Unplugged: 5 Tips for Teams to Get Started on Facebook

Let's assume you are an Athletics Department just getting into Social Media (or deciding if that's a good idea). I'm not going to spend today convincing you to dive in head first. What I am going to do is give you 5 tips that will either get you started or help you get momentum on Facebook.

Ready?

1. Tell Stories, Don't Tell Posts.

This is the biggest key. Don't look at Facebook as a place to tell people where to go. Instead, think of Facebook as a place where you can be friends with your fans. And since you are going to be showing up in the news of people alongside their other friends, it's even more important that you show up. The best way to do that is to see your role as one to tell stories. Don't report the facts, but rather report the stories that led to the facts happening.

As you can see in this example from Oregon Athletics, a story can be a short sentence and a great picture... this tells the story of the team preparing to head up to face UW! Click here to visit the Oregon Athletics Facebook page.

2. Think about your audience before you write these stories.

This one can trip you up if you aren't careful. Before you hit the post button, take a second and think about your audience. Who are you speaking to and why is this story relevant to them? Finally, what do you want them to get out of reading this story? This strategy will cause us to use Facebook & Twitter differently, and it will cause us to not simply use Facebook to drive traffic other places.

Illinois offered up a chance inside Facebook to let fans easily download their schedule. Pretty simple, and the post even ended with "What do you think Illini Fans?" (Click here for their Facebook page)

3. Give Access No Matter What

Access. It's the one thing that you and only you control. Who are you going to grant the postgame or post match interviews with first? The local newspaper, the local TV station, or your Facebook audience? I have seen many teams literally stop everything to make sure they get the coach onto the post game radio broadcast... Imagine if we took that compelling drive for access and applied it to Facebook?

Click here for the Michigan State Facebook page, where they let fans ask questions of the leaders of the squad leading up to big matchups!

4. Be Visual and Positive

When you talk about access, immediately the next thought is imagery. By simply letting your audience see what you see, you will bring them closer to you. And when you add a positive attitude, you take that connection even deeper. I love the example below (or here, on the Portland Pilots Facebook page) that combines a great image with a welcoming statement for a new recruit joining the Pilots.

5. Be Responsive

Facebook is a two-way conversation. Just as you wouldn't be non-responsive to a friend who wrote on your wall, neither should you be non-resposnive to a fan. Be very personal and welcoming -- and by doing this in a public way, it will only encourage others to see you as real!

Click here to see how BYU Football does this -- they jumped in when fans saw it as a negative that they were giving away tickets. That simple act (jumping in to clarify a negative comment) makes a big impact in stopping things from spinning out of control. Well done BYU!

By thinking about these 5 tips, you can develop a Facebook foundation that can be a key part of your marketing strategy.

Come back on 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