Bring your social A game or get left behind in Super Bowl 2012.
Earlier this week, CNBC’s Darren Rovell stated on ESPN’s Mike & Mike that “Indianapolis could be the best Super Bowl City ever.” Living in the city myself, I will gladly agree without question. Even if you disagree, Super Bowl XLVI will hands down be the most technologically advanced Super Bowl yet.
Sure, you can follow your @Patriots, your @Giants, and even tweet to @SuperBowl and @SuperBowl2012 while you comment on Superbowl 2012’s Facebook page. But there’s oh so much more. Hopefully by the end of this article, you’ll know who to follow, what to hashtag, what to peruse on the web, and maybe methods you can use for marketing your own business in future events.
Butler U. mascot Blue II, one of Indy's biggest social influencers. Img src: usatoday.com
Indianapolis is a convention town causing it to quickly grow a thriving start-up community and consequently has its share social media marketing gurus. That’s why the 46 most socially influential people in the Indianapolis, #Social46, met earlier this month to discuss the Super Bowl’s social initiatives including the ExactTarget CEO and Bulter University’s bulldog mascot, Blue. Even the Colts owner @JimIrsay is in on the action by offering two tickets for guessing the Colts’ next head coach by midnight.
But the biggest thing to hit event social media: the Super Bowl XLVI Social Media Command Center. This conglomeration of analysts, strategists, and tech-savvys will watch Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms to help visitors with various questions and tasks. Open attractions, nearby parking, and restaurant waiting times will all be tackled by the SMCC, although I imagine even the Command Center will have trouble finding parking.
If you are more of a follower than a tweeter, and you don’t want to waste your time sifting through the hundreds of potential Twitter business and personal accounts, here are your go-to’s for what to do during #SB46:
Who to follow:
^Even. More. Hashtags. ^
@IndyStar, @IndyStarSports, @VisitIndy, @DoItIndy, @IndyDT, @IndyWire, @IndyChannel, @IndyMonthly, @Patriots, @Giants, @Superbowl, @Superbowl2012
Hashtags to Watch:
#Social46 (above mentioned influencers), #SB46, #SuperIndy, #SuperBowl46, #SuperBowlIndy, #XLVI, #NFLExperience, #SBVillage, #SB46Sunday
Besides Twitter
Work deadline come up? HubWork's got you covered.
Don’t worry, twitter haters, there’s plenty out in the tech world for you too. Along with IndyStar, some downtown businesses are streaming downtown’s Super Bowl Village to draw visitors to their websites. A great option if you’d rather not deal with the expected 150,000 people near Lucas Oil Stadium. And if you want to virtually ride the zip-line, or experience the Super Bowl Village from the street, digital media company nSixty placed a few kiosks where you can take 60 second videos and upload them to Facebook and Twitter.
Now, if you’re the one riding the zip-line and absolutely must get some work done, the networking group @IndyHub’s sponsored “HubWork” is the place for you with coffee, an afternoon beer, wireless internet, and a business atmosphere with all donations going towards its not-for-profit host site, the Indianapolis City Market.
Help is on the Way
Apps might be considered old hat after 2010’s Super Bowl featured one. We know, it’s now 2012. So besides the Super Bowl 2012 smartphone app and the Social Media Command Center, a full on SWAT team of street help volunteers will be armed with iPads telling you how long til the nearest restaurant table opens up, where the closest bathrooms are, and anything else you probably want to know along with that genuine Hoosier hospitality. Can’t find a street helper? No problem – you can text phone numbers to find the nearest open dining table or restroom “comfort station” (heated bathrooms with running water, much classier than your average rest stop).
Overwhelmed? Me too. When you can watch the Super Bowl streaming live on your phone while watching the Super Bowl live, only to see an instant replay tweeted by your friend, I’m beginning to feel a little uneasy. Call me a Michael Scott gift-basket traditionalist, but I’ll probably do my social marketing the old fashioned way, wear these American Flag sunglasses for attention, and talk to people. Until the phrase “word of mouth” becomes “word of web,” I’ll be watching the Super Bowl my one-dimensional television, and nothing else.
But for all you others, I only hope your fingertips can keep up.
Author bio: Nate Schrader, an Indiana native, typically writes about sunglasses and fashion for SunglassWarehouse.com along with a little SEO in the mix. Feel free to reach out to him @Nschrader411 for anything Indy or SEO related!
