recruiting Videos- Do they really matter?

[jonriv]

During a recent PM with another HB poster- the other poster inquired about a player in our area that had recently committed to a Div I team. After viewing her recruiting page and videos, he asked if I considered her a strong player. I felt she was, but by the question I knew he had some doubt. He pointed out several things in her video that showed some very poor fundamental skills. I went back and reviewed the video and he was right, but I had watched her play over 100 games the past few years and know she is a much better player than the video represented. The video was done by a professional.

So the question is- do the videos matter? She was recruited anyway(by a top school)

What should be or not be in videos??

1) Music???? most experts say no

2) Game footage???

3) How long should it be????

4) slick production or basic??

One thing I think after viewing these videos- have a coach(or a few) review for skill display

Before the zoom lense- can make arcs on balls appear larger than usual-

What are coaches really looking for?

[Old Darter]

Any team that has an independent website (not eteamz,etc.) should run Google Analytics against their site, it will tell you the true story of what is important. It will tell you which colleges are looking at which profiles and how long they stayed. Our team has sent every kid we've had over the last 4 years to top D1 schools, so we've been fortunate. But no school ever spent more than 2:00 minutes MAX watching a skills video. Most spent much less. What that told us was: important to have, but keep it short and front load it with the good stuff! Most important: get the coach to watch LIVE!

[DDG]

Most college coaches expect to see a video. Therefore, they are necessary. Just like having a resume, they are part of the package each prospective college athlete should have. Keep them short and simple. They are just another tool to help remind the coach of who the player is.

Coaches know they are staged (how many players hit every pitch, all the time?). However, they should be reviewed to make sure they are not showing any potential flaws. It could be the difference between getting tossed, or going in the “I am interested in these players” stack. Some coaches are getting 100’s of letters, emails, resumes and videos from talented young ladies. Who knows what exactly they are looking for or how they determine which of these 100’s to follow?

Videos are a tool for getting coaches to come watch and as a follow up afterwards. The goal is to be seen.

[THE GODFATHER]

Any team that has an independent website (not eteamz,etc.) should run Google Analytics against their site, it will tell you the true story of what is important. It will tell you which colleges are looking at which profiles and how long they stayed. Our team has sent every kid we've had over the last 4 years to top D1 schools, so we've been fortunate. But no school ever spent more than 2:00 minutes MAX watching a skills video. Most spent much less. What that told us was: important to have, but keep it short and front load it with the good stuff! Most important: get the coach to watch LIVE!

Thanks for sharing!!!

[Luther]

Just like any marketing effort; your campaign should be multi-dimensional and should include:

- Electronic Material (to be emailed)
- Printed Material (to be sent via snail mail)
- Skills Video (online and DVD)
- Softball Stats Summary (online and printed) For the online version it is great for the girl to recite these as it gives the recruiter a chance to see her personality.
- Athletic Stats Summary (Height, Weight, Speed, Vision, Reactivity Vertical Leap etc, ) .
- Academic Summary (GPA, accomplishments)
- Test Scores (SAT, ACT)
- Personal Accomplshments and Goals

Like any marketing campaign; we are not sure what brings in each consumer but if we hit all of the angles we give ourselves the highest probability of success.

All of this material is put together over time and has the single purpose of getting scouts to come out to the game and watch your DD perform LIVE.

[jonriv]

Luther, Darter & DDG make some excellent points!!!