The 10 Best Digital Marketing Features in The NCAA Tourney's East Region

We've finished our recap of the NCAA Tournament's East Region. Here's where this goes next.

Today I'll wrap with the 10 most inspiring features in the region, regardless of team. And tomorrow I'll come back with a look at how the region would have unfolded had it not been determined on the courts but rather in the world of digital marketing. Would West Virginia be heading to the Final Four? We'll cover that tomorrow...

For today, I hope you enjoy the best of the region. This was a blast to compile, but very hard. There's a lot of inspiration here!!!

10. Leave West Virginia a message

This is a fascinating concept. It's really simple, but very impactful. You click into the feature and come to the image below. You have two successful programs - the men's and women's basketball teams, and you're given the opportunity to voice your appreciation for the program...

When you click into the Men's Team Page, you are taken to the image below, where you can both review posts from other fans and add your own. There's something powerful about being immersed in the world of your peers, celebrating success.

How could this be better?

• Take these posts and pump them into the Men's Basketball site. Think of a Twitter ticker, like we saw in Duquesne's site, here. That way the site feels alive, like you're constantly in the sea of support!
• Let us know how the team will receive these. Could this ticker also show up in the locker room? That'd be amazing! Or is it going to be printed out and made into signs or tees or something. I love the idea, but if you, the fan, know how they are going to be delivered to the program then.... Wow.

9. New Mexico Lets You Hang in the Locker Room with a player.

The locker room. It's the place where you as an athlete spend SO much time. Getting ready for practice or a workout. Watching film. Listening to movies. Just hanging out. And we seldom get to see anything about this interaction. But the Lobos bring this to you. It's a simple thing - a handheld camera with a player just cutting loose. Through these videos, you get to chill with Lobo Darington Hobson. You know what the locker room vibe is like by watching this. And you feel more connected to the Lobos.

How could this be better?

• Predictability. Could this be a weekly feature? Talk about the week that was and what's coming next. Interview other players and "special guests." Keep it loose and fun, but let us know what we're going to see so we are ready for the next webisode.
• Make it easy to share and subscribe. Now that we have a regularly scheduled thing, let's allow prospects to sign up to get more of these. And to share them with their friends - by putting them onto YouTube or Facebook and then pumping them into the site.
• Foster interaction. Maybe fans could have a role in determining what comes next. Ask questions to the squad. Shape the topics. I think the players would dig this and fans would go nuts.

8. Washington Elevates The NCAA Tournament

This was incredible. It was one of those moments... When I see something and it just makes my mind race and makes me want to get out a pad of paper and start brainstorming the possibilities. Take a look at the image below of the Basketball home page, menu.

If the NCAA Tournament is the goal and a barometer of success, why not always have it in the menu? Doesn't that make it feel like they expect to go? And isn't that a powerful, bold message to hit fans and recruits with when they hit your site?

For now, that link takes you to the image below -- where you can read up on the most recent matchup for the Huskies in the postseason. It's visually powerful and gives you nice info into an upcoming game. But something tells me this will disappear from the site one day this spring.

And that's just too bad. Imagine the possibilities that could emerge from that menu item!

How could this be better?

• Make this a permanent home to the Huskies in the tournament. Include info on all matchups, not just the most recent.
• Get the UW coaching staff and players to talk about their experience and build a statement around the presence the Huskies will have in the tournament!
• Integrate first-hand video accounts of these experiences (which already exist, see the next area of inspiration!) Simple but powerful.

7. Why Clemson? They'll tell you why.

I like a lot of what Coach Purnell does on his website (here). But the thing I liked the most was his ability to articulate why you should come to Clemson.

This comes through in a couple of ways. First, in the form of an online resume. Check the image below. Coach Purnell boils it all down to 3 things: success, international experience, and a family like bond. Nice.

Then, if you click into "Why Clemson", you get the image below... which is essentially a map of words that the program stands for. Championships. NBA. Academics. Nice.

Diving into each word pulls up detail on the topic -- and gives them a platform to build upon. It's nice to have a filter like this that can guide what goes where as their program builds and the content evolves.

6. Marquette Lets Facebook and Fan Groups help cultivate and elevate Fans.

Marquette's Athletics Facebook page, here, is thriving. They have 11,000 fans, and they engage them with a very personal dialogue. Check this sample post (in the image below, though it's a bit tough to read so I'll re-type it now). Warning, powerful emotional connection coming.

"I'm so thankful and humbled to be here. I absolutely love what our institution is about; it mirrors what I believe, personally. I love these kids." -Buzz"

Marquette also introduced a concept around their most passionate fans, Marquette Superfans (linked here.) Clicking in shows you a screen of teams that the Golden Eagles have matched up with...

And, clicking in takes you to the image below - a deep scouting report on the next matchup. I love this, as it is arming the fan base with the very information their players get (or close to it). This creates a much better heckling fan and a much tougher home court advantage.

How could we make this better?

