In today’s world of sports, it is inevitable that teams use social media as a way to connect with their fans. It is almost impossible to watch a game on TV, or go to a game, without somewhere seeing, “follow us on Instagram and Twitter @______________.”
Social media has become so important that teams hire a person, whose only job is to be in charge of their various accounts. In order to best understand how teams are utilizing the technology available to them, I am going to analyze the social media tactics of the Miami Heat on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
You might ask why the Heat, and my answer is simple: along with being the best team in the NBA for the past two years, the team also has a stellar social media presence.
The Heat have the third most “fans” on their Facebook page out of any team in the NBA, with over 8.9 million likes (only trailing the Los Angeles Lakers with over 17 million and the Chicago Bulls with just under 10 million). On their Facebook page, the Heat demonstrate their activity both on and off the court. One of the main goals of the team is to have a positive image in the community. On Veteran’s Day, several members of the coaching staff and the team showed that basketball is not always the most important thing to them:
This post from the official team page reflects upon the day of activity in the community. From a young child’s perspective, there is nothing more exciting than an opportunity to take part in a clinic with your favorite NBA team.
Another characteristic of the Facebook page is its constant enthusiasm for the team’s play. There are several posts a week highlighting the main moments from the past few games, both positive and negative.
After a much-anticipated matchup between the Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers, a fan was able to go on the Heat’s Facebook page and immediately see the game recap.
Although many people might think that the Miami Heat Facebook page’s target market is only Heat fans, that is not always the case.
After the Boston Celtics pulled off an improbable buzzer-beating victory, the Heat Facebook page posted a game recap. Along with telling Heat fans about the game, this type of post also involves fans of other teams. By seeing that the Heat are not perfect, fans from around the league are attracted to this page to see when other teams beat the Heat.
As previously mentioned, the two teams ahead of the Heat regarding number of fans on Facebook are the Lakers and the Bulls. However, when it comes to Instagram, the Heat are arguably the top NBA team with usage of this social media application. The Heat have about half of the number of Facebook fans as the Lakers do, but when it comes to Instagram, the Heat only have 26,000 fewer followers (877K vs. 851K).
The difference is, the Heat have made over 300 more posts than the Lakers (1763 vs. 1142). The increase in posts displays the constant activity of the Miami Heat on Instagram, with the main intention of keeping fans informed. While the Facebook page is meant for all basketball fans, the Heat Instagram is targeted at Heat fans specifically. With a busy schedule, and not much time to watch TV, the Miami Heat Instagram makes it easy to know when the Heat play, and the scores of their games.
With Instagram posts notifying fans what time tip-off is, not only are fans informed that there is a game at night, but posts like this also create excitement among the fans. This type of post gives fans something to be excited about during a long day of work.
The Miami Heat Instagram makes this type of post after every victory, which provides fans with a way of knowing the game result if they were unable to watch.
Heat fans have plenty of reasons to be thrilled about their team’s official Instagram. With several posts a day, ranging from videos of LeBron James giving pre-game speeches to collages of the NBA Championship ring, the team is keeping its fans on the inner-loop on a daily basis.
Just like with Instagram, the Miami Heat Twitter page has the second most followers of any NBA team (once again, trailing the Lakers). The Miami Heat Twitter page does an incredible job of keeping fans up-to-date on all team activities throughout the day. While the Facebook page and Instagram focus on final scores, the Twitter provides constant updates for fans during a game. For example, on November 9th, during the Heat game against the Celtics, the Miami Heat tweeted 21 times, with scores, statistics, and player quotes.
#HEATgame: HEAT take a 6pt lead into the 2ndQ! @ChrisBosh 10pts 3rebs, @KingJames 9pts 4asts 3rebs, @MChalmers15 5pts.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 10, 2013
Wade on tonight’s game: “It wasn’t a good defensive effort. Had we won that game we would’ve stole one.”
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 10, 2013
By following the Miami Heat Twitter page, it is easy for a fan to not watch a game, and still feel like he or she is at the American Airlines Arena cheering on the team.
The Miami Heat has made itself a leader in the social media world of sports, which is evident by the fact that the team is in the top three in followers/fans for all three forms of social media discussed. The team clearly benefits from being one of the top teams in the league, but I still believe that the Heat would be at the top even if it was a mediocre team because of its social media strategies. Other teams in the NBA, along with teams in other professional sports leagues, should follow the Heat’s social media practices to increase their presence in the social sports world.