Digital Hoops Blast

Unplugged: Why We Should Free Facebook & Twitter from Website Menus

2011-12-26T04:20:00.000-08:00

What do you want fans to do when they hit your program's site? This is up for debate and interpretation but I would argue that one of the most critical pieces is for fans to literally connect with you - to engage with your team(s) socially so that you can connect together in the future. If we can establish this level of connection, we begin to build a relationship -- not a transaction. In today's world, it means I opt in to follow you on Facebook or Twitter.

Let me ask this question... If you hit Apple's site (shown below) what do you think they want you to engage with?

As you (hopefully) know, I check out a LOT of school Facebook and Twitter pages. If you don't know this, please, stick around - we'll have a fun ride together!

Oddly enough, one thing I feel like I'm always having troubles with is literally finding the school's social media pages. I'm including a few examples below but I could have chosen ten or twenty more. You might find Facebook or Twitter hidden underneath a menu of "Social Media", "Marketing", "Fan Zone", "Fan Central", "Multimedia", "Interactive Zone", "Insider", or I'm sure many other places. Check a few of them below...

"Fan Zone"

"Multimedia"

"Fan Central"

The point here isn't that these are wrong. The point here is that there are a lot of ways this is being approached, yet none of them enable people to easily follow (and feel compelled to follow) the program and that shouldn't be the case. What if we could distill it down the way Apple does? What if we had one lead program and we made it super easy to sign up or raise your social hand to follow that program? Yes, it would mean prioritizing messages... but on the plus side, yes it would mean prioritizing messages. We all have limited time, we are all busy (if you know me, you know I refuse to use that word for that very reason!). So it is on us to prioritize our message for others. Help them know what's the most important. And then make it easy to do what you want them to do!

As we focus our efforts on this Facebook and Twitter connection with our programs it becomes very important that we elevate this work and don't keep Social Media on an equal playing field to everything else we talk about.

With that, I hope you all have a great Holiday break!

I'll be taking some time off from the blog, but will be back at you on Monday, January 9 with more NCAA digital best practices. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

As always, thanks for reading!

Andy

Colorado Basketball Shows Us How Twitter Can Humanize Our Brands

2011-12-23T04:50:00.000-08:00

We often hear that Twitter is fantastic because it can connect you easily to other people - be it celebrities, athletes, icons, business experts, or others with shared interest. But there are far more people brought together than there are connections made. And, to me I believe a lot of this is in the way you tell your own personal story. Do you present yourself in a formal, official way or do you present yourself in a way that really makes others want to connect with you.

As I was strolling through the Twittersphere, I came across an amazing example of using Twitter to be approachable. And being approachable is the first step to making a connection. Take a peak at Assistant Coach Jean Prioleau's Twitter profile, here, and shown below.

This is simply amazing.

He has stated who he is and what he's about in an incredibly succinct yet inviting way. "Assistant Basketball Coach, University of Colorado, willing to talk hoops to anyone that's interested in knowing about our program."

Wow.

What I love is that the description he uses is personal. And talking hoops is what he's offering. If you love the game, that makes him someone you are comfortable reaching out to. If Coach Prioleau is so approachable on digital, I'm guessing he brings that same attitude to his team, to recruiting, and to his life -- many of those people may come across him on Twitter now as well!

Great, fascinating, and simple example that we should all look at. To get where we want to go, to maximize our potential means to get the most out of what we have in front of us. Coach Prioleau shows us to look at the details of how we present ourselves and set ourselves up for success!

I'll be back on Monday for one final piece before breaking for the New Year. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast, here)

Thanks for reading!

Andy

San Diego State and the Social-ification of Announcements

2011-12-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that conference alignment is a bit confusing, a bit overwhelming, a bit exciting and also a bit frustrating. One of the things that stands out the most to me in what feels like a multi-year process of shifting dynamics is this: When conferences realign, fans talk. A lot. In Social Media. But when conferences realign, they announce it via a press release. And (with all due respect to the fans of press releases), no one reads these.

Now, enter one of the more confusing announcements: San Diego State is entering both the Big East Conference and the Big West Conference (for football and basketball, respectively). As you'll see below, they delivered this news in an incredibly social way that we can all learn from.

First, I saw the news break through the SDSU Athletics Facebook page (here)

As you can see in the video below, SDSU did exactly what ESPN would do in a spot like this -- they went to their experts and had them break down what the move means to the university. This was done quickly, and simply and delivered through social.

But as you can also gather, that's a lot of video content that gets dispersed all over the internet without a home, a hub, to bring everything together. The school needed a way to bring the power of all programs together in one place.

Thus, they transformed the Athletics site into a hub. As you'll note in the images below (and by clicking here), they bring all coaches together and integrate the two new leagues seamlessly together.

All videos aggregate in one spot and in case you aren't in the video clicking mood, key quotes appear below.

The power of the moves, dimensionalized by the school's experts in one spot does two amazing things. One, it gives the fan instant access to what it means - thus getting the base excited. And, Two, this gives the appearance that the programs are united. Every team comes across as happy for this and what it means for the future -- and that is what keeps the boosters, fans, and recruits energized.

A press release tells you the facts. But we don't want the facts, we want the stories. Props to SDSU for giving us the story!

Tune in Friday for more NCAA Digital Best Practices. Or just follow me up on social -- I'm on Twitter, as @andypawlowski (here), and on Facebook as Digital Hoops Blast, here.

Thanks for reading,

Andy

Kansas Basketball Lets You Get Coach Self on Your Answering Machine

2011-12-19T05:11:00.000-08:00

The more I think about it, the two most personal areas for most college fans (and for future college athletes) are their social profile and their mobiles. And, if you do it well, the reality is your mobile plan becomes social (and vice versa).

Kansas Basketball is leading with Mobile in a way that, yes, will become extremely social.

I came across this article on ESPN. It took me to Coach Bill Self's Official Crowdrise page (here). Side note, until now I'd never heard of the site "Crowdrise" but it seems like an interesting place to raise funds for good causes. Coach Self, like many of us, has a cause which is important to him. But as you'll see below it's the creativity in his approach that has me a blogging...

Much like the NPR Show "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me", Coach Self is offering to record a personal voicemail message for you. To be considered, you need to donate to his cause (helping families in need during the Holiday season). Everyone who donates has a chance and the lucky winner gets Coach Self on their phone.

Check these images.

There's a disclaimer, for sure, as it is not something they are targeting towards prospective student-athletes nor to fans of other teams who'd be upset with this prize. But if you are a current student/diehard fan of the Jayhawks, how sweet would it be for your friends to find not you but Coach Self on the voicemail.

It'd be bragging rights, it's social, and it is something that almost makes you not answer your phone more often.

The only things I'd add to the mix would be to 1) get Coach Self to also drop that voicemail as a Tweet, so the world can see, hear, and admire the winning fan's position as the luckiest Jayhawk fan around and 2) encourage fans to enter this for their friends/family members as a Holiday gift! While the prize may not appeal to you, you'd be hard pressed to find a better gift for a fanatic fan on your shopping list!

And for the rest of us, take inspiration here -- this is a fantastic example of taking a simple idea (a voicemail message) and turning it into a prize that could unite a fan base.

Thanks for reading. You can tune back in Wednesday for more digital best practices. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

Andy

Baylor Athletics Leverages Real Time Photography in Facebook & Twitter

2011-12-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

Photography brings people together.

For the same reasons that people take and share pictures via mobiles and Facebook or Twitter, athletics programs should ask themselves how a few timely pictures can bring fans (and recruits) closer to their program.

Baylor Athletics does this across multiple sports inside both Facebook and Twitter. Let's take a peak.

First, Facebook. As you'll see on a visit to the Baylor Athletics Facebook page (here), the team does a great job of giving fans updates on their programs. But it was one post that got my mind revving. Football star Robert Griffin III was at ESPN for the announcement of this year's Heisman Trophy candidates. It's not too long ago that fans would learn via press releases that schools would post to their websites or you'd see in the local paper. Now, fans learn via social media.

But it isn't the fact that Baylor posted about RGIII's status as a finalist. It was how they did it. Check this:

It's a picture, in a moment, packed with emotion. It's a picture that none of us can get. And it dropped into Facebook in realtime!

Now, check out the Baylor Men's Basketball Twitter account, here. As you'll note, the team finished a big victory over Northwestern and then was heading home. The post below appeared on Twitter...

Again, it was a picture in a moment, and a picture that fans can't get themselves. This isn't something you'll find on ESPN or in the local paper. Thus, Baylor is giving their fans value -- and that value is through access.

I love both of these examples because they remind us all that the power of what we see has potential to unite a fan base. It has potential to spread, it gives fans a reason to follow you, and it brings more people closer to the program.

Tune back in Monday for more NCAA digital best practices. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

As always, thanks for reading!

Andy

Pac-12 Conference Leverages a Twitter Battle Across Media for Title Game

2011-12-14T04:40:00.000-08:00

The Pac-12 held their first-ever Football title recently, with Oregon defeating UCLA and winning a bid in the Rose Bowl. Accompanied with this game, they wanted to activate their fan bases through social media, as the game happened on the field. To do this, they decided to introduce a fan activation contest around Hashtags.

Let's check how this played out...

As you can see in the image below (or on the site, here), the Pac-12 tracked real-time Twitter conversation around Oregon (using hashtag #GODUCKS) or UCLA (using hashtag #GOBRUINS). The hub, on Pac-12.org, tracked percentages, and elevated individual user Tweets. Then, at the bottom of the page, they singled out the best Tweets and gave them extra love.

While the results were interesting, it was the amplification of this idea that got me pumped. I don't know if it was planned or not, but television picked up this activation. Check the image below, which aired on the Fox TV broadcast (yes, this is a picture of a TV screen I found on Twitter)...

People talk (or tweet) when they are excited. And, thus, it's super interesting to see in-game coverage of social media chatter. It's kind of the modern-day version of the fan poll. But the opportunity that comes with social media isn't about information but rather about passionate engagement.

So where could this idea go? How could the Pac-12 (or you) make it better? The challenge lies in identifying the benefit of this Social Media challenge to the fan. In other words, the Oregon fan naturally cares about the Ducks winning the game. They aren't wired to care that the Ducks win a social battle. And, thus, I think you need to add some stakes to the mix.

My suggestion is for us to look at how TV networks reward "Players of the Game". They donate to the scholarship fund of the winning athlete's school.

Now, imagine if we could see a conference find an official social media partner and reward the winning fan base with additional contributions to their future - be it scholarships, experiences on campus, or something similar. This would give fans a reason to rally behind the idea rather than relying on them to simply hope they win. Doing this would help the conference grow from a social reach standpoint and would allow them to leverage this as a platform that adds rapid energy around game days, each week!

Tune in Friday for more NCAA Digital Best Practices. Or just follow me up on social -- I'm on Twitter, as @andypawlowski (here), and on Facebook as Digital Hoops Blast, here.

Thanks for reading,

Andy

Alabama Basketball Delivers a Powerful Twitter Voice

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

Alabama Basketball has been one of the pleasant surprises of this year's season -- cracking the top 25 and delivering fresh energy into a program that is more known for their football success. It was that situation that had me intrigued to check out their basketball social media -- could the basketball team develop their own voice, rather than simply be a football voice on the basketball court?

As you'll see today, they not only define their own voice, but they do it in a way that we can all learn from: they get personal.

The journey begins on the Bama Hoops Twitter page, here.

I'm going to call out a few pieces of their energy that will do a great job of illustrating their approach. First, I was drawn to the simplicity and emotion in which they let their fan base wake up to a big matchup (vs Georgetown)... Oddly enough, this is one of those times where all caps and lots of exclamation points make communication better!

So, as the fan base began to respond, posting about the game, Alabama Hoops retweeted their messages. As you'll see in the image below, the cumulative effect of lots of elevated fan voices makes the Alabama page feel very much connected to the pulse of their fans. It works. And, of course, the fans will feel more connected to the program because they were elevated through the retweet.

Finally, as you'll see in the image below, though the Tide lost the game, they engaged with their fan base in a way that was in the moment but yet raw. Pre-game, they posted on the energy. Post game, they were gracious but not vanilla. And the next morning, they were grateful to their fan base. I'll let you read the style, and I think you'll understand how personal this approach is... and you'll start to feel the program.

Which, really, is the goal of social media. Let people feel you. Not feel for you, but feel you. Great model for us all to learn from!

Thanks for reading. You can tune back in Wednesday for more digital best practices. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

Andy

How a Microchip in a Jersey Creates a Viscious Cycle of Value

2011-12-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

Value is a pretty strong word in digital and social media. After all, the goal is to offer value to your consumers or fans, right? But imagine if the value you created enabled consumers to create more value? You'd have the beginning of a cycle, and one that everyone wants to be a part of.

I found this article in the Miami Herald and this one on Mashable, announcing technology that is being embedded into Tampa Bay Lightning jerseys to allow for fans to then get discounts on concessions or merchandise at the stadium. This is executed by simply placing the chip inside the sleeve and then installing scanners at various concessions in their arena. Fans then essentially "check in" to the concessions in game and receive a discount.

The article smartly points out one big benefit - that the team will learn spending habits from their best fans. (These jerseys are being given to their season ticket holders) I'd argue you get a second benefit that fans are more likely to wear your jerseys to the game... so make these your best jerseys! So is this a simple win-win of value: Team gets Data, Fans get Discount?

This could be so much more.

Imagine if fans could connect their jersey to their Facebook or Twitter account? Just like a location check-in, fans could notify their networks when they enter the arena or hit special pre or post game festivities while there! And perhaps the Lightning could allow these season ticket holders to pass a ticket discount to their networks for syncing their jersey to their social network? That way we bring more people in wearing jerseys, who connect more with friends socially!

Crazy technology!!!

Tune back in Monday for more digital best practices. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

As always, thanks for reading!

Andy

Ohio State Basketball and the Balance Between Athletics Department and Team Social Media

2011-12-07T04:05:00.000-08:00

Should a program have both an overall Athletics Facebook page and pages for each team? This is a common question I hear and today, inspired by THE Ohio State University, feels like a good day to tackle this topic.

The quick answer is simply, it depends on your ability to do this the right way. With ample people and time, I believe a school should have pages for every program. Then they could maintain an overall Athletics page that hypes the most important posts from each individual program. That mimics fan behavior -- you have pockets of superfans for each program, then people with casual interest in what's hot across all sports. Thus, going deep in program pages and wide in an Athletics page makes sense.

Let's check out The Ohio State Facebook set up.

First, I went right into their Basketball Facebook page, here. I'd be lying if I told you the numbers didn't mess with me. As you can see below, there are a total of only 1,012 fans of the Basketball program on Facebook, with only 239 people "talking about this." As a side note, while the numbers are low, that is a pretty high engagement rate -- 24% of the fan base is talking about the program.

