Check the images below, uploaded prior to Game 2′s game at OKC.

The Lake Show, pregame, getting shots up

Russell Westbrook gets shots up pregame of Game 2

The pregame energy was mirrored with parallel strategies in-game:

Lakers React In Game 2

Thunder react in Game 2

It’s a powerful thing – when you see it all together in one spot.  Two teams putting in the extra effort before the game matched with incredible emotion in game.  And leveraging Instagram is an effective way of delivering this emotion to fans in real time.

The final point to make is that neither the Lakers nor the Thunder oversaturated Instagram.  The Thunder (page here) delivered 5 images the day of Game 2.  The Lakers (page here) posted 3 times.  Part of that is the magic of Instagram.  As we expect a higher quality image, it becomes critical we don’t overuse the tool.  Both teams deliver this in a big way, making this just another great way to follow a great series.

Stick with me on this blog for more best practices.  Or follow along on Twitter (here) or Facebook (here).

thanks for reading,

Andy

Let’s take a look.

The LA Clippers are rallying around the phrase “#RiseUp”  As you’ll see in the two images below, the visual style of Facebook makes for a much more crisp visual read for what we, as fans, are being asked to do.

The Clippers Hype #RiseUp thru Facebook Timeline

The Clippers ask fans to #RiseUp on Twitter

Meanwhile the Indiana Pacers have launched a “#BeatTheHeat” campaign.  Again, the visual style of Facebook makes it much more apparent what we are rallying behind.

The Pacers Ask Fans to #BeatTheHeat through Facebook

An Instagram photo is used to rally Pacers fans on Twitter

But it goes beyond the layout and structure of the pages.  I really love how the Pacers are reaching out to fans to adopt this handle (and visual) via Facebook posts — check this post out:

Love the tone and call to action of this Facebook post

Pacers fans are adopting these as hashtags on Twitter, though to a quick read it feels like the #BeatTheHeat message is adopting at a quicker rate…

#BeatTheHeat mentions on Twitter

#RiseUp mentions on Twitter

Fans love the message and are bringing it into their own world.  Which brings me to the key learnings from these campaigns:

1. Recognize that Facebook and Twitter can complement each other really well.  Facebook gives a visual pop that Twitter doesn’t offer…  Twitter gives scale and the ability to rally people on a topic that Facebook doesn’t offer.
2. Make it clear what you want fans to do.  Love the post asking fans, directly, to change their Facebook image.  I’d love to see the Pacers add a Hashtag to their creative, making it more clear to use this message on Twitter.
3. Find ways to reward, elevate, or spotlight fans who are doing what you’ve asked.

Thanks for sticking with me.  As always, you can follow along for more best practices here on this blog or on Facebook (here) or Twitter (here)

Andy

First, the Eastern Conference:

Sixers defeat Bulls

Celtics defeat Hawks

Heat defeat Knicks

Pacers defeat Magic

Now, let’s shift to the Western Conference:

Spurs defeat Jazz

Clippers defeat Grizzlies

Thunder defeat Mavs

Lakers Defeat Nuggets

All 8 teams made posts (phew), but the spread of how teams reacted is pretty wide — it’s incredible actually to see this in one spot.  Here are some key observations:

Visuals are key.  6 of the 8 posts featured a visual…  but only 4 of the 8 (Sixers, Pacers, Clippers, and Lakers) have original imagery in this post.

The final score isn’t critical.  6 of the 8 post listed the final score — the Clippers and Celtics did not, which is an interesting thought.  To me you don’t need to report the score in Facebook but rather strive to reflect the emotion of the fan base through your post.

When you escape the final score post, you have a chance to elevate a call to action.  The Clippers added a Hashtag (#RiseUp) in their post, while the Celtics added a call to action for tickets

Should be some great basketball the next few weeks.  What are your takes on these posts?

Follow along here, or stick with me on Twitter (here) or Facebook (here).

Thanks for reading.