• Elevate this content into the Facebook page. I think you have a very deep, personal connection there -- and this is a chance to take that connection and make it deeper (and more of them!)
• Could you tie this into a Game Day blog? Things like sign ideas, chant ideas, and keys to the game. I think we are on the cusp of something great here!

5. Cornell Gives us a student-created iPhone app

Really. We've seen active students. Cornell takes it to another level. I saw a post on the Cornell site (shown below) asking me to check out their iPhone app. I was skeptical. I've seen a few iPhone apps out there that are simply $4.99 investments to be able to take the content you get for free on the website with you on your mobile. That sucks, as schools should be pumped you are interested in taking this with you - not see that as a revenue driver. But I guess I get it, as it costs money to produce one.

Enter Cornell.

As you can see "This application was developed by a team of student programmers taking the CSS150 project course."

Wow.

Not only did this cost the athletics department very little (if anything), it created serious value for the students, the school (for allowing this experience to happen), and the fans. Seriously this is inspiring stuff.

How could this get better?

• The only challenge or question is how can they build upon this? Can future teams of students be challenged to add features to this app, taking advantage of technology as it evolves. iPad anyone?
• Can they bring the team and the development together? Let the developers have a hand in shaping the strategy based on the inspiration from the program?

4. Montana's Blogging with Boze!

This is just plain ridiculous. I was greeted with this beautiful button on the Morgan State basketball page.

Clicking on it takes you here, to Coach Bozeman's blog (shown below). It is one of the best blogs I've come across, period. Bold statement. Yes. But check this sample, here:

"I tell you what....there is nothing like a packed arena, gym, play ground or court during a basketball game! If that doesn't get your juices flowing you need a transplant! Well all that to say that our game at Coppin State last night was a great college basketball atmosphere! The place was packed, the band was jammin and the hecklers were in full force. As i was walking in the game, i didn't come over with the team, i was standing behind some fans who were ripping da bears up and saying that "yeah they beat us last year but we got them in the tournament"...yeah...i was right there but i didn't say anything and they didn't know who i was either. Funny huh? So needless to say I'm walking into the locker room grabbing my side from that body blow i got comin in. Jump ball baby! C'on...i hate the time before the game! That waitin around kills me...i wish we could walk into the arena and jump it up right off da muscle! That's a B more term ya'll chill wit the confused look! :) lol"

Wow. That is as authentic as it comes. Personal, well written, funny, so fantastic. I felt more connected to Coach from just reading that.

How could this be better?

• For some reason this stopped. Nothing new was posted after March 6, 2009. I know blogging is hard work. Sometimes I wonder if I can keep up my own pace with this site. But wow, he stepped away for some reason. So, my take is to bring him back -- be it via blog, Twitter, or something else.
• Then hype it, because you need to show off your strengths!

Now he did recently start on Twitter, here. I'm follower #8 (which I wish gave me more status!), but that will no doubt grow. Hopefully Morgan State will hype what he's doing!

3. Wisconsin's Practice Reports inside Facebook!

I've never seen anything like this one before. The Wisconsin Athletics Facebook presence (link here) is the home to just shy of 100,000 passionate Badgers fans. And they are getting a unique message out to fans.

As you can see below, the Badgers are publishing Spring Football updates through their Facebook feed. That's impressive. Come here, and you'll see what happened each day in practice. Then they include a link for highlights. Nice.

This is fantastic, as it allows us access to one thing (practice) that no one gets access to. And limited access = big potential value to fans (and recruits!!!) Besides taking this and moving it onto basketball, how could it get better?

• Video built into Facebook. Why not allow fans to watch the videos right here, right now. Don't make us go somewhere else to watch them.
• Make it super easy to share these with your friends.
• Could there be a Facebook Field Reporter (Court Reporter) who can bring these stories to fellow fans?

That's it.

2. The WVU Widget let's you take a bit of West Virginia with you.

This is one of those things I can't believe more people aren't doing yet. It's super smart. Click in here, and you'll see this. I'll wait for you....

West Virginia makes it easy for you to take their site and pump it into your blog through this widget. Simple, and powerful. So if WVU updates their site, your blog updates as well. I'm not sure how successful these have been (I'd love to know!), but to me they are getting exponentially more viewers for every update they make thanks to this little guy.

How could this get better?

• Allow bloggers to customize what feeds they take. By sport, for sure. But maybe even by type (video, text, pictures, etc.)
• Then expand the network of those who contribute to this!

1. Kentucky's Wildcat Recaps.

You can click in here to find these (shown below). But they are just incredible. Essentially, the UK team puts together highlights of each game, and then includes segments from Coach Calipari in the locker room before the game. So you're able to see and hear the pre-game talk to the Cats, followed by how that played out in the game. Amazing. And as a potential recruit, you get a look into how the team prepares for each game, how the coaches engage in the locker room, and well you just feel like you're a part of the team.

How could these get better?

• It's really about accelerating things - do more of these, as often as you can!
• The UK team could make it easier to share these clips, and to subscribe to have them sent to you the second a new one updates.

That's it. Hope you made it this far, as consolidating 16 teams of amazingness into 10 items was quite a challenge!!!

Andy