Discover best practices for increasing sponsorship and improving your club's budget. 9 concrete tips to implement a winning strategy to develop your club.
For any sports club looking to grow, this is a complex topic.
The regional, departmental or even the town hall subsidies are shrinking, the search and development of the sponsoring budget for all the clubs of the hexagon become imperative.
That's why at Swish Live, we wanted to put in black and white all the good ideas we collected during these weeks and months of exchange with clubs, leagues or sports federations. Here is our sponsor development plan:
1. Put together a sponsorship file!
It is a must. This may sound like a bit of a mouthful, but we have come to realize that it's not the only thing to do.
It is not automatic in all the structures. It must first describe your club, your teams, your sports project, your results, the record of achievements but especially how your club is different. You must be original and show your difference from other clubs. For this you can rely on sponsorship or partnership files available on Google. If you are not a Photoshop specialist, use tools like conva.com. Do not hesitate to put examples of press articles in this file. Your file should also show the concrete benefits of the sponsorship (inserts, visibility, invitation to matches, organization of meetings, meals, ...)
2. Give the figures of the past seasons
In this file, it is essential to give the figures of past seasons in terms of sports results but also in terms of visibility. Give quickly the figures of licensees, sports results, then quickly embrace the attendance at the game last season, the number of fans on social networks, number of press articles per week.
3. Create a partner club
Partners are there for 4 reasons: the visibility you provide them, the tax reduction they can get, the connections and business potential you generate for them and the conviviality. So organize regular meetings by gathering all your partners around the matches but also around other more convivial events, which allow them to exchange and discuss. Take advantage of this opportunity to also invite companies that are not yet partners with whom you are in discussion. This will allow them to see for themselves the atmosphere and the benefits of joining your adventure.
4. Build a prospecting file
Gather in a list all the companies you want to approach. List their names, email addresses and phone numbers. Start with your acquaintances, then your licensees. Then think of simple things like the yellow pages.
5. Then, encourage the physical meeting
Once the first contacts are made (SMS, email, phoning), prefer physical meetings to present your association and your partners' club. It is largely a story of men and an adventure that you offer them to live. You must make them live the season from the inside, make them vibrate and give them a privileged access to this adventure.
6. Have a company by type!
When you manage to recruit, for example, a construction worker, stop looking for new ones. In all business circles, whatever it is, it is quite unpleasant for an entrepreneur to find himself face to face with a competitor. It is the same for accountants, lawyers, department stores, craftsmen, shopkeepers, etc...
7. Clearly state the benefits
An entrepreneur has 3 objectives when sponsoring a sports club: to benefit from a tax reduction, to gain visibility and to find new business.
8. Keep your sponsors loyal!
Be careful, this is probably the best advice. Losing a sponsor means taking a step backwards and having to start over
all these steps. Ask them regularly what your partners are looking for and what a successful sponsorship season would be for them.
9. Diversify distribution media
Forget the billboards and the jersey inserts. We advise you to use social networks, blogs, newsletters, videos, live broadcasts...
Finally, the last piece of advice we can give you is to not give up!
Your club's sustainability and development are at stake.
