NBA Best Practices: Toronto Raptors Create Platform for Fan Video Content

Wouldn't it be cool if you could find a way to get other people to do the "heavy lifting" for you? To find a way to get fans to feel compelled to provide their take on your team/brand to you?

The Toronto Raptors have taken this challenge on in a big way.

Hit the Raptors home page, and you'll notice the term "Interact" in the main menu.

I'll zoom in a little here, to reinforce the point -- how much more compelling is the word "Interact", rather than the word "Social"? I might prefer "Connect," but this is a big step in the direction of calls to action.



This window is a point to draw you into their fan community, "RaptorSpace.com".




Clicking in takes you here. At first I was a bit hesitant about the idea of creating your own community (RaptorSpace) rather than tapping into a community that's out there (like Facebook). But that's neither here nor there. The inspiration comes from this direction. Check this copy:

"This is Raptorspace. The place to share your opinion on the NBA Draft, Free Agency, and pretty much all things ball.... If you decide to do a video blog, we may use it for the RaptorSpace TV show..."

And there's a pretty deep gallery of Raptors or fan productions that resulted. I'm intrigued by the idea. But the question is how do you get more exposure for this -- and thus more participation?

How could this be better? What if they took these videos and broadcast them beyond RaptorSpace TV? What if the videos aired in arena? What if they aired on game days in the Raptors' Facebook page (here)? There seems to be a great chance to make these fans heroes, to elevate their perspective, and to make the in-arena + social experiences stronger just by doing more of what they're already doing. Isn't that a cool thought?

Come back next week as we keep rolling through best practices from the NBA. And as always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks!

Andy