Atlantic 10 Conference Best Practices: A Direct Message from Fordham's New Coach

This blog is all about inspiration. Today you've made it to the last of 5 days elevating best practices from the squads that make up the Atlantic 10. To stay plugged in to our journey, you can also tune in to our Facebook page (linked here) or on Twitter -- I'm @pawlow34.

What makes something a best practice? This isn't about the most intricate experience. It's about looking at the world from your consumer's point of view and delivering something that hits it right smack on the head. In the case of colleges, I'm treating the primary consumer as that prospective student athlete.

Thus far we have seen George Washington put faces to skill development (here), Dayton celebrate success (here), U Mass give recruits access into athleticism development (here), and George Washington spell out their ideal recruit, here.

Today, I bring up the topic of the Splash Page. The splash page is something that LOTS of schools do. And, in general, I understand the concept but don't like it. The reason I haven't been a fan is that it is kind of the digital version of the hallway intercept. Of stopping someone on their way to do what they want to do with something else they should look at.

But Fordham does something with this approach that I loved. Hit the Fordham website and then click on Men's Basketball and you go here, shown below. As you'll see it is a personal greeting to fans from Coach Tom Pecora.

Let's take a peak at some of his message, here:

“I cannot tell you how excited I am about becoming the new Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Fordham University…

To me, Fordham University provides students with countless opportunities. It possesses that rare blend of exceptional academics and the potential for an outstanding basketball program. All of this, while located in the heart of the greatest city in the world.”

Fantastic. It's heartfelt and on point, whether you are an alum, a fan, or most importantly a recruit. It's that because he feels excited and because he has a vision. But why does it work as a splash page?

1. This isn't a distraction. It feels more like a Wal-Mart Greeter than it does a sales pitch. They do this by putting it as the entry into basketball, not the entry into Rutgers Athletics. LOTS of sites hit you with a splash page to buy football season tickets before you tell them you like football. Smart work.
2. It is from leadership. This isn't a message from a manager, or a business person. It's from the guy painting the picture of the future.
3. The voice is what you want everyone to see. It has clarity and focus.

How Could This Be Better? This is a nice start. Now all we need to do is provide direction. Ask fans to follow Coach Pecora's vision on Facebook, or Twitter, or a blog. You have their attention and they know you care. Now give them a way to connect!

What's up next? Tune in Monday as we hit a new conference! And, don't forget, you can follow along via this blog, or hop over to Facebook (linked here) or on Twitter -- I'm @pawlow34.