When I look at the organizations and/or individuals that are successful at generating sponsorship revenue, they are the ones that are usually highly committed to a marketing orientation. This should really come as no surprise – just look at the some of the key marketing functions that are essential to a successful sponsorship development and sales program:
- A highly valued product that customer groups want and actively support;
- A strong brand and competitive positioning in the market;
- Segmentation of various target audiences and a comprehensive understanding of the unique needs of each audience;
- A constantly evolving product that reflects the changing needs of customers;
- An effective marketing mix;
- A clear understanding of business objectives and how sponsorships can contribute to meeting these goals;
- An internal culture that supports the notion of sponsors receiving value for their investment;
- An effective sales promotion and sponsorship sales program;
- A diversified revenue mix;
- A structured marketing evaluation process.
The bottom line is that if you take a marketing approach towards the development of your sponsorship program, you will have an easier time selling it it to potential sponsors. The late Peter Drucker couldn’t have said it better “The job of marketing is to make selling unnecessary”.
MARCOM 2008 (June 11-12) at the Hampton Inn Ottawa and Conference Centre provides an opportunity for professionals in the public and not-for-profit sectors to become more proficient at marketing. The two-day conference covers almost every facet of the marketing process and provides a forum for delegates from across the country to network and share best practices. For the sponsorship professional who wants to take their game to the next level, there are literally dozens of sessions and roundtables that can help them acquire new skills and ideas that they can apply immediately to their sponsorship program. Here are a few of the topics that will be offered at this years event that will be of particular interest to the sponsorship community:
- Revenue Generation Boot Camp - One-day, Pre-Conference Workshop (June 10) addressing all of the core revenue streams that a non-profit organization can leverage with corporate partners including sponsorships, affinity programs, business member (allied) programs, web and print advertising.
- Using Marketing to Enhance Foundation and Grant funding Requests
- Strategic Marketing Planning (the foundation of good marketing)
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Social Marketing Sponsorships (groundbreaking research)
- Separating the Sponsorship Pretenders from the “Real Deal”. Do you have what it takes to operate a successful sponsorship program?
- The Branding Imperative – Why Non-Profits Need Powerful Brands and How to Build One
- Social Media Case Studies (Web 2.0)
I have been involved in this conference for four years and will be facilitating the one-day Revenue Generation Boot Camp as well as Sponsorship “Pretenders” session. I encourage you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn how marketing can help you take your sponsorship program to the next level. Visit MARCOM for more details.
Later,
BC
