Larry Weil | The Sponsorship Guy Blog

Posted on March 16, 2023March 20, 2023 by Larry Weil

How to Find (and Keep!) Event Sponsors

Hosting an event can be a great way to bring people together and create memorable experiences, but it can also be a costly endeavor. That’s why finding sponsors for your event can be an important step in ensuring its success. Sponsors can provide financial support and other resources that can help you offset the costs of your event and make it more successful.

Here are some steps you can take to find sponsors for your event:

Identify your target audience: Before you start reaching out to potential sponsors, it’s important to have a clear understanding of who your target audience is. This will help you determine which companies and organizations are most likely to be interested in sponsoring your event. The more specific you can be about the demographics your event serves, the better chance you’ll have at capturing a sponsor’s interest.

Research potential sponsors: Once you have a clear understanding of your target audience, you can start researching potential sponsors. Look for companies and organizations that align with your event’s mission and values, and that have a history of sponsoring similar events.

Create a sponsorship package: Once you have identified potential sponsors, it’s time to create a sponsorship package. This should include information about your event, including the dates, location, and expected attendance, as well as the benefits that sponsors will receive by supporting your event. Be sure to include different levels of sponsorship, with varying benefits. Don’t forget digital benefits as well, these can be extremely valuable to potential sponsors and the data can serve as selling points for next year’s sponsors. Determine price point, but don’t include it in the messaging itself.

Reach out to potential sponsors: After you have created your sponsorship package, it’s time to start reaching out to potential sponsors. Personalize your approach and be sure to mention the benefits that they will receive by supporting your event. Follow up with them and make sure they received your message.

Negotiate and close the deal: Once you have received interest from potential sponsors, it’s time to negotiate the terms of the sponsorship. Be sure to clearly communicate the benefits that they will receive and the expectations you have for their involvement in the event. Once you have agreed on the terms, be sure to put it in writing and have both parties sign the agreement. Once you know more about exactly what the prospect wants and the value to that sponsor, price the specific proposal for that sponsor. Package deals are not worth the same amount to every sponsor. You may be leaving money on the table.

Show your gratitude: After the event, be sure to thank your sponsors for their support and provide them with any materials they may need. This will help to build a positive relationship and increase the chances that they will sponsor your event again in the future.

By following these steps, you can increase your chances of finding the right sponsors for your event. Remember, it’s important to be proactive, personalize your approach and be grateful for their support. With the right sponsors in place, you can create a successful event that will be memorable for all the right reasons.

Are you overwhelmed by the prospect of attracting sponsors? Are you wanting support and guidance from a sponsorship professional? Check out our consultation page to see if an hourly consultation or project-based sponsorship package could be right for you.

Posted on February 28, 2023March 15, 2023 by Larry Weil

Your perfect email may never get delivered

You have worked hard to craft the perfect message to your potential sponsor. You never hear back. You don’t know why – it could be that they never got it. In that case, your email deliverability needs some work.

Email deliverability is a crucial aspect of email marketing, as it determines the success of your campaigns. It ensures that your emails actually reach the inbox of your intended recipients, instead of being filtered into the spam or junk folder.

According to Yesware, cold emails have an average delivery rate of 75% and the open rate for cold emails is 19% on average. A little math tells us that means only 14.25% of what you send will get opened. Combine that with an average email reply rate of 3%, and you end up with 0.427% or less than one out of 200 getting a response.

Let that sink in: less than one of 200 emails gets a response. You can fix it though! Just make sure that you are adding deliverability best practices to your campaigns.

There are several factors that can affect email deliverability, including:

the quality of your email list
the content of your emails
your sending reputation

The Quality of Your Email List

One of the most important things you can do to improve your email deliverability is to ensure that your email list is of high quality. This means that the email addresses on your list should be accurate, up-to-date, and from individuals who have opted-in to receive your emails. Buying or renting an email list is rarely a good idea, as it will likely result in a high number of bounced and unsubscribed emails, which can hurt your sending reputation.

Even the word “opportunity” can trigger spam filters!

The Content of Your Emails

The content of your emails also plays a big role in email deliverability. Spam filters are designed to detect and flag emails that contain certain keywords and phrases that are commonly associated with spam. To avoid triggering these filters, it’s important to avoid using overly promotional language, including too many exclamation marks and all caps, and to avoid using certain triggering words such as “free” or “guaranteed”. We recently found out that even the word “opportunity” can trigger spam filters!

