Project Overview

The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) is the governing body for high school and middle school athletics in Alabama, serving more than 400 schools and thousands of student-athletes across the state. Their mission is to promote education-based athletics that build character, leadership, and sportsmanship. For this project, I created a comprehensive social media marketing plan to help the AHSAA leverage its digital platforms to strengthen community pride, highlight student-athletes, and communicate more effectively with parents, coaches, and fans.

Innovative Engagement Strategies

By leveraging storytelling and visual content, I aim to build a vibrant online community that celebrates the achievements of young athletes. My approach not only showcases individual talent but also fosters a sense of belonging among students, parents, and supporters alike.

Building Lasting Connections

Through targeted campaigns and interactive content, I strive to deepen the relationship between AHSAA and its audience, ensuring that every voice is heard and every story is shared. Together, I am not just promoting sports; I am nurturing a culture of unity and pride that resonates throughout Alabama.

The Challenge

Despite its statewide reach and strong reputation, AHSAA’s social media presence wasn’t fully aligned with its potential:

• • INSTAGRAM follower count LAGGED far behind X, suggesting MISSED opportunities with student-athletes.
  • FACEBOOK posts were often TEXT-HEAVY or LINK-HEAVY, which can LIMIT shareability and engagement.
  • Each platform received different kinds of posts with NO unifying structure or themes.

Core Problem

AHSAA needed a UNIFIED, STATEGIC, VISUALLY driven content system that speaks to multiple audiences—ATHLETES, PARENTS, COACHES, and COMMUNITY MEMBERS—while reinforcing the organization’s mission.

Objectives

I defined four key objectives for the plan:

1. INCREASE ENGAGEMENT across AHSAA’s social platforms, especially Instagram and Facebook.

2. CREATE A CONSISTENT POSTING STRUCTURE that can scale across sports and seasons.

3. TAILOR CONTENT to specific audience groups on each platform.

4. ALIGN all content with AHSAA VALUES, including SPORTSMANSHIP, SAFETY, and EDUCATION-based athletics.

Strategy – Platform Roles

To solve the problem, I built a platform-specific strategy:

• FACEBOOK – Parents & Community: Event recaps, photo albums, and shareable graphics that celebrate teams, schools, and milestones.

• INSTAGRAM – Student-Athletes & Visual Storytelling: High-energy visuals, Reels, athlete spotlights, and hype graphics that speak the language of student-athletes.

• X and THREADS – Real-Time Information: Live score updates, weather delays, championship announcements, and quick, official updates during events.

• YOUTUBE – Long-Form Storytelling & Archives: Highlight reels, interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and archived championship footage organized by sport or season.

This structure ensures each platform plays a clear role instead of duplicating the same content everywhere.

From Motivation Monday’s inspiring quotes to Sportsmanship Saturday’s real-life examples of integrity, our themes are crafted to engage and inspire our audience, making every post a meaningful part of our storytelling journey.

• MOTIVATION MONDAY – Quotes and stories from coaches, alumni, and Alabama sports legends that inspire perseverance and leadership.

• TIP TUESDAY – Rules education, quick coaching tips, and helpful info for parents and fans.

• WELLNESS WEDNESDAY – Athlete health and safety content, including injury prevention, nutrition, and mental wellness.

• THROWBACK THURSDAY – Historic AHSAA moments and classic championship highlights that celebrate tradition.

• FRIDAY FOCUS – Game-day hype and coverage for playoffs, tournaments, and key matchups.

• SPORTSMANSHIP SATURDAY – Real examples of teams and players showing respect, integrity, and fair play.

• SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT – Features on standout athletes, coaches, officials, or volunteers across the state.

These themes turn the content plan into a repeatable system that can run all year, across all sports.

Engage community with inspiration

Educate parents and fans

Promote health and safety

Celebrate tradition

Build excitement for events

Highlight integrity and fair play

Showcase talent and dedication

Inspire with real-life achievements

Why This Approach is Stronger

This plan improves on several common alternative approaches:

• Instead of only posting during big games, the daily theme structure keeps AHSAA visible all month long.

• Instead of text-heavy Facebook posts, the plan emphasizes visuals and storytelling, which perform better in the feed.

• Instead of random, one-off posts, the calendar creates a connected narrative that reinforces AHSAA’s mission.

My Role & What I Learned

In this project, I:

• Conducted a review of AHSAA’s existing social media presence

• Identified strengths, weaknesses, and audience needs

• Designed a platform-by-platform strategy and daily theme system

• Built a detailed 30-day content calendar aligned with real events

• Defined projected metrics and clarified how success should be measured

What I learned:
This project reinforced the importance of connecting strategy to execution. A strong idea only becomes valuable when it’s translated into posts, schedules, and measurable outcomes that a real organization can implement.

Cody Kanaday, hailing from Hanceville, Alabama, is a dedicated sports photographer and storyteller. With a deep-rooted passion for capturing the spirit of local athletics and community events, Cody has made a significant impact through his work with 256 Photos and contributions to Cullman Daily and Blount County News. As a student at the University of West Alabama, Cody is pursuing a degree in Integrated Marketing Communications, set to graduate in 2026. His commitment to blending sports with media storytelling is evident in every project he undertakes. Outside of his professional life, Cody enjoys traveling and spending quality time with family and friends.