SOCIAL MEDIA
there is out there forever , and employers will see that ; so , my advice is to make it something good and make relationships out of that .”
According to Kruger , X ( formerly Twitter ), is still the best place to connect with other sports field managers and build that online portfolio .
“ I ’ ve talked about tapping into the power of ‘ Turf Twitter ,’” said Kruger . “ To me , it has everything that we love about this industry — the willingness to share , the networking and the camaraderie . That ’ s reflected on Turf Twitter ; and if you ’ re not using it as a turf manager , you ’ re just denying a huge resource that you could have .”
However , the recent changes made to Twitter have deterred some people from using the platform altogether .
“ My advice is whatever feels authentic to you and whatever you feel comfortable using is where you ’ re going to have success ,” said Kruger . “ If you ’ ve never used Twitter , or in the last year or so you ’ ve come to hate it completely , then you ’ re not going to have a good relationship with it . It ’ s the same thing if you get that kind of feeling with Facebook or Instagram .”
According to Kruger , if your audience tends to react to your posts on Facebook or Instagram more than Twitter , then it ’ s a good idea to stay on the platforms where you ’ re getting more views .
Platforms such as TikTok allow sports field managers to garner attention with videos of their work and their work environment — from timelapse videos of their fields to silly videos with their crews .
“ You never know what ’ s going to resonate with someone ,” said Kruger . “ If you have no concept of what goes on behind the scenes , and you see someone painting a Super Bowl logo or something , that ’ s going to reach audience members . So , I think TikTok is right for those satisfying videos or the behind-the-scenes videos .”
Kruger ’ s advice for TikTok , Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts is to keep videos short and sweet . Videos longer than three minutes should be reserved for educational topics .
During the SFMA Conference keynote panel , Withrow added that sports field managers need to view social media as another tool in the toolbox .
“ You need to understand the benefits of going to YouTube and watching a video on how to fix something ,” she said . “ That ’ s something people didn ’ t have 20 years ago that is now in our pocket . Using social media to recruit interns and seasonal help has been a huge piece . Also , being able to message every single person in this room via Twitter , Instagram or Facebook to ask a question is something we didn ’ t have 20 years ago , either .”
Kruger also recommends LinkedIn as a social media tool SFMs should be using , as the connections you make through LinkedIn can help you get word out about job opportunities within your organization , and help you identify qualified individuals .
“ You never know where those connections can lead you , so just creating a community on there and utilizing it for recruiting is a great avenue to take ,” she said .
According to Kruger , the ultimate takeaway is to be authentic on social media . If it is something that comes naturally to you , people will see it as an authentic effort and something that your organization takes seriously . SFM
Robert Augsdorfer is assistant editor of SportsField Management . For his full interview with Meg Kruger on the topic of social media branding , please listen to the SportsField Management podcast ( https :// sportsfieldmanagementonline . com / podcast /). sportsfieldmanagementonline . com May 2024 | SportsField Management
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