Andy

In the convenience of a photostream, find all 16 teams’ Facebook Timeline images below:

First, the East:

Sixers

Knicks

Magic

Hawks

Celtics

Pacers

Heat

Bulls

And now on to the West

Jazz

Mavs

Nuggets

Clippers

Lakers

Thunder

Spurs

What can we take away from this?  It’s clear that this is a monster opportunity to make a visual statement and differentiate your team, which is critical to make sure you establish the right feel.  You can almost feel each team through the visual, can’t you?

Match Images to the Feel of the Team or Moment:  Six teams (Lakers, Nuggets, Thunder, Grizzlies, Pacers, Magic) lead with team-driven images.  Two teams (Mavs, Bulls) lead with fans/stadium images.  Four teams (Sixers, Heat, Hawks, Jazz) elevate key player(s) of the moment.  All can work in the right context.  The key is matching image style to the feel….  and not being afraid to update this image often.

We can empower fans to take our message and run with it.  The Sixers, here make multiple images available for fans to apply to their timelines.

We can put a defined focus on one message.  The Celtics, here, put a bold brand statement forward in a striking and simple way — demanding our attention as fans.  Simplicity is a great tactic.

Advertising changes the vibe:  Two teams bring advertisers into their Timeline image (the Bulls and the Knicks).  This is a dangerous slope to ride.  While it may bring in revenue, it definitely hurts that feel relative to other teams.

What do you think?

Stick with me for more best practices here… or follow along on Facebook (here) or Twitter (here).

Thanks for reading

andy

When I came across these pictures of Devin Ebanks and Andrew Bynum on the LA Lakers’ Instagram page, I was blown away.  Take a peak at the style of photography, the perspective, and well the access (not a whole lot of fans around here!)  Leading up to today’s Lakers-Nuggets game, the LA Lakers dropped these gems onto their Instagram page.

Devin Ebanks Gets Ready for the Lakers Playoff Game Today

Andrew Bynum gets loose working on his midrange game

One stop at their Instagram home page and you feel the emotion.  These photos aren’t a one-time thing, but rather part of a defined strategy.  The photos aren’t obtrusive, but by sharing them onto Instagram (and Twitter) in real time, fans who simply don’t have the access that the team does get that feeling of goosebumps.  To me, this is a case study of how teams should approach photography — take a few amazing shots, deliver them through social in real time, and put a premium on access and style throughout.

Lakers Instagram Home Page

It will be interesting to follow how more teams start leveraging Instagram this season as that network begins to scale.

Oh, and if you are curious how the Lakers responded post game, check the image below…  yes, that’s a shot of their white board.  Aren’t you pumped?

Lakers White Board post tonight's win

Follow along here, or you can stick with me on Twitter (here) or Facebook (here).

Thanks for reading,

Andy

Let’s start by comparing two pages in their top level view:  The Wisconsin Basketball Facebook home and The Wisconsin Basketball Pinterest home.  Check the images:

The Wisconsin Pinterest page highlights big moments on the Badgers run in the 2012 NCAA Tournament

The Badgers Facebook page does a nice job of leveraging Timeline formatting

Wisconsin is a great contrast because they do a nice job on both fronts – both Facebook and Pinterest have a strategy in place and they are updated in a visual manner.  But this view also starts to give you a difference in the two networks:  While Facebook is a chronological view of all your activity, Pinterest is what you choose to spotlight.  You’d have to scroll quite a ways down the page to get to the Wisconsin posts on their NCAA Tournament appearance this year.  Pinterest you simply open the page.   Because Wisconsin curates their Basketball Pinterest page with powerful stories and visuals around their tourney appearance, it makes a bold statement that Facebook’s structure isn’t set up to deliver.

I’ve also come to notice that Facebook Timeline makes more and more teams feel the same way.  You customize your headline image and you have your posts.  Pinterest, by contrast, is all over the board.  That can be a bad thing if you aren’t organized… but, as Wisconsin shows us, if you have a plan the result is quite a brand statement.