Next, I went into the Athletics Facebook page, here. The numbers are much, much higher -- 1,074,842 like them, with 49,439 "talking about them"... That equates to an engagement rate of 4.5%.

It does make sense that these facts would exist -- higher engagement on team pages, bigger scale on athletics pages. But at that level? That's craziness to me.

On a hunt for "why", I looked deeper into each team's presence. Let's take a look at a couple things. First, you'll see a post from the Ohio State Athletics page right after their HUGE win over Duke.

As you'll see below, one of those images was taken and re-posted on the Basketball page. The other two images weren't around...

When I went earlier in the game, I saw the emotional image and post below make the Ohio State Athletics page. I didn't see it on the basketball page.

So, based on my small sample size, it looks like Ohio State uses their Athletics page as their main page and then reposts as needed onto the Basketball page. With the disparity in size of communities, I can see how that is a tempting strategy. But tempting doesn't always mean it's the right path.

Think of it this way, if you have one small group of passionate fans, hit them with the best stuff, quickly, and they will love you for it. If your most passionate fans love you for what you do, they will tell other fans. And the numbers will grow. Strangely enough, this will limit what you post to the Athletics page, and by doing this position your athletics page as even more premium -- giving fans of that page exactly what they want (the best and only the best across all sports).

The good news is the pieces are here. It's much easier to shift your priority of messaging places than it is to fix your message. But to maximize engagement, that's exactly what THE Facebook page will have to do.

Tune in Friday for more NCAA Digital Best Practices. Or just follow me up on social -- I'm on Twitter, as @andypawlowski (here), and on Facebook as Digital Hoops Blast, here.

Thanks for reading,

Andy

Could Google+ Hangouts Redefine Press Conferences?

2011-12-05T04:09:00.000-08:00

Is Google+ a Game Changer? To be honest, I'm not sure yet. But their concept of a Hangout is definitely intriguing.

I think you have to look at what it could replace. The press conference is something that needs reinventing. As tech has evolved, we haven't seen a rapid increase in how athletes or coaches get in front of fans or the media. In general, we see games finish and the media waits until the coach and key player(s) enter the room. Questions follow, and articles/blogs are written.

We're getting a little better in some cases -- where fans are able to ask questions of their coach or players and the school (or media) helps get answers. It's a great step, but it doesn't respond to the level of personal touch or emotion that it could.

Enter the idea of a Hangout. If you haven't heard of these, Google+ allows you and up to 9 friends to connect via what's basically a video chat. Here's a quick video that brings that to life.

But what's that mean to sports teams? The Dallas Cowboys were the first team I saw take advantage of this idea. They put star DE Demarcus Ware in front of a computer and let him interact with fans. As you'll see in the images below, it feels like you are literally in a small table hanging with Demarcus...

And when fans ask questions, the screen changes -- reinforcing this idea of being at a table, together. (It feels like this is an exclusive group, not like we should just watch one person)!

You can watch the full video (it's just over 12 minutes) here or click in below. I highly recommend it.

OK, so what does this mean for college programs? This network enables you to put up to 9 fans in contact with your team at any point in time. That's pretty special access and it is something to consider, as the Dallas Cowboys example illustrates. I'm not saying you need to set up a Google+ page today, but what I am saying is that the level of connection this offers is inspiring. This might even be a way to give your post game press conference could get a nice refresh -- letting 9 super fans get access that has historically been allowed only for select media personnel!

Tune back in Wednesday for more digital best practices. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

As always, thanks for reading!

Andy

Unplugged: 5 Tips for Teams to Get Started on Facebook

2011-12-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

Let's assume you are an Athletics Department just getting into Social Media (or deciding if that's a good idea). I'm not going to spend today convincing you to dive in head first. What I am going to do is give you 5 tips that will either get you started or help you get momentum on Facebook.

Ready?

1. Tell Stories, Don't Tell Posts.

This is the biggest key. Don't look at Facebook as a place to tell people where to go. Instead, think of Facebook as a place where you can be friends with your fans. And since you are going to be showing up in the news of people alongside their other friends, it's even more important that you show up. The best way to do that is to see your role as one to tell stories. Don't report the facts, but rather report the stories that led to the facts happening.

As you can see in this example from Oregon Athletics, a story can be a short sentence and a great picture... this tells the story of the team preparing to head up to face UW! Click here to visit the Oregon Athletics Facebook page.

2. Think about your audience before you write these stories.

This one can trip you up if you aren't careful. Before you hit the post button, take a second and think about your audience. Who are you speaking to and why is this story relevant to them? Finally, what do you want them to get out of reading this story? This strategy will cause us to use Facebook & Twitter differently, and it will cause us to not simply use Facebook to drive traffic other places.

Illinois offered up a chance inside Facebook to let fans easily download their schedule. Pretty simple, and the post even ended with "What do you think Illini Fans?" (Click here for their Facebook page)

3. Give Access No Matter What

Access. It's the one thing that you and only you control. Who are you going to grant the postgame or post match interviews with first? The local newspaper, the local TV station, or your Facebook audience? I have seen many teams literally stop everything to make sure they get the coach onto the post game radio broadcast... Imagine if we took that compelling drive for access and applied it to Facebook?

Click here for the Michigan State Facebook page, where they let fans ask questions of the leaders of the squad leading up to big matchups!

4. Be Visual and Positive

When you talk about access, immediately the next thought is imagery. By simply letting your audience see what you see, you will bring them closer to you. And when you add a positive attitude, you take that connection even deeper. I love the example below (or here, on the Portland Pilots Facebook page) that combines a great image with a welcoming statement for a new recruit joining the Pilots.

5. Be Responsive

Facebook is a two-way conversation. Just as you wouldn't be non-responsive to a friend who wrote on your wall, neither should you be non-resposnive to a fan. Be very personal and welcoming -- and by doing this in a public way, it will only encourage others to see you as real!

Click here to see how BYU Football does this -- they jumped in when fans saw it as a negative that they were giving away tickets. That simple act (jumping in to clarify a negative comment) makes a big impact in stopping things from spinning out of control. Well done BYU!

By thinking about these 5 tips, you can develop a Facebook foundation that can be a key part of your marketing strategy.

Come back on Monday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

Harvard Twitter Pumps Emotion into the Chase to Get There

2011-11-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm pumped for College Basketball Season. Yes, I know all the talk now is the pending start of NBA season but as we look at sport, imagine the spot we are in -- there are many teams that are on the rise whose fans now have visions of greatness coming into focus.

Take Harvard. As in 6-0 Harvard.

The Crimson are now on the cusp of the NCAA Top 25 after winning their tourney in the Bahamas.

Fan energy couldn't be higher, but they still have yet to break through -- currently sitting at #27 in the polls (technically not ranked but 2nd in the "others receiving votes" area). This is real time for a social media manager to get the fan momentum going. When your team is suddenly on the cusp of the national stage that the top 25 generates...

So I hit up the Harvard Twitter page (here), and was thrilled with the energy I found. First, love how they are engaging and retweeting fans to fuel energy.

Then and more importantly, I love, love how they apply a hashtag into a message to a fan. Take a look at the two hashtags below... #HarvardForTop25.

I love seeing this for lots of reasons, but two stand out. First, it is a rallying cry. Get fans and hopefully media behind and engaged with your quest to make the top 25. They did this in an emotional, yet efficient way. And, second, the idea of a hashtag like this is uplifting - it is a vision for the program. There's no reason to think they can't get behind this year-after-year, as long as the team continues to perform on the court. And if we can combine a call to action with a positive impact on the team's brand, we've hit a great 1-2 combo!

Thus, I clicked in, practically giddy with enthusiasm. So far no one has picked up this Twitter hashtag -- but they just started. Hopefully it grows (if you see the chance, please add yourself to this mix!)

I'm hoping to see this grow, and I hope my post adds fuel to a great idea.

Here's to a great season filled with surprises in the Top 25 and fan energy to match it on Twitter! And here's to all of us learning from Harvard's example to go after that energy before you make the big stage.

Tune back in Friday for more digital best practices. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

As always, thanks for reading!

Andy

The Old Spice Classic Shows How to Pump Twitter Personality into a Tournament

2011-11-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

I've always been a fan of the early season tournaments. You get some amazing matchups and it seems like there's always several neutral site games that would never happen were it not for these brackets.

But how can the tournament itself start to have a personality? And perhaps an even bigger question is this: Since these are neutral locations, everyone is traveling to play. How do you get fan bases across the nation to have a voice in your stadium?

Enter Twitter.

The Old Spice Classic is hosted Thanksgiving Weekend in Orlando (details here, it wrapped last night). Upon visiting their website, I was drawn right in by the header at the top: "Tweet for your team and our live cheering section will yell for them."

What?

Naturally, I headed straight over to the @OldSpiceClassic Twitter handle (here). And there, right on the left hand side of the Twitter skin is this guide. It's 8 teams, 8 Twitter handles and whoever gets the most social media love controls this section in game.

I did a quick look at the timeline and it is pretty clever. Check these 2 images. Same crowd, supporting Fairfield and then Dayton....

This is fascinating.

What works about this (beyond the fun factor) is that this takes something you can't do from home and impacts the game. How many of us have yelled at our TV's as if the team could hear us? Now, with a little help in rallying your friends, you literally can be heard in the arena. This is a fascinating opportunity for teams to take and apply. How can you transform your arena, or the presence of your crowd based on fan chatter?

For a simple start of season tournament to generate this type of social media power really helps define it as a brand with a personality -- and no doubt this helps to impact the type of experience teams have for playing in the Old Spice Classic. Now all we need is a live audio/video stream of the crowd to drive this home!!!

Tune back in Wednesday for more digital best practices. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

As always, thanks for reading!

Andy

Mississippi State Puts a Hashtag in the End Zone

2011-11-25T04:43:00.000-08:00

It's so simple it's brilliant. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are garnering national attention (plus attention in this blog) for their use of the Twitter Hashtag in the end zone in front of their in state clash against Ole Miss.

Check out the image below, then I'll come back with some things to ponder.

This is a brilliant move, and not simply a brilliant move because it gets a lot of attention. It makes sense, and here's why:

1. The End Zone is a place for Emotion.

You punch the ball in (or keep someone from doing it, and it results in celebration -- both from fans and from players. Similarly Twitter is a place of emotion -- and when teams score (or keep others from it, fans rally together in social media). So we are taking existing behavior in two places (social and physical) and combining them into one.

2. End Zones have always been about Nicknames and Messages

The Snickers commercial below made it more recently famous, but teams have always placed their nicknames into the end zones. Super Bowls paint both nicknames -- one on each end zone. In fact, according to an article on Mashable (here), this idea started by MSU thinking about simply painting a message ("Hail State") in the end zone.

Who can forget the Chefs end zone?

3. It gets the Right Attention.

The reason to put "Hail State" on the end zone is to hype your team up. The reason to put "#HAILSTATE" into the end zone is to get fans to join together in social media around MSU Football. I love the fact that one character transformed that end zone from a statement into a call to action... Oh, and of course that shows up on Television during Thanksgiving weekend!

4.This is an Adaptable Model.

The best ideas are scalable. You can keep it as is for weeks. Or you can change it to support a weekly message. It scales beyond Twitter to Instagram... and Facebook.

I can't wait to see this in action today!

Tune back in Monday for more best practices from College Hoops. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

As always, thanks for reading!

Andy

Kansas Basketball Facebook: The Power of What You See and What You Hear

2011-11-23T04:52:00.000-08:00

Combinations. They are what makes teams great as it is the power of the whole being greater than the power of the individuals on their own.

In social media it's the combination of words, pictures, and time that we all seek to perfect. But what I think most teams don't realize is that there is immense power in what you see and hear because that combination can help others feel what you feel.

I was checking out the Kansas Men's Basketball Facebook Page (here) and saw the image and copy below on their wall...

I'm going to zoom in here because the image is so powerful.

So in a quick glance fans see a shot of the huddle and realize that Coach Self told them "Hard work on 3." When you take that and deliver it in realtime, it almost puts your fan base into your huddle. The emotion in that thought basically gives me the chills...

And that becomes the challenge to all of us. What is it that we see and hear that we can offer to others so that they connect with us and feel what we feel, even when they aren't physically with us?

Tune back in Friday for more best practices from College Hoops. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

As always, thanks for reading!

Andy

How Duke Basketball Brings Fans into Win 903

2011-11-21T03:20:00.000-08:00

903.

It's a huge number, especially when you are talking about games won. It's kind of hard to fathom, when you're talking about a sport where you tend to play 25-30 games a year. That's the beauty and the challenge here -- how can you connect people with an idea that's so hard to put into context?

With a victory over Michigan State last week, Coach K became the NCAA's All-Time Winningest Coach -- 903 wins. But how do you take the fact that your coach just set the standard for winning games and turn it into a fun consumer contest? By having fun with it, of course.

Duke Basketball launched their campaign and site, 903 and Counting (linked here). The call to action is simple yet not simple: "How do you 903?"

But they wanted to give fans more clarity on what they were looking for... and released this amazing video that shows everything from fans waking up at 9:03 to body paint and ridiculous piles of food. This video is worth two minutes of your attention (don't worry, I'll wait).

It's fun, right?

So after setting the bar of what to do, Duke gives you the other two things you need: How to enter and What you can win. And both are done very simply, as you'll see here.

The process is very simple. Just show how you 903 via video, image, drawing, or whatever and submit it according to the process below...

And you can win prizes that the University has access to as the source (Tickets, Autographs, and Duke Gear).

I love this idea. It's simple, it's fun, and you can win prizes that are amazing if you are a huge Duke fan but not so amazing if you're not -- the best kind of contest to run as a school!

And, I for one am anxious to see the winners. Too bad I'm not on that expert panel to judge!

Tune back in Wednesday for more best practices from College Hoops. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

As always, thanks for reading!

Andy

Unplugged: Mid Major Success Shows Us Social Media Needs Emotion

2011-11-18T05:06:00.000-08:00

I want to start with a couple pictures to set things up. Note these are two different yet similar pictures from big early season wins. These are two Mid-Majors, Drake of the MVC and Middle Tennessee State of the Sun Belt who were not supposed to win. But win they did, in striking fashion -- Drake over Iowa State by 9 (a team that whacked them by 48 last year) and Middle Tennessee State over UCLA by 20. Check these pictures, both of which pulled from websites covering the games.

I LOVE these images. Love them. Why? They are a signal of the purity of the game. And why you love the game. Or why fans of those teams are so excited right now. (The energy in those fist pumps in the Drake student section is nuts!)

