NRL Digital Best Practices: All NRL Clubs and How they Give Back

Today marks my final day evaluating the NRL Digital Best Practices. It's been a fun ride, and fittingly I'm going to build on yesterday's story on leveraging Community in Facebook.

Today we'll see how the NRL brings the power of what every squad is doing and transforms it into something bigger, via digital.

Start out on the NRL's RLOC (Rugby League One Community) home page, here, and below...

Click on NRL Clubs, which takes you here, to a list of every NRL team and their plan for impacting their local community. I'll paste a couple screen grabs below so you can get a sense for this collective power.

What you see is that the League created a framework to celebrate the work of each team. And by doing this it positions the NRL and individual teams as a part of something bigger. That's what digital does well -- brings things together that you might not realize individually have so much potential.

You'll note that from the top of this page, it's easy to share via Facebook or Twitter. Which makes me pose the question: How could this be better? Social integration. I'd love to be able to click onto each team's high level story and dive into a Facebook album that showed the team in action in that community. Let me witness the activity of each team, in a way that is easy to share and comment on -- or simply put let me be a part of this energy.

That's a wrap! I'm going to take a breather for a couple weeks, but will be back in early August with more Digital Goodness. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks for reading.

Andy

NRL Digital Best Practices: Wests Tigers Elevate Their Community Side Inside Facebook

We've been rolling through best practices and many of them have focused around photography and access. This brings up another topic -- access doesn't always mean what's going on on the field, court, or pitch.

The NRL's Wests Tigers give us a look into the impact their team is making in their local community, all from the comfy confines of social media. Hit the Wests Tigers Facebook Page and click on "Photos," on the left-hand nav...

Clicking in takes you to the albums below.

Importantly, you'll note the Album, "Tigers in the Classroom," where we'll turn our attention. (Click into it here, peak at it below). What you'll find is a look at the players visiting a local classroom engaging with young children. The images do a great job of showing the story -- these are players giving real time and making real connections on a local level. And to drop this into social media makes it even more personal (not to mention easy to comment on, Like, or share with others)!

How could this be better? They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. While I agree with this, I think the pictures (and the message) deserves more copy than what we see above. "Tigers help kids to read" is a fact. But it lacks a story, it lacks a connection, and it misses an opportunity to show why they are doing it, how it touches them, how others can get involved, and what they did to connect. This is a great example of getting the images up, but there is opportunity to build your brand by finishing the story!

Alright, 1 more days of NRL best practices to come. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks!

Andy

NRL Digital Best Practices: Vodafone Warriors Deliver Facebook GameDay Photography

How can you deliver value to your social media followers in real time? It's a great question, but it's one that is worth diving into. If you can't give value in real time, then you also don't deliver that sense of urgency. (As in if you'd better check this page early and often or others will have something you won't). Naturally the result of this is more eyeballs on your squad (or brand)

I came across a cool practice from the NRL's Vodafone Warriors today that I felt was worth sharing. It all starts on the Vodafone Warriors Facebook page, here, and shown below.

Click on Photos, which takes you here. (You'll note quite a few game albums in the frame below)

Finally, enter any of the game albums, like Round 14 vs Wests Tigers (you can enter right here). As you'll see in the image below, fans of the Warriors can see action in their social media news feed around each game. They don't need to visit the Warriors' site.

The imagery is great, and it offers access to something that the average fan doesn't have access to. Plus, I dig this because it mimics existing behavior on Facebook -- share pictures of the events you experience with your friends. The Warriors doing this makes them come across more personal/more human.

Solid.

How could this be better? I'm not sure if this is done, but I'd like to see this images in realtime. Don't wait until after the match is complete. Give us the imagery during the game and you'll offer an even bigger source of value: timely!

Come back tomorrow as we continue moving through the best digital practices of the NRL. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks!

Andy

NRL Digital Best Practices: South Sydney Rabbitohs Add a Player Scouting Report

Hi everyone. Today starts our final week of breaking down the NRL. Then we're taking a couple weeks off and we'll hit things strong in August...

Team profiles. There's a crazy interesting dynamic going on with these. If you talk to a coach or a fan, you'll get quite a description of each player - what they bring to the team, what they love (or hate), and where they wish that player would grow. Then if you look at digital, at the team's own website (and I'm talking about every team out there), you see stats. Height, weight, date of birth, and numbers. It's like teams around the globe are in such a hurry to give us the stats that they forget why we love the team in the first place!

What I saw with the South Sydney Rabbitohs puts us on the right path.

