Great Social Media Idea: Access = Success

At this point, this idea is really only applicable to the lucky schools that still have teams competing in March Madness, but it's always something worth keeping in mind if you ever are involved in helping out with athletics social media, or even in instances when you are hosting a VIP on campus.

The lesson we all can learn from this great video from Xavier University? Our behind-the-scenes access is one of our most valuable assets, particularly with real-time promotion and news sharing. 

Post by Xavier University.

Posting about a huge win is one thing... definitely worth doing to be a part of the immediate joy of victory, but it's also not anything unique or special. Uploading a quick, raw video of the team going crazy in the locker room after a big win? That's the type of thing only you can provide.

I see a lot of schools and pro sports teams using pre-made graphics to celebrate victories, and I totally understand why. It's great to have a good visual ready to go at a moment's notice, and it saves the work of having to create something new every time. It's perfectly acceptable - and generally engaging - content.

But I don't see enough of stuff like this from Xavier. Sure, it takes a bit of extra hustle and you have to be ready to jump in there and do some quick filming and editing, but the end result is so worth it. And, I'd venture a guess that whoever produced this video for Xavier was ready to capture those special moments before the game even started... with a plan of how to film it, where to be positioned, permission from the coaches, etc.

I'm reminded of an example from UP last year, when my Pilots beat Gonzaga for the first time in way too long. My super talented co-worker James Vega - who cranks out so many great videos for the UP athletic department that he makes my head spin - gave a GoPro to an off-duty student worker who was going to be in the stands cheering, just in case we ended up winning and the students rushed the court. This was 30 minutes before the start of the game, mind you, but he wanted to have his bases covered just in case.

Sure enough, we ended up winning, and the resulting video of the court storm went viral on social media following the game.

Well done, Xavier!