The 10 Best Digital Marketing Features in WCC Basketball

Today's going to be fun.

It's the chance to recap what we've seen in the West Coast Conference. I'll start with a summary of the order of finish and then I'll conclude with the most inspiring pieces, regardless of team. And you'll want to come back tomorrow, when I'll hit you with the WCC All-Twitter Team.

First, let's recap how the WCC squads finished. Click a name to read my full take.

1. Santa Clara - Men's Basketball video, Facebook, and Twitter. Oh My.
   
2. Portland - Outstanding work by Coach Reveno is pumped into the site
   
3. Pepperdine - Insider blog is a great hub for activity on the squads.
   
4. Loyola Marymount - Make the most of their history. We can all learn from them.
   
5. San Francisco - Recruiting Nav and Recruiting Guide. Just need more Recruiting Inspiration.
   
6. Gonzaga - Facebook Swagger
   
7. San Diego - Follow their Men's Hoops on Twitter
   
8. St Mary's - solid video platform, but badly missing ways to connect with the team.
   

Now, as promised, here are my 10 favorite things about the conference. If you've just stumbled upon this blog, this is where it gets extra fun. This is the collection of most inspiring things across the 10-team WCC basketball marketing landscape. Let's go!

10. Gonzaga's Facebook Swagger. I'm a big fan of bringing attitude to Facebook and Gonzaga does one of, if not the best jobs I've come across yet. And they hit you from the start with their style in the Follow the Zags Tout below.


To the site, which is very active between the Athletics Department and fans...


And, most importantly, in tone. See below -- how often do you see teams use the word "Demolish" in reference to an opponent? That's swagger! Check it for yourself here.





9. San Fransisco Elevates Recruits, through the Main Menu and Recruiting Guide.
USF makes it very clear for recruits where they need to focus in on on their site, evident in the main nav and in touts. The only thing left lacking was including their Recruiting Guide inside their Recruits Menu!






8. Loyola Marymount Pays Tribute to their History via a powerful video, microsite, and Facebook Fan page. Most teams don't do this, and I don't know why. But the LMU team takes an idea - the inspirational Bo Kimble journey to the 1990 Elite 8 - and blows it up with videos, a website, and a Facebook Fan page. What recruit wouldn't dream a little upon seeing this? Here's the site, and the Facebook site.






7. Portland Integrates Twitter into their site - at the athletics level and the basketball level. This is a little more complicated than it looks, and I'm pumped to see it. The Athletics home page pumps in the latest Twitter updates from UP Athletics... Click in here and here.

Meanwhile, the Basketball section pumps in Coach Reveno's Twitter updates. Beautiful!

6. LMU Recruits Section Reinvents Whose Coming to Campus. This is simple but so smart. Loyola Marymount posts articles across all sports of players who are signing up to come next year. I think there's a certain power in becoming the home for that info. And I think a stud baseball player could influence the basketball player who wants to come.... Now imagine if they broke news here... and maybe added a video or two? This section is worth a click, right here.




5. LMU Reinvents Facebook Music. Sensing a theme? LMU is very creative in what they do. In this case, it means posting their post game wraps (audio) as music streams inside Facebook. I love this -- it makes it super easy to hear, share, and get alerted to. Click in here.



4. WCC Commish is up on Twitter. Leadership. That's what this signals to me. How many conferences do this? (I haven't seen too many yet, which means Commissioner Zaninovich is a leader in the marketing space). It makes him approachable, and it sets a foundation to build from. Plus it can let fans know when the Commish is checking out your team. Follow him here.





3. Pepperdine's Blog and Social Media Hub. The Waves do a nice job online. And this image below shows you how... Their Blog (the P logo below) is the hub of all things social media. Well actually I think their blog is the type pad logo in the bottom left. But really it is their blog that's the heart of all things Waves athletics marketing. It covers all sports, but makes you feel very connected to the program. Click in here.





2. Portland's Robust Video Platform. Portland has a DEEP video section. And they post everything to YouTube and then embed it as a stream for you to check out on their site -- in a very blog-like feel. This includes everything from TV coverage of the squad to press conferences to flip cam style videos. You really need to click in here and check this out, as my picture doesn't do this justice. Link here.



1. Santa Clara Basketball's Social Media Focus. Santa Clara has the makings of a Social Media juggernaut that could compete with the big schools. They do this by developing a solid strategy across YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook that is Basketball-focused. Click into Twitter here, YouTube here, and Facebook here. It's your program. Follow them how you want. Great stuff!







That's a wrap. I hope you dug this! Come back tomorrow as we unveil the WCC All-Twitter Team!

Andy