Episode 87 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Katlyn Gambill of the Minnesota Wild

Digital and Social Media Sports
Podcast Recap
Episode 87: Katlyn Gambill
Digital and Social Media Coordinator, Minnesota Wild
Episode 87 featured Minnesota Wild Digital and Social Media
Coordinator, Katlyn Gambill.
Listen to the full episode at DSMSports.net or on iTunes. What follows
are snippets and quotes from the podcast. Enjoy and thanks again to
Katlyn!
@njh287; DSMSports.net

Podcast Recap
Katlyn's career path
Started writing about hockey in high school and wanted to work in that field
Attended Northeastern, where they have a co-op program (school for six
months, internship for six months) and Katlyn worked for the New Jersey
Devils (during their Stanley Cup run) and developed social media
marketing scales
Katlyn did additional internships remotely for the Devils, while still in school

Podcast Recap
“My biggest piece of advice is to definitely do internships, if you're in college,
because I would not be in this job right now...if I had not had that
opportunity to work for the Devils.”
Katlyn worked for the Devils briefly after college → Ended up applying for the
Wild and worked seasonally before being brought on full-time to her
current role
“There's so much more to it than the journalistic part of it – with graphic
design, working with sales teams...and it's so much more interesting to
me than just straight reporting.”

Podcast Recap
On her time with the Devils
“I learned a lot from Will Carafello when I was there...the way that he had developed
this core group of people that bought into social media at the Devils, with Mission
Control – it was all focused on social media. It was back in 2012, when people
were still splitting...social media (between PR and others)...and they really just set
aside certain people for it and put the time and effort into it, and to work with their
sponsorship department, so that they could sell it, and bring in revenue from it
with tickets...It wasn't just another empty push with 'We're just trying to interact
with fans.'
“But they were fantastic with their an interaction – it was all about the fan. It was not
'We're trying to sell stuff to you. We want to make your experience with the Devils
so much better, and we're going to use social media to do that.'”

Podcast Recap
The status of the Wild's social media when Katlyn started
“Early on, there was definitely buy-in that social media was important...They
wanted to grow it, it just wasn't one person's job until I started...When I
came in, I was lucky enough to work with Ryan Stanzel and a couple
other people in our department to build that up and work with our
corporate team to realize that we could bring in revenue with this. Beyond
just it being a secondary thing to whatever was on the website. And then
our hockey ops department bought in quickly to really show 'This may
seem silly to you, but this is why it's successful on social media and why
it's bringing fans to our channels.'”

Podcast Recap
How her position evolved with the Wild
“Ryan Stanzel was in charge of digital and social media when I came in...He
was a real leader in pushing to where it is now. I came in and was able to
bring in some past experiences from the Devils of 'We need to make
things more visual, we need to give fans more of a reason to come to our
channels, so we can sell them tickets (and) push corporate sponsorship
ideas on them.' It was a mixture of looking at best practices and giving the
why...and then showing those results after.”

Podcast Recap
On working with the corporate partnership team → “It was a lot of (them
coming) to us and say 'We need this out on social media. Figure it out.'
That was nice in the fact that they were giving us leeway to do it in the
way that we thought would be the best success on our channels and (for
the sponsor or for tickets)...It was very much up to us to decide, which
was very helpful.”

Podcast Recap
Defining the brand, voice, look, and feel for the Wild on digital and social
“I had a lot of conversations with our brand marketing people at the very
beginning. I wasn't coming and trying to reinvent the wheel...We have a
brand that has been set up since 2000...We're all about building a better
State of Hockey...It was interesting that I was able to come in as a fresh
mind and...(help tell this story) and still be relevant and fun on social,
without it coming across as dry, and still be respectful of the brand.

Podcast Recap
“For my first year, it was a lot of figuring out what we could and couldn't do. It
was really different for me at the Wild than it was at the Devils. We didn't
have player access at the Devils, we didn't cover practice. And we had to
be very careful about how we went about covering the team. Coming to
the Wild, it was very different. We had access to the players. We were
able to cover practice, take photos...it was almost easier, because the
buy-in was there...I think the first year...it was getting to know the
landscape, getting to know the brand...”

