The Milwaukee Bucks have one of the most in-depth, creative, and diversified social media presences in the NBA. Nick Monroe and Mike Grahl of the Bucks do a great job of incorporating social media into the team’s marketing initiatives.
Here is a look at some specific ways the Milwaukee Bucks are leveraging various social media platforms to strengthen their brand and engage fans:
130,231 ‘Likes’
Rank: 20th in the NBA
Two of the most important elements of a Facebook page are wall content and custom tabs; and the Milwaukee Bucks utilize both very effectively.
The Bucks use the Facebook wall to post diverse content, including polls, articles, and interactive questions. Content is engaging, informative, and very reader-friendly.
The Bucks also do a great job of leveraging promotions using customized Facebook tabs. This makes the Facebook page a one-stop shop for information, acting as a direct extension of the team's official website.
The Bucks also do a great job of leveraging promotions using customized Facebook tabs. This makes the Facebook page a one-stop shop for information, acting as a direct extension of the team's official website.
21,697 Followers
Rank: 25th in the NBA
Rank: 25th in the NBA
The Bucks use their primary Twitter account (@Bucks) to provide fans with news, inside information, special offers, and promotions. The team also does a great job of Tweeting and interacting with fans during games, as noted in this interview from Sport Spiel.
One of my favorite features of the Twitter page is a Twitter List of fans. The Bucks understand that social media is a two-way relationship between fans and teams, so it is great to see them directly acknowledge their fans through a Twitter list.
The Bucks recently launched an innovative mobile marketing campaign. Fans have the opportunity to submit their phone number (through the Facebook page or team website) and receive exclusive mobile alerts, such as news, ticket specials, and scores.
Especially with the rising prevalence of mobile apps, this type of mobile marketing strategy is often overlooked by NBA teams. The Bucks, however, have fully embraced this mobile campaign as another means to reach fans.
YouTube is probably the most underutilized social media marketing tool in the sports industry. This discussion from Sports Marketing 2.0 points out that too few teams are using YouTube to its full potential.
The Bucks, however, stand out in the way they leverage YouTube. The team uses a personalized YouTube channel to post exclusive videos. These videos offer a very unique way for the team to connect with many fans. This 'Brockness Trick Shot' video, for example, was posted on the team's channel and has received more than 190,000 views. Check it out here:
Much like Mobile and YouTube marketing, few teams in the NBA use blogs to interact with fans. Blogs offer a great opportunity to interact with fans, giving teams a 'voice' with their fanbase.The Bucks recognized the marketing potential of blogs and launched the 6th Fan Blogger contest. This is a contest where fans compete to become an official team blogger, ultimately having fans writing for fans.
The 6th Fan Blogger contest is effective because it engages fans on two levels. First, it reaches out to fans and encourages them to compete for this blogging position. Then, the contest remains valuable in that it provides other fans an indepth look at the team.
Conclusion
The Milwaukee Bucks stand out in the way they utilize many platforms to reach fans. Quite simply, this is a team that ‘gets it.’ They understand the value of these social media platforms, and use them in creative ways to reach fans.