Your Sending Reputation

Your sending reputation is another key factor in email deliverability. Email service providers use a variety of metrics to determine your sending reputation, including your bounce rate, complaint rate, and engagement rate. A high bounce rate or complaint rate can indicate that your emails are not reaching the intended recipients, or that the recipients do not want to receive your emails. A low engagement rate can indicate that your emails are not interesting or relevant to the recipients.

To maintain a good sending reputation, it’s important to regularly clean and maintain your email list, to segment your list and send targeted content, and to monitor your engagement rate. Additionally, it’s important to use a reputable email service provider that is dedicated to helping you improve your email deliverability.

To sum it all up, email deliverability is critical to the success of your email marketing campaigns. By focusing on maintaining a high-quality email list, creating relevant and engaging content, and building a good sending reputation, you can improve your chances of reaching the inbox of your intended recipients.

Looking for more ways to reach your target audience? Check out these blogs – the knowledge found within may help you get in contact with the right people who will make all the difference in your sponsorship campaign.

Posted on January 30, 2023February 13, 2023 by Larry Weil

Why do sponsor prospects keep delaying decisions?

In today’s fast-paced business world, time is of the essence. But when it comes to making sponsorship decisions, many companies find themselves taking their time to ensure they’re making the right choice. While this may seem frustrating for those on the other end of the negotiation, it’s important to understand that sponsors are carefully weighing the potential benefits and risks of a partnership before committing.

In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the reasons why a sponsor might take a long time to decide on a sponsorship opportunity and what it means for those seeking sponsorship.

There are several reasons why event sponsors may delay making a decision, some of which include:

Lack of budget: Sponsors may not have the budget to commit to an event at the current time, and may need to wait until they have more funds available.
Uncertainty: Sponsors may be uncertain about the potential return on investment for the event, and may want to wait until they have more information before making a decision.
Lack of alignment: Sponsors may not feel that their brand or products align with the event, and may want to wait until they find a better fit.
Due Diligence: Sponsors may want to conduct more research or due diligence on the event and the organization running it before committing to sponsorship.
Competition: Sponsors may be considering multiple events and are trying to decide which one to sponsor.
Other Priorities: Sponsors may have other priorities in their business, which they need to attend to before focusing on event sponsorships.

It’s important to remember that sponsors are running a business just like you, and they have their own set of goals and priorities to consider. It’s not a personal rejection when they take a long time to decide on a sponsorship opportunity. From lack of budget to competition and other priorities, there are a variety of reasons why sponsors may delay making a decision.

By understanding these reasons and the sponsor’s decision-making process, you can better navigate the sponsorship landscape and increase your chances of success. In the end, it’s about finding the right match for both the sponsor and the event. By staying patient and being proactive, you can increase your chances of finding a mutually beneficial sponsorship opportunity.

Are you struggling to secure sponsors for your event or organization? Let a sponsorship expert help you navigate the process. Visit our consultation page to learn more about our hourly consultations and our project-based sponsorship packages. Don’t let the stress of attracting sponsors hold you back, take the first step and schedule a consultation today.

Posted on January 11, 2023February 1, 2023 by Larry Weil

Israel Bonds

Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds ranks among Israel’s most valued economic and strategic resources, with a record of proven success spanning 70 years. Praised for its dependability, the Bonds organization has helped build every sector of Israel’s economy. In 2020, despite challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, the Bonds organization secured historic U.S. sales of $1.5 billion.

Partnering in Israel’s success story through investment in Israel bonds is global in scope. Worldwide sales have exceeded $46 billion since the first bonds were issued in 1951.

Proceeds from the sale of Israel bonds have played a decisive role in Israel’s rapid evolution into a groundbreaking, global leader in high-tech, greentech and biotech. Member FINRA.

Posted on December 21, 2022March 9, 2023 by Larry Weil

Think Sponsors will Fund your Idea? Think Again.

Sponsors are not investors. Sponsors are advertisers. Sponsorship is a channel of marketing and advertising. Companies that choose sponsorship are looking for access to your audience through affinity or insights. We will come back to that.

There are a ton of cool ideas out there. Many very bright people reach out to me with their concept thinking that a sponsor will provide them with the funds they need to launch their idea. Please wipe that idea from your thinking. If you don’t have an operating property that is already in operation with firm dates, a run of show, a marketing plan and so on, you are not going to get a sponsor. Here is why:

1. Risk.

Sponsors don’t want risk. They spend a lot of time figuring out how to reach their target audience. You are not known to them, your idea is unproven, why should they give you money?

