A comprehensive guide to increasing interest for the team through social media

S y r a c u s e University Dance Team

Table of Contents

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I. Organization Outline........................................2II. Organization Background and Need............3III. Research and Diagnosis.................................4IV. Objectives.........................................................6V. Strategies............................................................8VI. Tactics..............................................................9VII. Implementation..........................................10VIII. Reporting/Evaluation...............................11IX. Appendix of Tactics......................................12

The Syracuse University Dance Team has an opportunity to gain fans, supporters and future dancers through better social media management and stronger community engagement.

A. Who is the SUDT?The Syracuse University Dance Team, or the SUDT, is the official Dance Team of Syracuse University. SUDT is considered a Division 1 sport and is a part of the Syracuse University Athletic Department. Additionally, SUDT falls under the Spirit Program in athletics, which consists of Co-ed Cheer, All-girl Cheer, Dance and Mascots.

B. What does the SUDT do? • Game Days - attends all home football games, any bowl game, all

home men’s basketball games, all home women’s basketball games• Nationals - attends the Universal Dance Association, or UDA,

National College Championships every January in Orlando, Florida. Competes in Division 1A Jazz, the highest division

• Practices - holds practices at least three times a week and workouts with the team trainer twice a week

• Community Service - participates in service programs within Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community

• Appearances - makes appearances at private events as requested by the marketing department and donors

C. Leadership

I. Organization Outline

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CaptainsAthletic Director

John WildhackSpirit Program

CoordinatorDena Segbers

CoachKatie Giarrusso

II. Organization Background and Need

A. Fan Support • Increase following and presence on social media to share timely

and relevant updates on the team to increase interest and acquire a larger fan base.

B. School Support• Use the strengthened fan base to increase support and funding from

alumni and the university.

C. Dancer Interest• Stronger school support will increase the opportunities and benefits

for potential dance team members.• Encourage more dancers to tryout for the team through better

social media and a streamlined tryout process.

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III. Research and Diagnosis

A. ResearchThe current social media and online information is greatly lacking. It is rarely updated to show the accomplishments and highlights of the team. The Facebook and Instagram accounts need to acquire more followers. The Twitter account is extremely inactive and should be deleted. The website needs to be updated with relevant information to attract potential dancers. a. Current Instagram followers: 1,000 b. Current Facebook followers: 1,500

B. Key Audiences

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Key Audiences

Potentialhigh school

dancers

Current SU Students

who are dancers

Syracuse University

Alumni

SU Dance Team

Alumni

SU Athletic Fans

D. Goals1. Increase interest in the team’s social media 2. Increase partnerships on campus to expand the team’s reach3. Streamline the website to easily find information about the team The ultimate goal is twofold: a better online presence will increase support and interest from potential dancers, who will try out for the team.

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STRENGTHS• Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

accounts already exist • Considered a Division I sport by

SU Athletics

WEAKNESSES• Weak activity of social networks

(ex: long periods of inactivity and not cohesive across platforms)

• Unorganized website with little useful information

• Lack of marketing from the Syracuse Athletics marketing department

OPPORTUNITIES• Team members are engaged on

campus and are in activities that should be highlighted

• There is already a large athletics marketing team that can incorporate SUDT

THREATS• Athletic department threatens

to cut funding if they do not improve at nationals

• Losing good dancers to other collegiate teams that have stronger presence at nationals and on social media

• Losing partnerships within SU to other teams with more interest and following

C. SWOT Analysis

IV. Objectives

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Objective 1

1. Strategic - Update the Instagram account and Facebook page twice a week. Delete the Twitter account, as it is unused.2. Measurable - Switch to a business profile to track engagement and traffic.3. Attainable - Following is still under 1,000, so increasing by 50% is feasible. Having more active and professional posts will increase engagement and therefore increase the following. 4. Relevant - With more social media followers, there will be more awareness about SUDT. Awareness will encourage more people to try out for the team.5. Time Bound - By December 2018

Increase online engagement and following by 50% on both Facebook and Instagram to promote membership by December 2018.

Increase on campus partnerships by three before December 2018.

1. Strategic - Partner with the SU Athletics marketing team, the alumni office and the office of admissions.2. Measurable - We can see that the partnerships are achieved.3. Attainable - The partnerships are with existing SU programs and offices.4. Relevant - These partnerships will help us reach useful and engaged audiences on campus.5. Time Bound - By December 2018

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Objective 2

Increase the number of inquiries from high school students by May 2019, the next tryouts.

