5 Steps to Secure Sponsors & Brand Partners

Starting out as a Marketing Intern for ALIVE Magazine taught me a great deal about advertising and sponsorship proposals.  I was tasked to write proposals for Brown Shoe (now known as Caleres), and a host of large businesses in the city for St. Louis Fashion Week. 

Since then, I've had the pleasure of securing Miss Jessie's, Curls, Williams-Sonoma, Colour Pop, Design Essentials, SAVVY SLEEPERS, Shoe Dazzle, Harper-Collins Publishers and many more brands and nonprofits as sponsors for my clients. Below you'll find several pointers on how you can secure sponsors for your brand. 

1. Do your research - Spend time analyzing the brand that you're pitching. Who have they worked with in the past? Does your vision align with the brand's values? Who are the key players and decision makers in the company? How do you reach them? In the Google age that we live in, you can find so much information through company websites, news articles and on LinkedIn. 

2. Make the partnership mutually beneficial - No one wants to be in a draining, one-sided relationship. That includes brands. What value do you bring the brand that you're pitching? Think outside of the box and share what you have to offer them in exchange for their sponsorship dollars, free products, or collaboration. 

3. Use Graphics - Having a media kit readily available or infographics to share data make your information easier to digest and show that you have your ducks in a row. Use graphics to share your social media following numbers, website traffic, number of customers over time, or any data that you have. 

4. Don't be afraid to cold call - While introductions are nice, Sometimes you have to thug it out and call people you do not know to make your pitch. This is how many deals are made. 

5. Follow up. Follow up. Follow up. Sometimes this is the make-or-break factor for collaborations. People are just plain old busy and overwhelmed. Following up shows that you are serious and relentless. Many times, this is how I've broken through to get what I needed. 

Once the brand is on board to sponsor your event or to become a partner, place everything in writing! One of my favorite words is contract. If you need someone to perfect your pitch or develop your media kit/infographic, and you have a budget, send an email to me at info@gospelpr.com. 

Happy Pitching!

xoxo

Cartiay Reshay