Podcast Recap
Getting to know and working with players
“It was very weird. My first year, I guarantee there was not a single player that
knew my name...I was lucky enough to sit down with our captains at one
point, and talk it through with them, and explain what my goals were with
social media. And explain that 'To you, it seems like I'm just taking a photo.
But, by doing that, I'm telling our fans what you guys are doing. I'm giving
them a visual of you guys getting ready. Me taking photos of you guys
playing soccer may seem super-weird to you. But our fans don't see that...'
They understood and bought in to the fact, they don't have to participate in
social media for the team to be successful, they just need to let me be
around...

Podcast Recap
“It was that and then we got all the young guys that do like social media...The
new guys that are coming up in the league are starting to really love social
media, and it;'s starting to change the entire landscape, I think. And then you
add in all the guys that are now starting to realize, 'Oh, I can make money off
of this,' that it's changing how everyone is viewing it.”
“It's pretty cool when they get so excited and (ask to be tagged in photos or
have a photo sent to them, so they can post it themselves, too)...”

Podcast Recap
Adjusting to new platforms and types of content for the Wild
“I think it goes back to the brand awareness...For example, Snapchat – I was the
one that started our Snapchat account, and it was very new for brands and
teams to be on it. Taco Bell was the case study I showed to my bosses (to
show them why it'd be good). We might not be able to bring in revenue right
away, but that doesn't mean down the line that we can't...[But] Just because
we can't necessarily bring in a ton of revenue on Snapchat, doesn't mean it's
not useful. Because we can't have every single post on every single platform
just promoting a corporate sponsor, otherwise people just aren't going to pay
attention to us.

Podcast Recap
“And reaching that younger demographic on Snapchat is great, because
eventually those are the people that are going to have money to spend with
us. Snapchat was kind of a tougher sell, in the aspect that it was so new and
so young...[Katlyn also mentions Instagram stories as an interesting
development with fleeting content]
...”Shelf life is not 24 hours on most social media posts, as it is...I think that was
the biggest selling point...”

Podcast Recap
Skills needed for Katlyn's position
“I have a little bit of everything. I think social media is such a utility position now
– if you don';t how to edit, if you don't know how to take a good photo on a
DSLR, or do a basic editing of a video, then you're not going to be
successful...(Social media) is not just straight copy...you have to be able to
do everything. I've been lucky that we have a lot of good people in our
organization that are very talented, and they're willing to teach...Our creative
department is great (too) at creating templates that I can (simply) edit in
Photoshop...”

Podcast Recap
Helpful Tool: Invision App (and website); used for comments and sharing
design, built for apps, also useful for pinpointing comments on graphics and
website mocks

Podcast Recap
Utilizing Snapchat Spectacles before most sports teams did and what it was like
[Katlyn describes that a local agency in Minnesota had Spectacles and wanted
to partner with the Wild]
“They came down on a game day, and we just started using them. I obviously let
our PR department know, so that hey knew there are people with me, and my
glasses are going to be recording people, and going to look weird, but let's
just go with it. I laid out some different ideas of what I wanted to film, and I
knew what we couldn't do (such as filming in the locker room)...But there
were other areas that I could push the bounds a little bit...

Podcast Recap
“With the Spectacles, I think most of the really good content, unfortunately, was
ruined by my hair...just barely a couple strands would cover the lens...If
you're a girl out there, and you're wearing Spectacles, pull your hair back...”
“It was really difficult (getting the hang of Spectacles)...I think the biggest failure
on the Spectacles part is you can't see it on your phone as it's happening. So
you don't actually know if you're getting the shot at just the right angle with
the glasses...

Podcast Recap
“Our players thought it was hilarious because I was wearing sunglasses inside.
They didn't quite realize what was happening. A couple times I was standing
there and I was recording, and a player would walk by and (ask): 'Wait, are
you filming this?' And I didn't want to talk, because I didn't want my voice in
it, so I would nod...Once they realized what was happening, and I explained
'This is going on Snapchat [to give] a first-person view. [Team captain] Ryan
Suter was very nice to let me actually throw the football back and forth with
him a couple times...And then the guys let me play in the soccer circle, which
was probably a horrible idea in heels, but they let me do it, and it was really
funny content.”

Podcast Recap
How the Wild execute great social media sponsorship integrations
“Our main focus is 'What do the fans want, and are they going to enjoy it?'
Our corporate department is fantastic on selling, and going back to a
partner and saying 'We want both sides to be successful in this. So, while
this may be the idea, here's this tweak that'll fit our fans better and our
brand. And it'll produce better results for you. Are you cool with this?' With
that, too, we're very focused on integrating everything – in-arena, print
advertisements, online advertisements – they're all the same...[Katlyn
gives example of intermission updates having same sponsor on all
platforms].

