Raise a Dream

3 Sponsorship Mistakes Sponsor Seekers Make and How to Avoid Them

In 2020, we had numerous opportunities to speak with sponsors from local, regional, and national businesses and brands. This online and virtual world we are living in with cancelled live events and the need to do business differently has also impacted sponsors and their ability to market their brands in ways they are accustomed to.

We heard both challenges and opportunities in these conversations with sponsors. Besides getting to learn about the brands on a much deeper level and build relationships with them, we also were able to hear about some of the common sponsorship mistakes they see sponsor seekers making.

We thought this insider information and the useful insights below could be of benefit to you as you move forward with raising your dreams through collaboration and sponsorship.

What Do Onions, Icebergs and Columbo Have To Do With Sponsorship Funding?

While onions, icebergs, and Columbo don't appear to have any relevance with getting corporate sponsorship funding, they in fact do!

They represent three important concepts that impact relationship building, trust, and connection⁠—all essential ingredients for sponsorship agreements to move forward.

Onions: Peeling Back the Layers of What Matters to Sponsors

Think of relationships, conversations, and people much like onions. They have layers and, just like onions, the layers need to be pulled back a bit to create mutual understanding and achieve clarity on what matters most to a sponsor.

Sponsorship: The Myths, Must Knows, and Methods

In this article, we’ll explore myths, must knows, and methods related to sponsorship to help you gain clarity and take action in relation to the project you’re working on or dream you are raising.

Sponsorship Myths:

At Raise a Dream, we dispel the myth that sponsorship is a handout or philanthropy. It is not grant funding or a donation.

Sponsorship is a marketing relationship.

Companies and brands are using their marketing dollars to invest in sponsorship marketing. So just like a company measures the return on investment (ROI) with their different marketing activities (e.g. direct mail, media, digital advertising, print, etc.), they measure how well sponsoring your project met their marketing objectives.

Making Friends With Company “Gatekeepers”

Getting past the gatekeepers within companies, brands, and organizations to connect with decision makers can sometimes be the most difficult challenge in building relationships with potential strategic partners and sponsors.

How can you overcome this challenge that sometimes feels impossible?

It’s actually pretty simple.

Make friends with the gatekeepers.

If gatekeepers feel comfortable with you, and “like” you, they are more likely to connect you with the person you need to know.

Google_Alerts-sponsorship_and_brand_awareness

Google Alerts: Who’s Talking About Your Brand?

If you aren't using Google Alerts to find out who’s talking about you, your brand, or your dream sponsors, it’s time to start today! Are you using Google Alerts to…

See where you are appearing in the online world?
Find out about speaking opportunities?
See where your book(s) are being mentioned?

We use this tool daily to find out about media and speaking opportunities, find reviews on our books, and locate where we are being quoted or appearing on blogger or media sites.

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