Case Study: Samford University achieves skyrocketing social media engagement and real-time gameday storytelling with PhotoShelter for Brands

Why Social Media Engagement Is Skyrocketing at This University

Samford University’s athletics department, a small private school competing for attention in a crowded mobile-first landscape, needed a faster, more authentic way to reach 18–22 year olds without adding staff or budget. With students scrolling quickly through feeds and multiple stakeholders waiting on images, the challenge was to control the brand, boost fan engagement, and get high-quality photos into circulation in real time.

Samford implemented a Libris-powered real-time photo workflow (with a custom Socialie integration) so photographers send selects from the sideline straight to the press box, where images are styled in Lightroom and pushed to student-athletes, social channels and the website via Sidearm. The result: posts go live within minutes, social engagement has surged across 17 sports, staff save hours after games, campuswide access and morale improved, and the department stretches its budget further with a measurable rise in ROI.

Samford University

Kevin Young

Director for Marketing & Strategic Communications