Podcast Recap
“...So we try to tie things in, so it doesn't feel weird or out of place. I'm also
not a fan of just plopping a logo on something; I don't think that does
anything on social media. If the company doesn't have social media
presence, (then) it's really difficult for me to buy into it, because what are
they getting out of it, then? Are they looking for just leads? Are they trying
to build their social media presence to allow fans to follow them and, in
time, buy their product or whatever they're trying to do.

Podcast Recap
“So we work really closely with them on trying to tie something in that we're
either already doing on social and digital media, and how we attach it to a
partner. Or – what does the partner, what are they looking for, and how
can we build something that will fit both our side and theirs?...So it's a lot
of going back and forth, and trying to make sure both sides are really
happy.”

Podcast Recap
A sponsored social media campaign that is particularly memorable
“I think Hockey Hugs is my favorite. It's sponsored by Gillette Children's
specialty health care, which is just such a natural tie-in of children, trying
to make sure that the children are healthy, and then hockey hugs; which
is something so pure and just happy and genuine. And the nice thing is
that it's only posted after a win, when fans are actually happy. So, it's a
good fit for both sides, and for what their mission is, and for something
that our fans actually interact with...”

Podcast Recap
Tying in community relations/fan development and the state of hockey into the
Wild's main social media efforts
“Our community relations department is really good at coming up with new ideas
and new things that we can do in our community to create the greater state of
hockey. We just recently did some youth spotlight games, where we brought
the entire Wild in-game experience to a youth hockey game and re-created
(all aspects)...Our job on social was – 'Ok, this is going to happen. How can
we provide good coverage of this and what can we do to show how unique
this is?' So our job is really to act as the media company part of it...How can
we highlight this and showcase what is happening.”

Podcast Recap
Episode 39: Micah Hart
Director of Interactive Marketing, Atlanta Hawks
Transitioning to a new coaching staff this past offseason and season
“For me, it was really weird to have a new coach. I was a little fearful of how
he was going to feel about social media...I was a little afraid that maybe
he wouldn't want so much practice coverage, or was I not going to be
able to put up quotes from his scrums. All of my fears were erased within
the first or second practice, when I actually talking with him, and he was
just giving those hilarious quotes...It made my job so much easier. And
there's been a couple times after a scrum will end...and he'd be, like, 'Oh,
are you tweeting what I just said?...' He gets it. He understands why I'm
there...”

Podcast Recap
How the Wild reacted to their long win streak earlier this season, from a
digital, social, marketing et al. perspective
“I think everything was so much more successful. We have so many things
that are sponsored this year after a win...Those promotions did so much
better during that win streak. So it was kind of just an added benefit,
almost. I think the big thing for social during that win streak, was it was so
much easier to be fun on the accounts. Because people weren't
complaining (about losses)...It was much easier to actually use social
media correctly...

Podcast Recap
“During that win streak was the first time I really used a Snapchat filter on a
player...And I wasn't afraid to post it, because 'Everybody's happy right
now, this is just fun. It doesn't need to be serious all the time. We're a
hockey team. We can have fun. It's sports...' It was so much more fun to
just kind of let loose a little bit.”

Podcast Recap
Share-able Stat: +30% –> The growth in views/tweet from Super Bowl 50 to
Super Bowl XLI (tweets grew from 27M to 27.6M, but tweet views from
4.3B to 5.6B)

Podcast Recap
About Katlyn's blog “Freeze The Puck” (she wrote in high school)
“I was a junior in high school when I decided I wanted to be a writer, and my
English teacher (told me) 'You should start a blog. Write about hockey
because that's what you're into.' I took that advice and [said] I don't care if
anybody reads it, I just want to practice my writing skills...I just wanted to
talk about hockey and write about it...I was lucky enough to get a little
experience...I started putting my articles out there (on Twitter)...and
people started looking at it. And that feeling of 'Oh, people are actually
reading this' made me feel really and made me continue to want to do it.”

