Building a brand as a student- athlete can seem really overwhelming There are so many things to consider, so many decisions to make. But the process can be very easy, especially for athletes who are looking to monetize their name, image and likeness.
Creating your own brand is important because it enables you to be a unique individual in the marketplace while allowing you to authentically connect with your audience. It’s super important that you identify what makes you unique and how you can leverage that to gain exposure and the attention of other brands. Building a brand will help you secure and profit off of NIL partnerships.
If you’re an athlete that competes at a smaller DI or DII school, maybe you feel like building a brand isn’t worth it- YOU COULDN’T BE MORE WRONG! Every future, current and former student-athlete benefits from having their own brand. As a former DI athlete, having my own brand helped me secure jobs at camps, acquire a top internship in entertainment, and identify my own audience for my personal business.
Before you check out the steps below, here are a few reasons why every athlete should have their own brand.
How to Create a Brand as a Student- Athlete
Figure out your identity. Take a few moments to think about you. That can be a little challenging with so much on your plate: classes, workouts, competition, traveling and more. In between all of the madness, take a moment to reflect and think about you. Before you put your brand out there, take time to realize what kind of person you are:
- Identify what motivates you
- Think about what types of tasks you enjoy and don’t like doing
- Consider what people like about your or what they compliment you on
Define your niche. Good brands focus their attention to certain niche markets. Think of the following things when identifying your niche:
- Identify your passions and your skill sets. You might be passionate about your sport, while also being a very skilled designer, baker, or computer coder. Identify these items first before going onto your next step
- Identify a market need. Can athletes benefit from wearing your designer clothing? Can you create a YouTube channel that helps young people learn how to bake? Maybe you can create content that helps break down complex coding into language that is helpful for non-techies experts. Get creative in fixing a problem.
Identify your content pillars. Once you come up with your brand and define your niche, think about the content you want to create. Select 3-5 topics that you’ll create multiple pieces of content that match your background, interests and values. Once you identify your pillars (for example: workout tips, wellness routines, baking hacks, etc.) then you’ll be able to create various pieces of content that will help you build on your brand.
Grow your social footprint. Once you’ve established your passion and target audience, start creating content. Consistency is key, so work hard and find time-savers where necessary. Tools like Later and Hootsuite can help you build an online presence by scheduling content that you create in advance.
Network. Networking isn’t just important for your brand, but for life in general. Engaging with fellow student-athletes or graduates that you look up to can help you greatly down the road. I always approach networking from a place of giving. You don’t want to network with others just to take, instead, finding ways to help others or help create opportunities from.
Continue to evolve. As you get older and learn more about your sport and your career, it will be important to adjust your messaging and create content that matches your personal growth.
When building a brand it’s so important to stay authentic to you and your vision for what you want your brand to be. Never try to change or relate to everyone for the sake of more likes, followers or money. While you might gain exposure in the short term, long-term you won’t have a wining strategy.