1. Strategic - Create an online submission form to make showing interest in the dance team simpler and more efficient.2. Measurable - We can count the number of online submissions and track website traffic.3. Attainable - The athletic department already has a marketing team and an official website. It should be fairly easy to contact them and update SUDT’s page on the website to be more user friendly and useful.4. Relevant - The quality of the dance team depends on attracting the best dancers.5. Time Bound - By May 2019; the tryouts for the 2019-2020 season

Objective3

A. Photography and Videography• As dancers for a major university, the dance team should make the most of abundant photo opportunities. They travel, attend major athletic events, compete and go to Disney World. These activities should be documented for interesting and engaging media content. • There should also be a “media day”, as is done with all other athletic teams on campus. A media day is where there is a professional photoshoot, video shoot and interviews to prepare content for social media accounts for the season.• By posting interesting content, SUDT will acquire more followers• By showcasing the exciting things the team does, it will draw more interest from prospective dancers.

B. Hold events to further interpersonal connections• These events can be achieved with the support of the team’s new partnerships.• Hosting open practices for potential dancers will give them an opportunity to see how the team really functions, get to meet some of the team members and prepare themselves for auditions.• Hosting classes for young dancers in the community will help grow the interest in our team for the future. If the young dancers look up to the team now, they will grow up wanting to be on the team and may tryout in the future.• By interacting with fans as individuals, the dancers will become more than just the girls who stand on the sideline.

V. Strategies

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A. Instagram Posts

B. Facebook Posts

C. Meet the Dance Team Events• These can be sponsored by the team’s new partners: SU Athletics marketing team, the alumni office, the office of admissions.• Includes community service and campus engagement events.

D. SU Athletics website • Have dance team under women’s sports, so it is easier to find SUDT’s page. The dance team is currently under “athletic department” and it is hard to find.• Include an interest submission form to make it easier and faster to show interest in the dance team tryouts.

E. Mailed Postcard• Send out an information postcard highlighting some SUDT’s accomplishments and giving dates, times and locations for tryouts.• To be efficient and cost effective, only send it to dancers who request information.

VI. Tactics

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VII. Implementation

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August 2018

October 2018

• Increase social media posts to once a week over summer. Link the Instagram account to the Facebook account, to keep all of our followers engaged across platforms

• Start increasing followers by 100 on Instagram and 200 on Facebook

• Because the school year has started, increase social media posts to twice a week, and at least one instagram story per week

• Increase Instagram followers by 200 and Facebook followers by 200

• Continue current social media planning and growth

• Begin to include information about nationals and travel

• Acquire 200 more followers on both Instagram and Facebook to reach SUDT’s goal of 50% social media following growth

December 2018

February 2018• Promote the website and

interest form on social media platforms and share the link

• Begin to evaluate the engagement on the website by looking at the interest form submissions

• Send out the postcards regarding tryouts to athletes who have filled out the interest form to remind them of upcoming tryouts

B. TimelineA. Budget - Cost- $1,000; Relatively small because the campaign is focused on social media Plans- This budget accounts for costs such as:

Cost of sending postcards to interested dancersPossibly paying a student intern to manage the social media accountsEvent costs will be handled by SUDT’s new partners

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A. Measuring1. Social Media

a. Track the growth of SUDT’s social media accounts by looking at increases in followers on Instagram and Facebook. Engagement can also be tracked through likes and shares.

2. Website a. Track engagement on the SU Athletics website through clicks on the page and submissions of interest forms.

3. Partnerships a. Track the number of events held through partnerships b. Measure the success of events through turnout and involvement.

4. Tryouts a. Look for increases in the number of dancers who come to tryouts.

VIII. Reporting/Evaluation

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IX. Appendix of Tactics

A. Instagram Posts

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Instagram Posts Continued

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B. Facebook Posts C. Meet the Dance Team Events

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D. SU Athletics Website

Improved location of the dance team’s page on cuse.com

Submission form for additional information

E. Mailed Postcard

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Auditions for the 2019-2020 team will be held on May 6, 2019 from 12-4pm in the Women’s Building at Syracuse University.

Make sure to fill out the required health forms, which can be found on our website, prior to auditions!

Please email Coach Katie at kalappin@syr.edu with any further questions!

We hope to see YOU there!

Follow us to keep up with our team!instagram: @cusedance

Thank you for your interest in the Syracuse University Dance Team!

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A campaign by Kelly Rogan and Cheyenne Wood Syracuse University | S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications