You won't see Jeff Weiner prowling NFL sidelines while barking orders into a headset, and he's never won a Super Bowl or coach of the year award. But Weiner, 28, does play a crucial coaching role for NFL players by helping them leverage social media to market themselves and connect with fans. His clients are known for engaging especially well with supporters, and stars like James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley of the Pittsburgh Steelers rank among the most popular NFL players on Facebook.
Weiner created a social media niche for himself in 2009, quickly attracting burgeoning stars like Eddie Royal of the Denver Broncos and Steve Smith, now of the Philadelphia Eagles. His New York company, ESBL Sports Management, now represents more than a dozen NFL players and his work has been mentioned on the ESPN, NFL and NBC Sports websites.
But in contrast to other sports social media gurus, Weiner focuses almost exclusively on Facebook, where he says it's easier for players to connect with fans through photos and video. For example, Woodley announced a new contract this August by posting a candid photo of himself looking over the paperwork. And fans of Weiner clients certainly appreciate the close connections as well; in 2010, their online votes helped propel Smith into the Pro Bowl.
Mashable caught up with Weiner to get his game-plan for an effective Facebook presence for athletes. Click through the slideshow below to see his secrets to social media success, then let us know what you think in the comments.
"Pretty much everyone who visits a page wants to go straight to the Wall," Weiner says. "So you have to give them a reason on the Welcome tab -- something extra, like exclusive access -- that gives them an incentive to click the Like button first."
Here, Woodley invites fans to connect by helping his Pro Bowl cause -- if they click the Like button.
"The biggest key of all is consistency," Weiner says. "It doesn't have to be five things per day or a video every single day, but it's important to get some sort of post up every day if possible. You want fans to know something is coming and be eager for what's next."
Here, Royal posts regularly and invites discussion on a variety of subjects: meal time, hard news and sports rumors.
"Don't just tell me you appreciate me as a fan, show me," Weiner says. "Go direct, and make me feel appreciated with inside access and information."
Here, Harrison clues his fans into details they would normally hear through the mainstream media.
"Don't be worried about the analytics of posting on a Tuesday at 3 p.m. versus posting on a Thursday at 6 p.m.," Weiner says. "Just post when you think your audience is most likely to be excited about what you're talking about."
Weiner also counsels clients to make an extra effort to post when messages will be most meaningful for fans, instead of most convenient for the player. Here -- while he could have waited to get home and set down his bags -- Royal shares from the team plane shortly after a game, while fans' adrenaline is still pumping.
"Football players play with their helmets on all the time, so fans don't get to see what they're really like during games," Weiner says. "So provide opportunities for people to see who you really are and don't think you have to act a certain way. If you're humble, funny, even goofy, fans love that and it's really powerful."
Here, Smith isn't too shy to share his excitement about going up against childhood idol Randy Moss on an NFL field. He captions the self-shot photo: "Glad i kept this moss jersey from my HS days.. may have to get this thing signed when we play minnesota this yr.. LOL."
"Pretty much everyone who visits a page wants to go straight to the Wall," Weiner says. "So you have to give them a reason on the Welcome tab -- something extra, like exclusive access -- that gives them an incentive to click the Like button first."
Here, Woodley invites fans to connect by helping his Pro Bowl cause -- if they click the Like button.
"The biggest key of all is consistency," Weiner says. "It doesn't have to be five things per day or a video every single day, but it's important to get some sort of post up every day if possible. You want fans to know something is coming and be eager for what's next."
Here, Royal posts regularly and invites discussion on a variety of subjects: meal time, hard news and sports rumors.
"People really don't want to be anywhere but the Wall," Weiner says. "So it's better to just keep your Info tab short and sweet so that it doesn't distract, and since that's not really want people want anyway."
Here, Harrison's Info tab provides all the basics but doesn't compete with or distract from the main show: his Wall..
"Don't just tell me you appreciate me as a fan, show me," Weiner says. "Go direct, and make me feel appreciated with inside access and information."
Here, Harrison clues his fans into details they would normally hear through the mainstream media.
"Don't be worried about the analytics of posting on a Tuesday at 3 p.m. versus posting on a Thursday at 6 p.m.," Weiner says. "Just post when you think your audience is most likely to be excited about what you're talking about."
Weiner also counsels clients to make an extra effort to post when messages will be most meaningful for fans, instead of most convenient for the player. Here -- while he could have waited to get home and set down his bags -- Royal shares from the team plane shortly after a game, while fans' adrenaline is still pumping.
When Houston Texanas running back Ben Tate was coming out of college, other potential draft picks got more attention from ESPN and other media outlets. But Tate actively recruited Facebook fans at his alma mater, Auburn University, and by draft day had more Likes than superstar prospects Sam Bradford and Ndamukong Suh.
Click to the next slide to see how Tate rewarded his loyal supporters on draft day.
When the draft finally happened, Tate broadcast an all-day Ustream video from his house in Maryland. Weiner says some 20,000 fans tuned into. Tate also posted a five-minute video to Facebook showing him actually get selected, and the clip was later featured by Sports on Facebook.
"Football players play with their helmets on all the time, so fans don't get to see what they're really like during games," Weiner says. "So provide opportunities for people to see who you really are and don't think you have to act a certain way. If you're humble, funny, even goofy, fans love that and it's really powerful."
Here, Smith isn't too shy to share his excitement about going up against childhood idol Randy Moss on an NFL field. He captions the self-shot photo: "Glad i kept this moss jersey from my HS days.. may have to get this thing signed when we play minnesota this yr.. LOL."
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