down. The geniuses at Espresso’s Infiltrators capture this essence perfectly in the deck below. They go through the age of sports that us ‘old folks’ went through and compare it with the new age of social media: sports 2.0.

Those who know me know I am very passionate about social media and its potential on the sports industry. Even today, I feel like we are only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of how social media can change our experience with sports. How has social media personally affected how you enjoy sports? I would love to hear your comments below.

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About Lewis Howes

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Question: Who can benefit more from social media: small-time or big-time athletes?

Ryan: My initial reaction is small time athletes and big-time athletes once their career is in a decline. I will start with the argument for small-time athletes. Upper echelon and mainstream athletes already have significant followings. Many have endorsement deals, sell tons of merchandise, etc. Why do we like certain athletes? Because they’re A) really good at what they do. B) something about their personal life, approach, style, etc. resonates with us.

Big-time athletes have two big advantages: 1) They’re better players. 2) This enables them to be on television more, do more interviews and enable the fans to get more insight into their personality. On both accounts, it’s easier to “like” the more mainstream athlete. Social media helps level the second playing field. Dwayne Wade is always going to be a better basketball player than Charlie Villanueva, but now that Charlie has a presence on Twitter fans get significantly more opportunities to witness his personality in action and grow their affinity for him as a person.

Thoughts?

Sam: It’s a tough question, because I think both small and big time athletes have a lot to gain from social media. Even though I whine a lot about guys like LBJ & Tiger not being on social media, I tend to agree with you, that small time athletes probably have the most to gain. A good example is Kerry Rhodes of the New York Jets.

Now, Kerry isn’t necessarily “small time,” but I wouldn’t consider him big time either, not yet at least. We (VaynerMedia) started helping Kerry with social media towards the end of 2008. We actually helped him create his Twitter account. Now, Kerry has 350,000+ followers on Twitter because of his hard work, responding to fans, providing them with good content, and just caring. So, that’s a pretty huge testament to the power of social media for someone who’s not necessarily in the spotlight.

There is an inherent value for big time athletes with social media, because they’re almost guaranteed to gain a lot of fans or followers without too much work. Then, look at big time athletes like Steve Nash, Ocho Cinco, and Shaq, guys who have excelled with social media. They’re not necessarily getting new sponsors bigger contracts because of their social media followings, but all three have made a lot of headlines, and a lot of new fans, because of what they’re doing online. I think social media has definitely helped their public perception.

Social media helps fans connect with athletes, big and small, on a level like never before. So maybe it’s we, the fans, who are the real beneficiaries of social media.

Ryan: This is a great segue to the second argument I wanted to make. I think a lot of the appeal for the big-time athletes you’ve mentioned is that they’re primarily on the down slope of their careers. Granted, all three are still putting up solid numbers, but could it be that they all have the foresight to realize that getting involved in social media can enhance their brand and enable them to remain relevant after retirement?

I think it would be interesting to evaluate a true marquee athletes’ use of social media at the peak of their career, but I can’t think of any right now. Nash, and Lance Armstrong are probably the closest, and Lance isn’t involved in a sport that gets much attention (in comparison to others) save for the Tour de France coverage. That’s one reason social media makes sense for him.

Sam: Good point, Ryan. I think you’re right. Those guys (Nash, Ocho Cinco, Shaq) are all heading towards the ends of their respective careers, and I’m sure that’s part of the reason they’ve taken such an interest to social media.

At the same time, I don’t think we’ve really seen a big time athlete in the prime of their career truly take advantage of social media. Dwight Howard might be one. He’s on Twitter, with 1.5 million followers, and currently has a My Touch 3G branded background. My Touch clearly saw value in Howard’s Twitter presence.

There are other young, star athletes using social media (e.g. Larry Fitzgerald, Dwayne Wade), who really add value for the fans. They’re the pioneers. I think that in five years, nearly every big time athlete will be utilizing some form of social media (whatever that may be in five years), because they will have no other choice.

