Marketing your athletic skills has become an essential part in the recruiting process. A select group of high school recruits, known as blue chippers or five star recruits, have the luxury of spending little time trying to get noticed. Coaches already know who those athletes are. However, coaches don’t know the majority of high school athletes whom need to spend a considerable amount of time trying to standout from the masses. In order to standout you should have a good marketing campaign in place.

A good marketing campaign should be well thought out and executed with precision. Every product that has succeeded has been thoroughly tested in the marketplace. You should do the same before attempting to market your skills. Think of your skills as a commodity, and your target market is college coaches. That means you should build your marketing campaign around the thought of getting college coaches interested in what you have to offer. This section contains some pointers for you when developing a marketing campaign to increase your scholarship opportunities. Read through it and answer the questions below for help as you start your marketing campaign.

• 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