How the NFL Is Running a Social Media Empire

“We have been taking advantage of a lot of the new technologies out there to engage with our audience more than we have in the past,” Duane Munn, the social media manager for NFL.com and NFL Network, told Mashable. “Whether it’s through a call-to-action prompt on TV to tweet opinions and participate in a Twitter poll — which is later discussed on air by analysts — or just respond to web sentiment, one of our main goals is to do a better job communicating with fans online.”

Munn is the sole manager of all accounts, which includes a healthy following of about 12 million people. Since he joined in January 2012, the league has nearly doubled its fan base on Twitter and Facebook, which has 4.5 million and 7.1 million followers, respectively. Not to mention the two popular accounts he launched for the league’s broadcast arm, NFL Network.

While many major brands have a team of social media experts working to get out news and interact with fans, Munn is a one-man show:

“I tell my Mom that I never wanted to be a doctor, but with the amount of time I spend on my job, I imagine this is what it is like to be one,” he said. “You always have to be aware and have your hand on the pulse. There aren’t too many things I can be doing in the real world that I won’t stop to pick up my phone.”

Munn gets emails at all hours of the night and “if the story warrants it, you have to get up and update your audience,” he said. “This job requires that type of dedication to do it right.”

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