A Simple Social Media Strategy to Weed Out Those Who Are Not a Good Fit
Mar 28, 2022
Hi Coach,
There was nothing I hated more than putting in a ton of work beforehand to get a recruit to campus, and then taking a good chunk of the day while they were on campus, only to find out that they weren’t going to be a good fit.
I felt it was such a waste of time.
Have you ever found yourself saying, how did I miss that? This recruit turned out way different than I thought she/he would.
Or maybe your team didn’t end up liking him or her.
Or they ended up transferring after a year because they didn’t like it.
I bring this up now because some of you are able to meet with recruits on your campus again and I want to help you uncover if they will be a good fit before you waste time bringing them to campus.
I don’t believe there is one perfect way to figure out if they will in fact be a good fit for your team and culture. You just never know until they are actually there.
What I do know though is that you as a coach, your team, your training methods, your campus, your academics, etc., are not for everybody. I think you should use that to your advantage to weed out those who aren’t going to be a good fit by posting about who you are on social media.
I was on a campus working with a Division 1 basketball staff recently, and while I was there, I met with the team in the locker room to get their input about what should and shouldn’t be done on a campus visit.
I always ask what role social media played for them in the recruiting process. One of the girls told me that she was able to eliminate a school who was after her based on what they had been posting on Instagram. She told me that the second she saw the team country line dancing in the locker room before practice, she knew right then and there that that team wasn’t going to be a good fit for her – she hated country music.
Doesn’t seem like a logical, legitimate reason for eliminating a program? I know. But coach, whether you like it or not, this is how they are choosing where they are going to school these days.
Why not use what the team is like in the locker room, where they live, what they do for fun, etc., to your recruiting advantage to weed out kids who aren’t going to be a good fit?
Posting birthday pics, game day pics, academic awards, and the latest commitment doesn’t give recruits any information that will help them narrow down their choices.
I think this posting strategy is especially important since most of you at Division 1 level still can’t get kids to campus with the NCAA dead period or Covid-19 restrictions.
When you give them this inside look, it is either going to repel them or attract them. Sure, you may lose some recruits when they don’t like what they see. I don’t think that is a bad thing – addition by subtraction: now you don’t have to put in 2x the work finding a replacement for the kid who left or now you will have to spend half as much time dealing with the problem child who doesn’t get along with the rest of your team. You know?
I have put together a simple social media success guide for coaches that will be ready soon. I will send an email or put it out on social media when it is ready.
If you want to be around a like-minded community of coaches who are looking for greater efficiency, less stress, more time and proven tools and strategies to get better recruiting results, consider joining The Productive Coach and Recruiter.
If you want my help setting up your on-campus visit systems or anything else I mentioned in the checklist, consider joining Recruiting Made Simple, or email me at [email protected] and we can talk over other ways that I can help.
If you want more ideas for how to work productively from home, follow my video tips on twitter, facebook, or instagram.
Stay safe and healthy!
Mandy Green
