13 th Annual Flying Pig Marathon Social Media Report

Transcription

1 13 th Annual Flying Pig Marathon Social Media Report Boston, New York, London, Flying Pig The most socially connected marathons in the world Presented by Game Day Communications May Flying Pig Marathon Technology Report 1

2 Executive Summary The primary objective of the Flying Pig Marathon s Social Media initiatives was to create awareness of the event by engaging the community, current and prospective participants, and the media. Another strategy was to leverage the social media platforms to increase search engine optimization for the Flying Pig Marathon and its website to continue building awareness. All social media platforms were linked directly to the web site to organically increase the search engine optimization. Additionally, the social media sites of the Flying Pig Marathon were used as customer service tools to assist and inform participants with various aspects and offerings from the Marathon. The Flying Pig Marathon Social Media initiatives leveraged platforms such as Facebook (fan page), Twitter, Youtube, and FourSquare to create and share content throughout the event. To properly manage the effort, a social media team led by Game Day Communications was created to develop content, manage expectations within the community and monitor comments and consumer engagements. A social media newsroom is defined as a team of trained reporters to capture and share content via social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube to drive traffic to a specific web site, increase search engine optimization for the event and create viral buzz for the tournament to drive awareness. Objective(s) Create interest/continued awareness of the Flying Pig Marathon Become a top social-media connected marathon. Reach fans where they are on social media platforms. Create and share new exclusive content. Target Audiences Race Participants Friends and family members of race participants Community Members National and Worldwide Marathon Community Media members Flying Pig Marathon Staff and Volunteers Coverage Specific content for each platform was determined each day after briefings. Two or three staff members monitored each platform throughout race weekend 2011 Flying Pig Marathon Technology Report 2

3 Results The social media efforts during the 2011 Flying Pig Marathon have made the marathon the most socially connected marathon against similar events such as the Indy Mini and the Marine Corps Marathon. This ranking is based on a review of the top marathons and their fans on Facebook, followers on Twitter and views on Youtube. Exclusive content was created and shared daily with fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter. We used both of these platforms to share links to the videos created for Youtube as well. Below is a summary for each platform. FlyingPigMarathon.com The official website of the Flying Pig Marathon serves as the home base for the Marathon for registration, merchandise sales, event information and social media links. From January-May 2011, there were more than 21 million unique visits to the website. Facebook Fans of the Facebook fan page (Flying Pig Marathon) increased by 81 percent from 2010, from 6,217 to 11,264. The average value of a Facebook fan is $3.60 (Source: Vitrue Study, April 2010), therefore the earned value of the Facebook Fan Page is $40, Flying Pig Marathon Technology Report 3

4 Fans represented 19 countries and our content was translated into 19 different languages. Below is a demographic overview of the Facebook fans. Exclusive content was created and shared for Facebook and included posts and photos on special events and news updates including: P&G Health and Fitness Expo, Pasta Party, Who Dey 5K, The Piggest Raffle Ever, and registration among others. We also posted breaking news on weather reports and monitored daily for comments/questions which we answered within minutes of being posted. The Facebook page became a community for Flying Pig Marathon participants to network. Participants would search out other runners for support during the race week and also connect with participants after the event. Participants shared their own photos, stories, and personal achievements from the event Flying Pig Marathon Technology Report 4

5 Twitter Followers on Twitter increased by 63 percent from 2,841 (2010) to 4,636 (2011). Followers from around the world began following the Marathon representing more than 30 countries. More than 300 tweets were sent throughout the year that included live results, pictures from race day and other events, and news updates. Twitter was also used to interact with fans via replies and retweets as a customer service tool. On was re-tweeted 84, Flying Pig Marathon Technology Report 5

6 Youtube A Youtube channel was created (flyingpigmarathon) to share videos throughout the year. The social media team captured and edited videos in short form (no longer than three minutes) of runners finishing, interviews with Flying Pig staff, wellness clinics, and much more. In all, 21 videos were created and shared throughout the year resulting in 7,801 views. Videos were linked throughout other social media applications including Facebook and Twitter Flying Pig Marathon Technology Report 6

7 FourSquare To build community during the event and encourage networking, multiple event locations were created through FourSquare, an application that allows users to checkin at locations. Through this action, users can obtain achievements and rewards. During the 2011 Flying Pig Marathon, the following locations were created: Start Line, Finish Line, Marathon Expo, and a general overall Flying Pig Marathon. During the event, 211 users checked-in at one or multiple locations. Text Messaging In partnership with CBTS, the Flying Pig offered free text message capabilities for participants and their family/friends, which included: race news alerts and participant result tracking. All in all, more than 6,000 people signed up for the text messaging program. iphone Application In April, the Flying Pig Marathon unveiled its first-ever iphone application that was available through the Apple Store for iphone users. All in all, almost 1,000 people downloaded the application. The Marathon is working on a Droid and possibly Blackberry version of the application for future distribution Flying Pig Marathon Technology Report 7

8 Management of the Social Media Network The social media newsroom was led by Game Day Communications with a team approach for content development ideas/execution from the team to ensure consistency in messaging and to support the mission of the organization. A scorecard was developed to monitor the progress of the plan and to benchmark the effort among fans/followers, web site traffic and on-line positioning. Premier Marathons Social Media Analysis May 13, 2011 Name of Marathon # of Facebook Fans # of Twitter Followers # of total views on YouTube Total Impressions Boston 37,780 9,969 95, ,736 NYC (November) 30,977 8,679 30,872 70,528 London, England 26,646 9,092 28,943 64,681 Flying Pig 11,264 4,626 32,012 47,902 Indy Mini (May) 5,492 2,536 33,034 41,062 Marine Corps Marathon 20,201 2,609 10,262 33,072 Detroit 5,889 1,059 16,858 23,806 Pittsburgh 7,509 1,888 10,816 20,213 Columbus 5,898 2,793 n/a 8,691 Akron 2, ,501 7,089 Twin Cities 2,748 1,861 1,923 6,532 KY Derby 1, n/a 2,285 Glass City/Toledo n/a n/a n/a n/a 2011 Flying Pig Marathon Technology Report 8