Hit the South Sydney website and scroll down. You'll come to the "Club in Focus" section, here. As you'll see, there are images and commentary/scouting reports. And it's hot stuff!

"David has earned cult status..." "Mundine is one of the most talented players..." "Dylan is excellent running on the edges."

I'll paste a couple of these here, so you get more of a feel.

You can feel the difference a couple sentences makes, huh? (Try covering up the "Biography" line with one hand and looking at the image if you can't -- I think you'll agree it's a powerful thing indeed!)

How could this be better? More. More. More. We have the top line info. Now get personal. I'd love to hear from the coaches and other players -- what do they love, hate, and expect from each player? Combine all of this into one page and you'll end up with a dynamic and powerful execution. This will not be a roster but a place of connection instead!

Come back tomorrow as we continue moving through the best digital practices of the NRL. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks!

Andy

NRL Digital Best Practices: Parramatta Wants You to Help Grow Their Facebook Community

Are you doing everything you can to increase the size of your social following? Worded differently, how easy is it for those who love you to get others to join them?

When I saw what the Parramatta Eels are doing, I was inspired by the simplicity of their model.

Let's start by hitting the Parramatta Eels Facebook Page, here. As you'll note on the left-hand side of the page, they are boldly stating "Let's Grow The Army." I like this for several reasons. We are trained to read left-to-right, so it's the first thing you notice. The verbiage is uniting It's not "Grow The Army", but rather "Let's Grow The Army." (Feels more like an invitation than a mandate) and, as you'll see next, it is pretty effective.

Clicking on Recruit Friends takes us here, to a visual of all of your Facebook friends. VERY simple to navigate and offer the opportunity by simply clicking on boxes.

I'll zoom in a little so you can get a better feel for the ease of use and simplicity of the experience.

But, as always, we must ask: how could this be better? I'd love the Friends who pop up to be "smarter". Meaning, could we tap into the interests of my friends base (by tapping into Facebook's API) and elevating the most likely ones? (Show me friends who love Rugby, live in the region, or who are active?) If I have less options but the options I have are more relevant, the conversion will be higher!

I'll be back Monday for another day of NRL coverage. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Hope you enjoy these. I appreciate you sticking with me as I learn a lot from a new sport.

Andy

NRL Digital Best Practices: Newcastle Knights Let You Email Players

If you've been following this blog for awhile (thanks!), you may have come across a best practice I discussed from the NBA World Champion Dallas Mavericks. They created a way for fans to email the players (revisit that one here). It was a great thing because it just felt personal -- like you could reach out to anyone you wanted.

That was the only example I've seen of this.... until I saw what the Newcastle Knights were doing.

Hit the Newcastle Home Page and hover over "Fans." As you can (hopefully) see below, this will reveal the option to "Email the Players." Let's move in...

Clicking ahead takes you here, to a simple screen with a drop down menu. You are asked to "Send the players your messages of support" and you simply provide your name, email, and message.

I like the execution because it is extremely intuitive and has almost no barriers to participation. And, like the Mavericks example, the concept of emailing a player feels personal -- especially in this era of Facebook & Twitter.

All that said, how could this be better? You'll note in the image above the phrase "Support Wall". I'd love to make this space feel more emotional. Perhaps it is showing past emails (that people submitted and agreed to publish publicly) and responses. I've seen this in action in local grocery stores -- consumers post comments/questions and employees post responses. It's simple, but the fact that you can see other fans' questions and, importantly, some responses makes this idea more personal.

I'll be back tomorrow for another day of NRL coverage. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks for hanging with me!

Andy

NRL Digital Best Practices: Melbourne Storm Gives Emotional Imagery in Facebook

It's amazing what a powerful visual treatment can do for your team's brand.

If you need a friendly reminder, the NRL's Melbourne Storm give that for us all, today. Our journey begins on the Melbourne Storm Facebook Wall, shown below or linked here.

No doubt you noticed the profile picture on the left-hand side, but I'll paste it again below, for your blog-reading enjoyment.

The Profile Picture is extremely important, and not just because it delivers a tone when someone hits your page. It's important because this is the piece of your brand you'll take with you when you appear in each of your fans' news feeds. So the image should speak to the excitement and emotion in your team -- it should reinforce why fans will follow you. Great example here that we can all learn from.

How could this be better? I'd love to take the same idea and expand it. Change out the image before every matchup with a powerful image and a rallying cry for fans. You'll extend your brand, but you'll do it aligned with the calendar of games -- making it even more effective as a marketing strategy.

I'll be back tomorrow for another day of NRL coverage. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks!