Now let's turn to the sources of realtime reaction - Twitter. I'll look at both Drake (here) Middle Tennessee State (here). The first checkpoint -- were they timely and active -- was passed. Both programs gave updates - more of them as the energy in the game grew. And both programs came back after the game -- Drake with a RT of Coach Phelps, MTSU with a shoutout from the TV coverage.

Now comes the harder thing... Emotion. Take a peak at both screens below and I'll come back after the images.

I think it is safe to say that the energy from these tweets doesn't quite hit the energy in the images. It is a hard bar to hit -- and one that words can sometimes struggle to capture. But big wins over big conference schools do not happen every day. Scheduling big teams is tough, and sadly when you win, it is even tougher. That means we need to maximize every big win in social media to rally our fan bases, recruits, and alums together.

Here are 5 tips that can help all programs seize the moment with emotion.

1. Photos. Why not use photos yourself? You have more access than anyone - the all access pass to your team. Find ways to share that emotion, rather than simply the facts, when magic happens.

2. Have a Plan, in Advance. I don't think we should ever be surprised our team won. Believe the win is going to happen, and then you are ready to rally immediately. Before the game starts, work out the plan with your team on how you are going to use this win to grow the fan base.

3. Retweet fans. No one is more emotional than a fan base. Find the best ones and retweet them, often.

4. Don't be afraid to be bold. That doesn't mean you have to put someone else down. It just means it is ok to use emotion in your copy and in your hashtags.

5. Arrange for Access. When fans are going nuts, bring your coaches (or players) onto Twitter for a quick Q/A after the game... or the next day. Why simply reserve that right for the local radio station? You can control the conversation and you can build your brand!

Disclaimer - I'm a Drake Bulldog alum (and former player) and couldn't be happier for this win. It's only one win, but it shows progression and the team is still young with potential to grow.

Come back on Monday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

Arizona Basketball Leverages Pros for their Intro Video

2011-11-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

I've been mesmerized by my share of team intro videos over the years. And it's an area I'd love to see get blown out even further -- you have the players, coaches, and crowd on the edge of their seats and this video (if done well) can really make the emotions pop.

But where they can really go nuts is if this same video can both hype up the current team while also broadcasting who you are as a brand.

Enter Arizona Basketball. As you'll note in the video hotness below (or off of the Arizona Athletics YouTube page, here). What you'll find is a way to program is about from the sounds, voices, and minds of alums in the NBA. lt's one thing to hear Coach Miller describe Arizona Basketball... but an altogether different thing to hear that from Andre Iguodala, Steve Kerr, and Channing Frye.

You just need to check this video -- and you'll see something that is both a great story of their brand plus a way to hype up this year's edition.

Pretty mind blowing.

We don't all have a roster of alums who are now playing in the League... But we all do have former student athletes who can do a great job of telling the story of your brand! This video puts us onto that path,

Tune back in Friday for more best practices from College Hoops. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

Thanks for reading!

Contrasting Michigan State vs North Carolina in Facebook

2011-11-14T03:56:00.000-08:00

Friday was an incredible opening to College Basketball season that I hope becomes a tradition. Two amazing teams matched up in a location that is just plain incredible, in a way that calls attention to those people who live and are willing to die to protect us.

It's a moment that the players and coaches will remember forever, and it's exactly the kind of moment we seek to seize inside Social Media. So, today, I want to turn to Facebook and see how the coverage compared. I think you'll find this intriguing...

First, North Carolina Athletics (on Facebook, here). As you'll see below, North Carolina posted leading up to the game (a video tour of the Venue and a video from Coach Williams discussing the significance of the game)...

Then, after the game, Carolina put a powerful image of the game (incredible isn't it) along with a statement on their victory...

I was about to write a piece on UNC doing a great job... Until I saw Michigan State. So, I invite you to take a look at Michigan State Athletics (on Facebook, here)

They led up to the game by inviting fans to ask questions with Draymond Green (see below), a smart way of activating their fans ahead of the game.

Then I saw how they covered the game itself... Through not photos but photo albums! Check out these photo albums (please), here and here. (Don't you just dig how the albums look inside Facebook?)

When you visit an album, the mix and impact of images is just crazy.

I'll zoom into a couple that are worth seeing. The shoes (and that's just for one game!)

And the experience (look at that smile of joy/awe on Coach Izzo's face when he met the President!)

I dig those two pictures because at different ends of the spectrum they show you the experience you get as a Spartan. Ironically enough I'm this pumped and I didn't even see a MSU post of the final score.

And that sums up my thoughts on these posts. Through Facebook you as a school can share the experience of being a student athlete: the emotion, the gear, the people and places you encounter... It's not about the facts but rather the stories. And Michigan State did an incredible job this weekend.

Tune back in Wednesday for more best practices from College Hoops. Until then, follow me here, or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski)

Thanks for reading!

Andy

Unplugged: A New Way to Envision Sponsorships in the Digital Age

2011-11-11T03:33:00.000-08:00

I normally focus this blog on what's happening now in the digital and social media world and break down how the best could be even better.

But not today.

Today I'm going to go into a topic that is near and dear to my heart: Mentoring, and how it should redefine the idea of a Sponsorship. But before we start, let's look at a lovely picture on mentoring, courtesy of Google.

Thanks for bearing with me.

Some of the toughest things about marketing inside the world of college (or non-NFL/NBA) programs is that you don't have the resources or time to make sure your people are the best in the world at what they do. By that I mean to really understand the bleeding edge of marketing requires that you experience it. And most teams don't have the marketing budgets or opportunities to get after it, consistently.

Is all for naught?

I'd argue no.

What are the naming rights/title rights to your conference tournament worth? Most leagues would quote a dollar amount -- ala to become our lead sponsor would cost you $x. But what is the lasting impact of that money?

What if we could see the world differently?

Let's look at a few Mid-Major leagues. The Missouri Valley Conference is sponsored by State Farm and Nestle-Purina. The West Coast Conference is sponsored by Zappos and Dick's Sporting Goods. Or the Mountain West Conference adds ties to CBS Sports. All of these are big marketing budget companies who do fantastic work.

Now, what if the MVC said to State Farm... "We want you to be the title sponsor to this year's Arch Madness, and we don't want any money from you. Instead, we want you to immerse our marketing staff in your world. Let them sit in agency briefings. Train them. Provide feedback to their plans."

Can you imagine this place?

Is that crazy?

I don't think so, because it's a win-win. The sponsor gets exposure for their brand without impacting their budget. And the impact on the league? You just found a way, without spending money, of training your entire team to do better work.

Amazing.

Oh and it gets better. If the "sponsor" no longer spends money, they likely spend money promoting what you are doing together and in building their brand further... both of which benefit you!

Love the future...

Come back on Monday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

Duke Basketball Creates the Ultimate Social Media Directory

2011-11-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

Just like in life, sometimes the best digital things are the simplest ones. That thought was completely reinforced for me as I checked out the Duke Blue Planet website. As you'll soon see, Blue Planet created the ultimate directory for Duke Basketball...

From the Duke Blue Planet home page, click on "Players Lounge" and you'll note the Social Media Directory, which takes us here. As you can hopefully tell in the images below, DBP has made it easy for you to follow the program, players - current and past, and coaches/staff.

The directory is easy to use, and it's mind-blowing how many of the current players are actually up and running on Twitter! (feels like a more current version of a player roster doesn't it?) The right hand side of the page gives us a stream of Tweets from these accounts - making the page feel alive.

How could this be better? Two things stand out for me --- 1) It'd be great to find a way to show us the Tweets without us having to individually click on each individual. Let us see a sample of the Tweets we'll get if we follow and 2) I'd love to see a multi-follow button here. Make it easy to follow everyone simply by making one click!

Come back on Friday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook, here.

Andy

The ACC Digital Network -- What it Means

2011-11-07T04:11:00.000-08:00

The ACC last month officially announced their Digital Network, or as they describe it, "A fully programmed digital network designed, produced, and distributed exclusively for audiences watching on connected devices such as laptops and smartphones." (or as I describe it "An amazing future.") The content will be free to users, supported of course by advertising and sponsorships. Read about it here, if you want.

So the question that results is simply, what does this mean? And, more importantly, what does it signal for the rest of the NCAA Landscape? Let's start by hitting up the ACC Digital Network, here. (Side note, I was surprised that the URL was "video.theacc.com", as I think much bigger when I think "digital", but I digress)...

When you hit the ACC Digital Network, you will find that it is, in fact, a home of video content. The content is sortable by sports (Basketball is shown below) and by Highlights, which you can access here (also shown below)...

The content is of solid quality, and is easily sharable via the Facebook Like, Tweet, and +1 Buttons on the site. Click on Tweet and you get this box to open. I like the social ease of sharing, but wish this offered a shortened URL and some personality!

After seeing this, I decided to check out the ACC Digital Network on Twitter, here, and below.

I was pretty excited to see there was a Digital Network Twitter Account, but to be honest it lacked the energy I was hoping to find. For example, you'll note in the post below that the ACCDN was planning on heading to ACC Men's Basketball Media Day throughout a day (which makes total sense as this is the place to be digital, right?) Yet, despite the fact that they were ready to post, nothing hit the stream. I'm not sure why, but it feels like a great chance to go digital was missed here!

Which brings us to the big question: What's the big advantage of having a Digital Network and how could this be better? The advantage is simply exposure, which will have an uplifting affect on the whole conference. I recently noticed that 5 ACC Men's Basketball games in December will be streamed live on the Network. No doubt the sports that don't always get big TV exposure will now have a place to get some love. With more people watching programming on the go, it only makes sense.

But how could these be better? It starts with the definition of digital. Digital is everything that's not real (or tangible). Thus, digital would include social media. With the target for the ACCDN being a connected consumer, it makes social media integration even more important. Right now social media is present, but the personalization, emotion, and access inside it are missing. For starters, I'd love to have the ACCDN not just give us a TV-style anchor but also give us some truly passionate social media ambassadors too!

And what's this mean for other leagues? One of if not the most prestigious basketball conference is going after more exposure through it's own network. That doesn't mean every league needs a network... but it does mean that it behooves us to find ways to make it easier for fans who love you to tune in to each game.

Come back on Wednesday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook, here.

Andy

Unplugged: How YouTube & the WCC Could Redefine What a Sponsorship Should Mean

2011-11-04T04:33:00.000-07:00

Can a sponsorship relationship change the perception of a conference or program? (Spoiler alert, the answer is YES).

I wanted to come back to the story we started to cover on Wednesday... The West Coast Conference did a LiveStream on YouTube. I loved this for many reasons, but the biggest was it helped me think about a new model for sponsor/program relationships: Mutual Benefit.

Mutual benefit is something that we haven't really come to in the past. We've seen it as "You pay me money and thus I benefit. I put your brand out there and thus you benefit." But is that really the case? I'd challenge you that for a mutual benefit to truly exist it would mean for two brands to put themselves out to consumers as they really are, to build each other's brand simply by working together.

The West Coast Conference wants to become more innovative in their approach overall. They want to be a digital leader, and are exploring new ways to get their brand out in front of a rapidly changing consumer base. Meanwhile, YouTube is looking to become a source of original content -- not simply a place to watch other people's content.

So, as a mutually-beneficial move, the WCC live-streamed their coaches on YouTube this week.

The act of putting WCC content out live only on YouTube served to position the WCC as authentic and YouTube as a place for original content.

The move was a success, whether or not dollars were exchanged (Confession: I have no idea if they were or not).

But it's only step one. Let's dream big.

What if YouTube became the Official Sponsor of the WCC? What if the WCC got rid of its website altogether and only had a YouTube channel page? (Along with their Facebook & Twitter pages to use for daily connection) Is that crazy? Maybe. But maybe it's the value needed for YouTube to in exchange live stream all WCC events - games, weekly shows, end of year banquets, pre and post game press conferences. And maybe that could be monetized through ads and/or sponsored original content.

Would a third sponsor want to join into the mix with a YouTube + WCC partnership? If I was Zappos (current WCC title sponsor), absolutely yes. And the mutual benefit that could be constructed by YouTube + WCC for Zappos clearly outscales what the WCC can do alone.

Now not everyone has a chance to work with YouTube. This is only one example. But the point applies everywhere -- think about the way that sponsorships can work without money first. Can you do something together that wows the world and grows both of your brands? I'm betting the answer is yes!

Come back on Monday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

West Coast Conference Does a YouTube Day for Men's Basketball

2011-11-02T04:44:00.000-07:00

Media Days are great when the Media is the local newspaper and TV station. But when, as we all know, social media made everyone the media, the idea of a Media Day that brought in only a small percentage of people makes less sense.

In this age, what can we do to innovate this idea?

I was ecstatic to see the steps taken by the West Coast Conference this past week. On Thursday, they set up shop at YouTube and put together a schedule that put every coach live, to the world, on YouTube. This was to take place on YouTube's new Live channel, here.

The question to start with is, how do you learn about this live stream?

When you hit the WCC Website, here, you could see that the conference was holding a Men's Basketball tip off event at YouTube. I'm intrigued, but I think the conference could have hyped this even further. (Be proud of this, it's really innovative!)

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The experience itself, shown in the next couple screen grabs shows coaches sitting down fielding questions from a moderator. You'll also note the hashtag, #WCChoops, in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Nice.

If you do a search, you'll see quite a bit of use of this hashtag. And I love the integration of the hashtag into the video.

Finally, head over to the WCC on Facebook (here). I loved seeing what you see below -- the schools in the conference were posting on the WCC's wall during the chat. While they posted in hopes of getting more questions for their coach, doing so made them a LOT more personal.

Instead of using the same model for Basketball Media Day, the WCC took their coaches to YouTube's offices and put them Live on the internet to field coaches from fans. They hyped it through a custom hashtag and prime time space on their website and Facebook pages. Huge step for defining the WCC as an Innovator! If you want to watch the full 2 hours, simply click in below.

Come back on Wednesday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook, here.

Andy

Breaking Down Hashtag Use in the SEC... and What That Means for Us on Twitter

2011-10-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

#Hashtagging.

Twitter single-handedly changed the meaning of the character "#", and many of us are scrambling trying to figure out how to make sense of it. From a mechanics standpoint, hashtags are pretty simple. If you click into any of them, they immediately give you a list of every person, brand, team, or coach who used that phrase. So you can use hashtags to associate or rally behind a topic.

I went on a hunt for greater meaning in the world of hashtags. To do this, I chose the SEC -- probably for no better reason than they are the darling of college football now - with the top 2 teams headed for a monster clash soon. So they have a peak amount of fan energy in their hands. I went through Twitter accounts for every program and took a look at how they are using (or aren't using) hashtags.

From this work, I can put usage into three categories which I'll share examples of and then I'll apply this for us all with things to ponder, as always!

