The Importance of the Atlanta Hawks’ Social Media Presence
By Tom Atkinson
The Atlanta Hawks are known for having a unique, fan-friendly social media presence. It’s being noticed especially this summer.
The game of basketball is changing. As the technological golden age continues, the sport continues to develop with it and two big things have emerged over the last decade. First is the use and importance of analytics, which many teams now rely on for many of their sporting decisions. The second is social media and no team in the NBA has taken to it more than the Atlanta Hawks. But can it be the answer to Atlanta’s attendance and fan-base problems?
What is Atlanta’s Social Media Presence?
The Atlanta Hawks twitter account is run by Social Media Co-ordinator Jaryd Wilson and it is a leading light in NBA social media presences. They follow the trends to become entertaining and keep fans interested by doing so. Whether it’s the use of the Lance Stephenson ‘blowing’ meme or tweeting the entire NBA schedule in emojis, @ATLHawks is always there. The response to this has been tremendous, as with the emoji schedule. Some people love it.
Nicely done. @ATLHawks
— The Pedro Gomez Foundation (@PGFoundation_) August 12, 2016
Then there are the other people. They love it too.
The @ATLHawks continue to own social media. https://t.co/ptDOAdjCDs
— Russell Peddle (@rustypedalbike) August 11, 2016
Then there are the other, other people. They love it too, even if they disguise behind hurtful words.
“We’re just having fun, and I think Hawks fans and sports fans truly appreciate that,” Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said to Bleacher Report’s Tyler Brooke. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously and like staying current and in the pop culture conversation. There’s no better place to get all the news you want about the team and have a laugh than with our Twitter account.”
Why is it important?
One of Atlanta’s long-time problems has been fan interest and the Hawks are all too aware of it. Even with something of a spike in support and attendance with recent success, this is something that plays on a lot of people’s minds and, according to his father Tito, it also played a part in Al Horford’s move north to Massachusetts.
The Hawks are doing all they can to combat this on the court and off the court. Successes, like a sixty-win season or a terrific playoff streak, combine with what is a thoroughly brilliant twitter account to keep old fans interested and bring in new ones. Especially for young people and millennials, twitter, memes and emojis are a huge part of social life and to see the Atlanta Hawks embracing it and pushing it to the limit has to gain admirers and fans.
“We try to react to situations involving us and involving the NBA that we think the fans will react and care about. That’s the whole idea. We’ve had several examples of that,” Wilson said to Mike Prada of SBNation.
Furthermore, social media accounts give a team a chance to gain even more of a personality. On twitter, people follow athletes in droves to learn more about their actual character and lives and, although the tweets are unlikely to represent the characteristics of the management and ownership, it gives people a fun-loving idea of what the Atlanta Hawks are. Watching basketball teams in the arena never feels like a properly personal experience between you and the team; instead it is the players you notice. However, this kind of social media presence humanizes an otherwise faceless amalgamation of a sporting franchise.
How do the Hawks expand on it?
What the Hawks do even better, is combine the social media hype and the game-day experience. The Tinder-inspired ‘Swipe Right Night,’ for example, was a stroke of pure genius. And it was not just a gimmick. The franchise went full-out, dedicating a section to those who matched on the day and even offering things like roses.
“Now that we have someone dedicated to [social media co-ordination], we knew we needed to create a voice that our fans would like, that people will connect with. We can’t be boring. It’s easy to tweet if you’re the Miami Heat and you’re going to the NBA Finals every year. People will like you because you’ve been to four straight Finals. We’re trying to create a unique voice that our fans will connect with, a voice that makes sense with what the Twitter audience is. I think we’re starting to establish that. Obviously there’s still work to do in gaining a following, and specifically in gaining a following here in Atlanta, but I think we’re on the right track,” Wilson also said to Mike Prada of SBNation.
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Then Atlanta puts on real shows for fans before games. We have seen a whole number of acts and gigs,
before games and endorsements from rappers like 2-Chainz to really draw in new fans. It may partly be a reaction to the scandal that surrounded the whole
incident and GM
’s departure. It could be an attempt to restore its reputation with all parties but what it does is prove just how well Atlanta is embracing today.
Sure, the excellent performances of Paul Millsap, Kent Bazemore, Jeff Teague and Al Horford helped and Kyle Korver’s long-range bombs wowed the crowd. And sure, Dwight Howard coming home will pique the interest of a fan-base that has been searching for a superstar (even if in reputation instead of performance) for what seems like forever. Add in the most dynamic, interactive and engrossing social media presences and the Hawks could be close to solving the problem of a lack of fan interest and dedication.
Is it the answer?
Obviously there’s still work to do in gaining a following, and specifically in gaining a following here in Atlanta, but I think we’re on the right track
The Atlanta Hawks franchise are doing everything they can to make being a supporter not just an awesome game-day experience but a life experience through social media by intertwining with today’s society.
Soon, if the success on the court continues, the Hawks should be in a position to say that their difficulties with the fan-base are no longer trending. The franchise is a leading figure in the social revolution that sweeps the world and the NBA. They are swiping right on becoming the most entertaining team off the court they can be. The Atlanta Hawks are swiping right on the fan-base and it should work long-term. Keep it up, Jaryd!