Sponsors or advertisers like to give money to films/videos that attract the highest amount of viewers.

If your film or video will help educate or fund a good cause, your film or video is also worthy of sponsorship. Some even prefer the film or video be relevent to what they represent. (For example: Home Depot would likely not place advertisement in a instructional video about cooking.)

1. Professional letter

1. The first step in securing sponsorship dollars is to craft a professional introduction letter highlighting the features and benefits of the opportunity you are offering. Some of these features and benefits might include inclusion in advertising, product sampling, banner display and more.

2. Marketing data

Understanding your audience is critical. Potential sponsors will want to know whom you are reaching.

Your first step is to establish a large viewer base with data to back it up. The best way of gathering this information is from film festivals, or if its a video, marketing data to how many copies of videos you sold or distributed.

In all likelihood you will now be armed with a detailed overview of what your audience looks like and can match this up with potential sponsors. Start small. Find local companies or merchants with whom you can connect. Approach them first about sponsorship deals for your film or video.

After you have researched local opportunities, then review the potential of partnering with national or global companies. Start by thinking about what products people talk about that are big somewhere else but not yet big in your home market. This is where you can help them spread the word about their product(s) in your area.

3. Create a Sponsorship Presentation

Now that you have your introduction letter and demographic profiles, you are ready to begin creating your presentation. The presentation will seal the deal with sponsors only if it contains all the information they will need to make an educated decision on your opportunity. The presentation must contain the following elements:

1. A Two to three paragraph overview of your opportunity
2. A detailed overview of tour routing, markets and venues
3. An overview of what type of public relations and media support you expect to have and how the sponsor will be included
4. Your audience and demographic profile
5. Tour partnership deliverables or what the sponsor will receive for their investment
6. The total investment you are looking for from your sponsor and the return a sponsor can expect

Note: Never underestimate the power of personal interaction and word of mouth.

Now that you have all of the pieces of the puzzle you are ready to go out and shake the trees for sponsorship dollars.

Your objective is to set up a meeting where you can meet to discuss your specific marketing ideas and how it will benefit them.  Identify the key person at each company that will be your main contact. Usually start with the head of marketing and let them direct you. Then once you have identified which person is the right one, send them a modified version of your presentation.

a. Never send them a press kit! Remember, you always want to best represent yourself. 
b. Never define or state how much money you are looking for up front. Do that in the meeting. The reason why is because you can sell yourself short.

Closing

With effort and consistency you will land a sponsor. Always deliver on what you promise to retain your sponsors year after year. Under deliver and they will promptly kick you to the curb. Our philosophy is to always under promise and over deliver. With this philosophy you will be assured ongoing solid sponsorship participation for years to come.

Last update: 08:24 AM Sunday, March 25, 2007