In conclusion [Ryan]: I think we can both agree that at this point in time small-time athletes probably get more benefit from social media, and there are a multitude of examples to illustrate this belief. That said, it’s also a win-win scenario for a big-time athlete because with less effort they can acquire a bigger following due to the extent of their athletic success. Like Sam said, the real beneficiaries are the fans, and as athletes adopting social media becomes more commonplace we can only hope that it will take the fan experience to a whole other level.

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About Ryan Stephens

Ryan is an Associate Media Analyst at Sports Media Challenge where he helps champion social media strategies for sports, lifestyle and entertainment brands. In his spare time he serves as a social media consultant who is passionate about the power of web 2.0 and its ability to cultivate conversations, build relationships and spread of ideas. Feel free to leave your thoughts on his article in the comments section below, connect with him on his blog at Ryan Stephens Marketing or on Twitter @ryanstephens, and read the rest of his bio here.

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It’s no surprise professional athletes are using social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and even Ustream everyday.  Being an ex pro athlete myself (even on a smaller scale than the NFL) I loved connecting with my fans before and after games.

I had my regular group of fans that would come down by the field and say hi after every game.  If I would have had Twitter back then, it would have given me a great opportunity to thank them online, and get them excited about the next game.

Although I didn’t know how important building a personal brand online was during my playing days, I definitely see the value of it now for helping me achieve a number of my professional goals.

Want to know why pro athletes should be building their personal brand online and how they should be doing it?  Then make sure you check out this video where I interview Dan Schawbel of Personal Branding Blog to learn more.

What ways do you see pro athletes using social media the right way?  How are some using it the wrong way?  More importantly, how does it make you feel when you see a high profile athlete doing things “right” or “wrong” online?

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About Lewis Howes

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In November 2009, I introduced a series of articles I called ‘Social Media Report Card,’ where I graded each of the four major sports leagues – NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB – on their social media presence. I made a point of being harsh. In particular, I criticized each of the leagues for only utilizing the major platforms (Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube) and not adopting some of the emerging platforms (Tumblr, Dailybooth, and Ustream), as well as for not interacting enough with the fans. The series received a lot of positive feedback, so I’ve decided to continue with my ‘Social Media Report Cards,’ this time focusing on individual athletes.

I chose to start with Steve Nash for a few reasons. First, Nash is one of my favorite athletes from any sport right now, which is saying a lot since I am typically a hometown fan (Phillies, Eagles, Sixers). Second, he has always been incredibly entertaining to watch on the court, and has also done some really cool and fun stuff off the court. Third, I think he is one of the most underrated social media users in the sports world. So without further ado, here we go!

Visibility (B+)

Steve Nash might have joined Twitter because of his former teammate, and social media rock star Shaquille O’Neal (@The_Real_Shaq & @The_Real_Nash), but he has fully embraced it and created a really great presence. He has more than 110,000 followers. Nash is also on Facebook, with over 575,000 fans. And to complete the trifecta, he has a YouTube account where he has racked up more than 630,000 total upload views. Before all of these, Nash was challenging fans to competitions (e.g. most free throws in a minute, staring contest) on Baron Davis’ social network, I Beat You. While I haven’t seen him go live on Ustream or snap photos on DailyBooth, Nash has embraced social media across a variety of platforms.

Content (A+)

Content is where Steve Nash shines. He is very creative and has a great sense of humor. Have you seen the video where he asks fans to vote for him in the 2010 All Star game? Or the ‘Step Brothers’ parody trailer he shot with Baron Davis? There was also the video he shot, and presumably organized, of his Phoenix Suns teammates singing Lionel Richie’s ‘All Night Long.’

If you head to SteveNash.org, his organization’s website, you’ll see that Nash also knows how to organize a great promotion. He is giving away a pair of signed, game-worn shoes to someone who donates to the foundation on six different dates. Pretty cool.