2. They have choices.

TV, Radio, Web, Social, Events, Non-Profits, Outdoor Media and much more. All of these channels have proven outreach and measurable audiences, your idea doesn’t.

3. They could do it without you.

Many big brands have their own experiential departments. They have spent time and money on honing their message and their engagement strategy. You have decided that they should pay you to develop your idea. They know their business, do you?

What you really want is help launching your vision. You want an investor. Getting an investor will force you to put together a plan and convince someone that you can not only pay them back, but create a steady source of revenue in the future. If you can do that, you can include sponsorship as a future channel of revenue.

Are you a celebrity? That could be a different story. A potential sponsor could quickly determine if your image would be beneficial to their brand. But, then you would have an agent and a management team developing full time opportunities for you.

Before you go hunting for a sponsor make sure you have something equal or better than other sponsorship opportunities and the data to prove your value.

If you’re ready to start your campaign for sponsors or increase your sponsorship revenue, reach out, we can help.

Get Help with Sponsorship

About Larry Weil:

Sponsorship engagement strategist and customer acquisition specialist for some of the nation’s most recognized brands Larry has over $200MM in sponsorship transactions to his credit. He has a database of over 4,000 brand and industry contacts. Larry is an expert seller, negotiator, presenter, and strategist. He has successfully represented properties and sponsors in numerous categories including Conferences, Trade Shows, Convention, and Visitors Bureaus, Entertainment and Sports Properties, and Tech.

Posted on October 10, 2022October 10, 2022 by Larry Weil

Harlem Holiday Lights Festival

TSG is now the agency of record for Harlem Holiday Lights Festival. The Harlem Holiday Lights Festival offers an unforgettable experience for people of all ages. Every November, a wide variety of community groups and merchants will host in-store activities and promotions, as well as outdoor activities, to celebrate Harlem culture and the start of the holiday season. The event takes place along 125th Street, and it stretches from Fifth Avenue to Marginal Street on the East River. From karaoke and trivia to the Parade of Lights and an ugly sweater contest, this event offers something for everybody. The celebration also includes a children’s village, so the little ones can enjoy Harlem Holiday Lights, too. Your kids can participate in games, face painting, and much more.

Harlem truly has a unique, arts-focused culture, and it’s filled with indescribable energy when it’s lit up. We’re thrilled to share the excitement with you.

Learn more at: https://harlembid.com/harlem-light-it-up/

Posted on September 21, 2022February 9, 2023 by Larry Weil

Miracle at Big Rock

TSG is now the agency of record for Miracle at Big Rock. Big Rock Creek is a historic venue in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, about 45 minutes from the Twin Cities. This year, visitors can enjoy a walk-through or drive-through tour of over 15 million Christmas lights expanded over a mile-long trail, shop local artisans and vendors in the heated barn, take a ride down the sledding hill, or enjoy a private family or corporate party in our yurts, domes, or clubhouse spaces. The event schedule will leave visitors inspired to come back for more.

Learn more at www.miracleatbigrock.com

Posted on July 11, 2022August 5, 2022 by Larry Weil

“Media Champions” Interview on Media Planning & Buying Tips

Media Champions Interview on Media Planning and Buying Tips

On this segment of “Media Champions” with Larry Weil from The Sponsorship Guy™, Daily Ad Brief host MaryTherese Griffin discusses the latest media planning and buying tips and tools used by advertising professionals to plan, buy, traffic, analyze and report on media. Stay ahead of the curve by listening to what these digital insiders have to say.

MaryTherese Griffin:
Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the champions. I’m your host, MaryTherese Griffin in Atlanta. Today, we’re going to go out to Texas – that’s where we find Larry Weil, the Sponsorship Guy. Yes, that “The Sponsorship Guy”. Larry, it’s so nice to finally have you on Media Champions.

Larry Weil:
Well, it’s my pleasure to be here. It’s great to see you too.

MaryTherese Griffin:
Thank you very much that now it’s no secret, you do sponsorships. That’s what you do. You do everything from the Super Bowl to a big tech and arena events. Let’s talk about that as a source of advertising, because it’s huge. I mean, sponsorship strengths is a media channel. Lay it out for us, because it’s hot.

Larry Weil:
Yeah. I mean, most people are really familiar with sponsorship when it comes to sports events. Everything from the Super Bowl, to the Tractor bowl, to your local baseball team is going to have sponsors. Sponsorship has become a huge portion of the overall marketing and advertising spend it’s probably only eclipsed these days by digital overall. It is really a blend of a bunch of different channels, which is part of why it’s so big, but it has a lot of specific advantages to it.

