3 Ways to Use Social Media in the College Recruiting Process
Social media is changing the way we communicate and it is having a major impact on the college recruiting process. Whether you like it or not coaches and universities are looking at your social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for information and to make decisions on whether or not to recruit you or offer you an athletic scholarship.
The NCAA is still trying to figure out how to deal with social media but college programs are already way ahead of them as most universities and college athletic programs are very active in social media sites. This is a great opportunity for recruits to learn more about a program and ultimately make a better decision about where to play at the college level.
Be sure to take steps and set up your on line profiles for the recruiting process. Once you are ready, here are some tips for using social media in the recruiting process.
Friend/Like Them on Facebook
Only a few years ago there were almost no college programs on Facebook. Now, pretty much every college program and team has a Facebook page. Teams that are active on Facebook are constantly sharing new photos from competitions and updating people who like their page on results. This is a great opportunity for you to learn about the program, show your interest by liking their updates, and maybe getting the chance to friend current team members and get a better idea of what life is like competing for that program.
Follow them on Twitter
Not as many schools and coaches are on Twitter as on Facebook, but for those that are, it is a great opportunity for potential recruits. Twitter is a great place to get a deeper sense of a program. In general, coaches and programs update their Twitter account more often and generally share more of their personal thoughts. You can get a sense of what it might be like to be a part of that team by following them. Just like Facebook, the key is that you interact and show interest. Mention them in your tweets and re tweet their good results and show that you are serious about possibly being part of their team.
Subscribe to Their You Tube Channel
You Tube can be the single best place for a recruit to learn about a program. Tech savvy athletic programs are using YouTube to overcome shrinking recruiting budgets to share videos with prospective recruits. Subscribe to their You Tube channel, and you can automatically get updates every time they share new video footage. You can see footage from games and watch athlete and coach interviews, and some schools even offer tours of the facilities- all online.
Are you having trouble finding the social media accounts for colleges you want to go to or need advice on what to do next? Ask your questions in the comments section below or find us on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+!