Page 42 - 2021 IHSAA Annual Report

OUTREA CH + COMMUNICATIONS
OUTREACH +
COMMUNICATIONS
Reaching Out, Even When Times
are Tough
The IHSAA is a member-based organization
which means we exist to serve our member- our members the same quality content
schools. In that spirit, each year, the
Association produces outreach campaigns
that are created and based on feedback
received from our membership.
The IHSAA puts a great deal of energy and
resources into its outreach, in large part
to satisfy a responsibility of protecting
education-based athletics. Our campaigns
bring attention to the importance of high
school sports in our state and, by doing so,
protect, nurture, and sustain the product of
Indiana's education-based athletics.
The IHSAA had to adapt last year. That
meant relying more on digital media than
ever before to reach audiences.
40 INDIANA HIGH S CHOOL A THLE TIC ASS OCIA TION
Influencer Campaigns Our solution was reached and realized because
of ingenuity and teamwork—we developed a
Sometimes necessity is the mother of
proprietary technology that, with the help of
invention, and that applies here. The
Association did not think it wise to spend our member-schools, allowed our messaging
to reach a significant number of individuals.
funds on media buys because of uncertainties For each campaign, we sent high-quality,
stemming from the pandemic. However, we
needed to reach the masses cost-effectively, shareable content to all member-schools.
so we looked to social media influencer
The content was automatically routed to
campaigns.
each school's social media channels with the
people saw the content through reposting,
The IHSAA has over 160,000 social media click of a button. An astounding number of
followers. That said, when we send a tweet, commenting, and sharing.
it's seen by a significant number of people.
We helped our member-schools reach more
people by providing high quality content—
and, hence, our member-schools became
our "influencers."
SOCIAL MEDIA BY THE NUMBERS
POSTS CREATED BY THE IHSAA 200
POSTS CREATED BY THE IHSAA + INFLUENCERS 14,036
While outreach campaigns vary from year
to year in their subject matter and how the 1,935,687
content is delivered, the pandemic required TOTAL PEOPLE REACHED
us to find whole new creative ways to get
43,303,240
we consistently produce. Not only did the TOTAL IMPRESSIONS MADE
production and distribution of physical
materials need to be reevaluated, but the
IHSAA had to figure out a way to effectively
reach the masses without buying media as it
traditionally does.
A special effort was made
to promote the boys
basketball tournament
while the state of Indiana
simultaneously hosted
NCAA March Madness.
Graphics like these,
promoted on social media,
celebrate our state's
basketball heritage.
INDIANA HIGH S CHOOL ATHLE TIC ASS OCIATION Annual Report 2021 41