What the MLB All-Star Game Teaches the World About Social Media

In general, All-Star games are pointless and do not receive much fanfare. But this year, the MLB turned the All-Star game into a week-long social media frenzy. They did it the same way they made baseball's All-Star game the only professional sports All-Star game worth watching; they made it MATTER. The league that wins the All-Star game gets home field advantage for the World Series Final, something that matters...a lot. That exact same principle is true for all social media, be for a team, event, or even a business. Social media will only get attention if it matters and is interesting.

This year the MLB did an amazing job building excitement and buzz by rewarding fans for their participation and making their participation matter. The week leading up to the game, fans could Tweet their votes to fill the final spots on the roster (see #TakeJake). During the game, players were actually allowed to live Tweet to fans. The MLB also planted the very simple #asg (all-star game) hashtag to encourage even more sharing. Teams, leagues and even regular businesses could learn a lot from the way the MLB managed social engagement this year. The MLB simply applied to their social strategy the same concept that works for their sport’s all-star game---make it matter and people will care.

Below is a great infographic from Bluefin Labs about this year's MLB All-Star game.