Inside The Huddle: Paid Social Media With Stuart Drew

In the buildup to Front Office Sports’ Digital Media Huddle presented by opendorse on February 22, we’re introducing you to the huddle leaders who will be lending their expertise to the conversation.

Today, meet Stuart Drew, social media manager for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. She will be one of the leaders of the huddle, “Pay to Play: Executing Better Paid Social Campaigns.”

A 2015 Auburn graduate, Drew interned with the Tigers’ athletic department in digital media during her time there. This opened the door for Drew to pursue a career in digital and social within sports.

“I was really fortunate to intern with the Auburn Athletics Department,” Drew remembers. “That’s how I learned about social and sports. I followed the Dolphins specifically for their social media because they do a really good job, and I wanted to learn about it. Being able to say, in a little over two years, that I was able to come on board for the Dolphins and that I am helping lead this brand in the social space has been a really unique experience for me and very satisfying.”

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Drew’s career also included a stop at Orlando City SC after graduation where she was a social media coordinator. But then Drew arrived at the Dolphins in 2016 and hit the ground running.

“The world of digital ads was something that I did not have much knowledge of before coming to the Dolphins,” Drew admits. “Social is continuing to evolve and grow, specifically in the paid-campaign world. For us as an organization, to be able to put value behind things that we have done in a social space helps us keep moving forward, whether we’re selling our content series to brands or generating ticket sales through Facebook and Instagram. It has been a really amazing experience to learn about the paid side of social.”

via Miami Dolphins

In 2017, the Dolphins had remarkable success in generating sales leads with Facebook Ads. Twenty-five percent of new season ticket memberships from the 2017 season was a direct result of leads generated from engaging with social media content.

The paid social efforts, in this case, generated $4 million for the organization. For Drew, being able to show the efforts of the social team in such a way has been rewarding, as well as a testament to the importance of constant learning for social professionals.

“You can measure success on social in multiple ways, but I would say being able to show the success that we’ve had through the social campaigns in dollars is extremely important,” Drew said. “I think that for people who are interested in learning about paid social campaigns, there are so many resources that Facebook offers. Do the research and continue to learn and grow. Facebook introduces new trends from time to time, and if you’re not staying on top of those, you could be missing out on an opportunity.”

Meet Stuart and hear more of her thoughts on the current digital landscape at the Front Office Sports Digital Media Huddle presented by opendorse in New York on February 22. For tickets and additional info, click here.