Twitter Gains Momentum in Intercollegiate Athletics
Twitter is now the #3 social networking site in the US
Twitter. By now everyone has heard of the website that is taking the social networking world by storm. On April 8th, Athletics Development Frontier commented on how universities can utilize social networking sites, primarily Facebook, to increase awareness of athletics to their donors and fans. Twitter, which is now ranked as the third most-visited social networking site in the US, is gaining momentum in this fast-moving industry.
Dozens of athletic departments now use Twitter as another avenue to reach out to their fans and keep “followers” (as Twitter calls fans on the site) up to date on happenings within the department. Just like Facebook, Twitter enables departments to stay in the forefront of their donors minds by providing short updates to their Twitter page. Also, it is free for both the athletic departments and followers to join this growing network.
It is clear that with each passing year athletics donors are becoming more tech savvy and more inclined to spend time online. In an effort to reach out to younger alumni and potential donors, opening a Twitter account will target the younger demographic.
So, should a development officer support the use of Twitter by their department? Athletics Development Frontier says, “yes.” As a free medium of communication, the only cost to the department would be the time of a dedicated employee to post to the site. Since posts can only be a maximum of 140 characters, very little time is necessary and could be handled by a department intern.
However, before opening a Twitter account, check out what some other universities are doing. The University of Washington Twitter page would be a good place to start. With 2,357 followers, the Husky page has a larger than average following for an athletics page. They include links to other Husky sites, such as their Facebook account and YouTube page. Like other Twitter pages, UW posts several times a day. Unlike other pages, however, their posts are not just scoring updates from their games currently in action. UW includes polls, links to news articles, links to facility updates, and other noteworthy information to further engage their fans.
It is clear that Twitter is here to stay, and development departments that get the jump on this new medium of communication will increase the flow of information to their donors and fans. Updates on giving year deadlines, ticketing information, priority point rewards, and upcoming events are all simple ways to promote the development department through Twitter.
Click on the following links to be taken to a number of other athletics twitter pages: Oklahoma University, University of Oregon, Wake Forest, Rutgers, University of Arizona, Appalachian State, University of California, Santa Barbara
Really surprised you didnt mention the Twitter account of John Calipari here. He is among the largest sports related Twitter accounts out there and it showcases how one can use it to promote the department.
Hey Robert,
Thanks for the comment regarding the Calipari Twitter account. He is certainly doing something right, and I believe he is in a “competition” with Tom Crean to see who can get the most followers. As I post this, Calipari is dominating with over 94,000 followers to Crean’s 6,200.
I suppose we didn’t mention the Calipari account because we were shooting for department-wide twitter pages that represented more than just one coach. However, it seems a really good argument could be made that Calipari’s Twitter account has done more for UK than department-dedicated pages have. We see particular value to the development department at UK from his recent posts about giving, “You will be amazed at how becoming a giver transforms who YOU are. And remembers this: Takers lead lonely lives. Go Big Blue!” Although, Calipari recently posted that his posts go through his SID, so you have to wonder if any filtering takes place. We are particularly interested to see how Calipari’s Tweets play out in the next few years. Will he be able to keep it up? Will UK take over the posts from time to time?
Of Course, Calipari isn’t the only head coach on Twitter. Crean, Pete Carroll (24,600), Lane Kiffin (6,200), and Urban Meyer (3,900), to name a few, all have accounts.
Thanks again for the comment, keep reading!
-ADF