Tennessee Titans Reward Fan Questions through Facebook

Social networks do one thing really well: they connect people. That's a critical thing to keep on your mind as you develop a strategy. And it's a great thing for teams to think about, because they have potential to really take advantage of this by connecting their fans to their players.

Say what?

Exactly. Can you imagine walking down the concourse in an arena and having a team marketing representative stop you and say "I'd love to introduce you to (insert player)." No way. But that's exactly what social media can do. And I get a bit giddy when I see it in action.

Let's take inspiration in what the NFL's Tennessee Titans are doing.

Hit the Titans Facebook page and look at the left-hand side of the page. There you'll see "Ask a Titan", which is where I'd love you to click. (You can also click in right here)...

You'll note that they have a permanent place for this feature (as permanent as digital stuff can ever be I guess). And they are elevating one person each week. (See the thumbnail in the upper right-hand corner of the page). When you click in to enter, you'll leave Facebook, taking you to the page below (or here)...

It's on this page that you can enter your question and have a chance to win. It's ironic to me that what you win is a prize package from Motorola. Cool, yes, but a bit disconnected as well. Winners are notified via email, one per week.

How could we make this better? Well for starters, anyone can give away entertainment packages. But not anyone could give away the chance to connect with a player. Fans are submitting questions - why not make the prize package the chance to watch the question being asked, in person (or even over Skype)? Let them meet the player, thus rewarding with access and making them closer in the process. Finally, post the winning question on Facebook and tag both the player and the fan in the post. Give them some social street cred after all!

And for the rest of us, take inspiration here -- the Titans are asking for input. Just don't overthink the reward system. Fans want access, and I'd love to see a few steps in this direction.

Thanks for hanging this week. I'll be back Monday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

USC Football has fun with a Caddyshack Video

Don't be afraid to have fun.

Sometimes the best practices I share are pretty technical. Other times, like today, they are about things that may sound like they're common sense but, I assure you, they aren't.

Today you get a friendly reminder of the fact that you shouldn't forget who your consumer is. At USC Football, the consumer who follows them on social media is likely either a current athlete/student/fan, an alum, or a potential student-athlete. In other words, it's people who want to hear from them and who like them a great deal. The audience is youthful, and wants to be fired up about Trojan football.

So what do you do before the season opener against Minnesota? Why, blow up the Gophers mascot, of course.

The journey started on the USC Football page, here. On the page you'll see a feed of USC Athletics Twitter chatter. It was here where I saw the simple post: "In honor of the Minnesota opener, we reedited a "Caddyshack" classic."

Naturally, I clicked in (here, or play it below)...

Funny, and definitely worth 12 seconds of your time.

How could this be better? I'd love to see more of this infused in the Trojans blog, Facebook feed, and Twitter feed. But they were right on the money to leverage YouTube for this content. Let fans subscribe to a channel of videos (maybe "Trojan Football Battles"?) and have fun with it. Include fun videos (like this one) and pep talks from crazed fans or intense coaches. Use this channel not as a one-off video but as a rallying cry for the Trojan fanbase... and future athlete base.

I'll be back Wednesday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Cleveland Browns Celebrate Their Fans with Fanographies on Facebook

Is it possible to elevate some fans in a way that makes other fans want to participate?

That's an interesting question I've thought about often (yes, I know I am a nerd). But there's depth there -- meaning when you elevate one fan, you have potential to do it in a way that makes other fans want to be a part... or you can do it in a way that turns other fans off.

I was pretty impressed with how the Cleveland Browns went after this concept. It starts with a visit to the Browns Facebook page, here. Click on "Fanographies" (weird title, I know), which will take you here...

You need to "Like" the Browns to see this content. Normally I'm not a fan of that strategy -- just get the content out there. But with something like this, it's only going to appeal to a fan of the team... thus, it makes complete sense. Once you've liked the team, you get to the page shown below.

You'll see the Browns have elevated 5 fans and, as you can see from the comment above, they are making an impact by doing this. In case you can't read the comment, I'll add a bit of it for you right here.

"I've probably watched it at least 20x, and with each viewing I'm smiling and get the chills... Thanks for showcasing my story. I'm proud to be a Browns fan!"

Yes, that comment got 17 likes as of now. Which is powerful as it shows that fans are engaging not just with the video itself but with the comments about said video.

If you want to add your story? Click the call to action on the page (or here). As you'll see below, it's pretty easy. Add words, pictures, and video and submit. The Browns staff then picks stories to go deeper with and celebrate as a Fanography.

How could this be better? What if this wasn't asking fans to submit this and wait around but rather it created your personal Fanography -- mixing together what you write or upload with comments/videos/pictures of the team. Then it posted to your wall so that your own personal Browns story could be viewed by your full network of friends? That impact feels much greater than the beautiful stories produced by the Browns... which, by the way, they should keep doing!

My only other suggestion is to make it easier to share the great Fanographies created by the Browns. Possibly by loading the videos to YouTube and embedding them here -- so they can both be shared quickly and found organically through YouTube search!

Fantastic idea here though... I got chills and I'm not even a Browns fan!

Thanks for hanging this week. I'll be back Monday with more best practices. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

Florida State Wants You to Help Design Their Athletics Tee

It's a big deal to wear the jersey.

