Promote your business through sponsorship

Corporate sponsorship is big business, but you don't have to be a multinational company with millions of pounds to spend in order to benefit. Even small sponsorship deals - for example, a niche event, local individual or small charity - can be an effective way of promoting your company, providing you reach your target market.

Identify objectives

Long-term, you may seek a continuous sponsorship deal whereby customers learn to associate your company with the event (or person, or charity). This can be an effective branding tool, instilling in customers a sense of longevity, reliability and familiarity with your company.

Select your target

• Does it reach your target market?
• Approximately how many customers or potential customers will it reach?
• Will you have exclusive sponsorship, or be one of a number of sponsors?
• Are there different levels of sponsorship, with different fee structures?
• Does it have a good reputation within your industry or locality?

Budget effectively

You will also need to have an internal budget to capitalise on the sponsorship. Costs such as entertaining, promotional products and publicity will all have to be allowed for to make the most of the opportunity.

Marketing

• Send out a press release - focus on those you are sponsoring but make sure you mention your company's involvement
• Organise promotional merchandise - decide if t-shirts, mugs, pens, etc would be appropriate
• Advertise - take out an ad in your local/trade newspaper or magazine, pointing out your involvement
• Competition - set up some sort of competition to strike up interest in your company
• Invite your existing customers and/or suppliers to attend if you are sponsoring an event
• Follow-up - use the sponsorship as a way in to contact customers or potential customers, taking advantage of the 'feel good' factor

See also Abide by good advertising practices