by Dan Christensen, Tudor Collegiate Strategies
Writing letters. Buying stamps and envelopes. Sending messages through the postal service.
Such an archaic form of communication. It certainly couldn’t be what recruits are looking for. They just want texts and social media. Right?
Wrong!
Yes, kids love their phones. They love technology. Your recruits have grown up with it and it is norm in their life.
So why would a handwritten letter be something recruits want? Well, here are two reasons for you:
1) Sending personal letters to recruits makes you stand out
The ultimate goal in recruiting is for your top prospects to choose you. And in order for them to do that, they need to feel you are different than every other option they have. And they need to feel that your differences makes you the best.
These kids do not receive many, if any, personal letters with a handwritten touch in their mailbox at home. Coaches have strayed away from it. Either because they believe that kids only want technology for communication. Or coaches just feel letters are too much work.
Because your prospects are not getting many letters, you sending them will show you are different. Amongst the sea of emails and texts they are getting from college coaches, your letter with a handwritten address on the envelope will be different. It will give recruits a reason to think you are unique and they will appreciate the effort you put in to writing that letter. And they will recognize the lack of effort by other coaches to do the same.
2) A letter won’t end up in the trash
Now, certainly this isn’t 100% true. But, unlike the mounds of admissions brochures and pamphlets they get every day, and probably do throw out, your letters typically stay on their desk or on their fridge.
What does that mean? It will probably get read several times. By your recruit, yes. But, mom and dad will probably also take a look at it. Your recruit’s best friend will notice it when they come over for dinner and will comment on how cool it is that a college coach wrote to them.
Email and texting are great tools that you also should be using. But, it is so much more likely that with a swipe of a finger, those messages get deleted forever. A letter, much less likely. This leaves a lasting impact on your recruit just by the fact that they will frequently remember it because of how often they notice that letter!
Did you know hundreds of college coaching staffs have the experts at Tudor Collegiate Strategies helping them craft the right recruiting language to use in their letters, emails, texts and social media? Click here to find out how it’s leading to their best recruiting classes.