In short, yes. With a caveat that it has to be conducted in the right way.
Since sponsorship became a must for any sport, there has been a lack of understanding on how the relationship should work. It was no one’s fault, it just wasn’t strategically thought through. Traditionally businesses handed over money in return for their logo appearing somewhere, but not much else. Once the sign had gone up, or the embroidery completed, the relationship was pretty much forgotten about until it came to renewal time. Did that sponsorship work for the business? No one ever thought to investigate.
Social Media
More recently the sports sponsorship world has taken massive strides to correct this imbalance through the use of social media. Businesses can now tap into the strong affiliations associated with sports, teams and athletes. Supporters and followers will quite quickly align their purchasing with the thought that it will help their sport, team or club.
Sports are becoming acutely aware that they must provide opportunities for all budgets.
Associations, clubs, teams and individual athletes are fully aware of the impact and through the measurement and matrix tools now available on social media sites, they can quickly and easily demonstrate this value to a prospective partner.
Growing followers on social media organically can take time, but by utilising sponsorship, businesses can gain new followers with a degree of rapidity. A well thought through partnership will put you in direct contact with your target market.
Budget
Sports are also becoming acutely aware that they must provide opportunities for all budgets. No longer is it just about the team shirt or the pitch side hoarding, it is only limited to what each club sees as viable. This gives the potential for businesses to explore a number of different opportunities throughout the year to coincide with key business related activities such as a product launch, school holidays or peak season.
Before committing, any small business must look past the logo element of the sponsorship package and have a clear idea of how they wish to build awareness around their product or service. Ensuring their objectives match well with the club or athlete under consideration, will further maximise the clear value obtainable from sponsorship.
Sponsor Connect, a dedicated sports sponsorship platform, is designed to allow small businesses to find their perfect partnership, working with all our members on how to maximise the value they can show a potential sponsor. Start your search today.
