Perhaps this is obvious to everyone else . . .

2013- Outstanding advice, especially about the email signature. Some may call it shameless advertising... I call it smart self-marketing.

To give a parallel, I have had a signature on the end of my emails for about two years now. As soon as I got admitted into grad school I put the school and the year I'm expected to graduate in the signature line. Since then, I have gotten several responses from people I've emailed (who aren't involved with either baseball or my academic life) commenting on the change in the signature.

My view of it is quite simple...people, by nature, are inherently lazy (myself included). Of course it is much easier to view something that is directly in front of you rather than going out and finding it. So if you send an email to a coach and he happens to have a link to a video or a profile page directly in front of him, he's much more inclined to open it up because, well, its easy!

Once again, a very nice idea on your part IMO. One piece of advice I would like to add, and this may be something that you don't wish to include, but perhaps adding his mailing address/phone number to the signature would behoove you as well. Since it is only an email address for college coaches who you are looking to keep a constant flow of contact with, it couldn't hurt to readily provide that information for him. Again, if its there its easy. I know they can't call until July, but as I said easy accessibility is always a positive thing.

The easier your information is for a coach to have access to the better it is for you.

Also make sure your not just contacting the head coach and also the recruiting coordinator or head assistant. People fail to realize how little some head coaches actually do in the recruitment process.

But +1 make your info short and sweet and easy to access

2013-

This is an outstanding idea. We are incorporating it into my 2013's emails immediately!

My 2013 also set up a gmail account the same way you described, but he didn't think of the signature idea. Great idea.

Hear is something else we are doing that we thought was unique though it may not relate directly to this discussion.

Since we are from Iowa and HS ball doesn't start until May, Spring Break in Florida offers us an opportunity to see Midwest college teams that have expressed varying degrees of interest in the kid.

We researched team schedules to see if any are playing tournaments in the Tampa area while we are on vacation in St Pete. Sure enough, two teams on my 2013's list are playing in Tampa the same week we are there. My kid then emailed each coach to let them know he will be attending their game.

My son heared back from the coaches and they were sincerely excited that he was taking time to see them play while on our vacation...I guess coaches expect to see you at their home games at some point, but they don't expect you to show up 1400 miles away.

Since my kid is not in the top 10% of HS ballplayers, it is ONE way he can set himself apart and we'll have fun at the same time.