Seeking a Sponsor … or a Donation?
Monday, April 21st, 2008Do you want to cover your seminar marketing and production costs with sponsorships? Keep these tips in mind if you want to be taken seriously by the potential sponsors you are approaching:
- Be prepared to show sponsors what you’ll do to fill the seats. Have your speakers lined up. Have your marketing plan and marketing materials created. Be able to show that you have a mailing list of people who want this type of information from you.
- Be clear about the type of people who will attend your seminar. Companies are more likely to sponsor events when doing so will put them in front of their target audience.
- Remember WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?). Sponsorships are advertising opportunities … and your prospective sponsors will be evaluating if the audience and exposure you’re offering will be the best use of their money. Help them see how they’ll benefit (i.e., realize a return on their investment) by sponsoring your seminar.
Painting a vision of what the event will be like isn’t enough to win sponsors; you must prove that your seminar will be attended by people who are likely to buy what your sponsors are selling — and that you know how to reach those individuals. If you can’t offer sponsors this type of information, you’re not selling sponsorship opportunities; you’re asking for a donation.