The Underrated Ingredient to Sponsorship Value
The underrated ingredient to unlocking value is internal communication.
Many factors bring value from your sponsorship program back to your business. Relationships, brand engagement and sales are all the ultimate metrics we want to show sponsorship value. But to get there, you must start internally by properly communicating your assets, activities, and programs to your entire team. A lack of internal communication is one of the most under-the-radar factors that will sink a campaign before it gets off the ground.
This is especially critical during times of uncertainty or when outside factors influence the overall marketplace. When things are not normal, it does not mean there aren't opportunities - they just may look different.
Program beginnings
A sports marketing campaign will often begin with a call from leadership. It may start from a personal interest or a B2B deal, but it is common for it to begin as an idea in the upper ranks and morph into a sponsorship agreement that is, by definition, high profile for the whole company. Leadership will expect the marketing and sales teams to immediately work the sponsorship and ensure it is showing value. This is challenging because marketing your product or service as a sponsor requires an approach as unique as the platform itself and differs from more traditional forms of marketing.
There will be an inclination to write press releases and go straight to communicating your new partnership externally. This may work in the short term but will quickly get lost if you do not begin with your own team. The real first step is to understand your partnership internally and set up a proper communication system of the assets so your team can effectively work with this new and exciting program in the long term.
Without this important first step of internal communication, employees will not know or understand the sponsorship assets available to utilize with their customers. They certainly won’t know how to use those assets to acquire new business streams or maintain your existing business - both critical to proving ROI in the long term.
Employees make a powerful emotional connection to the products and services you sell. Without that connection, employees are likely to undermine the expectations set by your advertising. - Harvard Business Review
A more intentional level of communication and experience will connect the importance of your external efforts (creative, events, content) to what your brand is doing to support your employees. As you evolve your program, you can leverage your assets to educate and engage your staff, adding value to the entire program.
Ready to get started?
Here are ways to ensure internal communication is a focus for your sponsorship activation:
Maintain regular internal updates on the status of the sponsorship.
Introduce multiple touchpoints for your employees to connect with the sponsorship through your brand.
Connect the highest level of your company with the most entry-level members of your company at least once per year to maintain alignment.
Create engaging programs using your sponsorship for your top performers, rising stars and highest earners to recognize them for their extra effort.