First, there's the use of Hashtags as Subjects. Simply put this use was likely the first use of hashtagging in Twitter. It's the most frequent hashtag use I saw. Simply put, it is a way of associating your post with a topic, as you'll see in the series of screengrabs below...

Second, we see Hashtags as Emotion. These again are ways of associating your posts with a topic, but they are a step further. They now associate you with a topic but do it with flare, with attitude, with swag.

Finally, I saw a mix -- schools using a combination of hashtags to hit at both Mix Subject and Emotion. Bringing the power of two hashtags together really made an impact, as you'll see in these examples:

But I think we can do even better.

Put the keyboard down and step away from the hashtags for a second. We as teams, brands, or people can get others to rally on a topic -- so why not aim for emotion and call to action?

That's tough. But if you can hit that one home -- get your fans to use emotion and attach themselves to a call to action than you are truly feeling Twitter. MLB took a stab at this through their All Star Campaigns this year, where they encouraged fans to #VoteVotto (for Joey Votto) or #VoteJacoby (for Jacoby Ellsbury) -- link to that read is here. Meanwhile Audi launched a TV ad last February under the topic "#ProgressIs" (read it here).

What ideas does that spell? Things like #PackTheHouse, #@WhiteOut, or #TrektotheTitle make sense to me. But the key is to find something your fan base can rally behind and then give them the inspiration inside Twitter to do just that!

Come back on Wednesday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook, here.

Andy

Unplugged: Should Schools Have Multiple Facebook or Twitter Pages?

2011-10-28T04:57:00.000-07:00

Should we have more than one Facebook page?

It's a question I hear more than most questions in conversations with athletics departments. Some schools, like Washington (see image here) provide serious depth in their Facebook and Twitter Rosters.

But what's the right way to look at this?

Start with your consumer.

If your fan base is composed of people who love all of your teams, then I'd say your best bet is to build the athletics department as a whole, and you know what? I'm good with this strategy because your fans no doubt want updates on every team.

Here's three common reasons why schools limit themselves to one main Athletics Facebook page... and my breakdown on how else you could look at it.

1. Fan Base Disparity.

"We have a huge fan base for one sport, and we want to use that to grow other sports' bases."

This one is dangerous territory. What you end up doing is take fans who can't wait to connect with the team they love and give them more of what they aren't looking for. When fans ignore your posts they won't see as many of them in the future. Just like you wouldn't require fans to watch a wrestling match before entering a basketball game, don't think of social media in that light.

2. We don't have the people to manage the one page we already have.

"We don't have the people."

I would take it a step back and look at this. Just by setting up 12 Facebook pages (assuming you had 12 main sports), doesn't mean you have to post on each page every day. What you end up doing is posting when you have something relevant to say to an audience who is highly motivated to connect. And, in the case of a small sport - say Crew - you create real value as this may be the only place to connect with that program in the world!

3. Social Media isn't a priority.

"We don't have the time."

How can you afford to not spend the time? Setting up dedicated pages can open the door for fans to better connect with your programs, not just one program. You can post messages that are tailored, and you can offer deals to get more fans in the doors for sports that need the help. Plus, you can develop a cult following for a sport that gets limited love. You can encourage players or alumni to post here. I think once you see this system in place you will find more and more of your time shifting here... and that's a good thing.

I personally was on the fence until recently. But seeing how Facebook is evolving, seeing how it is becoming a system that connects across time reinforces to me this notion that personalization is the best path.

Hope you're digging this. Come back Monday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

Michigan Basketball Turns to Twitter for their Social Media Manager

2011-10-26T04:22:00.000-07:00

Give your fans the ultimate stage. It's a proposition that most teams or brands steer far, far away from. But it's also something that has enormous potential for good.

I really enjoyed a blog post by Justin Young at the National Hoops Report (Check his site out here) on the University of Michigan Basketball team. The Wolverines have made this decision -- to reward someone in their fan base with the chance to become the official voice of the Basketball Team on Twitter.

How is this going to work?

According to their website (here), this opportunity comes complete with an all-access pass to all practices and games. And it looks like they want the person active before, during, and after all games.

The entry requirements are simple: 140 characters or less on why you're the person for the job and 100 words or less on what you know about social media.

If you're interested, you've only got until the 28th -- head here.

I like a whole lot about this. First, this will hit the right consumer. It's a role that will be crazy aspirational for a passionate hoops fan -- but not at all interesting to someone who is indifferent to the team. Second, they will get someone whose love for the program will come across in 140 characters or less, repeatedly. And, finally, they are creating a model they could scale across programs and years.

I'd love to see them commit to letting that person fly with the team to all road games (they might be, it just isn't clear). They also could be active in connecting and coaching the Michigan players and coaches on Twitter - thus helping the program and really positioning them as one of the nation's biggest innovators.

Really strong stuff! (and thank you to Justin for the heads up!)

Hope you're digging this. Come back Friday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

Social Media Monday: Twitter, SportsCenter, and that crazy Michigan State ending

2011-10-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

When I heard of Michigan State's stunning Hail Mary pass to win the matchup over Wisconsin 37-31 on Saturday night, the first place I turned was Twitter. As in the Twitter pages of each program.

Why?

I guess partly (or more than partly) because I'm a digital geek. But more than that it's because I had an expectation that this would be the source of emotion - good and bad around a great moment in sports.

It's kind of how ESPN SportsCenter has us wired. They take you on a journey through their highlights, giving you the story and smartly integrating in a POV (on the game) and reactions (through interviews and animations).

Here are 5 things we can steal from SportsCenter and apply immediately to our work:

Tell fans the highlights, but do it with flavor. Talk about your teams as if you love them, cuz hopefully you do!
Do it immediately - don't wait for the morning. In the moment, bring your voice to fans.
Repeat the key messages throughout the day, just do it in different ways. Program out a routine after a big game to continue the story through Twitter as fans talk about it in the real world.
Integrate in quotes or soundbytes from coaches and players. Quotes with your POV attached to them are best.
Use tons of emotion. If you feel emotion about a topic, make sure it comes across that way in text.

Now back to my results...

As referenced above, I checked out both Michigan State Football on Twitter and Wisconsin Football on Twitter (both shown below). As you'll see here, MSU was matter of fact - almost in a shockingly unemotional way, below...

Meanwhile Wisconsin used Tweets from fans to help them curate their story.

Both did a good job of being timely. But both could have tapped deeper into what was a crazy emotional journey for a fan.

What are you doing to connect with your fans' emotions?

Come back on Wednesday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

Unplugged: The Impact of Thanking Fans

2011-10-21T04:07:00.000-07:00

Thanking your fans.

It's a simple thing that really doesn't happen that often. But it is also something that's now taking on a new meaning as we hit this world of social media-driven information. That all came together for me last week as I checked out more NCAA sites.

I hit the Nebraska Athletics page, here, and saw the image below...

As you can note, there's a home page main story about the Huskers AD offering praise to their fans.

Cool!

It's probably because I'm a digital/social geek, but my first reaction was to check out the hub of all Nebraska Fans, Facebook, to see if there was something more here. (OK, not probably, it's definitely because I'm a digital/social geek.)

Naturally, I went on to the Nebraska Facebook Wall - shown below, or here. As you'll note, there is no mention of AD Osborne's praise here, the recap of the game is a link to access the highlights that led to the huge Huskers comeback win.

So, then I went back to Huskers.com and clicked on the home page story, which takes me to the page shown below (or here)... I'm going to paste part of his quote below the image, so you can take in the impact of where things are going...

"We have great fans and we need to acknowledge that and commend them for their loyalty... there's a lot to play for and we're going to need all their support." -- AD Tom Osborne.

Wow.

The soundbyte is big -- an AD takes to the stage to share his love and appreciation for the fans. But the question is what stage has the most impact?

The opportunity in front of us is to deliver said message into the place where fans are, the Facebook Fan page, and not simply to the home page of Huskers.com. That creates quite an impact, and in a cool way, makes the Huskers on Facebook a destination to follow.

Now the point of this article is not to say that Nebraska isn't doing things the right way. They took a soundbyte from their AD and brought it to the home page of their Athletics site. That's a good thing. It's simply a reminder to all of us that we have this monstrous opportunity in front of us to thank those fans who have signaled themselves out as fans of our team/brand. Imagine the impact if Osborne had gone to Facebook to thank fans and then this was reported on Huskers.com?

Scary opportunity!

And this opportunity didn't exist until recently.

Hope you're digging this. Come back Monday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

Ohio State Pumps the Latest NFL Action into Facebook

2011-10-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

Is Facebook a recruiting weapon?

I'm not sure many people grasp the importance of this. But if we step away from our day jobs and think that the majority of High School student athletes are on Facebook and your team (or brand) is as well, then we have a big opportunity to deliver a relevant message in a way that a prospective recruit is both familiar and comfortable with.

Do it well, and we can create a friend-level of bond that shows off personality/feel to someone who's checking you out.

One such answer comes on the Ohio State Athletics Page. As you'll hopefully see in the window below, if you hover over "Recruits", you'll see Facebook. (My only wish would be that there were less options here to drive more recruits into social media channels to learn about the programs... one day!)

So, let's hit the Ohio State Athletics Facebook page, shown below or here. As you'll note in the image below, Ohio State has a landing page on Facebook that elevates the latest NFL performances of former Buckeyes...

Clicking in takes us to our destination, here, back on the Buckeyes Athletics site, where we can see all the stats listed out. (I chose the NFC North due to my huge Packer fan status, which is a topic for another day)

The idea is brilliant and simple. If you are talking to a potential student athlete, show how others in their shoes are doing now, on the big stage. Remind them of the breadth and depth of former Buckeyes in the NFL. And help shape their visions for their own futures.

All that's fine and good, but how could it be better? One word: Storytelling. Right now we have a stat feed, which doesn't give us the story. I'd love to see a recap - it could be a simple photo blog - of the NFL action from the perspective of a Buckeye expert. Imagine if we could see in our Facebook feeds the story of how OSU alumni shaped the NFL fields on Sunday?

You have the opportunity to reinforce what it means to be a Buckeye, and to connect those performances on field to what they learned in Columbus.

This is a great example of doing all the right things -- elevating Pro success in social media in a natural way, and opening the door to something even bigger!

Hope you're digging this. Come back on Friday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook, here.

Andy

Unplugged: 5 Ways Teams Could Explode their Social Brands Through Midnight Madness

2011-10-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight is Midnight Madness: the start of college basketball season.

It's also the day when a geek like me daydreams about what teams could do to leverage technology and social media to be different. I won't take on the season itself, but instead I will dive into the day itself.

So why Midnight Madness? There's so much potential. College basketball fans, students, and recruits have been aware of teams but this is the moment when you start to think about what could be. When you start to dream of what it'd be like to play for a school or when as a student/fan you get to first experience what watching a team would be like. It's an unveil moment for a brand. And thus it's super critical to treat it as such.

If you're unfamiliar with the idea of Midnight Madness, click here and you'll find an endless flow of videos around this date.

So, with all this energy, all this hype, all this opportunity it becomes a moment for conversation... and thus a moment for social media. Here's 5 ideas of how teams could take it to another level on this day.

1. Offer early access to their Facebook Fans.

I love seeing teams enter their arena and connecting, physically, with fans. It kind of reminds me of the Presidential State of the Union addresses, when everyone shakes hands with the President as he enters Congress. There's something magical about that, and it sets the tone for a game (or speech).

What is the Social Media equivalent? I'd love to see teams allow Facebook fans in an hour early. Imagine that. If the game starts at 8, let Facebook fans enter at 6 and the general public at 7. The team then has a captive audience of their socially-connected fans and can build an experience accordingly. Oh, and the socially-connected fans see your team first. Early access has value.

Here's an example of the player entrances I referenced above...

2. Drive RSVP+ for key games through social.

Recognizing that this is a moment for your team, it's also a moment to allow fans to RSVP for future games via social. RSVPing is powerful as it has a viral affect - announcing to their friends that they are attending your game. But we should go beyond an RSVP. That could mean viewing parties for road games and tailgate or tent parties for home games. That's why I'm calling it RSVP+ -- it's not just about getting people to sign up to attend a future game. It's about creating extra value for doing so.

3. Reinvent the highlight reel.

What if we could reinvent the highlight reel every game through social media? By that I mean what if the fans of your team could impact what message got broadcast in the arena, on campus, or at pregame rallies. It would change every game based on the voice or photos of your fan bases. That builds an amazing connection between you and your fan bases and offers something no one else can do!

4. Crowdsource the scouting report for media.

I've written before about the media guide and how I am not a huge fan. But what if you took the idea of a pregame scouting report and opened it up to your fan base to create it. Let your fans write the things they love or admire about each player. And this will change through the season, when you can get fan reactions to each game. Imagine that -- if fans broke down each player's impact on games and that was what you handed out in Press Row. Not only do you offer something unique to the media... but you also get the Media to think socially about your program. That wouldn't suck if they said, on air, "how about what this team is doing through social media..."

5. Use this as a stage.

Big announcements should happen at this time. The season is starting - think about what message you want fans to take away. I'd definitely integrate as many visible ways as I could to get fans to follow along via Facebook or Twitter. And I'd make it clear that there was value for being active and engaging with us. It's your chance to make a first impression -- use social to do just that!

Thanks for hanging with me today. As always, you can follow along on Twitter (I'm@andypawlowski, here)... or on Facebook (here).

Talk soon.

Andy

Minnesota Football Gives Us Real Talk Via Twitter

2011-10-12T03:55:00.000-07:00

We've seen lots of great examples of teams handling good news via Twitter. That's the easier job -- building excitement when things are hot. But a tougher question is what does one do when things aren't going good, when fans are more likely to vent frustration (or call for the head of someone) than to express optimism?

Minnesota Football shows us the answer, emphatically: Be Real.

Let's start by visiting the Minnesota Football Twitter page, here. (I screen grabbed this last week). What you'll find is the voice of Head Coach Kill broken into a series of Tweets.

Naturally, these are quotes given by Coach at a press conference. But you can also tell how they are amazing statements into the social feeds of fans.

And fans tended to respond well. See the examples below. They hear the right message -- that it's going to take time but this coach is right for the challenge. And he isn't downplaying it. Fans in turn amplify the message.

I have been pondering this for awhile, wondering what it could teach us. The conclusion I've made is that when times are tough it is best to embrace them and address the world through social media, much like you would do to try and convince a recruit to sign up for your vision of the future. It isn't about false hope. It is about being authentic and real, but doing it in a way that transforms the negative into a positive. "My job is to make those kids men. They're going to learn how to handle adversity and win." Amazing.

I have no idea if this will pay off in the wins and losses column. What I do know is that Minnesota Football has a brand that is about fighting through adversity, not running from it. About standing up to the challenge and growing through the process. And I wouldn't know this if it weren't for social media.

