Social Media Lessons to Learn from the Olympics

Content, Facebook, General, Instagram, Social Media, Twitter, , , , , , ,

The world is currently head over heels in love with the Olympics, and who can blame them? Sports most people don’t see except for every four years, high stakes, and rooting for your country! And NBC has their social media team going full force on the NBC Olympics social media channels, with lots of good tips and ideas for the rest of us!

Photos Win Facebook

There is not a post on NBC Olympics’ Facebook page that doesn’t have a photo. According to this Fast Company article, 93% of the most engaging posts on Facebook have photos. Not only does NBC use photos, but they also brand every last one of them with their blue border and Sochi logo, making sure that when it’s shared, the branding is still just as evident.

Post by NBC Olympics.

Post by NBC Olympics.

Spur of the Moment

NBC Olympics has done a great job of taking advantage of situations as they arise. Obviously, the nature of the Olympics means they are waiting for the perfect moments, from announcing a Gold Medal to featuring athletes as they prepare to start competing, so they are set up already to use the random things that they aren’t anticipating.

User-Generated Content

It’s an easy tactic, but no doubt it’s effective. Asking for your audience to participate in the fun by answering a question, submitting a photo or filling in a blank is a great way to encourage engagement. Also, you can’t go wrong with using the unsolicited content, that’s the stuff social media dreams are made out of!

Create Your Own “Meme”

Normally, I hate when I see this. Most of the time, I just don’t think it’s a great fit for the brand or the content they have used. Now, I know this isn’t technically a meme, but it has a meme-like feel by using big, to-the-point words, and showing one subject in the photo. However, since NBC didn’t try to make their content fit into an already existing meme, I actually really like it!

Post by NBC Olympics.

Post by NBC Olympics.

Post by NBC Olympics.

Artsy Fartsy

NBC obviously understands that Instagram is a little bit artsier than Facebook and Twitter, and their content on the channel has been just that.

Diversified Content

One of the most noticeable things when I was looking through NBC’s Olympics social media channels is how very different the content is on each channel.

Twitter is very centered around news-like content, such as events starting soon announcements, medal counts and winners and feature stories. But just because it’s more news focused, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a personality!

Facebook is probably the most fun content they have. While all the other channels they are utilizing defintiely have a feeling of fun and excitement, their Facebook content takes it to the next level. They are posting things that are easy to share and the most exciting or stunning moments of the Olympics.

Instagram, as I already pointed out, is much more artsy. Because of this, it makes you think you’re getting an inside look at the Olympics: how the courses look before an event and practice runs.

What is your favorite part of Olympics social media coverage so far?

Written by Allison Matherly

Allison Matherly

Allison Matherly: Coordinator of Digital Engagement at Texas Tech University, coffee lover, crazy cat lady, social media enthusiast & believer, blogger.

Leave a Reply