Figure out what your strengths are, and what you are good at that will separate you from the pack. You can leverage these traits against your competition, enticing coaches to buy into your skills. There are thousands of recruits out there that are probably just like you. Your goal is to get a college recruiter interested in what you have to offer. When filling out your RecruitLook profile or contacting a coach, make sure your strengths are highlighted.

Let’s do a real-life scenario on how a good marketing campaign can sway you into purchasing a product. You can’t decide between a new pair of Nike’s and a new pair of Reebok’s. However, through Nike’s marketing campaign you were informed they would make you run faster, jump higher, and give you far superior comfort. You decided to go with the Nike’s because Reebok failed to reach you on a consumer purchasing level. The odds of you becoming a better basketball player based on the shoe you are wearing are very unlikely. You simply bought into a brand based on the strength of Nike’s marketing campaign.

The same can be said when coaches are looking at potential recruits. College coaches don’t necessarily all go after the same top level recruits. When recruiting coaches try to find players that will fit their program’s needs. If a coach at Alumni College has 3 post players they probably will go after a point guard that is good at feeding the ball down low. If you were marketing to the coach that you have a 5-to-1 assist/turnover ratio then you probably will get some looks at Alumni University. Don’t get caught up in how good your statistics are either. Your strengths might not be how many points you score a game, or how many home runs you hit last season. Your strengths could be that you are a straight A student, that you are a good defensive shortstop, or that you are a shutdown cornerback with excellent footwork. Knowing what you are good at and what sets you apart from similar recruits can help you get scholarship opportunities.

• Introduction
• When should you start your marketing campaign
• What sets you apart from other athletes
• How to create a target list
• When should you send out your athlete profile
• What strategies should you use to increase exposure