Unplugged: Should Schools Have Multiple Facebook or Twitter Pages?

Should we have more than one Facebook page?

It's a question I hear more than most questions in conversations with athletics departments. Some schools, like Washington (see image here) provide serious depth in their Facebook and Twitter Rosters.



But what's the right way to look at this?

Start with your consumer.

If your fan base is composed of people who love all of your teams, then I'd say your best bet is to build the athletics department as a whole, and you know what? I'm good with this strategy because your fans no doubt want updates on every team.

Here's three common reasons why schools limit themselves to one main Athletics Facebook page... and my breakdown on how else you could look at it.

1. Fan Base Disparity.

"We have a huge fan base for one sport, and we want to use that to grow other sports' bases."

This one is dangerous territory. What you end up doing is take fans who can't wait to connect with the team they love and give them more of what they aren't looking for. When fans ignore your posts they won't see as many of them in the future. Just like you wouldn't require fans to watch a wrestling match before entering a basketball game, don't think of social media in that light.

2. We don't have the people to manage the one page we already have.

"We don't have the people."

I would take it a step back and look at this. Just by setting up 12 Facebook pages (assuming you had 12 main sports), doesn't mean you have to post on each page every day. What you end up doing is posting when you have something relevant to say to an audience who is highly motivated to connect. And, in the case of a small sport - say Crew - you create real value as this may be the only place to connect with that program in the world!


3. Social Media isn't a priority.

"We don't have the time."

How can you afford to not spend the time? Setting up dedicated pages can open the door for fans to better connect with your programs, not just one program. You can post messages that are tailored, and you can offer deals to get more fans in the doors for sports that need the help. Plus, you can develop a cult following for a sport that gets limited love. You can encourage players or alumni to post here. I think once you see this system in place you will find more and more of your time shifting here... and that's a good thing.

I personally was on the fence until recently. But seeing how Facebook is evolving, seeing how it is becoming a system that connects across time reinforces to me this notion that personalization is the best path.

Hope you're digging this. Come back Monday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy