How can you convince a college board to offer you a sports scholarship? The first thing to do is to convince them that you are a dedicated athlete, so you would be wise to start a marketing strategy, sooner rather than later, before applying for the athletic scholarship of interest.
Create an Athletic Resume
If you are passionate about sports, then you’ll probably excel at a specific one and have big dreams about a professional career. That’s great, but you also need to be realistic and see where you stand and whether you meet the requirements to compete at NCAA Division 1 level. Do your research and find out the requirements for every division level to narrow down the list of colleges where you should apply.
Before you start the application process, make sure you have a strong athletic resume. You will need to prove to the coaches who do the recruitment that you have what it takes to go far.
You must prepare a video with highlights of your career or a video showcasing your skills, something good enough to impress a coach that sees great athletes every day. This might require a professional video, not random footage your dad captured on his phone.
The moment you start emailing coaches, you will need to provide a link to your presentation video so they can get see you in action. Thus, it’s important to have the footage done beforehand.
Build an Online Profile
No matter how great of an athlete you are, if you’re not on the internet then you can’t be found by those who are looking for prospects. To prove you’re serious about a sports career, sign up with a recruitment organization, such as ASM Scholarships. Doing so will offer you a chance to get a professional-looking online profile.
The moment a coach searches your name, they will find your profile showing all the relevant information about your career so far, from competitions you took part to trophies won, as well as a well-crafted interview where you get to outline your career plans and ambitions.
Having a profile on ASM Scholarships gives you a chance to be discovered by coaches you didn’t even contact. Someone scouting for new talents might run into your name and if they like what they see, they might decide to contact you through the platform.
Take Care of Your Social Media Presence
If you dream about being famous, look at what famous people do. That includes building a strong social media presence and attracting as many followers as possible.
You can start years before applying for a sports scholarship to build your social media profiles, including Twitter and YouTube. Keep in mind that your online profiles will come under intense scrutiny when you do apply, so only post what you are most proud of and don’t upload offensive content.
To promote yourself well on social media, post about your training sessions and show your interest in sports. Be sure to engage with your followers and answer comments to build a fan base. You want to offer the image of a serious athlete and a friendly person at the same time.
Final Words on Athlete Marketing
Don’t wait for opportunity to come to your door as this often only happens in the movies. In real life, you need a good marketing strategy. You must make yourself known and promote yourself in any possible way. The tips above will help you do that effectively.
