Top Ten Teams Using Social Media

Right!By: Michael Harper

#1 Los Angeles Lakers

Facebook: 16,400,445 likesTwitter: 3,169,966 followers

Instagram: 742,883 followers

Los Angeles LakersThe Lakers are the biggest team right now in

social media. They have used almost all of the different social media tools that are out there and they use them really well. The results can be seen by seeing how many people they have following them on each one of their accounts. They regularly post and keep their fans up to

date on the team and events that are going to be taken place. Their accounts really bring the

fans into the team’s life and lets them see some things that they would not see without social

media.

#2 San Francisco Giants

Facebook: 1,697,472 likesTwitter: 436,891 followers

Instagram: 261,904 followers

Social Media Cafe

San Francisco GiantsThe Giants had a very big impact in last years

MLB playoffs with their social media accounts. They really took in to account the way that fans

watch games and want to interact with the team through the internet and social media. This season they were the first professional sports team to open what they call a “social

media cafe” at their ballpark for the fans. The Giants as a organization have really began to

understand the way that the sport is going and the way to get new fans in the future. That is

why they are number two on the list.

#3 Los Angeles Kings

Facebook: 361,790 likes

Twitter: 242,836 followers

Instagram: 78,752 followers

Los Angeles KingsThe Kings are a team playing a unlikely sport in Los Angeles. Team’s in warmer climates like

Florida and L.A. have a hard time getting people to their games because hockey is a winter

sport. The kings have taken it upon themselves to use tools such as Twitter and Facebook to bring more fans in and get their team’s brand

out there. They realized that they are competing with other huge team in their market

like the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers so they need to use these free tools efficiently. During last years playoff run they were one of the best team’s with their social media accounts. They used it very well and even poked fun at some other teams and

celebrities. That is why they are number three on the list.

#4 Manchester City Football ClubFacebook: 5,611,627

likesTwitter: 952,830

followersInstagram: 63,789

followers

Manchester City Football Club

In Europe soccer is a huge sport and a very big market to get into. Manchester City brings their

fans inside their world through social media. They have a very large fan following and it

shows on their accounts. They keep on top of the changing social media tools and regularly

communicate with their fans all over the world. They use the free sites to communicate with

fans in different countries and update them on the games and the team. That is why they are

number four on the list.

#5 Boston Celtics

Facebook: 6,933,228 likes

Twitter: 1,135,719 followers

Instagram: 443,037 followers

Boston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are known for their social media accounts. They use them all really well but the best one is their Instagram account. They were one of the first team’s to get an Instagram account and are one of the best

professional team’s using it today. They use it to bring their fans into their players lives and the pre and post game activities that go on.

During the season they are using it the most of any team and they connect it between their

other accounts as well. For a team that does not have world wide status like the Lakers they

have a lot of followers on their accounts. This is why they are number five on the list.

#6 Miami HeatFacebook: 8,401,855 likes

Twitter: 1,542,469 followers

Instagram:728,889 followers

Miami HeatThe Heat have grown in popularity in the last couple years and it has to do with their social

media. They have used their social media accounts very well and stayed on top of many trends that are happening. They connect all of

their big star players to the team’s account and their fan base just keeps getting bigger. They hold a lot of different contests on their Twitter pages for their fans and really stay on top of them. When the trend of “The Harlem Shake” came out the Heat decided to make their own video and used their social media accounts to promote it. That is why they are number six on

the list.

#7 St. Louis CardinalsFacebook: 1,404,364

likesTwitter: 303,453

followersInstagram: 38,663

followers

St. Louis CardinalsMajor League Baseball teams already have big fan base because it is Americans past time. The St. Louis Cardinals take it to another level with how they show their appreciation to their fans. They use their social media tools to get many different messages to their fans. They have a

great following on all of their sites with over one million followers on Facebook. They have some

interesting events that they put out through Twitter and Facebook like their social media night. The Cardinals use Twitter a lot to get

their information out to the fans and they also connect their accounts together really well. This

is why they are number seven on the list.

#8 New York GiantsFacebook: 2,671,657

likesTwitter: 461,602

followersInstagram: 24,544

followers

New York GiantsThe New York sports market is really

competitive with having two MLB team’s, two NBA team’s, three NHL team’s, and two NFL

team’s all in the area. The New York Giants do a really great job using their resources like their social media accounts to bring more attention to their team. They have many followers on

every site and stay up to date with their fans by providing them with regular information. They tweet many times during the day and even in the off season with not many team’s do. They

are number eight on the list of team’s.