Andy

NRL Digital Best Practices: Manly Pushes for a Trending Topic on Twitter

Social networks working together. That's something I love to see, but seldom see them unite around a cause. Today we'll see a great example of this in action.

Manly used Facebook to rally fans on Twitter.

How?

Let's start by taking a look at the Manly-Warringah Facebook Page (shown below and here). There are a few key things to note on this image. First, you'll note that there's a big goal on the page. On the left hand side, it reads "Let's get #LetsGoKingy trending on Twitter". You can click on "Read Tweets" and see what others have written. And, of course, you are one click away from sharing this on Facebook with your friends (see bottom right)...

So Manly has found a way to set a Twitter goal for their fans and elevate that goal right here, on Facebook. Cool.

How could this be better? I'd love to see a reward introduced. As in, if the fans get "Let's Go Kingy" trending on Twitter, what happens? There needs to be something more. Just trending is cool and all, but adding the "so what" can take something and unite a fan base. For example, what if the club would release #LetsGoKingy tees and give them away to anyone who had tweeted to make the trend happen? Rewards don't have to be monetary, but I'd love to see a payoff in exchange for hyping what the club wants us to hype...

I'll be back tomorrow for another day of NRL coverage. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks!

Andy

NRL Digital Best Practices: North Queensland Cowboys Give Permanent Access to the Latest Social Posts

Happy 4th of July everyone!

One of the biggest challenges we face is bringing new people into the social media funnel. Said differently, how do teams convert site visitors into social media followers or fans? And how do they do this without overwhelming them with messaging that they just aren't looking for? It starts with access, the right kind of access when you need it.

The North Queensland Cowboys give us a great starting point to look at. Let's begin on the Cowboys home page, here, and below.

You'll notice (I hope) a toolbar at the bottom of this image.




I'll isolate the toolbar, here, but for some reason I've had trouble enlarging it!




As you'll see in the image below, this toolbar remains with you no matter where you are on the site - it's fixed at the bottom of your web browser...





So what does this mean? As you'll see in the next series of images, you have the ability to not just access their Social Networks, but to also participate, and of course follow right from this window. No pop up windows, no taking you away from what you're already doing (surfing the Cowboys site). It's a really nice system.

Here's Twitter:




Facebook is here, which includes the ability to see the individuals who already LIKE the squad. (I'm guessing if your friends LIKE them, they will appear here)...




Finally, YouTube videos can be browsed right here as well.



Pretty inspiring thinking, huh?

How could this be better? The danger of having social media built into an always-on framework is that, by it always being there, regular visitors may not notice it. The challenge becomes, how do you gently remind people that this exists, without turning the web experience into a digital version of a Vegas casino. In the end, I'd love to find a happy medium - find a way to enable the site visitor to turn on the latest feed of social buzz around the Cowboys. Let's call this a "LIVE NOW" button. This could aggregate their three feeds (Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube) and combine it with commentary/posts/activity from fans, players, and experts. This would allow fans who want more to get it without requiring everyone to see it.

I'll be back tomorrow for another day of NRL coverage. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks!

Andy

NRL Digital Best Practices: Canberra Raiders Bring Local Entertainment to Enhance Experience

One of the things I always geek out about (yes, there's lots of things) is that come big sporting events you get to see who the team has chosen to sing the National Anthem. It's always a local artist, but depending on the sport and the market, "local" may be a monster name. And there's something about the local artist or band playing on behalf of his or her team's fan base that just sets the mood.

But I've never seen this played out onto a digital stage.

The Canberra Raiders put us in this direction. Let's start our journey on the Canberra home page. Hover over "Game Day," and you'll see "Raiding Canberra Talent."

Clicking in takes you here, where we see their POV on getting local musicians to perform before each match.

I'll paste an excerpt for you, as this screen grab doesn't do the idea justice...

“Everywhere you go in Canberra you can see live music acts and talented performers and we’re giving those people a chance to get some exposure by playing to big audiences,” Pollack said. “The Raiders want the crowds to be buzzing by the time the boys run out onto the field each week and we believe the talented local performers in Canberra can help do this.”

So what they are saying is that they seek to create energy (read: an experience) by hyping the crowd with the best performers from the area. Cool...

How could this be better? Musicians have followings - physically and socially. So if you have a team that is social and musicians who are social, how do you bring this all together? I think the opportunity here isn't just to create a YouTube channel of pre-game entertainment but rather to link the team's presence socially with those of each performer. They can promote each other and create a better experience for the fan base in the process. Everyone wins.

I'll be back next week for another week of NRL coverage. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks!

Andy