MaryTherese Griffin:
Question: What is it that the sponsorships actually want? Because I can imagine there are organizations and companies out there that see this and they think, “How do I do that?” and “Would that benefit me?” What do they want as far as sponsorships?

Larry Weil:
Well, it’s just a little bit different than what they want generally out of advertising and marketing. They want to grow their business, right? So, what’s the strategy to grow your business?

Is it best served through creating brand recognition? Today, that’s not as big of a deal and it’s cheap to get brand recognition. Now engagement – that’s a lot harder to do.

And affinity, where they feel close to your brand is something that’s really well achieved through sponsorship with the sponsorship of a specific brand. It’s been shown in NASCAR many times – why is there a box of cornflakes on a car? Because, NASCAR fans that see that box of corn flakes will support them because they support their favorites or their favorite team. And, and so you sort of, I call it, “borrow the halo”.

And so, if you’re not really well known or you want to change your perception, you can line up a sponsorship with a group. It could be anything from quarter-horse-racing to nonprofit, sponsorships to college teams. It really just depends on your objective. They’re looking to grow their business and creative, take a little bit of a shortcut to creating a relationship with prospective customers

MaryTherese Griffin:
Question: Let’s talk about if it’s a first time event, if you will, and you don’t exactly have the background or the data to show, how do you get around that? How do you present that?

Larry Weil:
Such a great question – I get that a lot. I have hundreds of people reach out to me every month about their idea or their new concept or any event they’d like to do. Maybe they want to do a concert or event and they ask me how do I get sponsors?

And I have to kind of slow down a little bit and say, “Well, what do you have? Digital is so important. Do you have a social following? What have your audiences been in the past? What kind of earned media have you received?” So, it’s really almost like creating a media kit.

So, if they don’t have any of that and they go, “Well, we’re new. We don’t really have the followers, none of that.” You can’t show that to a sponsor.

What you can do though, is build a great plan.

If a sponsor can see that:

You know what you’re doing, that you have a media plan
You’re going to attract an audience that aligns with their values and their core audience.
You’ve thought this plan out, you’re tracking the data and you’re prepared to make some guarantees about what you’re going to deliver from an audience standpoint

That goes a long way. They [sponsors] really respect people who know what they’re doing and have a strong plan. It’s the folks that come in and say, “Oh, we’ve got this great idea! Come give us some sponsorship money.” They don’t like that. They don’t like risk.

MaryTherese Griffin:
Well, I also think people don’t like the good idea fairy and the good idea fairies seems to live in a lot of brains. I know you know this, you’ve been doing this a long time.

I hope you will come back because I would love to further this discussion with you. I’ve got like eight more questions. I want to ask you that when you come back on the show and let’s continue this soon!

We can connect you to The Sponsorship Guy. You’re going to want to pick his brain and we can help you do that. You can find Larry by finding us right here at daily average, I’m MaryTherese Griffin in Atlanta. We’ll see you next time for more Media Champions.

About Larry:

Larry Weil is a nationally recognized sponsorship expert and thought leader with over $200 million in deals to his credit. TheSponsorshipGuy.com is the leading sponsorship marketing agency for Virtual and Destination Events. Media outlets, large corporations, and entrepreneurs all seek out his insights and opinions, which have been published in print, digital and broadcast.

Posted on June 23, 2022March 9, 2023 by Larry Weil

What is Sponsorship? A Post-Pandemic Update

80% of corporate sponsors are interested in investing in virtual events.^*

Since I originally wrote my blog “What is Sponsorship and How does it Work?” in 2017 the world in general and the world of event sponsorship has changed dramatically. The premise is still the same, but the growth of digital platforms and virtual events exploded and won’t ever go back to pre-pandemic levels. To fully answer the question “What is a sponsorship”, let’s do a brief recap.

Virtual events went from being mostly webinars to a full blown platform to replace huge in-person events. Google’s first virtual event was in June of 2020. “Naturally, Google’s first virtual event was about, well — virtual events.” ~ Mike La Follette, Webex Events. It included over 1000 employees. “Google canceled I/O 2020, due to Covid, but Apple and Microsoft forged on with virtual events” ~ Jonathan LaMont, MobileSyrup.

Faced with an 80% plus cancellation rate of in person events, adoption was swift. We saw virtual platforms go from a couple dozen on the market to a couple hundred in less than a year.

