obbay
Banned
I am coming at this having some experience in self-promotion/marketing (side business, no longer doing it). When I started, the medium was shifting to more online presence rather than hard copy/direct mail or advertising in the professional directories. Many sites popped up with varying costs, offering potential exposure to the "right" markets. Having a presence on one or many of these sites didn't make you any more attractive to a potential client, it was all about what you bring to the table. Presence on these websites did attract more spam to my mailbox and clients looking to get something for nothing. In the end, the thing that seemed to work the best was having a multi pronged attack, one "prong" of which was maintaining a web-presence that could easily be linked to in an e-mail or over the phone. That web presence should be interesting for a potential client but not exhaustive- always leave them wanting (to see) more.
I look at the recruiting process like Riseball said- like getting a job.
I set DD up with a Free profile at the NCSA website which can be edited/added to whenever we want. at the same time it's very easy for a potential coach to click on a link, take a quick look and see if they want to see more or forget it. they can see as much or as little detail as they want. It's up to DD to do her homework, find the schools she's interested in, initiate contact, etc. this online profile serves merely as a resume that is easily provided to anyone who is interested. No matter how good they are, I would never expect a service to do the work the recruit should do. It may be no surprise to you, but it turns out college coaches really like to receive a phone call as their initial contact from a recruit (if possible).
Part of the NCSA thing is you get to talk to one of their recruiters on the phone to get your questions answered and then they will have a conference call with DD and parents. this was VERY good for my then 14 yo DD who did not like talking to adults (including coaches) especially a college coach/scout. they tried to get me to commit after they had sold DD but I was able to convince them that it couldn't happen at that time. they left the door open for future contact. they appear to be service-oriented. After this phone conversation , DD did a complete 180 and wanted to start meeting and talking with College coaches!
I also set her up with a Captain U profile because her TB team coach had everyone do it before the season started. they are a pain because they send e-mails every day saying "Congratulations, another college coach just found you!" but if you want to find out who, you have to subscribe to their service. The number of hits hasn't increased but they keep telling you you're drawing more interest. I believe this interest was mostly from marketing people advertising college softball exposure camps.
If I was going to spend money for one of these services I think NCSA was cheaper overall, though Captain U provides a temporary more afordable option. NCSA seems to provide a fairly good amount of info and support at no charge.
Something I noticed was these sites tend to rush you into making a video ASAP and then updating it. (Like the way the online portfolio sites would insist the only way to get your foot in the door with the big clients was to have a presence on their site) One of the NCSA people told me that's so you can get a coaches attention when you're younger, with no pressure, and then they can follow you and see you grow/develop. One of DD's Pitching coaches told us not to bother with a video until you are at your best your Junior year and are jumping into the recruiting buisness with both feet. I saw a video another pitcher posted, who is same age as DD and it was very boring. it wasn't that great and if I was a college coach I wouldn't bother looking, and I wouldn't be in a hurry to look again next year.
Bottom line- They are not a magic bullet, but can be a useful tool in the process. if the services they provide are helpful to you and you feel worth the investment, then by all means go for it. Subscription to their services is by no means required to get a leg up on the competition. You and/or your DD must do your homework, find the colleges you're interested in, contact and visit them (in the fall preferably) see what fits best into your/DD's needs for a college program.
good luck to us all!
I look at the recruiting process like Riseball said- like getting a job.
I set DD up with a Free profile at the NCSA website which can be edited/added to whenever we want. at the same time it's very easy for a potential coach to click on a link, take a quick look and see if they want to see more or forget it. they can see as much or as little detail as they want. It's up to DD to do her homework, find the schools she's interested in, initiate contact, etc. this online profile serves merely as a resume that is easily provided to anyone who is interested. No matter how good they are, I would never expect a service to do the work the recruit should do. It may be no surprise to you, but it turns out college coaches really like to receive a phone call as their initial contact from a recruit (if possible).
Part of the NCSA thing is you get to talk to one of their recruiters on the phone to get your questions answered and then they will have a conference call with DD and parents. this was VERY good for my then 14 yo DD who did not like talking to adults (including coaches) especially a college coach/scout. they tried to get me to commit after they had sold DD but I was able to convince them that it couldn't happen at that time. they left the door open for future contact. they appear to be service-oriented. After this phone conversation , DD did a complete 180 and wanted to start meeting and talking with College coaches!
I also set her up with a Captain U profile because her TB team coach had everyone do it before the season started. they are a pain because they send e-mails every day saying "Congratulations, another college coach just found you!" but if you want to find out who, you have to subscribe to their service. The number of hits hasn't increased but they keep telling you you're drawing more interest. I believe this interest was mostly from marketing people advertising college softball exposure camps.
If I was going to spend money for one of these services I think NCSA was cheaper overall, though Captain U provides a temporary more afordable option. NCSA seems to provide a fairly good amount of info and support at no charge.
Something I noticed was these sites tend to rush you into making a video ASAP and then updating it. (Like the way the online portfolio sites would insist the only way to get your foot in the door with the big clients was to have a presence on their site) One of the NCSA people told me that's so you can get a coaches attention when you're younger, with no pressure, and then they can follow you and see you grow/develop. One of DD's Pitching coaches told us not to bother with a video until you are at your best your Junior year and are jumping into the recruiting buisness with both feet. I saw a video another pitcher posted, who is same age as DD and it was very boring. it wasn't that great and if I was a college coach I wouldn't bother looking, and I wouldn't be in a hurry to look again next year.
Bottom line- They are not a magic bullet, but can be a useful tool in the process. if the services they provide are helpful to you and you feel worth the investment, then by all means go for it. Subscription to their services is by no means required to get a leg up on the competition. You and/or your DD must do your homework, find the colleges you're interested in, contact and visit them (in the fall preferably) see what fits best into your/DD's needs for a college program.
good luck to us all!
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