With the NCAA’s recent approval of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights, collegiate players are beginning to think like professionals when it comes to developing their personal brands and pursuing sponsorship agreements.
They may now earn a lot of money through sponsorships as well, so the distinction between college and pro players in this area has nearly vanished. As of now, companies can look for student-athlete partnerships.
While extraordinary athleticism is still vital, sponsors are increasingly looking for athletes with a positive attitude, a clean past, and a strong and active social media following. As these athletes’ careers progress, they’re seeking powerful personalities that can best represent and support their brands.
For years, professional athletes have reaped the benefits of the link between a good media presence and sponsorship deals. A strong social media presence is becoming even more crucial, especially for smaller businesses.
Student-athletes may learn a thing or two from professional players when it comes to building their own digital personal identities.
Athletes in any sport are now social networking influencers, as proved by the pros, and if they place themselves right, athletes are Hired for social media marketing. However, younger players should begin raising their profiles today in order to take advantage of the most profitable money-making chances.
Building an athlete’s fan base demands the same patience, devotion, and knowledge that it takes to perfect a sport.
However, whether they pursue a professional job, or even (particularly) if they don’t, this boost will help them open doors to new opportunities. The good news is that collegiate athletes are already generating and sharing material as digital natives.
They just need to think about personal brand creation and what sort of persona would best assist their future profession through the perspective of strategic, long-term thinking.
Student-Athletes: Keys to Developing a Strong Personal Brand
The Internet and Social Media
Your best buddy is social media. If you allow it to be. Remove any images, comments, or other content that you don’t want your supervisor to view. Your Instagram account may appear to be private, but it is not. I guarantee it.
Make use of your social media profiles to promote yourself, your achievements, and your connections. On those lengthy bus travels, maybe follow a few professional and networking accounts or successful entrepreneurs to learn a thing or two. Allowing it to be a disadvantage is not an option.
By creating their social media accounts and collaborations with intention and alignment, college athletes may build effective, long-lasting brands that open up endorsement possibilities similar to the professionals. The intention is concerned with portraying a consistent, genuine voice and personality, as well as selecting an appropriate topic matter.
Alignment entails choosing sponsors and platforms that are compatible with the goal they’ve established as well as the public impression and values they want to retain.
Authenticity is priceless.
On social media, high-quality, real material from athletes reaches and interacts with fans in ways that sports sponsors will never match for their players on owned platforms.
This genuine, first-person approach to social media may be emulated by college players. Schools can provide student-athletes with the resources to generate original material or share team-captured photographs or videos with their own comments.
That media may be a slew of handpicked matchday photographs or behind-the-scenes footage of teammates exercising and hanging around. Players may post media that enhances their profile and allows their personality to show thanks to their unique perspectives. They won’t want to stop once they start generating and sharing material.
Create a Network
Join all of the social media networks that your friends are buzzing about. Create a LinkedIn page to display the world the most comprehensive version of your CV possible, befriend everyone you can, and follow intriguing companies and blogs to learn more about what interests you.
If you’re an athlete, take advantage of Athlete Network’s career services to begin contacting businesses as soon as feasible. Step out of your comfort zone and send messages to individuals who can assist you. You’d be shocked how so many interviews this may land you in the future.
It’s Important to Share on Social Media Frequently and Consistently.
The brand of an athlete does not change with the seasons. Their sponsorship arrangements and fan ties don’t work that way, though; they’re all year-round obligations. As a result, their social media profiles must also be.
It also doesn’t work to post once a week or once a month. It takes time to engage followers on a daily basis; athletes should share tales at least once a day, if not more, and consider devoting even 15 minutes to writing personal comments to complement their articles.
It may be difficult for student-athletes to maintain a consistent stream of information on their social media sites. They may also outsource the capturing and publication of material from their accounts to others, such as family, friends, and agencies.
Schools can aid in content capture by engaging the assistance of live content reporters such as the major professional leagues. When they and their teams are seeking new content to share, they may develop curated multimedia galleries for their players.
Spending a little effort each day on your brand helps you develop a strong foundation for the future. Make the most of your sport. If you’re a student-athlete, you currently possess one of the most sought-after resume boosters and skill sets among employers.
Being a collegiate athlete demonstrates that you can manage your time, deal with hardship, and, above all, compete. In your résumé, networking sites, and social media accounts, including your sport and skillset.
For the sake of their student-athletes and schools, college sports directors are increasingly realising the importance of supporting player branding.
They may start implementing these five lessons now by providing players with their own media, allowing them to start contributing high-quality material on a regular and year-round basis.
That constant concentration and attention, along with intention and alignment, is what creates effective, long-term athlete brands, which can aid you in obtaining student-athlete partnerships with businesses to advance your career.
