Sports marketing 101

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(FORTUNE Small Business) -- Dear FSB: I have a small business called High School Sports Marketing Services that helps high school kids get athletic scholarships. We make highlight DVDs of the students and market them to colleges. I have an 87% rate of getting the students into college. My question to you is, how do I get the families to know I'm here and that I can save them money?

- Victor Cephas Sr., Las Vegas

Dear Victor: This is a core marketing and branding question, and both our experts agree - the secret is to start locally.

Darcy Provo, vice president of San Francisco marketing and public relations firm Antenna Group, says to go where your customer is - at school.

"Let the athletes and their families know who you are by getting their attention at the community level. Get local papers and student papers to cover your success stories," she suggests. "You may want to get to know the reporters who cover the high school sports in your area to get a foot in the door."

Tre Musco, CEO and COO of branding firm Tesser, agrees.

"If there are advertising opportunities in the yearbook, consider buying that ad space, or ask permission to put up fliers about your services in the locker rooms," he suggests. "Also think about sponsoring the games. That may get your name on the back of t-shirts and show that you give back to the students."

Your services should be well-defined on your fliers and ads. "And don't forget to include your rates," Provo points out. "People want to know how much a DVD will cost them and why it's worth the price."

Both Musco and Provo suggest reaching more people by expanding how you position your services.

"It's good to be a resource for people, in addition to making films," says Musco. "Find opportunities to let your professionalism shine and demonstrate your expertise." How? "Do your own event," suggests Provo. "Find a library where you can have an open seminar and info session about getting an athlete into college."

In addition to reaching students and parents, try introducing yourself to the coaches and counselors. Networking with them could lead to word-of-mouth recommendations once you prove your success rate.

As you reach out to new clients, also take care of your online appearance. Make sure your website is as sophisticated and resourceful as possible, with a clear outline of your services and prices and a list of helpful links for high school athletes.

"You need to make constant updates to your blog and your athlete-of-the-month profile," says Provo. "If your last entry was from 2006, you're not going to get the trust of potential clients."

You may also want to consider an online video presentation of a sample success story so that promising customers can preview your work.

If you don't have the financial resources to refine the website, Musco suggests bartering with the students.

"High school students are very tech-savvy these days and may want to trade services with you," he says. "Plus, they are your target so it makes sense that they design something that they think is cool."