8 Twitter lessons from the NCAA Tournament's Final Four teams

@MarcZarefsky@MarcZarefsky
8
TWITTER LESSONS
FROM THE NCAA
TOURNAMENT’S
FINAL FOUR TEAMS
BY MARC ZAREFSKY
@MarcZarefsky

A number of key social media lessons can
be learned by looking at how North
Carolina, Villanova, Oklahoma and
Syracuse celebrated in the hours and days
after each advanced to the Final Four.
Here are eight of those lessons.

LESSON #1
Showcase behind-the-scenes content as
a way to provide a new perspective and
make your audience feel more connected.

@MarcZarefsky@MarcZarefskyLESSON #1
Flying with a new trophyIn the locker room

LESSON #2
Capture the excitement of the moment
and celebrate with your followers.

Take a look at each team’s first tweet after
its Elite Eight victory to see how they
broke the news and started the
celebration.
LESSON #2

“‘CATS WIN!”
graphic was a GIF

LESSON #3
Deepen your storytelling capabilities by
using different types of visuals, including
GIFs, infographics, videos and photos. Just
make sure the content you use strengthens
the story you’re trying to tell.

@OU_MBBall made a simple GIF using
two photos to tell a powerful story
about growth. The GIF could stand on its
own if necessary, but the accompanying
text strengthens the story even more.
LESSON #3

GIF Slide #2GIF Slide #1

@UNC_Basketball quickly built an
attractive infographic that successfully
highlighted key information from the
Tar Heels’ Elite Eight victory.
LESSON #3

The infographic was
tweeted out 45 minutes
after the team’s first
celebratory tweet.

LESSON #4
Always proofread before you post. Not
everyone will notice typos, but misspelled
words can hurt your reputation and impact
how you analyze your data and track
results afterward.

LESSON #5
A good quote graphic can be very
powerful. A strong statement, combined
with well-designed graphics, tells a story
while standing out from other content in a
user’s timeline.

The design is visually
appealing.
However, it could be
more impactful with
less copy or an added
emphasis on part of
the text (by bolding
or coloring the words).

LESSON #6
IFTTT can be very useful, but don’t forget
that character limits vary for different social
channels.

What is IFTTT?
IFTTT (If This Then That) is a web-based
service that connects your apps so you
can be more productive.

For example, you can connect your Twitter
and Instagram account so that any time
you post to Instagram, IFTTT will post the
same content to Twitter.

These pictures
were posted to
Instagram and
automatically
added to Twitter.
The right one has
a caption great
for Instagram but
too long for
Twitter.

On Instagram:
On Twitter:
Coach Williams meets with the
media prior to this afternoon’s
practice. Heels head to Hous…
Coach Williams meets with the
media prior to this afternoon’s
practice. Heels head to Houston
tomorrow. #HeelsLockIn #FinalFour

LESSON #7
Whenever possible, customize the size
of your graphics to fit each social
channel. Sure this can’t be done every
time, but it could be the difference
between people seeing all of your content
or missing some of it.

Like North Carolina,
Villanova did a nice job of
posting an infographic
soon after the Wildcats’ win
over Kansas.
However …

Because of how the
graphic was sized, this is
how it was displayed on
Twitter, cutting out
important information.

LESSON #8
Never forget the people who made the
journey possible. It’s always important to
give thanks to those who helped get you
to where you are.

Scattered between its
celebration photos,
@Cuse_MBB posted this
nice tribute shortly after
the team’s Final Four berth.

RECAP
1. Showcase behind-the-
scenes content
2. Capture the excitement of
the moment
3. Deepen your storytelling
capabilities by using
different types of visuals
4. Always proofread before
you post
5. A good quote graphic can
be very powerful
6. IFTTT can be very useful
7. Customize the size of your
graphics to fit each social
channel
8. Never forget the people
who made the journey
possible

@MarcZarefsky
linkedin.com/in/marczarefsky
ENJOY THE FINAL FOUR!

8 Twitter lessons from the NCAA Tournament's Final Four teams

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