Podcast Recap
The non-Minnesota and non-NHL team that does the best job on social and
why
“I think the Atlanta Hawks are the best. They are very funny and their wit on
there is fantastic. But they're innovation is what sets them apart from
everybody else...[Katlyn notes using the WWWWWWW on the Twitter bio
for their account during their win streak this year, borrowing from the
Hawks]”

Podcast Recap
The most memorable social media post in Katlyn's time with the Wild
Katlyn references game 3 of the 2014 playoffs at home against Colorado, 0-0 in
overtime
“Granlund scored the overtime winner for us, and was kind of flying through the
air when he scored, and the photos came out really cool from it. But, I had my
camera right next to me in the press box and I just grabbed it and instantly
started snapping a bunch of photos of the crowd going crazy; you could see
Granlund and his teammates celebrating in the corner. And I just posted 'A
picture is worth a thousand words.' And that was what we put out there right
away...That emotion of experiencing it was incredible, but then, to actually
share that online, and see the results from it made it so much cooler.”

Podcast Recap
Katlyn's favorite hash tag in her time with the Wild and why
#StateofHockey - “Because it's not just a Wild hash tag. It's something that
everybody in Minnesota will use, and it's fun just to monitor it. I have a
stream set up that I look at all the time...It's just such a cool thing to see. I
grew up in Arizona, not a lot of people are hockey fans. And to see the
different culture and atmosphere in Minnesota, and to see that online, and
to not necessarily have the Wild tagged in it and I can interact with it and
make them feel 'Hey, this is the state of hockey and the Wild are paying
attention to it.'”
“Hockey is just a way of life here. They love hockey, live it, breathe it, sleep
it...It's incredible.”

Podcast Recap
The best player, personality, and/or quote in her time with the Wild
“I'd probably say Nino Niederreiter. He really gets social media and his
online personal brand, but he's also just somebody that's really funny. I
started his Nino's socks account last year with him; just showing off the
crazy socks that he would wear every day. Because one day I saw on the
plane that he wore really weird socks. So we brought it up to him (and
said) 'Hey, this would just be funny. It doesn't need to be anything more
than just a simple photo every day...' And the ease of (his) buy-in made it
so much better to me.”

Podcast Recap
Katlyn's favorite article she wrote as a student reporter at Northeastern
“I got to write an article about food trucks during a snowstorm for the Boston
Globe for their online website. That was a lot of fun. I'm really into food
and cooking, so I was able to step outside of sports...And the food truck
scene in Boston was so big back when I wrote that article and it was 'This
is what's new and what's cool.' And then, to add in the snow...it was just
so fascinating to me.”

Podcast Recap
The most important a digital/social media and sports pro needs and why
Photography → “Because I am a firm believer that social media has to be
visual. You can be funny, you can be witty, you can be good at grammar
(and) portraying your message...but if you don't have a visual attached to
it, people are going to scroll right past it...”

Podcast Recap
The best food to get in Minnesota
“In Minnesota, I would have to say tacos at Barrio. And I know that sounds
weird to get tacos in Minnesota. But Mexican food is my favorite food and
I am obsessed with the tacos at Barrio.”
In Boston: Flower Bakery → “It was a small chain in Boston that was started
by Joanna Chang...she has an amazing bakery (where) everything is so
decadent and so well-done. But then she has also has a ton of savory
food, so it's pretty much the greatest spot ever.”

Podcast Recap
If the Wild win West, who will be their opponent in the Stanley Cup Final
Katlyn goes with the Washington Capitals

Podcast Recap
Katlyn's Social Media All-Star to Follow
Jessica Smith (@WarJessEagle) → “I think she does a great job of showing
the different trends on social media and presenting it in a way that it's not
boring to read. And actually makes you stop and think about 'How can I
use this idea and make it fit my brand?' I really love reading her work...if
you're into SMSports, you need to follow her.”

Podcast Recap
Where to find Katlyn on digital and social media
Katlyn is @katlyngambill on Twitter
Wild is @mnwild / Minnesota Wild across platforms

Podcast Recap
Thanks again to Katlyn Gambill for sharing her time and knowledge on
the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast!
For more, visit DSMSports.net and follow me on Twitter @njh287.

Episode 87 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Katlyn Gambill of the Minnesota Wild

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Destaque

Destaque (10)

Mais de Neil Horowitz

Mais de Neil Horowitz (20)

Último

Último (20)

Episode 87 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Katlyn Gambill of the Minnesota Wild