AFL Best Practices: Brisbane Lions Connect Direct to Your Calendar

Calendars. We look at them often (I must look at mine at least 10 times a day!) Plus, we look at them to plan -- whether it be the night before or the month before. And that, in itself, is the power of this for teams --- if you can be present when fans are planning, you will become a bigger part of their plans.

I've written about calendars before, but I've not seen it approached from a personal way. Until now.

Our journey begins inside the Brisbane Lions home page.

Clicking on Fan Zone brings us to the page shown below. The idea of an "eDiary" intrigued me. Especially when you read the description: "delivers your favorite Lions Fixtures, club events, and birthdays right to your calendar..." Now, we are getting personal. Birthdays and club events. This means you'll be reminded of each player's birthday (as you would a friend/family member's)... and you have access to special events. This is a level of personal connection that goes beyond the simple game schedule (not that a game schedule is a bad thing to get onto fans' calendars!) It's just an action that positions the club as your friend, not just something you watch.

Clicking on "eDiary" takes you here. We get a sample of more details -- the diary syncs automatically with your calendar program, without you having to install anything. Now that's pretty cool and it's critical. We aren't going to get a separate calendar for the Lions from our calendar we use for everything else. They recognize this and work with us, on our calendars!

Install this for yourself, here.

How could this be better? It starts with the notion of automatic calendar updates. If this syncs automatically, why not pump it full of opportunities to connect with the team. (that are only available to those who use this calendar) Perhaps its a monthly dinner (or coffee) with a player/coach/trainer? Or a pre-game pep rally with exclusive benefits? If the Lions can create extra value, they can shape behavior to make this eDiary something you have to get as a fan!

That's a wrap. Come back tomorrow for more AFL Best Practices! As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks!

Andy