Corporate sponsors want to work with entrepreneurs and small business owners who have something to offer. The decision makers at corporations who are responsible for allocating sponsorship dollars, are approached by people all the time looking for money. The fact is, the decision makers at these companies, are just people with important jobs to do. Can you imagine how difficult it must be to sift through hundreds of sponsorship requests at any given time and decide who to partner with? Considering things from their vantage point, as the person in need, you should be cognizant of things you can do to stand out to get sponsors to respond to you easier. Remember the sponsors don’t need you, you need them. Below, I’ve listed 5 simple tactics to utilize so you can get a sponsor to respond to you.
Demonstrate Common ground
Demonstrate some alignment between what you do and what the sponsor does. You must ask yourself, how does my brand align with the sponsor’s brand? Once you can demonstrate the common ground that exists between your small business and the corporation, it’s easier to get their attention. Remember your goal should be to show the sponsor the relevance between what you offer and what they offer.
Build momentum
As a small business owner seeking corporate partnerships, you need to show some traction. If you can demonstrate to the sponsor that people are paying attention to your brand, that’s a great start. Whether you have a strong social media presence or recently received media attention, being able to show that people are talking about your business, is a big plus. The more people you can prove that know about your business the better. That’s why in today’s business world, social media followers are a big plus.
Start a conversation
Whether the decision maker has returned your phone calls or not, you can still start a conversation with them. On-line conversations are the easiest to initiate. Most of the key decision makers at Fortune 500 companies are on social media. And you can easily follow them on sites like; Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. On top of that, you can send the messages on those platforms as well. Simply starting a conversation with someone on line, will get their attention sooner or later. Even if they have an assistant or social media manager handling their account, you will at least get noticed by someone on their team. And that’s a start.
Compliment their work
There is probably not a person on the planet who doesn’t like getting compliments. Remember, there are people behind every major brand that exists. Those people oversee things like marketing campaigns and brand strategies that the public sees. Use social media to follow your favorite brands. If you pay attention to what a particular company is promoting, and find something to compliment them for, you will probably get a quick response. And remember, any response is better than no response. Once you have the eyeballs of someone at that target sponsor company, you have a virtual foot in the door.
Offer value
Demonstrating value from start to finish will garner the attention of sponsors. You must understand that once you approach a sponsor, they will research you and your company. If you happen to have a blog, podcast or Internet show where you offer educational content, the sponsor will notice. Additionally, if you approach the sponsor with any information about trends in their industry or current news that may they deem valuable, you’ve have just gotten their attention as well. Getting the sponsor attention in positive ways is a big step in the right direction.
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This article was written by Lori A. Manns. Want to use this article on your blog or website? Here’s the author credit you must include.
Lori A. Manns is an award-winning marketing expert, sales coach and trailblazing business strategist who works with small business owners to help them elevate their brand, get more dream clients and grow revenue. Lori is President of Quality Media Consultant Group and founder of the Trailblazer Business Mastermind and Trailblazer Business Academy and where advancing entrepreneurs go to learn growth strategies and how to run a profitable business the soulful way. Lori is the creator of the Sponsorship Sales Secrets System™, which shows clients how to get more sponsors and sales for their business, guaranteed. To learn more about the work Lori does to help business owners and entrepreneurs all across the U.S. to accelerate their revenue and succeed in business, visit www.qualitymediaconsultants.com