Not Just for Fun: Building an NIL-Ready Social Media Presence
5 quick steps student-athletes should take.
Register below for my only free webinar scheduled for 2024 - "NIL Quickstart."
Based on survey data from the NIL Research Poll, the webinar will outline the three steps that student-athletes need to take to land their first NIL deal in 45 days.
Date: Wednesday July 31, 2024
Time: 1pm Eastern Time
Duration: 1 hour
Platform: Zoom (Link provided upon registration)
Cost: Free
Building an NIL-Ready Social Media Presence
The important role that social media has played in helping student-athletes generate income is undeniable.
As far back as February 2022, Sports Business Journal was citing my data that social media accounted for 72% of commercial activity by college athletes. Over the last two years later, I’ve seen that number fluctuate in my NIL Research Poll from 70% to as high as 85%.
Social media serves as a primary platform for student-athletes to accomplish three critical things:
Build Their Personal Brand: Showcasing their talents and personality, including sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses and personal stories, giving fans a deeper understanding of who they are beyond their sport.
Connecting with Fans: Interacting directly with fans, fostering a loyal following and increasing their visibility. Social media is the main tool to expand their reach beyond their local community.
Attracting NIL Partners: Demonstrating their market value, facilitating partnerships, launching content creation opportunities.
Understanding social media for fun is not the same thing as developing the social media skills to execute NIL as a commercial endeavor. Below is breakdown of the key steps a student-athlete can take to become a successful content creator and social media influencer, with a focus on generating NIL opportunities and income.
Step #1: Defining a Personal Brand
Social media for enjoyment allows complete freedom for a student-athlete to express their personality, interests, and hobbies without worrying about appealing to a specific brand or audience. There's no pressure to monetize or maintain a public image (aka personal brand.)
In contrast, social media for NIL is about defining a personal brand and includes three important elements:
Brand Alignment: A student-athlete’s brand should align both with their athletic identity and the values they represent. They need to consider how their sport, team, or university can be incorporated into their personal brand.
Niche Specificity: Many student-athletes find NIL success in choosing a niche that leverages their interests tied to their sports - things like fitness, nutrition, sports fashion, and mental health.
Target Audience: Student-athlete need to put the time in to identify brands and businesses that cater to their target audience and that could be potential NIL partners.
Step #2 Building an Online Presence
While social media for personal should is about authenticity, the content shared can include anything the creator enjoys. Personal social media isn’t rigid and allows posting spontaneously. And when it comes to connections, personal social media allows for the prioritization of friends and family over building a professional network.
But building an online presence for NIL should focus on:
Professionalism: While student-athletes should be authentic, maintaining a polished and consistent brand across all platforms is important.
Content Strategy: Student-Athletes need to develop a content calendar that aligns with their brand and targets their ideal NIL partners.
Engagement: Actively engaging with brands and potential partners on social media is a best practice for NIL success.
Step 3: Growing an Audience
Growing an audience isn’t a main consideration when using social media for personal use. Most of us tend to let our audiences grow organically (or not) through sharing content we enjoy. And rarely, do we worry too much about follower counts or engagement rates - rather we just focus on having fun and connecting with others.
But growing an audience for NIL social media needs to include…
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