Let's continue our digital minded journey through the Big Ten Conference, from less best to best. We know these programs are out there, waiting for potential recruits to click in. And we'll see who gets it and who doesn't. Thus far, our tour has shown us #11 Northwestern, #10Michigan, #9 Ohio State, and #8 Wisconsin, #7 Indiana, #6 Purdue, #5 Iowa, 4 Minnesota., and #3 Michigan State.
Here we go.
#2: Illinois
The Digital Scouting Report
Strengths: Great Twitter use and integration, including coaches. Love seeing Coach Weber's site integrated into the basketball site!
Weaknesses: Would love to see YouTube extension to their video work.
Full Scouting Report:
Illinois took us to another level, a level we haven't been at yet in the Big Ten (and they are #2?) By clicking into their home page, here, we are hit with a pretty powerful setup -- though I think they should watch that image placement, unless the new name is the "Fighting Ill." I love the simple tabs for top stories and videos.
Scrolling down the page takes you here, to this simple and powerful collection of buttons.
First, I'm going to double click on the Lunch time Chats button. Love this. As you know by now, I'm a big fan of balancing communication in ways that appeal to the consumer who is very tech savvy and also those who aren't. And, you know, there's something just nice about the concept that you can sit down for a nice chat over lunch with a coach. Here's the schedule - there's a lot of lunches.
On to the Facebook and Twitter side, for the more digitally minded athlete or fan. Clicking in here takes you to a pretty easy directory of Illini on Twitter and Facebook.
I like this, especially on the Facebook front. Most programs have an athletics department Facebook site, which is easy on the program to update but much less relevant to the athlete (or fan). Illinois does this right, as they break Facebook down by program. Here's the Hoops Facebook page, which as you can see is pretty active and a nice way of getting updates out.
Similarly, the Illini are killing it on Twitter. Their Men's Basketball Twitter page is here, with roughly 600 followers.
But the action doesn't stop here. Coach Bruce Weber is up and active on Twitter (click here). He has roughly 3,000 followers, and isn't extremely active but he gets it. His posts are great insights into the program.
Assistant Coach Jay Price has a page as well (here). He's got a little over 400 followers but does a great job. He even inspired me to train harder by sharing this link.
Alright, let's back out to the Illini home page. I moused over All Sports and saw this breakdown, which is both amazing and awkward. It's amazing as Coach Weber's site is elevated into an integrated part of the site. It's awkward as I'd just want that to fit neatly inside the Men's Basketball section. Which is where we are headed first.
Clicking into the Illini Men's Basketball page (here) gives you permanent access to Coach Weber's site (nice). But what gets really nice is when you scroll down the page....
As you can see, just beneath the main feature window is a super easy way to both see Illini Hoops Twitter updates and, more importantly, to follow them. Just a simple click. I love it. You'll also notice the basketball Facebook callout to the left.
Illinois also gives love to their alums in the Pros. Here's a shot of the bio for Deron Williams. It's a good bio, but it also made me wonder... why not give the fan what they really want: a full take on Deron in his Illini years. What was he like at this level? Send me to NBA.com if I want his latest, but in this world, you have a chance to fill me up with a crazy highlight package of his impact on the Big Ten!
The Illini Hoops section does maintain a pretty solid photo gallery, with updates and archives going way back.
Finally, as you can see below, they make all of the Coach Weber shows available via Podcasts. It's pretty simple, but really smart. I'd just love to see this re-branded, not as Illinois Podcasts but as Illini Basketball Podcasts. Take what's working really well in their presence through Facebook and Twitter and apply it here!
OK, finally we're going to click into Coach Weber's site (link here).
This site is a really good one. It's great in that there's a bounty of content, with interviews of the current squad and opportunities for fans and athletes to get to know the players beyond their on-court performances. You'll note to the right of the image is a tab that lets you switch to view other months of video goodness.
In general, I love the content on Coach Weber's site. I love the monthly videos of the players. But, to be honest, I'm just not sure why those videos need to live on Coach Bruce Weber.com and not on the Illini Basketball site. I'd love to see videos of Coach Weber on his site, along with his Twitter feed and the impact he's making on these kids. But elevate the players on the main site... I guess that's just a small tweak I'd make to a really strong digital presence. Well done Illini!
OK, we'll finish the Big Ten tomorrow. Thanks for reading!!!
Andy
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