Student-Athlete Brand Building in the NIL Era

2020 has shaken college athletics to its core — it has challenged routine, plans, certainty and control. Yet, as we have learned to operate amid the uncertainty, this year has accelerated creativity and innovation in ways that we could have never imagined. With college football now in full swing for many conferences, new examples continue to emerge daily on how athletic programs are leaning into the ambiguity to devise creative solutions.

In parallel with the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, the impending NIL legislation has created its own era of speculation. While it is impossible to say what will be permissible under the final guidance, NIL is not a matter of if, but when. The sooner that student-athletes and athletic programs embrace this future state, the more prepared they will be to succeed when the time arrives. This process begins with recognizing the power of editorial storytelling. 

The Power of Storytelling 

Across Division I programs, on average, the collective social media following of individual student-athlete accounts vastly exceeds the social media following of their respective team account. Why is this the case? Fans want to get close to the players, fans want to go behind the scenes — in essence, fans crave storytelling. And in most cases, student-athletes have been able to deliver this in more authentic and captivating ways. 

Effective Brand Building Tactics

As student-athletes continue to leverage social media to build their personal brands, key themes have emerged on how to successfully grow and maintain a digital fan base. 

First and foremost, social media success does not happen overnight. Effective online engagement takes an investment of time and resources and of course, trial and error. 

Second, while athletic performance does factor into the spotlight that student-athletes receive, everyone has the opportunity to be a storyteller — regardless of whether they contributed from the bench or the field. It is the student-athlete’s responsibility to show up in their followers’ social feeds and provide value through authentic storytelling.

Third, student-athletes need to consider what makes them more than an athlete. Are they passionate about a particular social movement? Are they trying to reach an unconventional fan base? What brings them joy off the court? By weaving these passions into their story, student-athletes create deeper connections with their followers, thus amplifying the longevity of their personal brand value. This will allow them to continue capitalizing on their brand long after their athletics career concludes.

Institutional Education Around Storytelling

As student-athletes discover their unique voices and brand potential, coaches and administrators must guide them down a strategic and successful path. With so much speculation around the pending regulations, student-athletes should not be focused on how to monetize their brands, but rather, on how to grow their brands editorially without any dollars involved. 

To start this process, athletic programs should provide training on effective storytelling and social media best practices. This education is critical in helping student-athletes protect themselves and the programs they represent. 

Additionally, athletic programs need to lean into technology as a means to provide student-athletes with engaging content and creative assets in a timely fashion. Players expect their college program to arm them with imagery, video, and audio that is polished and easily shareable. This type of investment will position both the student-athletes and the athletic program for greater success in the NIL era.

Over the past year, we have seen many partners, including the UNC Tarheels, embrace the role of technology in brand building efforts. Since the men’s basketball program initially partnered with INFLCR in 2018, the Tarheels have expanded to a department-wide deal and are piloting INFLCR’s new NIL Suite.

In an interview about the expanded partnership, UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham shared: “We want to be at the very front end of name, image and likeness for these student-athletes. We think that the social media opportunities for them — the brand opportunities for them — are extraordinary. These are very highly marketable students. And we think [their marketability and opportunities], coupled with the Carolina education, will continue to allow them to grow professionally throughout their entire career.”

A later step — that comes once NIL regulations are finalized — is setting the expectation that coaches and administrators need to be well educated on how to recruit compliantly in the NIL era. This can help to ensure that NIL transactions occur in a transparent and legal manner. 

Despite the current regulation uncertainty, coaches and administrators should not operate reactively. Social media channels already serve as the storytelling devices through which student-athletes engage with fans and soon-to-be advertisers. Institutions must proactively educate players on editorial brand building so that once dollars are on the table, everything runs as smoothly as possible.

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

We are firm believers in the notion that “a rising tide lifts all boats” and are confident that this historic industry shift will not only elevate student-athletes but the broader collegiate athletics community. When a student-athlete’s brand value rises, many other brand values follow closely behind — their team, their institution, their college town, their hometown, among others. Let the student-athletes lead, both in editorial storytelling and forthcoming monetization opportunities, and the ending will be bright.

Zach Maurides is founder and CEO of Teamworks, the leading athlete engagement platform for collegiate and professional sports organizations. Jim Cavale is the founder and CEO of INFLCR, the student-athlete branding leader, empowering over 30,000 student-athletes to seamlessly access and share editorial content to their personal social media channels.