Marketing Services

By: Coach Bill Conley 

Marketing services are an important part of the world of college recruiting. They are especially designed to help the high school athlete get recognition and exposure to college and university athletic programs.  These services are also valuable to those athletic programs that do not have the budgets to do extensive national recruiting due to financial limitations.

 How They Work

 Marketing services put together a profile or help the athlete put together his or her own profile which is then made available to colleges in that specific sport. Services may mail these profiles to the colleges or make them attainable online via the internet.

The profile will contain information which is vital to collegiate coaching staffs. Everything from physical dimensions, athletic stats, honors, and academic performance are examples of the type of material contained on the profile page.

Recruiting is a numbers game and the more schools that an athlete gets exposed to, the better the chance of receiving some type of financial aid.

 Other Services Provided

Many services provide more than a simple profile. They can help the athlete put together an introductory letter, tell them the proper way to research a specific institution, advise them on what questions to ask a college coach, how to conduct themselves on an official or unofficial visit, and even testing advice. Not all marketing services provide everything mentioned but many provide multiple advisory functions. The athlete and parents should thoroughly research the specific services in order to find the best fit for their needs.

 Who They Benefit the Most

 Marketing services can benefit all high school athletes but are especially beneficial to those athletes that are not in high profile sports. For example, Division I football and basketball programs at the collegiate level normally have large recruiting budgets. They can spend many thousands of dollars sending their coaching staffs around the country to find players, buying recruiting lists, obtaining videos, flying in recruits for visits, etc.

While important, those programs account for less than 10% of the total athletes involved in sports programs. It's often the other 90% that can benefit from marketing services.  Non-revenue sports at the college level can use these services to identify and find athletes that meet both their athletic needs and academic requirements.

 When Recruiting Services should be Used

 The sooner an athlete can be identified or be on the radar of a college the better.  Once the athlete is a freshman in high school they are considered a prospect by colleges and universities. These institutions can find out about athletes in various ways such as camps, combines, videos, media resources, high school coaching contacts, and marketing services to mention a few. It's never too early to get exposure to college coaching staffs but it can sometimes be too late. The athlete and his or her parents should be proactive.

 Who Pays for These Services

 The athlete and his or her parents pay a fee to the marketing service. The price may range from several hundred to several thousands of dollars depending upon the scope of the services provided. The thing to remember, however, is that the costs are quickly recovered if the athlete ends up being recruited to play at the collegiate level. Even sports that are non-scholarship often work out a financial package that makes it possible for the student athlete to attend college at a cheaper rate than the average student. As a result, the money used on marketing services by parents and athletes is money well spent.