When I was on the corporate side, sponsorship requests landed in my inbox all. the. time. Unfortunately, nearly every one was a complete miss. Fortunately, there’s a way to help them land closer to the mark.
Take some time to get to know the company to whom you’re about to submit that sponsorship request.
I’m extremely diligent with my inbox. I like to clear it out every day, at worst every week. That doesn’t mean hitting the ctrl+A and then Delete buttons on my keyboard; I read them. I also respond. If someone takes the time to write to me, they’re getting something back. Even if it’s a “Thanks, but no thanks”.
When it comes to sponsorship requests, it was almost immediately clear which were the result of even a modicum of time invested. That didn’t mean they were automatically approved (it wasn’t my area to approve them, but I was an easily found first contact). What it did mean is they were worth a deeper look.
The vast majority presented the benefits of sponsorship as tickets to an event already in the calendar, the opportunity to display a product, be recognized in a speech, and/or logo placement on some signage/brochure/publication; basically offering to insert some brand visibility into someone else’s party.
Let’s be clear: none of these are benefits. They’re table stakes. For any established company reviewing a sponsorship request, gaining some kind of access or exposure is expected.
The common thread that I found among the proposals that differentiated themselves from the noise is they took the time to tailor the request with something relevant. Something more.
If the connection to the object of the sponsorship request wasn’t immediately clear, they found a way to make it relevant.
For example, asking a car company to be a title sponsor a beer or wine festival? Perhaps not. But ask them the sponsor a shuttle home or to public transit hubs, that might create a pause in the recipient’s day.
Offering a major brand prime logo placement at an industry event where they’re already well-known is not a good way to open a sponsorship conversation. Presenting an opportunity for an executive to speak or participate in a panel discussion is another consideration altogether.
I recognize it’s an investment, but spending the time to tailor the sponsorship ask and present an incremental, value-added opportunity for the target to engage with an audience will go a long way to opening the door for a conversation.
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