The data about the growth of Zoom is astounding. Suddenly, we were all learning to use new tools. The communication with customers and each other had to be maintained.

When people want to know “What are sponsorships?”, I usually start by talking about the boom of virtual conferences at the beginning of the pandemic. Some of those first webinars and conferences were pretty rough. But as time went on, users developed skills and platforms were continuously updating and adapting features and capabilities. Before long, new job titles were appearing. Event Producers became Virtual Event Producers. Live event companies became Virtual Event Companies. Just because an event is virtual – doesn’t mean a sponsor won’t want to be part of the event. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Virtual events can help sponsors reach a much wider audience than if their marketing was reserved to in-person programming.

As everyone learned to master the new technologies, the advantages of virtual events over in-person events began to emerge. A blog from Captioning Star from March of this year entitled “Rise and Popularity of Virtual Events: Exponential Increase Post-Pandemic” identified two key elements: benefits and features.

Features:

1:1 breakout sessions
Augmented reality
Gamification
Polls, private chats, surveys and Q&A sessions
Group sessions
Platform integrations to registration, ticketing, payments and social media

Benefits:

Data and Analytics including engagement, marketing analysis, attribution and lead generation
Global Reach
Accessibility and inclusivity
Monetization (Sponsorship)
Cost Reduction. Massive reductions in travel, food.
Virtual events are cheaper, quick and highly automated

If you have responsibility for your event or property’s sponsorship revenue, you have made major adjustments. Your live event features like coffee break and happy-hour sponsor placements are as dead as door clings and banners. The good news is there are a whole host of new, and in many cases, improved options for sponsors.

While live and hybrid events are making a comeback, virtual is here to stay. In 2022, 55% of advertising is digital.

Source: Winterberry Group via WordStream.

Key takeaway:

Everyone is committed to Digital marketing and advertising in a huge way. Companies big and small, from necessity or foresight have become adept and comfortable with digital and value you the benefits. Digital is one of the few places that can get hard facts about your marketing and advertising performance. If you have not integrated digital into your events and properties you will continue to fall behind and become less and less relevant.

Become an expert at “digital sponsorship” – it’s the future of sponsorship post-pandemic.

*Travel Daily News (via Captionstar) reports that 80% of corporate sponsors are interested in investing in virtual events.

If you find yourself asking “how does sponsorship work?” be sure to check out my free eBook, Digital Benefits to Generate Event Sponsorship

It will help you:

Improve Sponsorship Campaigns
51% of sponsors say that they are unhappy with the results of their sponsorship campaigns. Let’s change that. Learn 3 ways you can use data to deliver value and set expectations with your sponsors.

Attract High-Value Sponsors
This eBook will teach you how to make the most out of digital tools to attract sponsors within your niche for your next event.

Get Advice From the Industry’s Leading Expert
Author Larry Weil pulls on his years of experience as an expert seller, negotiator, presenter, and strategist to deliver you the most relevant and actionable tips for your sponsorship journey.

Download FREE eBook

Need a sponsorship consultant?

Feeling overwhelmed by the pitching and sales process of acquiring a sponsor? We all face challenges, whether we’re a novice or an event professional. No matter the level of assistance you’re looking for, we can help.

A consultation may be for you if:

You feel like you’re one step away from reaching your sponsorship goals
You are unsure how to find your first sponsor or want help attracting/signing/working with a specific sponsor.
You need direction from an expert to get you unstuck
You are feeling overwhelmed by the pitching and sales process of acquiring a sponsor
You don’t know why your outreach isn’t working and don’t have time to waste

Book a Consultation

Posted on June 23, 2022July 22, 2022 by Larry Weil

Stephen Perrine, NYT Best Selling Author

New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and brand consultant

Stephen Perrine is the author of The New York Times bestseller, The Whole Body Reset, the first and only weight-management program designed specifically for people at midlife and beyond. The Whole Body Reset explains how to use the power of Protein Timing to stop, and reverse, age-related weight gain and muscle loss.

Perrine has appeared as a nutrition expert on Today, Good Morning America, The 700 Club, The View, and numerous other media outlets, and has been a featured speaker at the 92nd St Y and the JCC Manhattan.

Stephen is available as a:

Featured corporate presenter and public speaker
Brand ambassador for well aligned products
Content provider for internal and public articles

Schedule a call to learn more and inquire about availability.

Author: Larry Weil

How to Find (and Keep!) Event Sponsors