The following summary of a recent CUSP Show podcast was compiled by Syracuse student Sam Birsdall, who is helping us this summer.
In today’s day and age, the use of social media is key to any business or individual who wants to spread their messages to their audiences.
One fast growing company founded in 2010 in the dorm rooms of the University of Nebraska has progressed into a leading athlete marketing program based on the use of social media.
Co-founder of the platform opendorse, Blake Lawrence, joins the Columbia University Sports Podcast to talk about the business . Here are some highlights to listen for:
Blake is a former starting linebacker at the Univ. of Nebraska whose career was unfortunately cut short due to injuries. He and fellow teammate, Adi Kunalic, a kicker on the team, co-founded social media agency Hurrdat and opendorse while both students in college.
They got their start with former teammate and now NFL pro Prince Amukamara by creating content for his social media accounts, sending it to him, and told Amukamara when to post. Making life even more simpler, Lawrence and Kunalic were able to develop software that was able to do all of this for him, sending out a pre-written post with the tap of a finger. Soon, opendorse was able to represent all NFL players because of a partnership with the NFLPA.
opendorse now partners with over 3,200 athletes around the world, including Lionel Messi, Conor McGregor, and Rob Gronkowski, helping them “connect with partners that have access to content”, such as sponsors, teams, leagues, or athletic departments. “The platform is free to all athletes, and always will be. We are here to help the athletes on social”, says Lawrence. Companies are wanting athletes to push sponsored content, with 10 times as many sponsored content posts from athletes in December 2017 than in January of the same year.
Listen to some Lawrence’s favorite athlete campaigns most recently, including Saquon Barkley’s first post when he became a professional athlete and the New Jersey Devils when they clinched a playoff spot this past year. The players are driving conversation throughout social media. Fans are always wondering about their favorite athletes after a big win “What are they saying? What are their reactions? What are their thoughts?”.
Lawrence touched on important lessons he’s learned from starting a company and developing it into an innovative program, “Good people are behind every good product and great company. You have to have great people who believe in what you’re doing”.
He has also learned from mistakes during the entire process, such as over engineering opendorse to try and solve complex problems that weren’t as big an issue as he thought. “Entrepreneurs tend to want to chase shiny objects and build more layers. Sometimes keeping it simple can help you scale and help you be more confident.”.
Lawrence also brought up where he sees opendorse in five years, including experimenting and connecting with eSports and high school athletes.
You can learn more about his platform at www.opendorse.com and @opendorse on Twitter. His own account is @Blake_Lawrence and co-founder’s Adi Kunalic is @Kunalic.
