Even though finding sponsors is just one piece to the event puzzle, it’s vital for your event. For many event organizers, potential sponsors are hard to find. Providing sponsorship involves a lot of hustle compared to other organizational initiatives. But this doesn’t have always to be so difficult.
Follow this 4-step guide that will help you find sponsors, and build smart relationships with them, one step at a time:
1. Build a list of potential sponsors
The first step is to create a list of sponsors. Here you should think about - who could be interested to support your event?
When researching potential sponsors, start with your personal network. Then find out who has sponsored similar events in your city in the past and which companies would be interested to be presented to your audience.
Contact the companies from your list to ask who makes sponsorship decisions, so that your proposal goes to the right person. As you build your list, create a spreadsheet to keep track of your outreach progress.
2. Make the first contact online
The first email you will send to potential sponsors should be concise and to the point. Let them know why you chose to reach out to them specifically, and most important - give them the answer to the question: why should they sponsor your event?
Provide them with the next information:
-Your event’s mission or cause (what differentiates your event from others)
-Your event’s audience (show how many people a sponsor could reach and what defines your audience)
- How they will benefit (on-stage announcements, logo placements, website marketing, email marketing, social media/press mentions, etc.)
At the end of the email request for a short meeting, so you can work together to customize your proposal.
3. Follow up with those who didn’t respond
It’s important to remain consistent and maintain close contact, especially when you don’t hear back from your leads right away. Simple statements that require a short feedback work the best here. Sometimes your prospects simply don’t like what you’re offering. Try to provide as many alternatives as possible, whether it’s about the channel of communication, your sponsorship package, or any other important aspects of the pitch.
4. Measure ROI data and present it to the sponsors after the event
After the event is finished, be prepared to supply each of your sponsors with evidence that you fulfilled your commitments to them. This can be done by:
- taking photos
- uploading WikiTalk videos on the YouTube Channel and sharing links with sponsors
- monitoring media coverage
- headcount
- social media mentions
- attendee data collected (satisfaction, pre/post awareness, etc.)
- unique website visitors
or any other evidence that proves your event was successful.
Securing event sponsors is never an easy task, but with the right resources and strategy, this can be much simpler and more enjoyable than you expect. The secret to how to get event sponsors is to understand their needs and be flexible enough to meet them. And in the end, your main goal is to organize an exceptional event that people will enjoy and talk about!
Investment in event sponsorship is always a smart choice over billboards and radio ads. If you are thinking of stretching your marketing budget, here are 5 reasons why you should sponsor an event.
1. Brand Visibility
Sponsorships put your brand visuals in front of large audiences who haven’t heard of your business. The bigger the event, the more press and social media mentions you get before, during, and after the event day. With many sponsorships, you get featured ads, signs, or radio spots that boost brand recognition.
2. Community Goodwill
Customers love brands that care about spreading positive messages and helping the community. Linking your business to a worthy cause can draw lasting support and media attention. Community involvement also sets you apart from larger brands. People have more incentive to support your business if you’re invested in the local community. Find out what matters to customers, and pick causes that align with their values to boost loyalty.
3. Increased credibility as a brand
Driving awareness of your brand is one thing. Inspiring respect and admiration are another. Thus, event sponsorships are a great way to drive positive PR and build credibility. You can also use events to position your brand in your niche accurately. For smaller players, events are active venues to be cast alongside heavyweights.
4. Social Responsibility
Event sponsorship is a way to show that your business supports a cause or mission about which your customers are passionate about. It helps you to build an image in society and connect with customers on an emotional front.
5. It’s affordable
Running an ad campaign on TV, radio, and print ads work well together. However, these take a great deal of your time and cost you thousands of dollars. With event sponsorships, your target market is right there in the event itself.
Sponsors can choose to support one or more WikiStage events and as a sponsor, you can decide how strong your contribution and participation should be. If you want to become our sponsor, you can apply here.
Sponsoring events in your community can help out organizations in your neighborhood or city and provides real benefits for your business. Here are some of the tips on how you can sponsor an event:
1. Cash/financial sponsors
As the name suggests, cash or financial sponsors, are sponsors who literally give money to an event organizer in exchange for the benefits outlined in a sponsorship agreement. This may include logo placement on signage or promotional materials, pre-event content creation, promotions, and keynote speeches.
2. Media sponsors
They are, by definition, companies that are able to provide financial aid in securing media coverage for your event. For example, a media sponsor might pay for an advertisement in a local paper or cover the cost of filming a TV commercial. In some cases, they may also publicize your event through their social media channels, write an article in a publication, or even publish a blog post about your event and organization on their blog/website.
3. Food
We will all agree, an event isn’t complete without readily available food. Catering an event can be extremely expensive, because of this, it is extremely important to try to find a food sponsor for your next event. There are many different ways to offer brand activation around food at your event - company-branded drinks, pop-up restaurants, etc.
4. Venue partners
Having the right venue partner is a huge advantage when it comes to the overall success of the event. Venue partners will allow organizations to host events at their venue in exchange for either a discounted or completely free rate. Not only does this type of event sponsorship allow for the venue to gain exposure, but it also gives the organization a great location to host their event!
If you share the WikiStage mission and want to show this to our audience, then we invite you to become a sponsor of a specific WikiStage event. You can apply here.