What's your challenge? What are you hiding from? What can you learn from the Minnesota Gophers?

Hope you're digging this. Come back on Friday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

Social Media Monday: Oklahoma Football Facebook Shows Us How to do Before & After

2011-10-10T03:33:00.000-07:00

It's Monday morning, time for us to check out the weekend that was in NCAA sports, with a hope of learning. Huge win by Oklahoma Football - coming up with a monstrous 55-17 win over their rivals, Texas. It definitely solidified their position in the National Title hunt, and it was definitely a chance to ignite a fan base inside Social Media.

Let's move to the Oklahoma Sooners Facebook page, here, and below... First, you'll note the image below, dropped into Facebook post game. It's a pretty amazing image, and I'll zoom in before making any comments...

Amazing...

I love this image, because of the joy in the players, the connection of their coach, and even (if you look closely) the young ball boys who are in the frame. All of this speaks to a family coming together and uniting after a big win. It's emotional, it's something that is likely to catch on and be shared throughout Sooner Social country, and (most importantly) it's a scene that the OU Sooners alone had access to. Incredible.

Now, let's juxtapose this with what the Sooners did before the game. As you'll see in the image below, the Sooners uploaded a video of the team hitting the Cotton Bowl field. It shows a behind the scenes look as if you are in the tunnel with the team. You hear and feel their energy. It's pretty powerful -- and even more powerful if you are a recruit thinking about joining up.

Impressive work -- side note, I'd embed this in the blog but it being a Facebook video keeps me from doing it. Click in here and you can find the video.

This brings me to the point -- why Oklahoma excelled is that they took access and delivered it to fans (or recruits) who didn't have it, in real time. Love the idea, my only hope is that we get more of it -- take this idea and extend it to practices and scrimmages. Think through the idea of access and don't be afraid to give it out!

Come back on Wednesday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

Unplugged: Thinking Different is the Key to Digital Success in College Sports

2011-10-07T04:35:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to take a little different approach. As you no doubt know, I've been spending a ridiculous amount of time checking out digital and social media best practices across the college sports landscape. I do it to help and to inspire (and hopefully I do!)

So today I'm not going to highlight a single best practice but rather I'm going to talk more philosophically. I'm going to put myself in your shoes and talk a bit about the digital landscape and how I would try to approach things if it was up to me. By doing this, I'll no doubt be dead on about some things with your program and way off on other things. And you know what? I'm cool with that. I simply hope this challenges you, makes you think, and gives you confidence or inspiration to try something new.

Today I'm not going to dive into Social Media -- don't worry, there will be time for this over the next few weeks. I'm instead turning attention to the topic of your website...

1. Don't make your sponsors an equal focus to your consumer. Focus relentlessly on about your brand. This is a tough dynamic to get to. I understand that many of you earn a good share of revenue by offering banners on your sites for partners. But I ask you to step back a second. Step back and ask yourself, "Is this really valuable for our sponsor?" My take is that, no, it's not. If a consumer hits your website it's not highly likely that they suddenly will feel the urge to get a car insurance quote. Sure, you may have some metrics that show a certain number of eyeballs that see an advertisement is worth a certain amount. But I would challenge you to get rid of all advertising on the site. Make it 100% about your brand, about driving people into an experience. Car Insurance companies invest with you because they want to identify with your brand. So build that brand and make them want to align even closer. Then work on ways to smartly connect them to content you create.

2. Simplify your focus to one word: Access. The content you create is about access. As the marketing team, you have more access to the squads, the coaches, the campus, the gyms, and the stories. Don't lose your focus on this point, as it is the #1 thing you can control and the #1 thing that builds your brand in the eyes of your consumer, whether you consider your consumer the High School kid thinking about your program, an alum, a current student, a booster, or a sponsor. Now Access doesn't mean you go overboard and you take away privacy for your teams. It simply means that when you go after content, go after content that only you could create. Content that reinforces who you are, what you stand for, and why you win.

3. Throw away the Media Guide. Stop doing things that expire and aren't hitting your target consumer. I was sitting in a media room of an NCAA Game a few years ago talking to an SID. He was worn out, and I talked to him about the landscape. The trouble is, he had started out as a traditional guy, working on media guides when the internet came about. Now he was both a traditional guy and a digital guy with the same expectations on one side and new ones on the other. He had no additional budget and no additional help. No wonder he was jammed!

So that got me thinking on Let's start with a simple question: Why do you create a media guide? Please don't let the answer be that we've always done this or everyone else does this. Those are my favorite times in life to shine. When everyone else does one thing, think differently.

I see lots of challenges as it relates to media guides. They don't really hit your target consumer. Sure they have information inside it that benefits reporters covering a game. Check. But that information is often expired by the time game two comes. More importantly, they take serious investments in time & sometimes money to create. I'm definitely a believer that marketing is about choices. We can't do everything. So that means if I'm in your shoes we aren't doing a media guide. We are going to create a content strategy and roll it out through the year. And I bet you we get more coverage for this than we currently get for our traditional guide.

4. Ask the team what do you want to be famous for? I talked to a commissioner of a D-1 Conference who told me that they knew fans came to their site first and foremost for the standings and schedule. Thus, that needed to be the most prominent feature. I would ask us all this question: Do you really want to be famous for the schedule and scores? Anyone can deliver this information, and do it as well as we can and maybe even faster as the competition for coverage includes the likes of ESPN and CBS Sports. Think differently. Rather than thinking about a schedule, think about what your school's point of view on what a schedule really is. I'd much rather see quick blog entries, photo galleries, or interviews around a practice report preparing for a game rather than the calendar itself. Meanwhile, I would make the calendar easy to download to the mobiles of our fan base. (It's much, much better to look at your mobile and see when teams play than it is to go to a website and hunt for a schedule). This isn't to say that I would not offer the schedule on the site. It is to say that isn't my top priority in building our brand.

5. Be a bulletin board. Express emotion, rather than reporting news. Let the AP wire report the news. From a college perspective, having a system that lets us upload a powerful, emotional image (or lots of them) with a bold headline draws people in and often times gets them to share your message socially. Reporting the facts simply gives them information. I don't mean a bulletin board from the standpoint of belittling anyone or antagonizing an opponent. I do mean it from being personal, emotional, and expressing your positive energy on your program. Don't be afraid to show love!

Thanks for hanging with me today. As always, you can follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)... or on Facebook (here).

Talk soon.

Andy

Michigan State Football Puts Facebook Fans in Control of the Interview

2011-10-05T04:52:00.000-07:00

What if you could ask any question of your favorite team or player? That was a thought that frankly didn't exist until Social Media. Now, in an odd twist, it has become the expectation -- find a way to drive participation and engagement in our fan bases.

Michigan State Football accomplishes this and delivers a nice model we can learn from and build upon.

We'll start out on the Spartans Facebook page, here. As you'll notice in the post below, the Spartans are bringing Junior Linebacker Chris Norman into this space by asking fans what they'd want to know from him. As you'll also note, the questions are real and the energy is positive.

What's more, as you can see below, they both give this time to breathe (it isn't treated like Twitter where you need to respond in real time but rather have a few days to submit) and they position this as a premium experience (by leading with players who are putting in solid numbers and work on the field).

It's a simple model that we can all learn from, as it leverages the one thing that MSU has that no one else can offer -- access to their squad. Sure, they can give that access to CBS or ESPN or whomever. But it's their message to control.

Now where this can go is a bigger question. I love the idea in the front end. But I wonder where it can go in the execution end. How can MSU encourage even more questions from fans without investing in media or time or things that may be tough to come by? First, what if the questions that were chosen led to personal video responses on the walls of the fans who submitted them? Just a quick hitting video that makes that fan even cooler in their own network will gain reach (as I'd bet there's more Spartans fans in the networks of each fan). And, secondly, could they turn this into an experience? Could the questions get asked by the Spartans' fans of the week -- who in turn could get more access to the team -- be it at practice for a pregame speech, or in the stadium? All three are access that's in the hands of MSU, and a huge chance to make the question askers heroes...

Hope you're digging this. Come back on Wednesday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook,here.

Andy

Social Media Monday: Wisconsin Football Reacts to a Big Time win on Twitter

2011-10-03T06:32:00.001-07:00

The Wisconsin Badgers made a statement both on the field against Nebraska and in how they sparked and fueled their fan base in social media this weekend.

The stage was set. Wisconsin met Nebraska on Saturday evening in a clash of 2 undefeated Top-10 football teams. Wisconsin came away with a thunderous win, making a statement in their 48-17 win. Naturally, this makes for a big opportunity to also make an impact inside Social Media, where buzz is naturally happening and ready to ignite.

I drove over to the Badger Football Twitter page, here. As you'll see in the images and context below, the Badgers seized the moment to fuel their fan base's energy...

First, I want you to see the set of posts below. They do a great job overall of retweeting key comments, that tell a story. In fact, you can often times tell the story by simply elevating key comments from the world. And that's exactly what Wisconsin did -- mixing their own observations (and video) with comments from sports experts and fans.

Then, as you'll see in the post below, they smartly got extra miles out of their ESPN home page takeover. This is a great example of being timely. As we all know, things change quickly and they wouldn't have the home page forever. So Twitter offers a great chance to alert fans they have risen to the big stage, and to do it in a way that makes the comment relevant even when the stage is gone. In fact, just as this image likely would make an impact in a presentation about Badgers Football to a recruit, it equally does so inside Social Media. Smart.

Post Game, they also leveraged the stage that QB Russell Wilson has in his ESPN Post Game interview. How powerful is the combination of this Tweet below with the image that accompanies it?

And, during the game, they drop this nugget -- powerful image and a powerful Tweet together make quite a statement.

So as you can see, the Badgers took the stage that the team earned and magnified it through social media. I loved seeing the way they retweeted key fans and media to tell the story then smartly mixed Tweets with imagery, all dropped in the right moments.

Great examples that we can all take inspiration from!!!

Hope you're digging this. Come back on Wednesday as I break down more Digital Best Practices. You can also follow along on Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here) and on Facebook, here.

Andy

Washington Huskies Leverage Photography for Recruiting

2011-09-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

If they say a picture is worth a thousand words, what would a collection of ridiculously amazing pictures that scrolled at you before your eyes be worth? Is that a hypothetical question? Yes. But it's also one we meet head on when we look at the Washington Huskies website.

Let's take a look...

We will start out at the Washington Huskies website and click on "Recruits", which puts us here.

It's on that main page (here) that we find a collection of images that literally take over the bulk of your screen. As you'll see below, you could lump those pictures into these themes: Championships, Team, Beautiful Campus.

Take a peak here, I'll meet you when you've scrolled through...

Powerful, huh?

Now, not all of us have teams that have won titles or are located in Seattle. But we all have things we love about our team, our fans, our gyms, or our city. And why not leverage those via visual expressions on our website?

How could this be better? The images are great, for sure. But the questions become: how can these be dynamic? How can we make this a little more human, a little less perfect? Could we go deeper into what makes the campus beautiful? (It might be teacher/student bonding, it might be events, it might be theatre, it might be a farmers market...) Could the pictures single out more than team and title? Lots of questions, but I mean this in a good way. Take what you're most pumped about now and put it into the paths of those who are checking out your program!

I'll be back Monday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Will More Teams Shift to iPads?

2011-09-28T05:09:00.000-07:00

With all this technology hitting the world, and with players (and coaches) getting younger overall, what's going to happen next?

I came across this article a couple days ago and it got me pondering... According to the St Petersburg Times, this year the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave each player an iPad 2 with their Playbook on it. Players also can use the computer to "reference video files of games, and practice and situational videos of any NFL team."

As one player put it, "Stuff that we used to come in here to see, we can sit on our couch at home and have access to it 24-7. It's awesome."

So, not only is it easy to use, convenient, and adaptable (so you can listen to your own music while reviewing) -- it's also safer. If a player leaves his iPad in a hotel, the team can wipe it clean with a push of a button or two.

Amazing.

So why don't colleges move in this direction? Feels like investing in a dozen or so iPad 2's for your trips makes a ton of sense. You can custom outfit each iPad with the week's scouting report, with footage, and players can easily jot down notes. After games, you can load up the latest footage and let players watch on the way home. And, no doubt, you could enable players to share their highlights to family and friends with the click of their hand...

Great inspiration from the NFL -- and one that I fully anticipate will become the standard in the college landscape very soon.

Who's going to lead?

I'll be back Friday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Social Media Monday: LSU Football takes over #1 Ranking with Dismantling of West Virginia

2011-09-26T04:11:00.000-07:00

There's no doubt who has the momentum in College Sports right now. Fresh off a monster victory over West Virginia, LSU is the new #1 team in football right now. Fans are no doubt feeling it -- and that makes social media the place to be.

Let's head over to the LSU Football Twitter and Facebook pages. I'm going to post a series of images from the game, and the aftermath and I'll come back at you with some reactions.

First, here's a snapshot early in the game and then postgame, on Twitter.

Now, here's the same posting times, on Facebook.

No doubt you'll note a theme, as the posts were identical (as are the profile pictures). This idea carried over into the postgame reaction, which I'll include below with Twitter first, then Facebook.

The only differences you'll note in the imagery above are two things: 1) the use of the #LSUWVU hashtag on Twitter and 2) the sharing and commenting stats from Facebook.

What do I make of all this?

You have to love the energy. It's a big game and I counted a total of 15 posts between the start of the game and the end of the game on both Facebook and Twitter. There's no doubt this school is in the mindset of bringing action to its fans. Check.

But is this the right execution? It is inside Twitter, where we have a tool designed for rapid updates. I'd love more emotion in the postings (Don't tell me "Defense forces another punt," but rather tell me "This defense is suffocating tonight. Another 4 and out.") But it's not the ideal strategy in Facebook, where we should go after engagement on fewer posts. (Do less, better!)

I get the idea of extending your voice out to more people. But keep in mind that the Twitter following (22,000) is much, much smaller than the Facebook following (521,000). Thus, I'd love to see Facebook become a focus in LSU Football's efforts. Leverage imagery, put emotion into posts, and limit the posts inside Facebook.

I'd love to see Facebook feel like Les Miles' locker room and Twitter feel like a passionate fan is doing the color commentary... In sum, we had great energy that was of the moment, we just need more focused emotion and recognition that simply syncing accounts isn't always the best strategy. The good news is there's a passionate fan base to work with, and a great football team to hype!

If you're digging this (thanks), don't forget to tune in again. I'll be back Wednesday with more digital best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Indiana Athletics Pumps Sounds of the Game into Facebook

2011-09-23T03:32:00.000-07:00

Could you imagine if you went to a game and it was completely silent? If you were forced to treat a basketball or football game the same way our culture treats a golf match? Complete silence while the action happens? Naturally, we'd lose something, right? And I'd argue that is one of if not the biggest thing one misses by not being there, in person, to experience a big game.

