One of the leading questions being asked these days is what is the future of sponsorship? How relevant will it continue to be as we as marketers move further away from large, hard-to-quantify sponsorships to more personalised one-on-one communications?
The new rules of business are to micro-target as technical advances have allowed us to be responsive to the consumers' individual preferences, spending habits and interests. How does mass marketing and sponsorship work when the audience of one makes it that much easier to quantify and measure results?
The truth is sponsorship should never have been about mass produced messaging and promotion in the first place. While this was once acceptable, it's no longer tolerated by audiences. Best practise sponsorship means we should be creating unique opportunities and touch-points at every event and for every participant. When you do this you are creating brand advocates who want to share the positives about your brand with their family and friends.
Here's a few other ideas to help personalise the event experience:
- 1.Create wins for everyone – not just one person. Next time you are considering attaching a promotion to your event, ensure you have multiple prize winners, not just one. That way you're multiplying that personal experience and when a number of people walk away feeling like winners, your chances of spreading your brand message also greatly increase.
- 2.Support your sponsorship budget with micro-targeted digital ad campaigns that are personally relevant to the consumer. You can create several variations of the one ad that respond to the individual needs and wants of the consumer. Of course you can only do this if you have the relevant data but with technology making video content so easily accessible, its within your reach.
- 3.Extend the event experience for your participants by posting personalised invitations or a thank you for attending. By using such courtesies, you are going the extra mile that many sponsors can't be bothered or don't think to do.
Remember the name of the game is engagement, it's not about mass messaging to the greatest number of people but reaching exactly the right ones. You want brand advocates and by personalising the experience, you're one step closer to keeping them.
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