Why? I think it comes down to being one of the few lucky enough to wear a uniform with your school's name on it - dead center, in front of the world. As a student-athlete, you are a representative of your school -- not just of today but of the past (alums) and the future (recruits). It's a lot of responsibility and it makes an impact on you.

But how can a university make this into a bigger deal for their student body, alumni, and fans? Florida State University developed a way for everyone to play a role.

It all starts on the Florida State Athletics Page, shown below.

Im going to zoom in on that right-hand column of touts, here.




We'll turn our attention to "You Design, We'll Decide." Clicking in takes us here, to the magic. As you will see below, this is your chance to submit a design for the FSU all-sport promotional shirt. (You still have almost a full week to go -- so design away once you finish this read!)

The steps are laid out clearly - download a template, design away, sign a release, and submit.

I'll be interested in following this, because it opens the door for fans to have a voice in how the athletics department presents itself to the world.

But how could this be better? First, I think we need context - emotional context. What do I mean by that? What is the "all-sport promotional tee?" Do the players wear these? Do they sell them? What have they looked like in the past? What if FSU went deeper -- asking players and coaches to provide a brief for what they'd love to see in a shirt. If you're a diehard FSU fan, there's not much more cool than getting a brief from your coach (or players) and then setting out to solve it!!!

Secondly, FSU should make the assets available. Make it easier to design for you by providing high res logos, images, colors, fonts -- anything you can do to allow designers to not have to search around for tools.

Finally, I'd love to see a plan for unveiling these. Maybe it will be at media day - where the designer will be a VIP? Or maybe at the first football game? Giving access to the team(s) for the best designer adds a dimension only FSU can deliver!!!

Great stuff today, with more coming later in the week. Feel free to follow along via Facebook (here) or Twitter (I'm @andypawlowski, here)

Thanks.

Andy

AFL Best Practices: Essendon Elevates the Voice of the Fan

One common theme I hear in social media is that people simply want a voice... and that social media gives them a place to share one. The amazing part is that if you, the team, can find a way to amplify that voice, you both build a deep connection with that fan and you make your team's brand feel more personal -- which builds deeper connections with more fans.

All by elevating individuals?

Check out what the Essendon Bombers deliver through digital. Hit the Essendon home page and scroll down...

You'll see a section called "FANS", which I'll paste below.


Note how they have signaled out one voice, that of fan Alan De Menezes:

"Our depth was tested tonight. The boys were looking tired but Richmond played the better footy on the night and deserved to win."

Wow - talk about singling someone out. (In a good way) As mentioned earlier, we all just want to be heard. And Essendon more than hears this fan, they amplify his voice to allow for others to do the same. If you check back often (as I did), you see that they swap out these quotes fairly regularly.

Great inspiration here.

How could this be better? Predictability. How can they make it a moment when Gail appears on the site? Could they message her, with a screen grab of the home page and a note of thanks for being so passionate on the team. Could they inspire all fans, with contests and a promise to elevate the winner to the big stage (the home page)? Feels like this is a good idea that can become great with some subtle additions!

We've made it another week. Hope you're enjoying this as we dive into a completely new sport together.

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

Thanks!

Andy

NBA Best Practices: Milwaukee Bucks Elevate the 6th Man to the Home Page

One of the questions I've pondered a lot is how can teams better leverage the fact that there are individuals who are literally fanatical about their product? I mean it's not something that happens a lot in the world -- where a person can literally be brought to tears (of joy or sadness) based on how a product performs. Crazy huh?

The Milwaukee Bucks have found a way to not just recognize but elevate their best fans.

Late in the season, a visit to the Bucks home page and showed a call out for their 6th Fan Blogger. Without even clicking in, I liked this -- as it's the sound of a crowd is known as the 6th Man... So let's dive in.

Clicking in, you can get the story of Jake LeRoy, the Bucks' current 6th Man. He tells us about his experience here. I'm going to paste the set up because this is a great way of understanding how much emotion, how much opportunity is right here:

"My experience as the 6th Fan Blogger for the Milwaukee Bucks as been the perfect marriage of two of my greatest passions: writing and the Bucks. I would estimate I’ve watched approximately 90 percent of Milwaukee’s games over the last 12 years. This is despite living in locations that weren’t at all conducive to watching Bucks games. Certain measures had to be taken so I could get my fix. Not taking these steps would’ve resulted in a severe Bucks deficiency and I would’ve been a shell of my former self..."

A closer look shows that not only do we get his name on the posts, but we also get a link to his Twitter profile, here (@JakesTake34). What I love about this is that the value this fan will get from being the 6th Fan Blogger (increased awareness/followers/personal brand) will last long after his tour of Bucks Duty is complete. He's now in a spot where other fans look to as an insider.

And the Bucks are asking fans to enter to be the next blogger, here. I love that you are asked to tell them in exactly 24 words why you have what it takes to be the next Blogger...

The winner gets free tickets to the games and, of course, exposure. So at no cost to the Bucks they are fueling the passions inside the strongest of their fans. Solid!

How could this be better? I'd love to have a Bucks Official Twitter list of past 6th Fans. So your tour of official duty is done, but you are still listed as an insider. I'd also love to see the Bucks create a special location on press row for the 6th Fan to live blog during games from. And publish that live blog on the scoreboard in arena, during the game... Thus raising the fan voice to levels never seen before!

Are you fired up yet?

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

Thanks!

Andy