So while Pinterest today might be largely female (80% is the number I see here), it can still be positioned to define your brand in a visually powerful way.

As always, thank you for reading.  Tune back in here, or you can follow along on Facebook (here) or Twitter (here).

Andy

One of my favorite things to see is when programs find a way to bring their social communities closer together.  When that happens, it brings people together on a massive scale.  As you’ll see today, the Illinois Fighting Illini are taking smart steps to connect YouTube and Twitter.  Let’s take a visit to the Illinois Athletics YouTube Channel.  Shift your eyes to the right and you will quickly see links to each of the Fighting Illini’s 5 Twitter accounts, positioned right under the definition of the page.  It’s subtle but strong as it feels natural but makes it very prominent how you can stay connected to the program.

Twitter and YouTube are a great match as shown on the Illini's YouTube Home page

Scroll further down the page and you will see that the Illini extend this style of curation into their approach to Playlists.  Key programs have their own Playlists, which is critical if you have a diverse lineup of content.  I love this, as fans (or recruits) can watch all the videos in one stream or they can share each playlist.  This may feel subtle, but imagine the recruiting potential this offers as we develop more and more high-quality content around each team!  Said differently, hit football recruits with football content…  not baseball highlights too!

Love the visual of each sport's playlist

If you want to see a deeper look at the recruiting impact, look no further than right here.   Check out how the Illini applied the idea of a YouTube Playlist against this year’s football signing day, here or below.  (Note, several programs applied this idea this year and I can’t get over the power of it!) This style allows fans to see their newest talent and recruits/current players to see their future teammates.  It is content and storytelling that a school can own and the Illini are doing just that.

Playlists work well for moments in time, like this one showing all highlights from the Football Class of 2012

Here’s that full playlist in a clickable format if you want to explore more deeply:

Naturally, the idea of Playlists is also applied through each team, like the Men’s Basketball list, here.  Love, love, love this potential.  Now imagine if we apply the same level of consistency and focus that exists around the Recruiting site.  Huge opportunity to build the identity of the program.

The Illini Men's Basketball Playlist organizes all basketball videos into one stream

So, in sum, YouTube is evolving into a key recruiting tool.  But like any tool, it’s only as good as the sharpness of content and structure that we apply.  The Illini are a great example of a program that has the pieces in place —  we can all learn from them!

As always, thank you for reading.  Tune back in here, or you can follow along on Facebook (here) or Twitter (here).

Andy

Let’s start at the Michigan Basketball page, shown below.  You’ll note the landing page takes us to a window with Top Stories highlighted.  Social Media is front and center (literally and figuratively).

Michigan Basketball Home Page

Click on Social Media and the window expands (shown below) to give us the latest not on the Michigan Athletics Facebook or Twitter pages but on the Michigan Basketball pages.  You are now one click away from following or liking the Wolverines but you are doing it with context of how they connect and within the comfy confines of the Michigan Basketball Website.

Clicking on Social Media Takes You to the Basketball Social Hub

Similarly, check out the Football page.  As you’ll see below, the same model is followed – allowing all teams to populate with their communities.

Football Social Media takes us to the football hub

And to show how much this idea scales, check out the Women’s Cross Country page.  As you’ll note below, the Wolverines have set up a framework that allows their programs to connect with sharp focus!

The Michigan Cross Country Social Media page follows the lead established by basketball and football

Which is the big learning for today.  Don’t see the goal to be to give fans a directory of all the ways they can connect with you.  Take the time to think about the needs of your consumer — which you can often gauge from looking at where they are coming from.  If they are likely a basketball fan (or recruit), serve them up basketball communities.  That’s so much more powerful than serving up a long list of ways to connect with the Wolverines!

Thanks for reading.  Tune back in here, or you can follow along on Facebook (here) or Twitter (here).

Andy