NCAA Tournament Basketball Marketing: What we can learn from #13 Seed Wofford

We continue our evaluation of this year's NCAA Tournament field, from a marketing point of view. We're in search of inspiration - things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. And, for fans, of each team, that's a look into what makes you special.

Thus far, we've reviewed top seeded Kentucky, #2 West Virginia, #3 New Mexico, #4Wisconsin, #5 Temple, #6 Marquette, #7 Clemson, #8 Texas, #9 Wake Forest, #10 Missouri, #11 Washington, and #12 Cornell.

Now it starts to get really interesting: Let's check out #13 Wofford.

East #13 Seed Wofford (link here)

What's Inspiring about Wofford Athletics Marketing?

1. Twitter Branding celebrates March Madness

Get the most out of what you have. That's a critical piece for all colleges, but it becomes even more critical when we hit the mid-to-low major programs. You have less budget, which means both you can get more creative (as we saw was nicely done by Cornell, yesterday) and you need to get maximum use out of the things you do.

In that spirit, I liked what I saw, visually inside the Wofford Twitter page. Clicking into the Wofford Athletics Twitter site, here, you'll see 273 followers and not a huge amount of action. But you will also see a nice use of branding - "Let's Dance", hyping the Terriers' appearance in the NCAA tourney. Nice.

How could we make it better? The simple answer is to consider future Twitter updates around big games. Maybe this could become a contest for students or fans (design the page), as we've seen before with Nebraska. If the page itself becomes a work of art, it will add another level of dynamic messaging to a venue (Twitter) that thrives on just that.

2. Marketing & Promotions come together

Many schools have posted a marketing and promotions link on their site. But I haven't come across many that manage it as well as the Terriers. As you can see below (or here), Wofford goes into the meaning behind their campaigns. The current one, Let's Go, focuses on the values of family and community that are unique and central to the athletics programs and the university as a whole.

I like this interaction. It's kind of like a director's reel on a DVD. But how could it be better? If the campaign is all about the importance of community, leverage the opportunity to get interaction online. Get the community to participate, whether it be through commenting, polling, or sharing of what makes Wofford a family.

3. The Wofford Basketball Fan Guide

This is one of those things that inspired me with the possibilities, rather than the reality. When I saw the callout for the "Basketball Fan Guide", I was intrigued. Give us an opportunity to learn about the program, the arena, and the family atmosphere. What I found was a schedule and an order form for tickets.

So, how could it be better? Actually give us a guide to the program. What makes it special? Why should I want to go to Wofford, or to pull for the Terriers? You had me at the subject line, now back it up with the content!

That's a wrap. Next week we'll break down the final 3 teams in the East Region.