The Mountain West Conference Puts on a Facebook Clinic

Today we'll continue our look into the Mountain West Conference. We will review their social media presence -- where they excel and what that means for the rest of us. Then, we'll finish the week out by looking into the 9 MWC programs and elevating the best digital features I've uncovered.

You can stay plugged into this journey via this blog, via the Digital Hoops Blast Facebook page (linked here) or on Twitter -- I'm @pawlow34.

Let's start.

Social Media Exposure

The journey always begins with the conference's weight to social media. There are always stories, teams, and schools weighing in for home page worthiness. But the question I start with is... how easy is it to follow the conference? That doesn't necessarily mean quantity of places. But it does mean exposure to ways to follow the conference.

The Mountain West does this better than any conference I've come across yet (no pressure, other conferences...) What you'll see upon hitting the MWC home page is not just a call to action for social (which you see right in the middle of the browser) but Social Media integrated into the main story window. Nice work.

But what exactly does this main window news feature on Facebook equate to? It's bigger than you think. The MWC Incorporates Facebook into the Flow of their website. Note the fan poll in the upper right hand corner of the home page. As you'll see below, this is a weekly poll for Fans to vote for the game of the week. It's heavily promoted on Facebook and they are asking fans to dictate who they cover. So, not only is this something cool for fans but it allows the conference to actually focus based on the preferences of their fan bases. What, the MWC isn't hyping your school? You'd better vote and rally your friends. Cool stuff!

This all plays out here, in the exclusive, authentic game coverage delivered by the MWC staff to the winning matchup.

How could this be better? Publish bonus content on Facebook. Perhaps it is a one-hour chat with the conference and fans about that game. The conference can go in and answer fan questions right on the wall. Tap into this energy and add another reason to follow the MWC on Facebook along the way!

Breaking down the MWC on Facebook

Moving over to Facebook (where the MWC has over 10,500 fans), you'll see that the fan base is alive. If you click into the Photos tab, you will see that the conference has created a Facebook weekly fan contest for the best photo of the week. As you can see here (or below), fans can upload pictures and then "Like" them. Winners are announced weekly (Fridays at noon). Cool stuff.

But you aren't just the winner of a MWC prize pack. You also are entered into a chance at the grand prize: tickets for 2 to an MWC bowl game of your choice. (It has to be a bowl game featuring an MWC school) Love it!

What's great about this is that it encourages fans to come back often and lobby for their image. It is also only valuable if you love the conference. And it is something that could work in basketball (or any sport).

How could this be better? Hype it on the MWC site. Make the winning picture the home page feature story each week. And interview the winner for your blog. This is fantastic storytelling, and I'm giddy just thinking about the possibilities of where this could go!

So, all in all, the MWC has shown us that by creating a cadence of fan activity, you can have a dynamic digital presence with big time numbers. Nice work!

That's it for now... But come back tomorrow as we start elevating the 3 best practices I found through the 9 MWC programs!

You can stay plugged into this journey via this blog, via the Digital Hoops Blast Facebook page (linked here) or on Twitter -- I'm @pawlow34.

Andy