It's the digital age— which means your potential customers are online and bombarded by endless opportunities and companies to work with. So, how do you stand out? You meet them where they go— the events they attend and watch from their computers. A strong marketing strategy utilizes sponsorship and an event marketing plan to its fullest capacity— fromgenerating brand awareness to tactical follow-up steps with event attendees. If you're wondering how event sponsorship can help your marketing strategy (and need a few tips to get started) keep on reading. Probably the most common reason for sponsoring an event is to increase your brand exposure to an audience that may not know of your company yet— it's obvious but necessary. Get to know as much as you can about the event before signing the dotted line and so you can add elements that support your marketing strategy. Here are a few questions to keep in mind: Each year we host a marketing event in Minneapolis, MN— you may have heard of it— it's called One Squared. Our premier sponsor, Marco, is a technology company that offers many solutions and services. They could have kept their sponsorship to a simplebio readon stage — but instead, they optedto share this humorous video that had our attendees laughing and left a lasting impression. French writer,Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, once said a goal without a plan is just a wish. If your goal is togenerate newsales leads from your event sponsorship,then you need to create a plan on how you're going to meet and schmooze them up at the event. Create a plan that includes the following: Posting about the event before, during, and after on your personal and company pages gets you in front of attendees following the event on social media— but it also shows the event planner your support for the event. And when you support others — they usually tend to thank you (hello, day of event perks). Look for event hashtags, key influencers, and other sponsors promoting the event and get engaged with them online. Bonus Event Marketing Idea: If you can negotiate X amount of social posts that mention and tag your company on social media as part of your sponsorship, it's going to help your marketing strategy even more. Most event sponsorships includeshowcasing your company's logo on the event website— and if you're lucky a link back to your website. Not only could this increase the traffic to your website, but it could also increase your website's credibility and ranking if the event site has a higher domain authority and overall rank. We took a look at the website traffic from the One Squared website to Vye's website...turns outour referral traffic'scontact to session rate was 2.5% which is much higher than the average of 1%. What does that mean? The website traffic we received from an event website helped us generated new contacts. Here's just a few stats to remind you how important your existing customers are and the role they plan in the success of your business ... Your customers are important— so delight them when you can! As a sponsor, do your best to negotiate free tickets or an exclusive experience that your clients would appreciate in your contract. Probably the most important part of sponsoring an event is to create a follow-up event marketing strategy. Did you know that 80 percent of trade show exhibitors don't follow up with their show leads(SalesForce, 2012)? That's insane. To the right is a snapshot of a LinkedIn post I shared on social media following an event we hosted—whileI wasn't sponsoringthe event, there were over43,000 views on one post, 414 engagements, and 19 comments! Most of these engagements were from people who attended the event or new connections that knew/followed our speakers.Social media can be when you engage with and highlight other attendees, speakers, and sponsors. The best way to know what works when marketing an event of your own is to see what works and doesn’t work for others. And the best way to do that is to experience it yourself. So, attend an event with a format that interests you and take notes on how you could create an event marketingplan that exceeds the experience you had. These are just a few of the many benefits that come from adding event sponsorship to your company's marketing strategy.So, the next timeyour company is looking for a way to get in front of new prospects— considering sponsoring an event or creating one of your own.Real Event Marketing Example
2. Meet Potential Customers
3. Get Some Social Clout
4. Increase Your Website Traffic
Real Event Marketing Example
5. Treat Your Clients
6. Build Your Network
It does no good to put time and money into a sponsorship if you don't have a plan to connect with the people you did and didn't meet. Use social media to do this— consider sharing a recap (like this One Squared attendee) and use the event hashtag to engage with people after the event.
Real Event Marketing Example
7. Get Event Marketing Ideas
FAQs
What are the benefits of sponsoring an event? ›
- Enhanced Brand Visibility and Exposure. ...
- Targeted Audience Engagement. ...
- Amplified Brand Credibility and Trust. ...
- Access to Exclusive Networking Opportunities. ...
- Strengthened Brand Differentiation. ...
- Increased Brand Recall and Memorability. ...
- Expanded Reach and Market Penetration.