#9 New Jersey DevilsFacebook: 334,970

likesTwitter: 142,145

followersInstagram:17,016

followers

New Jersey DevilsThe Devils were one of the first teams in

professional sports to open a digital command centre at their rink. They also won two awards for the use of their social media in 2011 from Bulldog Awards. The Devils being a team that

sometimes struggles to bring fans to the games had to find a different way to get their

messages to their fans. They use their social media very well and their followers are

beginning to grow over time. That is why they are number nine on the list.

#10 Toronto Blue JaysFacebook: 525,788

likesTwitter: 289,851

followersInstagram: 35,264

followers

#LoveThisTeam

Toronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are Canada’s only professional baseball ball team in the MLB. This means that they have a huge market that they can take advantage of. This past season I have

really noticed the organization focusing more on their social media and connecting with their

fans. They have started a new hashtag #LoveThisTeam that has taken off. They have

used it in all of the right ways and gained many more followers because of it. They use their

accounts very well by updating their fans on the team and give real time stats on their Twitter

account. They will have great success from their social media and that is why they are number

ten on the list.

The Worst Teams1. Phoenix Coyotes (NHL)- They do not use their free social media tools that well.- They have a hard market in Arizona and do not use all of their tools to help them.

2. Toronto Argonauts (CFL)- They are in a huge market in Toronto and do not take advantage of their social media tools.- Do not learn from other Toronto teams like the Blue Jays with how to use their different accounts.

3. St. Louis Rams (NFL)- lowest followers in the National Football League.- They do not do a very good job at connecting their fans to their team.- Also do not have a lot of extra content that their fans want to follow them to see.

4. New York Knicks (NBA)- They do not connect their players to their accounts.- Do not have a lot of followers for the huge market that they are in.

Most Popular UsedAfter reviewing many teams different social

media tools I have come to see that the most used tool is Twitter. Almost every professional team has a Twitter account that they use a lot

to get their messages to their fans. In my opinion Twitter is the best way that teams can

connect their players and events with the public because you can do a lot with Twitter.

You are able to post real time statuses, pictures, and links to other pages they might

have.

Improvements To Be MadeHere is a list of some improvements that I

believe every team can use to improve their social media usage:

1. Use all of the social media tools you have equally.2. Connect all of your tools together. i.e. post links on your Twitter to your Instagram accounts.3. Connect your players with your social media accounts to allow fans to follow their players.4. Use your Instagram and Facebook accounts to allow fans to see behind the scenes footage to get more buzz on their accounts.5. Use your accounts to run different contests to get more followers.

SourcesTwitter:https://twitter.com/SFGiantshttps://twitter.com/LAKingshttps://twitter.com/MCFChttps://twitter.com/celtics

https://twitter.com/BlueJayshttps://twitter.com/Ca

rdinalshttps://twitter.com/Giants

https://twitter.com/NHLDevils

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Giants

https://www.facebook.com/LAKingshttps://www.facebook.com/mcfcofficial

https://www.facebook.com/bostoncelticshttps://www.facebook.com/BlueJayshttps://www.facebook.com/Cardinals

https://www.facebook.com/newyorkgiantshttps://www.facebook.com/NewJerseyDevils

https://www.facebook.com/MiamiHeat

Instagram:http://instagram.com/sfgiantshttp://instagram.com/lakingsh

ockeyhttp://instagram.com/mcfcoff

icialhttp://instagram.com/celtics

http://instagram.com/bluejayshttp://instagram.com/cardinals

http://instagram.com/giantsfootballhttp://instagram.com/nhldevils

http://instagram.com/miamiheat

Other Sources:

•2013 Social Media Icon Awards: Best Social Media Team | PR NewsPR News. (n.d.). PR News - PR, Public Relations, Media Relations, Communications, Marketing, PR Jobs and PR Industry Events and NewsPR News | For Smart Communicators. Retrieved June 23, 2013, from http://www.prnewsonline.com/free/2013/04/17/2013-social-media-icon-awards-best-social-media-team/

•Laird, S. (n.d.). How the L.A. Kings Are Redefining Sports Social Media. Mashable. Retrieved June 23, 2013, from http://mashable.com/2012/05/30/kings-social-media/

•Pro sports teams building championship social media campaigns | Mainstreethost Search Marketing blog. (n.d.). Mainstreethost Blog | Covering SEO, Inbound Marketing, Social Media, Content Marketing & More. Retrieved June 23, 2013, from http://blog.mainstreethost.com/if-pro-sports-teams-were-consumer-brands-on-social-media#.UcYIABYmzS9 •the score. (n.d.). the score. Retrieved June 22, 2013, from www.thescore.ie/san-francisco-giants-open-a-social-media-cafe-whatever-that-is-956264-Jun2013/