As a coach, your role doesn’t end when the practice is over or the game clock hits 0:00. For your more talented and committed athletes, they look up to you for that extra push to go on to the next level and the resources to help them get there.
Only 1% of student-athletes end up earning a Division I scholarship. With the opportunities for athletic scholarships limited, it takes the right strategy to help your students reach their recruitment goals.
In today’s “social media age”, most college coaches use social media to follow potential recruits. To be more precise, 83% of college coaches rely on social media research to recruit student-athletes, according to a survey by Cornerstone Reputation.
Considering the power of social media in making or breaking the possibility of getting recruited, how can schools and coaches help their athletes create a winning social media profile?
The answer? Waldo’s Photo Manager!
How Does WaldoPro’s Technology Help You Get Your Athletes Recruited?
In short, WaldoPro helps organize and share the right photos and video highlights effortlessly for a smooth and efficient recruitment process. Here’s how the AI-powered mobile app helps athletes market themselves for higher chances of recruitment by top programs.
Easy Access to Highest Quality Images Through Your School’s Waldo Gallery
First things first – athletes need the best images to shine on their social media. Without an organized toolkit, they typically struggle with getting the right images together. Unfortunately, an athlete’s talent on the sports field might not amount to much if they fail to have a high-quality record of it.
With Waldo, schools can finally keep valuable images from all the games organized in one place so athletes can access them during every step they take to strengthen their social media profiles.
Never Miss an Important Moment
Every deserving athlete needs a solid profile. This means they need as many pictures as possible to showcase their prowess and experience. While athletes may have a photographer or two onboard during important events, chances are, they will likely miss out on capturing captivating highlights week in and week out that will serve as content for their social media.
With Waldo, everyone at the games, including the outside photographers, parents, students, teachers, and coaches, can capture and share pictures directly on the platform. Through Waldo’s photo-management software, you can effortlessly manage all the photos using Waldo’s dashboard. Through the dashboard, you can also determine the number of photos each athlete has and how long it has been since their last photo was captured. With all the photos stored securely and organized, you can easily and quickly access the photos you need when the time comes.
Facial and Jersey Recognition to Find Photos In A Snap!
Waldo’s facial and numbered jersey recognition feature automatically sorts photos by player. This feature uses Waldo’s patented AI tech to sort players based on their faces and jersey numbers when faces aren’t visible. So, when your star running back is starting their recruitment process, they will have delivered all of their moments in a single app, organized by game. This helps select the best shots and share them with coaches from targeted colleges easily.
Upload Athletes’ Videos in One Place
In addition to keeping their Instagram fresh with great photos to stay top of mind and show off their skills, video highlights are crucial as far as the recruitment process is concerned. Make sure you document every valuable game your athletes play and how they train for tournaments. Make sure you focus specifically on their strengths. With Waldo, you can organize all the bits and pieces of films in one place. You can even create short video highlights focusing on specific athletes and store them securely on the Waldo app.
Checklist For Helping Your Athletes Get Recruited
When it comes to increasing the chances of being recruited, athletes and coaches alike must understand the power of marketing. Marketing opens up many opportunities. Of course, creating an impressive profile is not a one-day job. This is why Waldo helps organize all the visual assets taken over the years. Here are a few steps you can take to help athletes reach their recruitment goals:
- Find the right college. Ask your athlete what colleges they’re interested in and make a list of 10 colleges. Consider factors like the athletic team, academics, location, etc., while creating the list.
- Connect with the coach. Encourage the athletes to email or call the coach, introduce themselves, and familiarize the coach with their interests. Remind them to stay consistent with their follow-up calls and emails.
- Get the athlete into the admissions department database. Ask the athlete to fill out the details on the team’s home page, so they become a part of the coach’s and the department’s database.
- Create a strong profile and video highlight. Use Waldo to easily organize and effortlessly find any photo from any game. Showcase a video highlight with the athlete’s best moments.
- Showcase team photos. Team photos help the coach determine whether an athlete displays a team spirit and are often considered an important part of the athlete’s profile.
- Stay updated. Keep the coaches updated on which events and tournaments the athletes will be taking part in.
Final Words
Your athletes deserve only the best. With your support and encouragement, the sky’s the limit for their achievements. Documenting their journey within their game matters the most — especially when you want them to have the college experience they desire.
To boost your athletes’ chances of recruitment, get Waldo at your school now!
