Nowadays, big events and public figures need sponsorships to fuel their marketing campaign. But why sponsorships and social media? I usually spend sponsorship money on mass exposure through advertising and marketing strategies, but what do your sponsors get in this whole mix? Can you offer them anything that will help them out and get their strategy moving? When you offer them an incentive, make sure it will get them what they need in order to pay you that sponsorship money. For example, I had a client who created sponsorship packages, but had no idea what he needed when it came to giving online exposure to his sponsors. I gave him the option of twelve different ingredients to master his formula. What else do you need to know about sponsorships and social media?
Tip 1: QR Codes
Offer QR code hunts when it comes to your event booths. Create a QR code for your sponsors and place it somewhere near the booth or on a brochure. If the participant finds the correct QR code they will receive a price at your booth. They will also a receive information about your sponsor. This will get them interacting, involved, and create uniqueness against all the other booths. I have been to so many events where they didn’t offer a thing besides information on their company. Guess how many people were at that booth? There is about close to NONE.
Tip 2: Online Advertising
Online advertising is growing by the day. Are you keeping up? When you offer your sponsor an online ad placement on your website they are able to get exposure based on the unique amount of visitors you are receiving on your website. There are tons of tactics you can use to increase the traffic on your website, but before you offer this in the sponsorship package, just make sure you have the numbers to go along with it. For many of my clients, I have offered them a box on my website where they can place their ad with a description. If they want to add a link to their website I would increase the price.
Tip 3: Logos On The Website
The next step is to add your sponsor’s logo on the website. Take a look at my website (SVStartupMarketing.com) and look at the logos on the bottom of the website. They aren’t exactly sponsors, but that is where they would be placed; at the bottom. Another idea would be to place their logos on the sign-up form, reports, or other publications that your company produces. For example, I had the logos of all my clients on the cover photo of my Facebook.com for many events.
Tip 4: Branding And Events
When you are branding, and you want to create events for your company, make sure you add the colors and design of your sponsor’s brand everywhere. When you do want to show off your sponsor’s brand, create a separate micro-site for them. The sponsor will be highly acknowledged if you use their colors and design in all branding materials.
Tip 5: Online Communities and Naming Them
Why not find a community online and re-create it for your sponsor. Go ahead, name it something that your sponsor can associate their niche with. First, look back at all your communication mediums and think about effective ways of renaming them. For example, if I wanted to cater to a boxing company I would go after a big brand community for boxing and ask them we can re-name it with our twist. We can utilize this community in many ways that will enable you to get more exposure for your brand. Don’t just stick to online communities, but go for online auctions, causes, e-books, and other fundraisers as well.
Tip 6: What About The Rest Of The Team?
Does the rest of the team get anything for their hard work? Offer your sponsor incentives for the rest of the team. This can be as small as offering the participants to speak with the experts within the team. Other ways of rewarding the team is to have them participate in Twitter Chats, so the sponsor is able to see in real-time what they are receiving for their donation. When I got sponsors for my event I made sure the team received a free subscription to all my courses online. What do you have to offer? Make sure the sponsor is satisfied with it, because at the end of the day, it matters.
Tip 7: Social Media And Where Does It Begin?
First, offer your sponsor real-time sponsored posts, tweets, and updates. I usually create a video interview with my sponsors and put it up on YouTube.com for the world to see. What if we gave our sponsors a fair share of at least four tweets, two Facebook.com posts, and two Linked-In Status updates a week? They would be happy. I go the extra mile and even offer them sponsored in my popular LinkedIn.com groups as well. If you are well known in a certain group, you will have a lot people engaging with the ad. Make sure your ad is relevant to the group, or you may not receive response rate.
Tip 8: Blogging And Including Sponsors
How can you include your sponsors within your blog posts? Let your sponsors create a blog post that is related to their company and to your blog. Why? It creates variety between all your other posts. It also allows them to be showcased within your blog. They deserve to be acknowledged, and if your blog is receiving more than 500 visits a month that is a benefit for them. Before you add this to the package, let the sponsors know what the traffic is like on your blog. Then create an offer based on your traffic. If they want more than one blog post, it will cost more.
Tip 9: Partnership Photos
We all know photos are becoming a vital part of online marketing nowadays. How are you marketing your photos? Are they being marketed effectively? Take several photos with your sponsors during events, and show them that you care about the team effort and what it takes to build a happy productive team.
Tip 10: Sponsored Live Blogging
Now, let’s say you are having a live event with your sponsors and they are talking about their expertise. While they are educating the crowd, make sure you have a way to include your sponsor’s events in anything you do. I would consider live blogging at the event, or have a webcast of the sponsors speaking about their company. This will show the sponsors you care about their information and what they do. For example, I had a company sponsor me to attend a conference two summers ago. I created a webinar schedule for them so they can talk about their company to my list. This is a great way to offer your sponsors exposure and awareness.
Tip 11: Emailing Your List — Is It Dead?
Email is not dead! That is just a rumor! If email were really dead, no one would really be emailing any more right? Email is a great way to add your sponsors to the mix. Why not send out a weekly email blasts with your incentives, and an ad for your sponsor. This way, both of them will be advertised. If you have at least 10,000 people on your email list, then you are bound to get a 1% open rate. That is a 1,000 possible sponsor sales you could be missing out on!
Tip 12: Information About Other Sponsors
Many times, I have clients who want to share more information about their sponsors, but they don’t know how. How about creating an opt-in form for each sponsor and then letting them sign-up for it? If your audience wants the information, then they will sign up and get what they need. Don’t just send them information on all your sponsors, they will respond to it as spam.
There are so many ways to offer your sponsors exposure on the web. These will sky rocket your campaign. If you have any please, comment!
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