Now that you have your sports skills video produced, what do you do with it? You will notice that I used the word “marketing” in the title of this post. No one is going to market you like you can. I understand that select organizations often help with the recruiting process by printing tournament literature and by posting recruiting sections on their websites, but my statement stands. No one is going to market you like you can. So, how do you do it?

Your skills video/DVD is a tool that you must now use. If you do not actively use it, it will be like seed that is never removed from the sack and planted. It will not grow. I want to discuss a couple of strategies.

Hopefully you have two video tools.

1. A professionally produced 10-15 minute menu driven skills DVD.
2. A 3-5 minute online video that can be accessed by the viewer online via a link in an email and/or can be embedded in a website.

At ML Casey Video Services, we routinely produce these two tools for a number of sports.

You should have a list of at least fifteen colleges, but as many as you can manage communicating with, that you are interested in. I recommend that this include a mixture of schools from “reach” choices (Div. 1, for example) to smaller schools and junior colleges. Create a mailing list with the head coaches’ names, addresses, and email addresses. In creating this list of your target schools don’t forget to make sure the school meets your academic needs. You are going to be using your degree a lot longer than you are going to be playing sports.

Write a letter to the coach explaining that you are interested in playing your sport in college, that you have researched their program (record, results, history, roster, etc.), and that you would like to learn more and see if you might be a fit. Your letter should prominently include your graduation class and position(s) played. Invite them to view the enclosed DVD, and express an interest in visiting their campus. Tell them you are interested in any camps or tryouts they may be hosting. Your video should include contact information, but be sure to include that in your letter, too. You should let the coach know if you have already applied to the college. Definitely let them know if you are already accepted. That is important information for a coach. Send the letter and the DVD in a padded envelope to protect it.

If you are currently in season (high school or select), include a schedule so the coach or assistants can come watch you play.

For each school you are pursuing, create a correspondence log that tracks all correspondence and interaction with that school. For example:

Podunk University

• 5/13/2009 – Sent Coach Whatshisname my initial letter and DVD
• 5/14/2009 – Completed Podunk’s online athletic questionnaire. Mentioned in the comments section that my DVD is in the mail.
• 5/20/2009 – Followed up with an email to Coach Whatshisname to be sure he received my DVD and the questionnaire.
• 5/20/2009 – Coach Whatshisname emailed me back that he did receive the DVD and the questionnaire. He hopes to view it in the next couple of days.

A couple of points about emails. Be sure to always include your name and graduation class in the subject line of any email. You want the coach to be able to quickly identify your email in his or her inbox. Also, always include a link to the online version of your video. You can put it in a signature line of each email if you choose. Perhaps your signature block is like this:

Sincerely,

Rebecca Topnotch

Class of 2012

Austin, TX

(123) 456-7890 (mobile)

My online skills video: http://recruits.mlcasey.com/rebecca-topnotch

If you set that signature block up and save it, you can automatically include it with each email. It is not hard with most email systems to create a signature like that. A coach that may not make the time to find your DVD in the stack of stuff on the desk, open it up, pop it in the DVD player, and watch it, may very well click on your link and watch your four minute video. That could well cause the coach to find and watch the full DVD

Recruiting Sites

If your travel/select team has a recruiting section, be sure to provide the webmaster with your embedded code or with a link to your online video.

Our clients at ML Casey Video Services automatically get a personal profile page on our site with their online video embedded. This dedicated and personalized link can be a great tool to use in emails.

There are a number of free recruiting sites where your player can create a profile and post a link or embed the video. There are even more sites out there that will use your video and promote your player for a fee (often substantial). We never used those with my son. The most effective technique for him was the letter/DVD combination and the emails with links.

Conclusion

Give some thought to how you will interact with the coach when he or she calls or emails. Demonstrate in your written correspondence (both letter and email) that you know the language and write well. Again, you are selling yourself not only as an athlete, but a student. Also, be respectful in your phone conversations with the coach. Be honest about your interest and your abilities. It is always good to ask, “What is the next step, Coach?” Be sure to make notes in your correspondence log about what was said and what the next steps are.

My belief is that the video’s main purpose is to get you an opportunity to interact with a coach in person and to show them who you are and what you can do. That could be in a camp, a tryout, a campus visit, or by them watching you compete live in a tournament or game. Once you get that audience, it is up to you and the coach to determine that you are the right fit for each other.

Good luck, and don’t be shy. Remember, no one is going to market you like you can!

If we can answer any questions or help in any way, please drop us a line at mark@mlcasey.com