The Boston Celtics’ social media presence has been nothing short of spectacular this season. While the team is doing great on the court, the Celtics’ social and digital media team is winning behind-the-scenes. Running social media for a national sports team is a lot of work, but their team makes it seem effortless.
As we delve into the Celtics’ social media team’s strategy, here are five lessons that brands or organizations can apply to their social media efforts.
Speed and Adaptability
In the world of social media, you need to move fast. In the world of sports social media, you need to move even faster. One of the standout aspects of the Celtics’ social media strategy is their ability to react quickly to real-time events. Whether it’s sharing live updates during a game or swiftly adapting content based on trending topics, their agility keeps fans engaged and informed.
Your organization can take a page out of their playbook by being prepared to act quickly and pivot as needed. For example, you can provide real-time updates during events or fundraising campaigns.
Community Engagement
The best social media accounts feel like a community – and that is exactly what the Celtics’ social media team has focused on. There are countless fan posts listed on X under the team’s hashtag #DifferentHere. The Celtics have fostered a strong online community by engaging consistently with their fans. Besides the Celtics’ team Instagram page, they also run three other Instagram pages– one dedicated to the fans, @celticscommunity, one to showcase Celtics entertainment like the Dancers and other entertainers, @celticsentertainment, and one that is completely in Spanish to include Spanish-speaking fans, @losceltics.
On each of their pages, specifically on the Celtics Community page, the team highlights fan contributions, fans spotted around the city, engagement in the community, and fan reactions. The Celtics’ social media team does a great job of creating a sense of belonging among their followers.
Recently, a video from the Celtics’ TikTok showed some of the players being asked to put a pin somewhere on the seat map of TD Garden and the fan sitting there will win a special surprise. After the players made their selection, the social media team then recorded the reactions of the random fans who won the special surprise gift. Making your audience feel involved and part of something bigger helps build that community feel.
@celticsWe love and appreciate our fans 💚☘️
Humanizing Players and Behind-the-Scenes Content
This is arguably the best and most beneficial part of the Celtics’ social media team’s strategy. They have mastered the craft of humanizing the Celtics by sharing behind-the-scenes content and human-interest stories about their players. The Celtics often share images and videos from the locker room, content with the players and their families, and posts that highlight the players as relatable and “just like us,” like when the team shared a reel of Jaylen Brown talking about binging the Harry Potter movies during his 10-day break before the finals.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum, is frequently featured in humorous videos, off-the-cuff social media interviews in the tunnel, and killing it on the court before and during games. But without a doubt, some of the most popular Celtics social media videos are of Tatum with his son, Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr., whom he affectionately calls “Deuce.” One video on the Celtics’ Instagram page shows Tatum’s son passing him a basketball to shoot with the caption, “Need an assist? Deuce is your guy 🫡.” They even add a feel of nostalgia in some of their content, like in the below reel that flashes back to Tatum and Deuce at the 2022 finals, reminding fans that Tatum has been with the team so long, they are seeing his son grow up. That reel received 5.9M views, 136K likes, 429 comments, and 2.8K shares.
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This content helps the Celtics build a deeper emotional connection with their audience. Their approach allows fans to see the personalities behind the players and feel more connected to the team as a whole.
You can humanize your brand by sharing personal stories and profiles of team members and providing behind-the-scenes content that your audience wouldn’t normally see.
Using Humor & Trends
The Celtics’ social media team also incorporate humor and capitalizes on trending topics, sounds, and pop culture moments to keep their content fresh and engaging. This strategy makes their posts more relatable and also increases their chances of going viral because people are more likely to share it with their friends.
They often use trending sounds on TikTok and Instagram and aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves a little bit, like when Jaylen Brown took out a member of the Celtics’ media team during the finals.
@celticsJust another day at the office 😅
Mixing in lighthearted and funny content can make your brand more approachable and relatable. Memes, jokes, and playful banter can increase engagement and create inside jokes between your brand and your followers, thus further building a loyal and engaged community.
@celticsWhat did the 5 fingers say to the chest? 😭
Leveraging Local Celebrities
The Celtics have effectively used the influence of local celebrities to boost their social media presence and expand their fan base. By featuring well-known personalities on their social channels like David Ortiz (“Big Papi”) wearing a Celtics jersey, having Tom Brady narrate their recent hype video (which received 5.9M views, 121K likes, 1.3K comments, and 55.2K shares on Instagram alone), and even mic-ing up a Bruins player sitting courtside during a game, they tap into their massive fan bases and reinforce local pride and community support.
Your organization can significantly enhance its reach, credibility, and overall fan engagement and experience by collaborating with local influencers and celebrities who vibe with your mission and resonate with your brand’s audience.
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By focusing on these strategies, the Celtics’ social media and digital team has created an engaging and dynamic social media presence. Brands and organizations can learn from their approach to enhance their online engagement and community-building efforts. So, next time you’re revamping your social media strategy, use the Celtics’ example to draw up your own winning play and watch your community grow! You might even get a few comments like these.
