Community Spotlight: Astasia Williams, Social & Digital Media, DC United
Team Hashtag
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3 min read
Name: Astasia Williams
Job: Social and Digital Media Manager
Company: DC United
LinkedIn: Astasia Williams
In 140 characters or less, tell us who you are and how you got to where you are today.
A Baton Rouge girl that loves LSU football, red wine and intersectional feminism and equality. Got to where I am now by way of having a few good tweets here and there.
What’s one trend in media or marketing that you’re buying or selling?
A trend I’m BUYING is the influencer world. Everyone wants in and to find a way to reach that 13 to 20 or 18 to 24-year-old audience. You’re seeing teams like the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United using their Atlanta ties to the music industry to amplify their brand and it works. The Chicago Bears have a great partnership with Spice Adams and so forth. Even for the Panthers who used local influencers last year to model retro Panthers gear and tie into the NBA All-Star weekend in Charlotte. When it works, it works. It’s great to see sports brands get out of the box and look for different ways to create content without having to ask their players.
How do you define engagement?
I define engagement as creating a conversation. I love when I see our fans/followers @ their friends to come watch a video or see a post they like, etc. Especially now, the consumer is having to ingest so much content throughout the day. So, if we are able to catch the eye of a fan and maybe gain a new fan, that’s a win in engagement.
What’s the project or campaign that you’re proudest of? Why?
Since I’m still new at DCU, I’ll go back to my time at the Panthers. I had the opportunity to oversee the 2019 Pro Bowl campaigns. Finding a concept, thinking of different ideas to promote the players and making sure everyone is happy was a doozy. But it helped me get insight into what it will be like when I start doing bigger campaigns at my new job. There were hiccups that I’m certainly not proud of. It was all a learning process that I’m thankful my manager at the time let me control.
What are you working on right now? Any exciting future plans that you’re able to share?
Right now, I’m working on thinking of content and strategy plans for next year. What will social look like? Are we going to improve on providing more content for players? How are we going to be more authentically D.C. We’ve made a lot of strides in this area, even before I got here. I can’t wait to see what our digital team comes up with. Just stay tuned! ☺
As a connected fan, what’s the best piece of sports content that you have recently consumed?
TikTok. I already loved TikTok and spent WAY too much time just scrolling on the app! Now, I’m really enjoying sports getting involved with it. Everyone is all in. The more we see players let loose, the better.
What’s been the biggest high and low of working in sports?
The biggest HIGH for working in sports is seeing something that you have worked on or had a part in, succeed. Whether that is in engagement, shares, or as we call it go “viral”, or however you define success. Also, building relationships. I like to talk. I like meeting new people. I also hate just ASKING for things from someone. I want to build meaningful connections because you will be able to tell in the content. The biggest low, you have to learn to find a balance between work and life. I’m still trying to figure it out.
What’s one element of the sports industry that you’d like to see change?
A lot of the time in this industry, I see a lot of people talk about “be grateful for where you are”. Sure, be grateful, but don’t be taken advantage of. You don’t have to suffer at a job because you feel it’s the only way you will move up. If you feel that you need to leave a job, do so. Take care of yourself. Take care of your mental health. Do what is best for you.
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