The emergence of NIL is a game changer for the collegiate sports world. Since the move towards NIL, social media has become significantly more appealing to student athletes, providing them with increased opportunities for personal branding and connecting with their audience. Social Media is the major driving force for NIL, as approximately 70% of NIL activities is posting content on social media platforms. Social Media is crucial for a student athlete to best monetize their name, as most people think it is only the top 1% of athletes who receive NIL deals. This is true to a certain extent, the top 1% of college athletes have a better chance to receive NIL deals and most likely the big money deals, but Social Media has opened the door for the other percentile of college athletes to monetize their name as a creator or influencer. Athletes across all divisions and sports are now building their own unique personal brand to grow followers and best monetize their names. Purdue’s Assistant Director of counseling and sports psychologist, Kelsey Dawson expressed, “NIL opened the floodgates because now social media is going to be one of the primary ways in which student-athletes are promoting themselves.” Not only are student athletes promoting themselves, many schools are now promoting their athlete’s social media links on their online rosters. The growth of NIL alongside the popularity of social media is changing how student athletes connect with their fans, fostering more personal and authentic relationships. This shift has also led to the rise of NIL social media agencies, specialized organizations that help athletes navigate the opportunities that come with NIL and social media. So, not only are athletes building their brands by engaging with fans, but they now have expert guidance to make the most of these new opportunities in the world of sports marketing.
Rise Of NIL Social Media Agencies
With the rise of NIL, there's a surge in social media agencies like Athletes First, Octagon, Postgame, Excel Sports, and Icon Source. These agencies play matchmaker, helping athletes land beneficial NIL deals. It's not just these big names; many other agencies are out there, offering support to student athletes, guiding them on how to make the most out of their social media presence. These agencies act as middlemen, simplifying the process, providing content ideas, and ensuring athletes get the best opportunities to cash in on their social media popularity. As more athletes explore the world of Name, Image, and Likeness, these agencies serve as essential guides, making sure everyone gets a fair shot at turning their social media game into a win-win for both athletes and brands.
Interview With Postgame
1. How do they connect brands with recognized college athletes?
-“When we first start working with brands we try to get an idea of what type of athlete these brands are looking for. Brands may only want to work with tier 1 athletes such as starting quarterbacks, star basketball players or even a player with a large social media following. Or they might want to work with a specific sport, gender or even school. Other brands want to do more of an at scale play with all types of athletes from a variety of schools and followers. There are other times when the brands trust our expertise to find the right athlete to fit their brand.”
2. What is an effective way for an athlete to develop their social media brand to be more appealing to NIL campaigns?
-"We look for somebody that has a positive image on social media. Brands want to work with somebody that they can trust, somebody they know will help to promote their brand in a positive light. One thing that helps a college athlete to be selected for a campaign is to have high quality images/videos. We know that not all players have access to a videographer but little things such as good lighting can go a long way."
-“One thing that we do here at Postgame is we give all athletes new to the Postgame app an opportunity to partake in a Postgame promotion, and for some, this is their first NIL deal! We send athletes Postgame shirts and have them create content while wearing the shirt. Players can create content working out or while practicing their sport. This can be a great first way to show not only Postgame but also brands that you can post in a timely manner and also create good content."
3. How do they use a wide cast of athletes for NIL campaigns to create more spreadability and exposure for both the athletes and brand?
-“Postgame is able to run large at scale campaigns with thousands of athletes at a time and track all posts to make sure we are meeting deadlines in a timely manner. Our capability of getting the starting quarterback at Alabama to show up at a CVS store to sign autographs and take photos with fans while also being able to get hundreds of fans to show up for an hour given a small time frame is something other agencies cannot do and it hasn't been done before. We also make sure that not only does the starting QB show up to CVS but that they also post on social media promoting the brand while we are tracking all posts for all players at events like this.”
4. How do you promote creative content creation?
- “When a player is selected for a campaign they are sent campaign instructions going over everything they need to create content successfully. Here, we give ideas for content creation which can spark creativity amongst players. We also share with the players examples of content that we loved from past campaigns to help give them some ideas.”
Brands Attracted To NIL Athletes
With the rise of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights, brands are increasingly teaming up with student-athletes on social media. These athletes, known as NIL influencers, bring authenticity and engagement to brand endorsements, boosting awareness and potentially driving sales. Collaborating with these hardworking students helps brands grow online and reach wider audiences. Partnering with NIL influencers makes sense for brands. NIL campaigns are cost-effective, and the authentic content created by athletes resonates well with followers. Athletes usually have highly engaged audiences, bringing in new viewers for brands. Brands use various strategies on social media to partner with athletes, including sponsored posts, brand ambassadorships, affiliate marketing, giveaways, co-created content, and showcasing event appearances.
References
- (2022, July 27). Everything you need to know about nil. Icon Source.Retrieved from, https://iconsource.com/everything-about-nil/#
- Golden, T. (2023, April 27). For many student-athletes, NIL has made social media a must, not an option. Commercial- News. Retrieved from, https://www.commercial-news.com/sports/for-many-student-athletes-nil-has-made-social-media-a-must-not-an-option/article_c27118d2-e48f-11ed-9fe2-176a91448e71.html
- NIL Partnerships Prioritize Popularity Over Performance. Redsky Strategy. Retrieved from, https://redskystrategy.com/nil-partnerships-prioritize-popularity-over-performance/
- The Rise of NIL Influencer Marketing: A Quick Guide for Brands. Sway Group. Retrieved from, https://swaygroup.com/nil-influencers/#:~:text=The%20introduction%20of%20NIL%20rules,engagement%2C%20and%20even%20driving%20sales
- Postgame Official (personal communication) 2023, Nov 20th.
- K. Bartlett, Barton College Athlete (Personal Communication) 2023, Dec 5th.