It's also one of the most powerful takeaways a school can leave a recruit -- letting him or her experience what it's like on gameday in your stadium. Now what if you could bring this into Facebook, where you'll get more access to fans and recruits, after every matchup?

Indiana University puts us on that path. Let's start out on the Indiana Athletics Facebook Page, here, and shown below...

You'll see that first post on the image above, for Sounds of the Game, which I'll zoom into below. Side note - have you ever seen a longer sponsorship line? ("The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute's Traffic Safety Division's Sounds of the Game?") Wow. We'll get to that in a minute...

It's pretty easy to share this content, simply by clicking on the musical share button... Making this very scalable.

Most importantly, the content is fresh. It's tough to embed audio in a blog (or at least too tough for me), but it's worth checking out. You get a nice mix of IU announcers, bands, and crowd. Check it out by clicking here. Definitely does a great job of giving access to what the game felt like -- which by its nature brings emotions into the mix!

So given all this, how could we make it better? First, as aforementioned, I'd shorten that sponsorship line. Or take it out altogether in the post. While the audio content is packed with emotion, the post itself isn't and when we're trying to bring fans in, we can't forget said emotion! It's important that the copy keeps the focus on the team, not on the sponsor.

Then, what if we could actually release these in game, to draw more people into following the game? (What if we dropped an audio file at half time?) There's opportunity for a monstrous impact by mixing time and emotion!

I'll be back Monday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Oregon State Basketball Gives Us a Facebook Welcome Video

2011-09-21T04:33:00.000-07:00

What do you do when someone hits your page for the first time? That's a tough question, especially in social media. I mean, you want them to feel welcome, but you also don't want to come across as overly eager -- like you were sitting around waiting for them to click in.

Oregon State Men's Basketball tries a pretty interesting approach -- the Facebook welcome video.

Hit the OSU Basketball Facebook page, here.

As you'll no doubt note, you are taken into their "Welcome" page which greets you with a 100% focus into Coach Craig Robinson's video greeting. I'll embed it here so you can check it out.

If you watched the video (and if you didn't, come on - it's only 29 seconds of your time...), you'll see it is really simple - a scripted welcome to the page with highlights playing in the background. But it is amazing how such a simple video can have a monstrous impact on your impression and connection to the program.

But, how could this be better? I'd love it if the video was contextual. Meaning the OSU team updates this video throughout the year - after every game. Look at it as a way to hype fans for the next game, and to reward fans for coming to the Facebook page. Imagine if you logged in on a Tuesday morning right after the Beavers beat rival Oregon and the "Welcome video" was now a fired up postgame speech about what they accomplished... and what's up next? You'd feel not just connected but a part of the program... and I'd argue that's one of the biggest goals of a team's Facebook page!

I'll be back Friday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Social Media Monday: How Florida State Covered Their Matchup Against Oklahoma

2011-09-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's another Monday - time to do a social media breakdown of the weekend's action. The story coming into this weekend's college football games was definitely #1 Oklahoma battling #5 Florida State. If Florida State wins, they become a legit contender for the National Title. If Oklahoma wins, they solidify their ranking. It's early, but this had the makings of a monstrous showdown -- meaning it also had the makings of a social media juggernaut.

As you no doubt know, Oklahoma won in a pretty tight game, 23-13. This is a delicate time and an important time for Florida State. You want to keep momentum rolling, and not let people stop following the team because they lost a tight game against the nation's top team. Instead use it as a moment to reinforce you've arrived in the elite class.

Let's roll. First, let's check out the coverage at Florida State's Facebook page, here. As you'll see first, they did a fantastic job starting this game. It's a simple post of "Let's go!", paired with a shot of the stadium. If you see this right at kickoff, you can almost feel the social media electricity.

You'll also note the "41 Shares" written above. Now, Facebook has introduced another way of interacting with what we post. This "Sharing" functionality means we can share status updates and like them -- sharing them means we can provide a personal recommendation to read a post/see a picture to our friends. This will have a great effect, as friends will see posts as recommended from people they are connected to. Or, said differently, "Like" is passive, "Share" is active. If you're a geek like me, you can read more about this change by Facebook here.

Now, let's look at what happened during/after the game....

As you can see above, the posts are factual - announcing the score after each quarter. The challenge is that anyone can be factual. And Florida State Athletics can't win at that game -- let ESPN win that one! Instead, FSU could offer more personality and more human emotion in their style. Right now, this is a big opportunity, as they leave it with simply a "great effort". I'll come back to this in a minute, but first want to drive over to Twitter in search of more love and energy...

We'll check out Florida State Athletics on Twitter, here.

As you see above, there were no posts in game from this feed.

There is a post right after the game and one right before, but nothing was posted during the game. And the after game the posting style echoes what we saw on Facebook... "Close, but not there yet."

Many of us approach communication in games in the same way. The challenge in front of us all is to tap into the raw emotion of our fan bases. Emotion doesn't have a filter. In a way, I believe Social Media posts around big games should feel like they came out of a locker room (minus certain words, no doubt). Those of us who work in this space must make people believe. When their beliefs are challenged, it becomes our role to reinforce the vision we share for our program.

Seize the moments that happen, immediately, with emotion!

Thanks.

Andy

Stanford Football hits you with Highlights. It hurts in a good way.

2011-09-16T04:33:00.001-07:00

I didn't think I'd be writing another Pac-12 blog, nor did I think I'd write one about an immersive video experience. But, then again, I'd never checked out the Stanford Football website until just now.

Hit the site (here), and after the intro video, you're taken to the highlight reel. And a visual highlight reel at that. As you'll see in the amazing image below, they have laid out highlight packages for every game, and they are right there, one click away from you.

I'm a huge fan of teams making it clear where they want you to click. Stanford does just this, and I'd expect this makes a monstrous impact on a recruit.

Click on any game package and you get a well-done, emotional, energy-driven reel of highlights. I'm pasting a still image below, as the videos themselves can't be shared or embedded.

Impressive. No, it's more than impressive. Visually it's overwhelming, in a great way!

But it only gets me started. Imagine, just imagine what this could be if it became social.

How could this be better? Let's start with the easy. Make all the videos sharable. I'm a fan of loading them into YouTube and embedding them here. Gets you better search results, makes your YouTube Channel better, and of course makes it easy to share. But we can do better. What if Stanford pulled in social chatter alongside highlights? So you not only saw and heard the sounds of the game but you also saw the fan reactions, posts, and tweets that happened during each game. As a recruit this has one impact: it reminds you that if you became a Cardinal, you would be playing on the big stage. As a bonus, you hero your fan base in a cool way -- and you have a new model that can ignite your social media presence after every game.... (Assuming you drop these into Facebook right after the game ends!)

Don't let this take away from the visual power Stanford hit us with. Just let it open your eyes to where this is going!

We'll be back Monday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Iowa Football Facebook Community Comes Together for Former Player

2011-09-14T04:34:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing that is definitely true about friend behavior, it is that we support each other when something bad happens. No doubt all of us have felt the positive impact in our lives from someone (or someones) who let us know they are with us when something happens. And this is evident inside Facebook, for sure - which brings all of your friends to your back when you need support in a pretty powerful way.

I've not seen it applied to the college athletics landscape before, but came across this today. As you may have heard, former Iowa Hawkeyes Safety Brett Greenwood collapsed in a workout (story via ESPN here). He had been trying to catch on in the NFL and was no doubt pushing himself to stay in game condition.

The reaction inside the Iowa Football Facebook page shows the power of fan support. And as a bonus, it shows the power of a program united. Hit the Iowa Football Facebook Page (here), and take a look (also shown below).

I'll hone into the post that Iowa made around Brett. The tone is sincere, and it lets their fan base know that something has happened, without it feeling over the top.

And what does one fan do? He creates a way for others to show support for Brett by adopting the image below as your profile picture. No doubt this has a pretty big impact as it gains visibility and awareness for what happened while sending a message to the world that you support your team, through good times and tough ones.

I found this inspiring. Really it's not about broadcasting that something tough has happened but rather of showing that the program is a family. And that you will stand together even when your days as a Hawkeye are through.

Great, inspiring stuff from Iowa.

We'll be back Friday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Social Media Monday: How Michigan Football Reacted to their Stunning Win over Notre Dame

2011-09-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

What a game.

There's no other way to spin it. Michigan and Notre Dame traded scores - with three TD's and three lead changes in the final minute or so of the game. And if you're a fan of social media, this is what you want to see as well, as these are the moments that make or break you from a digital perspective. How do you (or do you) react in the moment?

Michigan Football put on a clinic of managing the social conversation around this one. And they did it in a way that leveraged all of their social networks!

Let's start by taking a peek at the Michigan Football Twitter page, here. As you'll note in the image below, the stream below shows a fantastic combination of information with emotion. Just take a peak at how the game unfolded on their Twitter stream...

I can't overstate how much more powerful this is: "Are you serious? D. Robinson to Roundtree for 16 yards" than this "D. Robinson to Roundtree for 16 yards". Both versions are true, but one offers emotion! The whole stream is a powerful tale of conversation. Wow!

Now, let's turn our attention to Michigan Football Facebook, here. Are we going to see the same thing? In a word, no!

I want to single out the post when the game ended (immediately). Emotion + image + fact. They didn't wait until the postgame press conference was over, and they didn't wait for a press release. They expressed emotion immediately, just as a fan (or a future recruit) no doubt will do. So in your news feed (if you follow Michigan football), you'll see this post in context of other posts reacting to the game. But this one brings a powerful image. Crazy!

Then, when they were ready to release the highlights package (smartly dropped into YouTube and embedded into Facebook), they paired it with a quote that speaks to Michigan football. Look below!

Here's the highlight package, if you missed it!

Thus, Michigan football reacted with emotion and authenticity in the moment -- and they did it in a way that smartly leveraged Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Great model for us to all leverage as we take on big matchups...

Thanks.

Andy

Tennessee Titans Reward Fan Questions through Facebook

2011-09-09T04:33:00.000-07:00

Social networks do one thing really well: they connect people. That's a critical thing to keep on your mind as you develop a strategy. And it's a great thing for teams to think about, because they have potential to really take advantage of this by connecting their fans to their players.

Say what?

Exactly. Can you imagine walking down the concourse in an arena and having a team marketing representative stop you and say "I'd love to introduce you to (insert player)." No way. But that's exactly what social media can do. And I get a bit giddy when I see it in action.

Let's take inspiration in what the NFL's Tennessee Titans are doing.

Hit the Titans Facebook page and look at the left-hand side of the page. There you'll see "Ask a Titan", which is where I'd love you to click. (You can also click in right here)...

You'll note that they have a permanent place for this feature (as permanent as digital stuff can ever be I guess). And they are elevating one person each week. (See the thumbnail in the upper right-hand corner of the page). When you click in to enter, you'll leave Facebook, taking you to the page below (or here)...

It's on this page that you can enter your question and have a chance to win. It's ironic to me that what you win is a prize package from Motorola. Cool, yes, but a bit disconnected as well. Winners are notified via email, one per week.

How could we make this better? Well for starters, anyone can give away entertainment packages. But not anyone could give away the chance to connect with a player. Fans are submitting questions - why not make the prize package the chance to watch the question being asked, in person (or even over Skype)? Let them meet the player, thus rewarding with access and making them closer in the process. Finally, post the winning question on Facebook and tag both the player and the fan in the post. Give them some social street cred after all!

And for the rest of us, take inspiration here -- the Titans are asking for input. Just don't overthink the reward system. Fans want access, and I'd love to see a few steps in this direction.

Thanks for hanging this week. I'll be back Monday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

USC Football has fun with a Caddyshack Video

2011-09-07T03:23:00.000-07:00

Don't be afraid to have fun.

Sometimes the best practices I share are pretty technical. Other times, like today, they are about things that may sound like they're common sense but, I assure you, they aren't.

Today you get a friendly reminder of the fact that you shouldn't forget who your consumer is. At USC Football, the consumer who follows them on social media is likely either a current athlete/student/fan, an alum, or a potential student-athlete. In other words, it's people who want to hear from them and who like them a great deal. The audience is youthful, and wants to be fired up about Trojan football.

So what do you do before the season opener against Minnesota? Why, blow up the Gophers mascot, of course.

The journey started on the USC Football page, here. On the page you'll see a feed of USC Athletics Twitter chatter. It was here where I saw the simple post: "In honor of the Minnesota opener, we reedited a "Caddyshack" classic."

Naturally, I clicked in (here, or play it below)...

Funny, and definitely worth 12 seconds of your time.

How could this be better? I'd love to see more of this infused in the Trojans blog, Facebook feed, and Twitter feed. But they were right on the money to leverage YouTube for this content. Let fans subscribe to a channel of videos (maybe "Trojan Football Battles"?) and have fun with it. Include fun videos (like this one) and pep talks from crazed fans or intense coaches. Use this channel not as a one-off video but as a rallying cry for the Trojan fanbase... and future athlete base.

I'll be back Wednesday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Social Media Monday: Breaking Down the Sacramento State Victory Over Oregon State

2011-09-05T05:12:00.000-07:00

Moments.

As in seizing them.

That's what Social Media is all about -- to thrive in the moment. Why? I think it has a lot to do with context. Don't ever forget that most people aren't just following your team. They are seeing your updates within context of their own feed. (So they see it alongside those of their friends, their family, and their co-workers). That means the more you show up in the moment, the more human your team will appear!

It's a great measure of success, because it's a great measure of connection. And that's why I'm going to start this style. Monday mornings during Football season, I'll take a look at a squad with a big win and break down how they connected along the way. Hope you can learn from this! (and that I can too)

This weekend, a monster win from Sacramento State - going on the road to win at Pac-12 Oregon State, in Overtime. I'm guessing traffic to the Hornets site would be spiking, and I was just one of many visitors. I hit up the Sacramento State Athletics page, here.

As you'll note below, the score was updated to the home page. But that's about it -- the background still features a baseball player and. There's opportunity to put imagery up that reinforces the emotion in the moment. And most importantly, we don't have this moment working for us as it could -- to drive the Hornets Social Media presence...

By clicking on "The Green Army", we get access to Facebook. (Click here to hit the Green Army student fan club)

Then you can get into Facebook, here. It's here, in the Green Army Facebook News Feed that you can see how it all went down inside Social Media. There is a posting of highlights (nicely embedded from YouTube), and there's a posting from immediately after the game. Finally, there's a post up in the first quarter.

The posts below are fine -- they were timely. But there's definitely more opportunity to connect with Fans in during the game. Perhaps it's a post each quarter that sums up the quarter, with some emotion fused in. Or maybe it's more ambitious -- like a sideline interview pre-game, half-time, and post game? The key is to be connected to the emotions in the moment. And be ready for the success that may (or did) happen!