Sponsorship marketing offers enhanced visibility, credibility, and access to broader markets, fostering positive brand recognition and potentially driving revenue growth.
What is an event sponsorship as a marketing strategy? ›Event sponsorship is when a company partners with an event, such as a festival, concert, or trade show, to promote their brand and products. This can include logo placement, product displays, and even speaking opportunities. The goal is to connect with potential customers and generate leads and sales.
Why are event marketing and sponsorships used? ›Increased Brand Awareness
Sponsorships are a great way to increase brand awareness, as they provide a platform for businesses to engage with their target audience. When businesses sponsor an event, they are able to reach a wide range of potential customers who may not have been familiar with their brand.
The sponsoring company provides financial support, goods, or services to the event in exchange for various promotional benefits, such as brand visibility, logo placement, speaking opportunities, or access to the event's audience.
What is the strategic purpose of sponsorship? ›A sponsorship strategy is a plan that aims to achieve a business objective by forming a marketing partnership. Such a partnership can have a significant impact. For the sponsor, sponsorships can help increase brand awareness, influence consumer opinion about a brand, or promote sales.
What are the positive effects of sponsorships? ›Raises awareness of their company or brand. Advertises products and services. Promotes a positive and healthy image of their company by linking it with a popular activity, even if the product is not particularly healthy.
How is sponsorship better than advertising? ›Sponsorships provide unique branding opportunities that traditional advertising often can't offer: – Audience targeting – Sponsorships allow brands to connect with very specific demographics like fans of a sports team or attendees of an event.
What is the role of sponsorship in the marketing mix? ›Within the marketing communications mix, commercial sponsorship can be regarded as a highly cost-effective medium to achieve awareness and image-related objectives at both the corporate and brand level.
What type of marketing is sponsoring events? ›A marketing sponsorship is a strategy where one business promotes an event or organization led by another. The sponsorship often involves financial contributions or advertising. A sponsorship can result from a relationship between two organizations.
What is the function of sponsorship marketing? ›
Sponsorship provides invaluable exposure by allowing companies to reach and connect with their audiences and build consumer trust through affiliation. Sponsorship marketing allows businesses to cut through the noise and reach their audience with targeted messaging, Read more about the marketing benefits of sponsorship.
What are the four types of event sponsorship? ›- Financial Sponsorship. As a sponsor, you can donate financial support to an organization or specific event and receive recognition for doing so. ...
- In-kind Sponsorship. ...
- Media Sponsorship. ...
- Promotional Partners.
Effective event marketing is a valuable tool for companies trying to build relationships with their clients, create leads, and raise brand awareness. Businesses can expand their consumer base, form beneficial alliances, and establish emotional bonds with clients by implementing event marketing strategies.
How do sponsors help events? ›Event sponsorship is when a company supports an event by providing funds in exchange for something of value. This value could come in many forms, such as increased brand exposure, access to attendee data, speaking opportunities, or discounted event tickets.
Why are sponsorships becoming more popular in marketing? ›Sponsorships provide a unique avenue for brands to position themselves as thought leaders and industry authorities. By associating with events, conferences, or educational initiatives within their respective industries, brands can showcase their expertise and commitment to staying at the forefront of industry trends.
What do event sponsors get in return? ›Event sponsorship is when businesses provide financial support, resources, or services to help make your event a success. In return, they receive promotional benefits and exposure to your event's audience.
What does it mean if you sponsor an event? ›Event sponsorship is when an organization provides financial assistance to an event to achieve promotional advantages. Sponsorships can come in the form of a cash exchange for assets or a barter exchange involving products or services.
What is the aim of sponsorship? ›Build awareness of the business and what it sells by showcasing its products or services to attendees. Increasing sales of its products and services. Launching a new product or service. Introducing an existing product/service to a new market.
What are two benefits a sponsor would expect to receive as a result of sponsoring an athlete? ›As well as offering increased awareness, athlete sponsorship also has the potential to shape brand image. By placing the brand alongside the athlete (e.g. Roger Federer wearing Uniqlo clothing), organisations can create positive brand associations with the athlete to improve the overall brand image.