AFL Digital Best Practices: Western Bulldogs Make it Easy to Like Them

Many organizations make their objective clear: a big and growing social community. And it's also clear how they are measuring it: by the size of their Facebook following. The question we're left with is how do you make it clear that this is what you're after, without coming across as pushy (or needy)?

The Western Bulldogs show us a good step in the right direction.

Let's start by checking out the Western Bulldogs Facebook page (linked here). As you'll easily note in the image below, it's very clear what the Bulldogs want from you (Like them, please). The style is bold but not pushy. In fact, the subtle handwritten call to action makes it feel not pushy at all. But it is the first thing you see upon hitting this page -- and you will most definitely get the message they want you to receive.

Look further down the page and you'll note that the Bulldogs are also offering weekly prizes to their fan group -- offering additional benefit solely for clicking on that "Like" button. Love the idea, but feel like you shouldn't need to offer prizes in exchange for the "Like." (Save your prizes for a much deeper level of engagement.)

How could this be better? It'd be great to see a shift from size of followers to size of active followers. And that, I believe, is where the weekly prizing can make a difference. Said differently, what if the weekly prizes not be a result of simply "Liking" the team, but rather of providing something more? To be eligible for the prize, you should be engaging with the team -- ideas like submitting pictures, writing words of support, being an ambassador and sharing the page with friends, or posting on the Bulldogs wall are all ways of engaging deeper with the brand. And that's exactly where I'd love to see the Bulldogs push (and reward) fans.

We've made it - 17 days of AFL Best Practices. I've learned a ton and hope you've enjoyed this ride.

Come back tomorrow as I shift gears to check out another league down under: the NRL. As always, you can follow me on Twitter (I'm @pawlow34) or on Facebook (Digital Hoops Blast).

Thanks!

Andy