As a higher ed social media marketer, your school’s athletics program can be one of your most powerful promotional tools, helping you:
- Sell your institution to prospective students
- Engage existing students
- Generate donations from alumni
So, if you’re fortunate enough to work for a school with a proud heritage of athletic achievement, it makes sense to shout about it on social media, just like the 10 higher ed athletics social media accounts in this article.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
- School: University of Georgia
As sports fans, we want to know more about the athletes we support. What motivates them? What do they enjoy off the field? What are their goals for the future?
The official Instagram account of the Georgia Bulldogs gives followers a closer look at the lives of individual student athletes with its regular 90-second interview features, like this one featuring softball player Dallis Goodnight:
View this post on Instagram
Or this one, starring golfer Kate Song:
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Repeatable content formats like this are a social media marketer’s best friend. Not only do they help you fill up your content calendar, but once you’ve nailed the structure, they’re super simple to produce at scale.
Plus, your audience knows what to expect, which keeps them coming back for more.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
- School: Ohio State University
Promoting a higher ed athletics program isn’t just about celebrating sporting success – it’s also about appreciating the support of your fanbase.
Just like the official Ohio State Buckeyes Instagram account does here:
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This helps current and former students who support the Buckeyes feel like they’re part of a community, which, in turn, keeps them engaged with the school as a whole.
On a separate note, celebrating your fanbase can also help your school attract more sporting talent. Every student-athlete wants to perform in front of a passionate crowd.
3. Florida Gators
- School: University of Florida
One of the key goals of any higher ed athletics social media account is to attract donations to support the school’s athletics program and student-athletes. After all, your social media followers are (hopefully) some of your most dedicated fans, so many of them will be happy to help you – you just have to ask them.
The University of Florida’s official athletics account gets it right with this post:
By reminding followers that they’re part of “Gator Nation,” the school fosters a sense of community, naturally encouraging people to donate.
The call to action works well, too. Rather than something salesy, they chose a more empowering message: “Support the future.” Using positive language in donation-related posts is important because you don’t want your fans to feel like you’re only interested in their financial support.
4. Oregon Ducks
- School: University of Oregon
At the end of the day, on-field achievement is the #1 marker of an athletics program’s success.
So, when your program does something worth celebrating, you’ll definitely want to share it with your social media followers. Just like what the official Facebook page of the University of Oregon Ducks did with this post to mark its eighth NCAA Track & Field Women’s Indoor National Title:
Content like this is an easy opportunity to generate a ton of engagement because fans want to join in the school’s success, which explains why the above post had racked up 4,300+ likes, 230+ comments, and almost 450 shares at the time of writing.
5. Nebraska Huskers
- School: University of Nebraska
Once upon a time, sports fans were happy to just turn up on game day and support their team.
But that’s no longer the case in a world of always-on content – especially among younger audiences. Today, 56% of fans say they would watch more sports video content if it were available, with younger fans watching 1.5 more hours of sporting content online than their older peers, according to research from consulting firm Altman Solon.
The team running the official Nebraska Huskers social accounts clearly understands this.
They regularly share insightful, in-depth analysis between matches, like in this video featuring softball players Abbie Squier and Samantha Bland:
A few years ago, you would have seen content like this only from a major broadcaster. Now, fans expect to see it straight from their athletics teams on social media.
6. North Carolina Tar Heels
- School: University of North Carolina
Okay, so we know your higher ed athletics social media account needs to share engaging content throughout the week.
But, at the same time, we all know that game day is the main event.
To that end, drumming up excitement for your next big encounter should always be a key focus. Just like the official Facebook page of the University of North Carolina athletics department does here:
Because you want the bleachers to be full when your teams take the field.
7. Kentucky Wildcats
- School: University of Kentucky
While student-athletes and head coaches get all the attention, every higher ed athletics department is supported by a vast team. Without them, the whole program would fall apart.
The University of Kentucky Wildcats account ensures these unsung heroes get the attention they deserve. For instance, they celebrated the efforts of their athletic trainers as part of National Athletic Training Month:
They even go so far as to mention each individual trainer by name.
It’s a fantastic way to ensure that those trainers feel appreciated.
8. Texas Longhorns
- School: University of Texas
Your school might have a dozen or more teams operating under the banner of its athletics program. And people who follow your top-level athletics account might not follow all your individual sporting accounts, too.
So it’s your job to ensure that your main account effectively communicates the achievements of your teams across a wide range of sports, just like the Texas Longhorns account does here:
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This approach keeps fans engaged in the successes of your full athletics program, not just the headline results of your most high-profile teams.
9. Alabama Crimson Tide
- School: University of Alabama
Hands up if you got obsessed with Netflix’s Drive to Survive, despite knowing absolutely nothing about Formula One. 🙋
Off the back of that show, it feels like the whole world went mad for sports-based documentaries. The Alabama Crimson Tide jumped on the trend by shooting their own series, Rising Tide, which takes fans behind the scenes of the men’s basketball program.
The YouTube show is now into its second season and has clocked up tens of thousands of views, helping to bring Crimson Tide fans closer to their favorite players.
10. Wisconsin Badgers
- School: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Your mascot is a visual representation of your school and athletics program.
So, it makes sense to feature them regularly in your social media content, especially if they’re as instantly recognizable as Bucky, the Wisconsin Badgers’ mascot.
Judging from the comments, fans clearly love Bucky, even going out of their way to share user-generated content featuring the mascot:
Posting pictures and videos of him is an easy way to boost engagement.
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Featured image by Pexels.
