episode 47 of the dsmsports podcast w/ jimmy sanderson of clemson

Best Of... Professor Jimmy SandersonEpisode 47 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast

Episode 47 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast featured Jimmy Sanderson, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies (specializing in sports) at Clemson and co-author of textbook Developing Successful Social Media Plans in Sport Organizations.

What follows are some snippets from the episode. Listen to the full podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or at www.DSMSports.net

@njh287; DSMSports.net

http://www.DSMSports.net/


Jimmy's career path

Went to Arizona State for Undergraduate --> Worked for 11 years in human resource management and then worked on a graduate degree at ASU, when he connected with a professor in sports in 2006

→ Jimmy got intrigued by research into Floyd Landis's blog and the public response (following Landis's major win and getting caught for PED use)



“People were responding and commenting on his blog posts...I started to get fascinated with people's behavior and by the way they were communicating with Floyd Landis; communicating with him a way that would make it seem like they were intimate friends.”

Jimmy did his Master's thesis on Curt Schilling's blog 38pitches.com: “He had used his blog to call out media...It was this tool that athletes had and not many of them were using it...As I went into my phD program, Twitter was getting more popular among athletes...”

Jimmy got interested in the governance of social media while working in HR, which pivoted to sports and social media policy and education



Jimmy earned his phD while working concurrently: “It was a way for me to satisfy my own curiosity...In addition to social media being a research interest o mine, it has also done wonders for me career-wise and networking...I don't know that that is something that is talked about enough (about Twitter).”



On deciding to pursue a career in academia

After seeing the Landis study get published, Jimmy realized how much he enjoyed research and, combined with getting burned out on HR, saw that sports and social media was an emerging area that he could carve out a place for himself in.

Now is a professor in social media and has authored a book on social media policy, strategy, and training (with co-author Chris Yandle)



“A lot of things we were experiencing with social media in HR, I started to see them play out in sports. As a fan, I was interested in the fact that we now had these mediums to engage athletes directly.”

(notes how he conversed with Jonathan Vilma on Twitter in the midst of BountyGate)

“Here I am sitting in my room...and I'm having this conversation with this athlete. It was fascinating athletes were making themselves that accessible...With Twitter, there's that chance that the athlete will reach out to you. I was interested in the way it was changing interaction between fans and athletes. And fan behavior, as well, as fans were sending critical and negative things toward athletes...Then back toward the teams (and policies and education).”



On the factors driving the paradigm shift in social media and communication

“I think you have to look at the early adopters (Shaq, Lance Armstrong, Curt Schilling)...I think you also look at some of the Bay Area (pro) teams that were doing engaging things early on...

College teams that embraced and saw it as a way to promote the program and engage with fans...Those early adopters kind of helped show the way...”



On teams buying in

“One thing is you now have a platform to say what you want...to put out user generated content that says what we want it to say, to tell our own story...Every single person now has a platform to publish. That's empowering...and understanding its strategic value (for disseminating information and run promotions, focus group insight etc.)...

A lot of them realize this is a branding tool for me. I can control how I want to be portrayed and how I want my identity to be expressed and really build a personality we don't traditionally see...We can really have more autonomy over things we want to say and do.”



“While there are things that can and do go wrong, it's a space you have to be in. It's where people are and where information breaks...

“My message to people is that social media is only useful to the degree to which it is used to develop relationships. If you understand it's a relational tool and use it in a way that demonstrates that, you're going to see ROI...If you're not going to listen back and engage, then don't have it...

The underlying principle is to see it as a relational tool because, when you do that, it reconfigures how you (use it).”



On overcoming fears of social media

“Some people are still hesitant in that people can say good things to you and people can say bad things to you. And we see that when something unpopular happens. So, for some, it's 'do we want all these negative messages coming at us?' I understand that, but, at the same time, that's also a perception people have of you and that's also feedback. So, how can you take that and act on it?

“The other things that constrains people a bit is the resource issue...Social media really just about requires some sort of 24/7 presence...”



“A lot of organizations still view social media as 'something else' and I don't think they understand it as something that should underpin the entire organization...when you see it (in a holistic light)...it's a matter of re-framing it and seeing it as an organizational tool, rather than just PR.”

“There are still a lot of people that are very intimidated by (social media)...We forget sometimes that there are still people that don't what a tweet is. It's making it basic and showing that relational aspect of it and how you making it an organizational-wide tool.”



On some of the key points mad in his book on developing a social media plan for a sports organization

“For us, it's more about looking at it from a 50,000 foot level...It was 'what is social media, what does it do, why do you need a plan for it?

“Using it as a relational tool, having goals...We also talk about strategy decisions (platforms, resource allocation, customer service)...We also talk about social media use by (coaches and athletes) [and] you need to account for those individuals, so you need to have education...We talk about legal issues in social media – can you ban it, restrict it...(got Michael McCann from SI to be an expert interview in that legal section)...”



“We talk about return on investment variables...content management platforms...what kind of resources to devote to it, staff, money...having contingency plans in place. All that being said, it's not just (a one day thing)...it's really thinking strategically about how every aspect of the organization is going to be affected and utilized. At the end of the day, it's about what are you trying to accomplish?”



Helpful Tool: VSCO Cam app



On the intended audiences or the book

“The first intended audience is students. We see this as a resource instructors can use in sport communication and sport management courses to train the next generation of professionals about social media. Get them thinking about it strategically while they're still in school...”



