Social Networking in Practice

Yvonne McGowan,Dublin City University Senior Sports Development OfficerTim O’ConnorInstitute of Technology TallaghtSports & Recreation Officer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwmJ9CFBIks

Web Marketing StrategyDCU Sports Development Service

The website is the central component of a social media strategy.If your website needs work, sort this out first before getting serious

about social media!

Your website is the foundation stone

Audience has changed:They are publishingThey are creatingThey are selecting

Your audience is in control-they are linked, listening & performing

Over 200 mill active users•600,000 new users every day•3rdmost trafficked website•

•50% of the Irish population over the age of 15 are on Facebookapproximately 1.75 million users 90% of those aged 15-24 use the social media site. Two thirds of these use Facebook daily. One in five 55-64 year olds have a Facebook account.

Source: http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0222/facebook.html (Feb 2011)

•Get Found & Target

• Connect and Engage

•Create a Virtual community for sport

•Promote content

Business Goals for Using FacebookDCU Sports Development Services

ProfilesProfiles are for people. Profiles have friends (mutual acceptance) and Business Pages have fans

(one-way opt-in)

Networks Where do you live? Where do you work? Where did you go to school?

Groups To enable people to organise as groups / networks. Open, closed or private (with controls), More personal

(admins are named). Aimed at smaller groups than Pages. Can create events for Members to join. Not indexed by search engines e.g. Communities, Interest Groups, Clubs, Associations,, etc.

Pages To enable fans to follow their favourite brands. Pages have two walls, one of what the Page owner writes, and

one just for fans to write their own messages. Less personal than Groups. Ability to add Applications (i.e. more content)Ability to create Events for fans e.g. Businesses, Restaurants, Bands, Organization

Type of Facebook AccountsDCU Sports Development Services

•Once they land on the profile they can’t even leave a message on your wall until you accept them as a friend

• Viewers may think that the services or products you are offering are part of a scam.

•Friend requests will still be subjected to the approval of that particular person.

•1 administrator

Disadvantages of Profile page for Business

DCU Sports Development Services

How DCU Sports Development Service uses Facebook

•Weekly Fixtures & Results

• Promotion of Sports Events

•Sports News

•Post links to articles, videos of interest

•Post links to articles, videos, NGB’s info etc

•Post Photos

• Do it right

• Compliment your other

marketing strategies

• Approve comments

• Lack of customisation

•Name Change

• Type of Page ?

•Promote Facebook site

•Increase members

•Run competitions

•Increase Administrators

•Link to Twitter

Future Development DCU Sports Development Service