For contrast, I want you to see the home page VCU published after the Kansas-VCU matchup in last year's NCAA Basketball tourney. Emotional. And I'd guess they were ready for this before the game even started -- meaning everyone, from the players to the marketing staff -- were ready for the win.

So today, I'll leave you with this question: What's your team doing to be prepared when something amazing happens?

I'll be back Wednesday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Pittsburgh Steelers Elevate Foursquare Check-ins Inside Facebook

2011-09-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

Confession alert.

Even I, a self proclaimed digital nerd, have questions about how much is too much sometimes. I've asked the questions like do teams really need a presence on all of these social media networks? Or we, as individuals -- how many do we need? And until today, I hadn't seen an execution in Foursquare that really felt like it justified a team having a strong presence there.

But today, I present to you amazing inspiration from the Pittsburgh Steelers. We'll show you how they leverage Foursquare, bring it into Facebook (which no doubt many of you are already using), and turn it into something powerful...

Hit the Pittsburgh Steelers Facebook Page and click on "Foursquare," found on the left hand side of the frame. That takes you to the powerful image below...

Wow.

So here, inside a network of 2.8 Million rabid Steelers fans the Mayor (for those of you not hip to Foursquare, this equals the person who has checked into a location the most often within the past 60 days - read more here)... That means you are taking arguably your most dedicated fan and raising him or her up on a social pedestal in front of their peers.

NICE!

And, alongside this, you see how many people total have checked into Heinz Field, plus tips from people who have visited - where to go, what to bring, how to enjoy yourself even more!

Of course, it gets bettter. Clicking through to view the Heinz Field page on Foursquare takes you here, shown below...

Now you get all of the action before plus photos and profiles of the people who are visiting Heinz Field.

Like any network, Foursquare check-ins can be synched with Facebook or Twitter -- and many people do this (yes, it can get annoying), increasing the reach every time they check into your stadium/court/field. Said differently, the more we can encourage people to check into our spaces, the more social currency/buzz we can build!

How could this be better? Two big things here. First, what should/could the Steelers offer their most loyal fan? Maybe he or she can attend the media session before or after the game? I think the key here is access and the Steelers can easily dole that out! Second, I'd love to see the Steelers have their own players check in on game days. Imagine the buzz you'll get when you see Hines Ward check into Heinz Field? This will simultaneously drive game day energy and grow the behavior of fan check-ins!

I'm pretty pumped if you can't tell. Time to take the weekend off from blogging. Don't fear though, I'll be back with more next week. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Oregon State Football Gives Us a Facebook + Twitter Syncing Clinic

2011-08-31T03:33:00.000-07:00

Is there a natural or easy way to sync our Facebook and Twitter pages? By that, I mean is there a way to do this without simply posting the same message twice? That's a topic I have personally struggled with and to be honest one I'm still feeling out. But when I took a trip to the Oregon State Athletics Facebook page, I came across some inspiration worth sharing. I think you'll find this sheds a nice light on that very topic.

Our path begins on the Oregon State Athletics Facebook page. Stick with me, as we're going to start out inside this page under the "Social Beavs" tab, shown below or here. You'll see there's a nice guide to all things Social Media, and there's easy access from this visual directory.

We'll move on to the Oregon State Football Facebook page, here, and below. What you'll pick up immediately is the connection between Head Coach Mike Riley and the page. This isn't Coach Riley's page. But there's no doubt a common interest between fans of Oregon State Football and fans of Coach Riley.

So what's the connection I referenced? Oregon State reposts Tweets from Coach Riley's Twitter feed directly into their Football Facebook page. I haven't done the analysis to see if it is every single post Coach makes. But you can see a cool combination of posts from OSU Athletics and posts from Coach Riley...

You can click into Coach Riley's Twitter page, here, as this will add a little more depth to this inspiration...

As you'll see below, Coach Riley adds timely posts with visuals to create quite an impact on his followers. I think you'll agree there's something magical about access to the eyes or mind of the head coach. See what he sees, read what he thinks, in the moment...

But it's the syncing/system that gets me hyped. By setting it up this way, fans who aren't on Twitter get access to Coach Riley. Fans who are on Twitter get this access inside Facebook, where it's more natural to make comments/observations or share this with your friends.

Let's go one click deeper. (Warning, this could get pretty mindblowing!) The system lets OSU athletics choose which posts they drop in. That offers you a sneak peak into Coach's mind without having to put everything here. AND it offers the chance for OSU Football to interact with the coach right in this space!

Which leads me here. How could this be better? I'd love to see comments/observations from OSU Football on what Coach Riley says. I'd love to see a camaraderie/banter come across, rather than a stream of posts. If we can set this up, we'll take a system infuse it with personality and engagement and blow it out across multiple social networks. Yikes!

That's it for today. I'll be back with more later this week. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Arizona Football Delivers Players Through YouTube

2011-08-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

YouTube is a critical piece of everyone's social media puzzle. Why? Three reasons hit the top of my mind (with the help of official stats, here. Warning they are pretty mind-blowing!)

It's pretty big. As they put it, in a week, users upload the equivalent of 240,000 full length films. Yeah, that's right, in a week.
Growth continues to pour in at an alarming rate. 48 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
The reach is social -- nearly 17 million people have connected their YouTube account to another social service like Facebook or Twitter.

All that adds up to the fact that you can't forget about YouTube when you look at how your program connects with the world. But it also means you need to really think strategically -- with all that content out there, and only so many hours in the day, having the right content is incredibly critical.

Arizona Football delivers a plan of authentic content into YouTube. Let's check it out!

Hit the Arizona Athletics YouTube Page (here) and you'll immediately see a close up interview with Coach Mike Stoops...

All of the video content is simple, shot with a handheld camera on location. (On the practice field) It's also all incredibly timely -- as you'll see below in this interview with QB Nick Foles. Check out this clip and we'll continue beneath it.....

After watching this video, pieces should start to click. It's not polished (sometimes there's talking in the background, sometimes there's sirens). Which, ironically enough, makes it even more personal feeling. And it means you don't need a professional film crew and beautiful stage to create a connection.

What you do need are access, consistency, and authenticity. These videos come out daily and are shot immediately at practice. (With other players in the background, you can tell they are in the moment that most of the world can't see!) And you get a social potential -- with these videos in YouTube it's easy to share them as I've just done.

How could we make this better? First, Arizona could leverage Facebook a bit more. These videos could publish to YouTube in a Playlist and then debut in Facebook -- during practice. How cool would that be to see a video of practice hit your news feed if you were a recruit thinking about the Wildcats? Second, they could involve the community in selection of content. That might mean ask them for questions... or it might mean to have them choose their interviewee. In any case, there is opportunity to be had if Arizona builds on this model and maximizes its potential inside social channels!!!

That's it for today. But, don't worry, I'll be back with more later this week. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Cleveland Browns Celebrate Their Fans with Fanographies on Facebook

2011-08-26T04:03:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to elevate some fans in a way that makes other fans want to participate?

That's an interesting question I've thought about often (yes, I know I am a nerd). But there's depth there -- meaning when you elevate one fan, you have potential to do it in a way that makes other fans want to be a part... or you can do it in a way that turns other fans off.

I was pretty impressed with how the Cleveland Browns went after this concept. It starts with a visit to the Browns Facebook page, here. Click on "Fanographies" (weird title, I know), which will take you here...

You need to "Like" the Browns to see this content. Normally I'm not a fan of that strategy -- just get the content out there. But with something like this, it's only going to appeal to a fan of the team... thus, it makes complete sense. Once you've liked the team, you get to the page shown below.

You'll see the Browns have elevated 5 fans and, as you can see from the comment above, they are making an impact by doing this. In case you can't read the comment, I'll add a bit of it for you right here.

"I've probably watched it at least 20x, and with each viewing I'm smiling and get the chills... Thanks for showcasing my story. I'm proud to be a Browns fan!"

Yes, that comment got 17 likes as of now. Which is powerful as it shows that fans are engaging not just with the video itself but with the comments about said video.

If you want to add your story? Click the call to action on the page (or here). As you'll see below, it's pretty easy. Add words, pictures, and video and submit. The Browns staff then picks stories to go deeper with and celebrate as a Fanography.

How could this be better? What if this wasn't asking fans to submit this and wait around but rather it created your personal Fanography -- mixing together what you write or upload with comments/videos/pictures of the team. Then it posted to your wall so that your own personal Browns story could be viewed by your full network of friends? That impact feels much greater than the beautiful stories produced by the Browns... which, by the way, they should keep doing!

My only other suggestion is to make it easier to share the great Fanographies created by the Browns. Possibly by loading the videos to YouTube and embedding them here -- so they can both be shared quickly and found organically through YouTube search!

Fantastic idea here though... I got chills and I'm not even a Browns fan!

Thanks for hanging this week. I'll be back Monday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

U Conn & Louisville Ask Fans For Photos on Social

2011-08-24T05:39:00.000-07:00

As you have probably guessed by now, I have some kind of love affair with pictures. I'm a big admirer of them for so many reasons, but I guess when you cut right down to it, it is their ability to tell a story from anyone at anytime that just blows me away.

There's no team and no fan that can't take advantage of photography. But what's inspired me lately is seeing how teams are seeking more. They have come to the conclusion that more pictures = more opportunity to connect. And thus, they are asking their fans to join in the mix.

Today, we'll look at two examples of this... and then think about how we can all learn from it. First, let's go to the U Conn Huskies Facebook page, here. U Conn takes their profile picture and transforms it into a call to action for photos.

Let's zoom in. As you'll see below, they put it simple. "Post and tag yourself in a UConn Huskies for a chance to win great prizes." And this very photo/call to action appears in every post the Huskies make, into all 30,000 or so fans' News Feeds.

For a different approach at the same idea, let's hit the Louisville Cardinals Facebook page, here. As you'll see, the top way they are asking fans to Connect with the Cards is by sending your photos to the team. They have set up a specific email account (gocardspics@gmail.com) to send these to.

Interesting.

I'd look at this and say it is clearly a priority for both schools to have fans bring their love for the team by sharing pictures. And they are asking us to do something we already do (it's already behavior to post pictures, tag pictures, or email pictures). If you do this, you'll start to see the team as more of a friend and less of an entity... plus the team gets more visuals of their fan energy. Everyone wins.

But how could we make this better? How could the rest of us look at this to build our connection to our teams or fans? It starts with the goal. The goal isn't to share pictures. And it isn't to win prizes. What is that goal for you? Is it to create a visual identity of what it means to be a Cards fan on campus? Or to create a fan guide to the team? Or to put them onto iPads for the players? Or to become the Twitter skin for your program? I feel there is a step that's missing that can unite everything -- don't just share pictures because you can. Share pictures to become a part of something special. Something you can't do on your own. If we can paint this picture, create this emotion, we take our community and transform it into something addicting and uniting.

Hope you're digging this style -- If so, make sure you check back later this week for more best practice goodness! Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Alabama Football Shows You Their Process, Visually

2011-08-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to be a part of your program or team?

That's a tough concept to get to, and I'm guessing many teams or many coaches will answer in the same way. (We pride ourselves on working hard on the court/field and in the classroom...) When you're a recruit, you're looking for a team with an identity you connect with. And teams can't connect with you by simply blending together. Digital and social create an opportunity to bring this to life... and today we'll see a great example from Alabama Football.

Hit Coach Nick Saban's website, and you'll see a pretty strong visual statement immediately... We'll turn our attention to the selection at the bottom "The Process."

As you'll see below, we get a visual of Coach Saban with a series of visuals on the left-hand side of the page. I'm guessing these visuals represent the words the Alabama staff reinforce with their team, their fans, and their recruits.

Let's focus on the words at the bottom of the page. (Inspiration alert!) "Do you want to be the best you can be? Are you driven to have the Intensity, the Sense of Urgency, the Intelligence? Are you going to do the things you need to do to be your absolute best?"

Now, let's click into each of the tiles from the left. (I'll paste them below and meet you after you've scrolled through)

Wow.

It's not often we find that identity spelled out in a powerful mix of images (that leverage the players) and words. It's succinct and compelling. And it feels like posters a kid would put on his wall or locker.

How could this be better? I'd love to see these themes (Effort, Discipline, Commitment, and Toughness) become a weekly post from Coach Saban or his staff into social. Tell us about a player for each and why he represents that attribute. Then combine that with a visual from practice or a game to drive that home. It will showcase the bond between coach and players, amplify this as a theme for Bama Football, and deliver a powerful message into social that is consistent yet simultaneously personal and emotional!

And, for the rest of us... what's our identity? What do we stand for, and how are we communicating this to the world of future recruits?

We'll be back Wednesday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

New York Jets Let Facebook Fans Determine Who Gets Interviewed

2011-08-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

Would you be willing to put your biggest fans in control of your marketing? That sounds like a scary proposition to many, but as you're about to see it can make a pretty dramatic impact on your program.

Let's start with a simple proposition. It's safe to say that those who "Like" your page on Facebook would consider themselves fans of yours. That act of "Liking" a brand or team does two important things. One, it announces to your friend base that you Like a team or brand -- thus you'll get called out if it's not true. And, two, it allows you to receive updates from that team in your News feed.

That may sound basic to many of you, but stick with me. The critical piece is to have that in your mind -- that every post you make is going to people who want to receive it. (more or less)

Now, let's put ourselves in the position of many teams. You don't have the hours in the day to interview every player (or write a feature on every player). So how do you take that and turn it into a positive?

The New York Jets let their fan base dictate their content.

Hit the NY Jets Facebook page, here - shown below...

I want you to turn your eyes to their use of Facebook's Questions feature, which I'll zoom in, here.

Fans are asked who they want to see interviewed. It's a simple choice, and it has quite an impact. I'd argue the impact isn't just on the fans, who now have a voice... but also on the players. It's a different thing to tell a player "we want to interview you to put on the site" and "the team's Facebook fans want to hear from you." And, of course, it prioritizes who you interview...

How could this be better? There's a lot that can be built on this model. For example, what if we made it more real time -- rather than saying "who do you want to hear from tomorrow?", what if the message was "who do you want to hear from in our post game show?" (and ask that question in the 4th Quarter!) It would give more of a sense of urgency while building upon what's a pretty sweet model.

Thanks for hanging this week. I'll be back Monday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Illinois Football Gives You Post Practice Video Content

2011-08-17T04:33:00.000-07:00

If you're a recruit considering your college decision, there's no doubt that the coaching staff will make a big impact on your decision. No doubt. Their style, their passion, their openness (or lack thereof) will be big in the next four years of your life.

So how can a school, with limited resources to tell this story, accomplish this while also keeping the fan base up to date on the latest with the program?

The University of Illinois gives us quite a starting point.