The second primary audience are people who work in sport...things in there that (pros) aren't thinking about or aren't sure how to handle. One thing that is rally going to speak to that industry audience are the industry interviews. Guys like Craig Pintens from Oregon and Bryan Srabian from the San Francisco Giants. What are they doing?...

“It's not meant to be the definitive bible on social media in sports organizations...

“A third audience are people that are just generally interested in sports and social media...It's more of a minor audience [though].”



On writing a book that can stand the test of time in social media

“The way you do that is you don't focus on specific platforms, you focus on underlying concepts. For instance, I would argue whether it's Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, or the next iteration of social media platforms ten years from now, you still want to use them to build relationships. You still want to think about the return. You still want to think about your goals and the things you're trying to achieve...

This isn't a book about how to use (each platform)...the concepts, the principles, the strategy, the questions you want to ask, that will stay consistent over time.”



On social media strategy applying across sports of different scope and size

“We account for some of those nuances (of difference)...but, for the most part, those questions, the goals, the strategy are consistent; it's just there might be a couple of things different that others don't have to think about.”



On how the book came about

Jimmy was approached by the publisher at a conference for the Sport Marketing Association in 2013 → Was approached by FIT Publishing that was looking to add to its collection of sports textbooks with one on social media, but wanted to make sure it was written by both an academic and a practitioner

→ Jimmy recruited Chris Yandle (of Georgia Tech Athletics) who came on board to co-write the book – They outlined the book and sent to the publisher to get the go-ahead

→ After going back and forth with drafts and clearing legal channels on content, the book was completed, recently!



Share-able Stat: 65% of Snapchat's over 100 million users actively post content to the platform

(Source: Evan Spiegel, Snapchat CEO)

Jimmy's take: “I have come around to Snapchat...I have recognized it does has

value. There are a lot of younger people that are on the platform, so I think it makes sense for brands, including sports and organizations to have a strategy for it. Especially from a news perspective...I'm still not a big fan of it, but I understand its value and definitely think you need to put in your repertoire now, especially if you're in college (athletics).”



Jimmy's favorite social media and sports mantra

“Social media is only useful to the degree to which it's used to build and develop relationships.”



The most important takeaway from his book and the most interesting thing Jimmy learned from writing it

An important takeaway – “You got to have a vision for what you want social media to be. If it's not goal-drive, then why are you using it? You might as well be a teeny-bopper trying to get One Direction to retweet their post.”

What he learned – “How many good people there are in sports and social media. I was amazed at the number of people who said they would be more than happy to be interviewed, contribute to the book. The people who have very kindly promoted it...There are so many good people that work in sports and social media.”



In 90 seconds or less, how do you reconcile the authenticity and monetization aspects of sports and social media?

“There has to be a balance...We can't have all our posts promoting sponsors, but I think if you work that in and it's a small part of who you are...I think most people are okay with it...It's being genuine in the way you present it...thinking strategically about the monetization to where it comes off less forced, less market-y, less gimmicky.”



Jimmy's favorite social media platform to post on and why

“I love Twitter...I think it's a great tool for self-expression, it's a great place to connect with people...It's a great way to get news quickly, to interact with people. I absolutely love it.”



The biggest challenge to writing and publishing a book and how Chris (Yandle) and Jimmy celebrated upon its release

“The biggest challenge was just the time you have to put into it...You type chapter one and then where do you go from there. There's a lot of pressure in 'how do I articulate what I want to say on to the page?' It's making sure you're able to convey what you want to say...

On celebrating – “Using social media, going out to dinner, those kinds of things...It was great to finally see and hold (the book)...No matter what else happens to me, that'll always be around. That internal satisfaction is how you celebrate most.”



The best food to get near Clemson campus and best food to get near Arizona State campus

Near Clemson – Smoking Pig, a BBQ joint only open Thursday-Saturday

Near ASU – The Chuck Box, a hamburger place where it's cash only and great burgers



The best way to convince a skeptic of the value of social media

“What I would say is 'who do you want telling your story?' Because if you don't tell your story, someone else is going to tell it for you and you might not like how they tell it. Do you care about the people you do business with? Do you care about your stakeholders?

Because, if you do, that' a great way to engage them, interact with them, be where they are, and collaborate with them. It's a relational tool. It's a tool to reach out and find new audiences, strengthen your relationship with existing customers...

“It's a differentiator. It's a way to distinguish yourself as a brand. If you're really good on social, you can get a lot of good publicity and press from that just for simply being good and responsive.”



More likely to win a College Football Playoff Title next season: Clemson or ASU?

Clemson – “Because we bring so many guys back. We bring quarterback Deshaun Watson at quarterback. Florida State lost Jameis (Winston), so things are setting up really well for us in the ACC.”



Jimmy's Social Media All-Star to Follow

Jessica Smith @WarJessEagle – “Consistent with good content, good strategy, and ideas.”


http://www.twitter.com/warjesseagle


Where to find Jimmy and Clemson communication studies on social media

@Jimmy_Sanderson; also hash tag for his classes, currently #COMM325

Find the book, Developing Successful Social Media Plans in Sport Organizations, through FIT Publishing and www.fitpublishing.com


http://www.twitter.com/Jimmy_Sanderson


Thanks so much to Jimmy for sharing his time, knowledge, experience, and expertise with the Digital and Social Media Sports podcast!

Listen to the podcast and find more episodes and content on iTunes and at www.DSMSports.net.

You can also follow me on Twitter @njh287


http://www.DSMSports.net/

https://www.twitter.com/njh287