I've got MLB draft night fever

In light of this evening's draft festivities, I just wanted to take a moment to share this awesome article/infographic, Top 100 Draft Flashback: What States Produce, published by Matt Eddy over at Baseball America. Being a Georgia boy, I obviously would like to draw attention to the production of the Southeastern states (most notably GA and FLA).

For marketers, content is king… Google+ is no exception.

Before delving into the Google+ as it relates to SEO, it is important to clear up certain misconceptions regarding Google+. When launched in 2011, Google+ was widely misinterpreted as simply an attempt to compete with existing social networks (and the ad revenue associated). However, what went largely unnoticed was the fact that the social aspect of Google+ was merely an offshoot of the big picture. In the grand scheme of things, Google+ created a massive data collection system wherein they could gather troves of online information from users (who were signed into their own accounts).

 In regards to inbound marketing (which essentially orbits around the idea of driving traffic to a specific website, be it through search engines, social networks, etc.), Google+ provided marketers with a central platform on which to more carefully mold/improve their own digital visibility, primarily through SEO.

One of the most elementary tools provided by Google+ is the +1 button, which can/should be embedded into any pertinent posting or piece of content published by the organization on their website/blog/etc. This simple tool allows visitors to share this content on their own Google+ pages, and is a simple way for any B2B marketer to increase the digital reach of a brand, while simultaneously improving search engine visibility.

While the +1 button is a powerful tool in its own right, perhaps the most fundamental requirement for any business looking to incorporate the power of Google+ into their digital marketing armory is the creation and verification of a Google+ business page. This page is the very groundwork on which any B2B marketer will lay the content to drive his/her inbound marketing strategy. The postings on this page should exhibit a consistent feel and theme, and not be used to shove products/services in the faces of potential customers. Rather, the content should be engaging and help to provide relief to customer pain points, all while maintaining a consistent brand presence. Depending on the marketing strategy, this content could consist of anything from blog postings to videos and photographs. The idea behind this content-centric strategy is that from an inbound marketing perspective, at its core, Google+ is about improving SEO and driving customers to your website… The only way to rise through all of the muck and gain this digital visibility is to use Google+ as it is designed… by drawing content views, +1’s, shares, likes, etc. How does a B2B marketer drive such action? The key is the creation of relevant and stimulating content.

End of semester reflections...

Graduation is rapidly approaching here at The University of Georgia, so as the schoolwork begins to wind down, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on the semester. It is safe to say that this semester has helped to provide me with the clearest picture of my career beyond the classroom. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the huge impact that my social media marketing class, and most notably my professor, Jennifer Osbon, has had on my career outlook post-graduation. 

While I already harbored a particular interest in social prior to this MARK 5000 class, the content, thought, real world application, and energy that Professor Osbon brings into the classroom and her lectures each day was hugely refreshing. Easily the best professor I have had here at the University of Georgia, her rookie year here has already begun to give the Terry College of Business a modern edge that it needs to continue improving its growth and sustainability well into the future. 

More than willing to help her students in regards to career aspirations, she never shies away from actively using her expansive network to put her students and The University of Georgia on the metaphorical digital marketing map. This is not to say that other professors here at The University of Georgia are unwilling to aid students in regards to career aspirations (actually, its is quite the opposite), merely that Professor Osbon has proven herself to be among the most proactive in this regard. Simply put: she is here for the students.

I'm quite confident that The Terry College of Business' "baptism" into the fray of digital/social marketing could be helmed by no one better.

To current students... register quickly before classes fill up! They promise to do so quickly.

My digital Masters weekend...

Here we are in mid-April, nearing the tail-end of Masters weekend, with the final round of the tournament shaping up to conclude dramatically (as usual). While probably oversimplifying things, it is safe to say the last 4 days has consisted primarily of eating, watching the Masters, and sleeping. 

Backtracking a bit... on Thursday, my social media marketing professor spent a sizable portion of class time discussing the emerging prominence of multi-screen audience engagement. How appropriate. Within a few hours I found myself camped out in front of my television, tuned into the Masters with the Golf Digest "Social Hub" loaded up on the laptop alongside a live-updating leaderboard. Up to this point, I had yet to realize the irony of the situation... until I made the decision to pull-out the iPad to view a few highlights. Here I was, sitting in the living room with 3 different screens loaded up, creating my own little digital world all situated around a single televised event.

Courtesy of my professor's lecture and dumb coincidence I came to realize just how penetrating and powerful digital media has become in regards to creating a broader, more engaging, event experience.

Building a Digital Ballpark Experience

In 2012, Major League Baseball launched the "At the Ballpark" application in an attempt to build a consolidated portable device-driven ballpark experience. With the explosion of mobile devices and social media, Major League Baseball saw an opportunity to amplify the digital experience of ball game attendance. The "At the Ballpark" application is this "opportunity" put to action. 

In general application allows attendees to:

• Access ballpark information/maps/etc.
• View schedule/ticketing information
• Access team statistics
• Order food/beverages (in select stadiums only)

Socially, attendees are able to upload/share photographs of their experiences at games, and participate in social media conversations with others in attendance/watching the game.

As a whole, the MLB "At the Ballpark" application does an exceptional job of creating a centralized digital experience for attendees, and has been positioned for continued success well into the future.

*Also worth noting is the fact that MiLB teams have begun making attempts to build a digital experience around ballgames. (See IronPigs Launch MiLB's First Social Media Hub).

Opening Night thoughts...

With the Houston Astros' 8-2 victory over the Texas Rangers here on 2013 Major League Baseball Opening Night, I wanted to take a few moments to post about production practices that could help ESPN promote/direct the Twitter chatter in regards to broadcast games. As time progresses, I fully expect ESPN to begin to embrace the social promotional practices of rival sports networks (i.e. FOX Sports, MLB Network, etc.).

An example from the 2012 Postseason of FOX Sports brick and mortar hashtag promotion

While the Twittersphere obviously does not require specific campaigns in order to create social buzz, the incorporation of specific hashtag campaigns helps to direct the conversation to a common digital arena, wherein sports networks are able to more easily engage with an audience that wants to be part of a larger conversation.

WBC Social Growth

With the conclusion of the 2013 World Baseball Classic on March 19th, publications are springing up online touting the outlandish social media statistics that persisted throughout the duration of the tournament. While posting eye-popping numbers in regards to viewership/television ratings internationally, the social media buzz around the event was equally remarkable. Moreover, credit is due to the minds behind the MLB Fan Cave social strategy who anticipated social growth of the event:

February 27th: "As baseball begins its third iteration of the WBC this Sunday, it’s going after its target youth demographic by utilizing tools that were less plentiful – or even nonexistent – during its last tournament four years ago." - (Tom Van Riper, "World Baseball Classic: The MLB Fan Cave Goes Global")

 The Fan Cave put together a contest with the objective of creating social buzz by selecting 16 individuals to watch, blog, and tweet about the event. While there no metrics available to measure the reach of the campaign as a whole, Major League Baseball did publish a press release announcing that the tournament (as a whole) "generated an unheard-of 600 million social media impressions." To put that into perspective, the 2012 World Series generated approximately 10.7 million social media comments - via (Record social media buzz for champion Giants). While the tournament boasts a much more expansive schedule in terms of games played, the near 60-fold advantage in social impressions belonging to the World Baseball Classic will serve as a constant reminder (over the next four years) as to the worldwide reach of the tournament (businesses take note).