Fan Interaction (B)

Nash picks and chooses who he interacts with. On Facebook, he never gets into the comments from the fans, however in some status updates, he does specifically mention how much he appreciates their interaction. On Twitter, Nash occasionally retweets a fan and adds commentary of his own, but he engages more with high profile users than average fans. The thing that saves him is that a lot of his videos are really calls to action to the fans. He engages and interacts through his videos, by asking them to beat him in a competition, or vote for him in the All Star game. The fact that he films most of his videos with a Flip cam and speaks directly to the audience makes him more personal than most.

Consistency (B+)

Professional athletes have demanding schedules, especially during the season, and I don’t expect them to be spending all of their free time on social media. By posting every couple of days (on average) on Facebook, and nearly every day on Twitter, Nash is doing a solid job. During the off season, I would hope to see him get a little more involved.

Overall (A-)

The most important part of using social media, for a brand, is authenticity. The fact that Steve Nash creates very personal content and seems to be behind all of his social media endeavors means a lot. My biggest critique is the lack of interaction with his fans through Twitter and Facebook. I may be a little biased because of my Nash fanboy status, but I really do think that he is underrated, especially from a content standpoint. I’m just looking forward to what he does next.

What do you think of Steve Nash’s social media presence? Were you paying attention to him before you read this article? Who would you like me to highlight in future editions of ‘Social Media Report Card’?

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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“In full disclosure, Jalen Rose is a VaynerMedia client. We are assisting him in growing and diversifying his brand online, primarily through the use of social media.”

Yesterday, former 14 year NBA veteran and current ESPN analyst, Jalen Rose, launched a giveaway on Facebook and on Twitter. He will give one winner a signed basketball and personalized video message. The contest ends on Friday at 11AM EST/2PM PST.

We have seen social media giveaways in sports before. Last NBA season, Shaq and Paul Pierce both gave away tickets to fans via Twitter. This season, OchoCinco tried to get around the NFL’s social media restrictions by giving away tickets to Twitter followers. And a few months ago, the New York Jets gave away 39 pairs of tickets to Twitter followers for their final preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

One of the reasons this giveaway is so exciting is because it takes advantage of a relatively new platform called WildFire.  WildFire is a platform for building viral marketing campaigns (not just giveaways). It allows users to launch campaigns across Twitter, Facebook, and websites, and most importantly, it can provide a great deal of valuable metrics.

Social media giveaways are underutilized and can be very beneficial (i.e. high response rates from fans). I would advise athletes, teams, and even the leagues to get more involved. Fans and followers love free stuff, especially when there is a personal touch. Even though OchoCinco’s original giveaway didn’t work this year, he was willing to fly a fan out to each home game, hang out with them for a little while, and give them the ability to tweet for him. Now that’s personal. Jalen is adding his personal touch by filming a custom video for the winner of this giveaway. Social media is all about connecting, engaging, and being authentic. If the resources are available, what better way to do so than to make the day of one (or several) of your fans?

About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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How do you measure social media ROI?  What should you be measuring?  Are you seeing a return on your efforts?  Is it even worth your time to be using social media tools in sports, or any industry for that matter?  Luckily, SportsNetworker’s featured expert, Amy Martin with Digital Royalty, breaks it down for us in this video to show you exactly what you can do to measure your results using social media.

(This is a must-watch video for anyone serious about learning how to maximize social media… via @lewishowes).

About Amy Martin

Amy Martin spent eight years living the agency life working with clients such as the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Coyotes and the the Super Bowl XLIII Host Committee. She recently spent three seasons with the Phoenix Suns developing and monetizing their digital media platform. During her time with the Suns, she was responsible for concepting, pitching, executing and measuring digital marketing partnerships (sponsorships). Digital Royalty, Amy’s Digital Integration and Social Marketing agency, focuses on developing strategies to help corporate brands, professional sports leagues, teams and athletes build, measure and monetize their digital universe. She has developed a proprietary Return on Influence (ROI) measurement formula to demonstrate the value of social marketing. Her most recent example of social media success is the growth of Shaquille O’Neal’s digital brand via social media and implementing measurable strategies which have resulted in securing major endorsement deals.

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