Let's start on the Illinois Football home, Coach Ron Zook.com (here). You'll notice in the image below a headline of "8.6 Practice Report" (yes, I screen grabbed this a week or so ago)

I'm going to embed this video here. Take 1:16 and watch it -- I'll hang with you below it.

What I love about this is 3-fold.

It builds on immediate access - we see this interview immediately after practice, while people are still on the field. No one else has this access, and the Illini leverage it well.
It's personal -- we hear candid take on practice and philosophy in the moment. It feels unedited, and I mean that in a good way.
It is from leadership -- the time is given from the top to share the philosophy of the program. As a potential recruit, you feel like you're getting a peak under the tent.

But, like anything, this can get better.

How? I'd love to see the Illini post these videos even more in realtime. Perhaps during practices even! Imagine the impact if you hear from a coach before and after every practice -- just like the players no doubt receive pre and post-practice updates.

Then, we could create a great distribution plan. Consumers may visit the Illini site a few times/week... but they'll visit their own Facebook or Twitter feed a few times/day. Thus, I would make the primary area to distribute these videos Social Media. Then, the team site could become the destination for a summary video while the social media sites become in the moment energy!

I hope you're digging this. I'll be back with more coming later in the week. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Baylor Athletics Gives Away Football Tickets Via Facebook Photo Tagging

2011-08-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

What if someone stopped by your desk and told you they had an idea to give away tickets by putting a bunch of socially-submitted fan names onto a field and having one of their players toss a ball to pick the winner? Would they sound crazy to you? Or would you pause, take a step back, and realize that they just might be onto something?

Let's have a look at how Baylor Athletics offers serious value to their Facebook fan base and simultaneously shows off their team in an incredibly approachable way. To start, find your way to the Baylor Athletics Facebook page (here if you wanna click in... don't worry, I'll hang here)

Now you'll have to scroll down their page to find this (or just hang with me - I'm cool with doing the dirty work for you!) What you'll see is a series of posts of images of Baylor Football with requests for fans to tag themselves in the picture for a chance to win season tickets.

Click into a picture (like this one) and you'll see a monstrous list of people tagging themselves in the image. Which shows you why Baylor posted multiple pictures -- they hit Facebook's limit of people who could tag themselves in an image.

That's pretty sweet in and of itself -- get fans to tag themselves in a picture and it shows up on the fans' news feeds and photo albums. Scale. And it's amazing because it gets people to do what they already do - tag themselves in an image.

Now check this video frames below (I couldn't easily link to or embed the actual video, sorry!) What you'll see is Baylor Receiver Lanear Simpson and Safety Ahmad Dixon spread out the names of everyone who tagged themselves in the above image onto the field. Then QB Robert Griffin III throws a pass that pegs the winner's name. Through it all you see the camaraderie and attitude of the team in a sweet way.

Fun!

Oh, as a bonus, I like that the player names link to their personal Facebook pages. Nice

How could this be better? I'd love to see Baylor actually leverage the Facebook profile pictures of each fan's entry -- giving a little more love to those who went after the tickets. Then, when you post the video, I'd love to see this shared first through YouTube and then into Facebook so that it's easier for others to quickly take it and share it.... and for fans to subscribe for future promotions like this!

Great stuff today, with more coming later in the week. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

New England Patriots Deliver Training Camp Photos to Facebook

2011-08-12T05:01:00.000-07:00

Facebook can deliver real value for fans.

That's an easy thing to say and a hard thing to deliver upon. But to me, the biggest keys to offering value anywhere - be it in Facebook or simply in the real world - are to be timely and to offer something you can't get elsewhere. Or more direct, give people what they want, when they want it, better than anyone else.

And, as I saw on a visit to the New England Patriots digital presence, photography can do just this.

Let's start on the New England Patriots Facebook Page...

I saw the post highlighted above, on Training Camp, and got excited. After all, Training Camp is the first time anyone gets to see a team in action... Thus, the fact that it's early already sets it off for value. But they also tend to isolate these camps (they aren't on National TV. They aren't easy for most fans to see...), meaning there's even more possible value. So I want to go deeper...

Clicking in takes us here, to the images you'll see below. They range from interaction with fans to shoulder pads and shorts workouts.

And, as you'll see below, fans DIG this stuff.

What's not to love? This is imagery of what's happening, delivered when it happens to fans that they can't get anywhere else. And they can take these images easily and share them with their friends (which no doubt include at least one other Patriots fan) exponentially growing the reach from the Patriots' work!

And we all have this -- ability to give people a look at something they can't see anywhere else. The Patriots show us that being timely, authentic, and open can offer excitement for fans.

How could this be better? The easy statement is do this more often. The real answer is to do more with what you have. For fans that attend, make it easy to tag them (or let them tag themselves) in the photos they appear - in realtime. And encourage fans to "Check In" at Training Camp. What fan doesn't want their friends to know they are checked into the camp, and that they are mingling with the best? Then add captions to the pictures that offer soundbytes from the pros. So for those who aren't there, we see and feel what it's like to be there!!!

Thanks for hanging with me. I'll be back Monday with more inspiration. As always, feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Boston Celtics Reward their Facebook Fan Base for Growth

2011-08-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

How do you make it a cool thing that you're social media following is growing? (When it doesn't even sound cool to ask that question?)

Let's try asking this a different way.... How can you get your fans to care about how big the following is? It's a tricky question, because you never want to come across as self-serving (look how big we are!) The answer lies in thinking about value for your community.

The Boston Celtics gives us a great road map to follow. Let's hit the Boston Celtics Facebook page, here, home of a 5.1 M fan base...

Check the post below, launched right after the Celtics passed the 5 Million size. As you'll see, they do two things: 1) they thank their fans for helping them grow by saying "Thank You." and 2) they back that up with a discount on Celtics gear.

I love this for many reasons. It is tied to a moment (hitting 5 Million fans) that could be replicated at future milestones. It is distributed through Facebook (not blasted everywhere), offering a reward for paying attention to their posts. And it offers value to a Celtics fan, but not much value to a non-Celtics fan. It'd be great to know how this worked - if it drove business for the Celtics... but it's a great map to follow.

How could this be better? What if it wasn't 15% off existing gear but rather special gear created only for Facebook fans? The only place you learn about it is here, in the Celtics Facebook page. And it's only around for a tight window of time. If fans came to expect hot new gear everytime a new milestone was hit, it could result in a lot of number watching!!!

Thanks for hanging with me. I'll be back Friday with more inspiration. As always, feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Florida State Wants You to Help Design Their Athletics Tee

2011-08-08T05:25:00.000-07:00

It's a big deal to wear the jersey.

Why? I think it comes down to being one of the few lucky enough to wear a uniform with your school's name on it - dead center, in front of the world. As a student-athlete, you are a representative of your school -- not just of today but of the past (alums) and the future (recruits). It's a lot of responsibility and it makes an impact on you.

But how can a university make this into a bigger deal for their student body, alumni, and fans? Florida State University developed a way for everyone to play a role.

It all starts on the Florida State Athletics Page, shown below.

Im going to zoom in on that right-hand column of touts, here.

We'll turn our attention to "You Design, We'll Decide." Clicking in takes us here, to the magic. As you will see below, this is your chance to submit a design for the FSU all-sport promotional shirt. (You still have almost a full week to go -- so design away once you finish this read!)

The steps are laid out clearly - download a template, design away, sign a release, and submit.

I'll be interested in following this, because it opens the door for fans to have a voice in how the athletics department presents itself to the world.

But how could this be better? First, I think we need context - emotional context. What do I mean by that? What is the "all-sport promotional tee?" Do the players wear these? Do they sell them? What have they looked like in the past? What if FSU went deeper -- asking players and coaches to provide a brief for what they'd love to see in a shirt. If you're a diehard FSU fan, there's not much more cool than getting a brief from your coach (or players) and then setting out to solve it!!!

Secondly, FSU should make the assets available. Make it easier to design for you by providing high res logos, images, colors, fonts -- anything you can do to allow designers to not have to search around for tools.

Finally, I'd love to see a plan for unveiling these. Maybe it will be at media day - where the designer will be a VIP? Or maybe at the first football game? Giving access to the team(s) for the best designer adds a dimension only FSU can deliver!!!

Great stuff today, with more coming later in the week. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

The San Antonio Spurs Unveil Winning Wednesdays on Facebook

2011-08-05T04:40:00.000-07:00

Fun.

That's one of the key ingredients in a brand that can make people feel more connected to you (or to your team/brand) The fact that you have fun, and are human can make others feel connected to you.

But how can a team deliver a fun experience, repeatedly? I was inspired by what I saw from the San Antonio Spurs.

Let's start out at the Spurs Facebook Page, here. What you'll (hopefully) be able to read in the images that follow are their idea of connection: Winning Wednesday. Every Wednesday, they post something into Facebook looking for fan participation. The best responses win (I'm guessing based on the title of the day!)

Let's take a peak at the two posts below. First, they want you to answer a question -- why are you a diehard Spurs fan? Great question, and the answers will collectively add up to something true to the Spurs brand.

Now check the example below... They want you to caption an oldschool picture of a spurs legend. And you know they aren't serious about it because they ask you to "Bring the Funny." Check the comments, as fans have no issues here!

And if you look at the two posts, collectively, you get it -- they are driving participation from their fan bases in a way that draws out the fun side of the team.

How could this be better? I'd love to see equal participation every day. You don't need a Winning Tuesday. But you could use a reason for fans to have fun (assuming this is part of the Spurs identity) by participation every day. If we get this much power from a once/week style, imagine what's possible if we up the stakes?

Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Washington Husky Football Gives You a Player's Perspective

2011-08-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

Want to show off your program in a unique way? That's the goal of every team when they sit down in the living room of a prospect... or a prospective sponsor. But how can you stand apart from everyone else?

The number one way I can think of is to actually show them. Show them your system. Show them the sounds or action. Sounds aspirational but is is practical?

Until the dawn of digital, I'd have wondered. But the U of Washington Huskies really take us down that path. And trust me when I type this is a path you wanna check out!

The journey starts on the Husky Football Facebook page (here), and shown below. (Side note, I love that they have a Facebook page for Football itself, but that's a post for a different day)

Now hone your eyes onto the post below. The Huskies give you access to their program by putting a helmet cam on one of their players' heads during their spring game.

Really?

Yes Really.

You can view the video by clicking in below (or here)...

I loved seeing this. You get a feel for the intensity, the sound, and the speed of the program. And get that in front of a recruit and they get it, instantly.

How could we make this better? The easy answer is more of this, please. The tougher answer is to take this and put it into the zone of what they stand for as a program. Don't just show me a video of the game in general... Show me a video about Speed. A video about the Power Passing Game? Basically a video about your Identity (or Identities)... that shows you (the recruit) where you fit in -- now that changes everything.

Great inspiration!

Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

What the NBA & NFL Lockouts teaches all of us about social media?

2011-08-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking long and hard about the lockouts that have affected the NBA & NFL lately. It's easy to be critical of the fact that they are not able to leverage current players in their digital or social media efforts. But really hard to find solutions. I know if I was in their shoes, I'd struggle with exactly that topic.

As you'll see in a couple screen grabs here, teams are finding creative ways to keep the conversation rolling. In fact, just about every post I came across (or every social strategy) seemed to leverage one of three topics: the Dance Squad, Franchise History, and Community Events.

Dance Squad Example from the Bucks. They are seeking to bring personality out of one of their members:

Here's a Community Plans Example from the Denver Broncos... (Pretty cool to train on the field!)

Finally, here's a Franchise History example from the LA Lakers - where they dive into the Magic Johnson years...

But it's exactly those themes that led me to the learning we can all take away. What should you post about?

I think the examples above are great, and really there isn't a perfect answer here. Teams do well to leverage what they have, and that includes experiences, community outreach, dance squad, mascots, history, and fans. But while that's all ok, it leads me to the question for you - for any team in any league in any sport.

What does you stand for?

That is the critical starting point. Not what do we post about.

To say that differently fans, history, dancers, or events are tactics but they aren't the strategy. And, ironically, neither are the players.

What?

What I'm saying is this is a golden chance to reset as a team. What is it you stand for? If you are in a high schooler's living room, in a Free Agent's discussion, or in a corporation's office talking sponsorship, there needs to be something you stand for above everything. Is it that you all love what you do? Is it TEAM first? Is it no one will outwork you? Is it you are loud and intense? There's lots of answers. But only you know what's right.

Then, after you nail that, think about how you can apply it. And let everyone support it - fans, dancers, mascots, office employees, stories of history... and eventually players. These all add depth and dimension to the story. And your team feels bigger.

My long thought process ended with this -- if I was in the shoes of an NBA Team, or an NFL Team, or a college team the answer's the same. Start by figuring out what you can rally behind. Then rally like no one else in the world!

So, where do we go from here on this blog?

Moving forward, we're going to take a look at the full world of sports, highlighting best practices in the digital & social media dimensions of the game. Each week, we'll dive into something great in college basketball in the NBA, and from another sport (besides hoops). I hope you dig this ride!

Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

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

2011-07-13T04:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-13T04:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-12T04:24:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-04T05:31:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-01T03:30:00.000-07:00

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

NRL Digital Best Practices: Canterbury-Bankstown Maximizes Their Social Profile Pictures

2011-06-30T03:18:00.000-07:00

The profile picture.

This is the #1 thing that will pop out of the News Feed inside Facebook or Twitter. Given the fact that most of us don't visit a team's Facebook or Twitter page (we simply visit our own page and get our fix of our favorite team's news here), many teams or conferences don't fully maximize that component.

According to Pixable, one in 10 Facebook pictures is the profile. Said differently, 10% of all pictures on Facebook are profile pictures. And as you can see below, the trend is to update this more frequently -- tripling since 2006.

How should we do this?

I prefer to think about why people tend to change their profile picture. Life changes, season changes, or big moments in their life often lead to a change. But so do creativity or boredom. As you can see below, the average user has 26 profile pictures. The average team? I'm guessing one or two.

Which brings me to Canterbury-Bankstown. The journey begins inside social for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (here and here). As you'll find on those links or in the images below is that all roads lead to the Bulldogs iPhone APP. Said differently, Canterbury-Bankstown swapped out their profile image on both Facebook and Twitter to drive fans to their iPhone APP. And every post they make brings that message to each of their followers' news feeds.

So how could this be better? Love the idea, but would love to have it feel more branded less advertising. Rather than promote the fact that it's a free app, why not promote the best thing about it (which hopefully isn't that it's free!) You can swap out benefits over time. If it's inside access, show a insider photo of a player and hype the app, for example. That way you continue to build your brand while simultaneously driving awareness and traffic to your app. But the profile takeover is a fantastic strategy for all to use.

Hope you're digging this.

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