ABBY HOLMAN

My master's research focused on the use of social media to build parasocial relationships. Now, you might be thinking "huh?" but really, what I wanted to know is how sports teams can use social media channels to build lasting relationships with their fans. In order to figure out some useful tactics and strategies, I worked with the Mizzou Women's Basketball team during the 2016-2017 season and analyzed all social media posts to determine what makes fans connect to a team. 

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I worked alongside the sports information director for the team, helping create content for social media, facilitating press conferences and learning about the niche fans of this team. I created in game video graphics at the end of each quarter, assisted with graphics and helped generate ideas to stay present on social media on off days. While I primarily handled the Instagram account, I also contribute to Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat (mizzouwbb). After the season finished in March I generated a full season analytics report to help advise certain tactics and actions the sports information director and his team can take in the future for connecting with this specific audience. The practicality of this research has motivated me to pursue a career that can allow me to continue to find ways to build relationships with sports teams fans. 

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