How to Get Sponsored

If you wanted to know how to get sponsors for your band, music festival, or tour, then you might be interested in How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements.

This week, How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements, is on sale for only $2.99 at Amazon.com.

If you prefer a print copy, it is available for $9.99 through Create Space.

Building a relationship with a corporate sponsor is one of the most important things an organization needs to do in order to achieve its mission. Sponsors can not only provide a source of income, but also increased brand awareness, volunteers, and other valuable resources. However, marketing guru Simon Tam argues that the relationship can be so much more.

How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements provides step-by-step, practical advice on how to build sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships that can help your organization succeed. Whether you are representing a non-profit organization, a musician in a band, or an athlete looking for product and cash support, this book will become a resource that you can turn to over and over again.

Get specific advice on how to:

* Find the right sponsor for your organization
* Get information for the right contact at a company
* Approach potential sponsors
* Create an effective sponsorship proposal
* Follow up the right way

Templates for solicitation emails, silent auction propositions, sponsorship packets, reports for sponsors are also included!

How to Get a Sponsor: The Sponsorship Packet/Proposal Outline

Here’s a general outline/template that you can adapt to be more effective in your sponsorship packet. You should design your packet specifically for print as well as a digital file. The most important thing to keep in mind is the perspective of the sponsor: How does the proposal benefit them/their customers/their employees? What can you offer that is different than the other sponsorship proposals being sent to them? Is it easy to take action?

The Format:

 

1. Cover - Make it distinctive. You might consider adding something like “2012 Sponsorship Proposal Prepared Especially For [the company]” with their logo on it. Give them plenty of opportunities to visualize working with you.
2. The Call Out (optional): The second page can be for a large dramatic image/photo or some of the major “bragging rights” stats. Artists can typically use this page as the “one sheet” – a one page descriptor of who you are, major stats or accomplishments, or press excerpts/testimonials from other sponsors.
3. The Partnership: This is where you want to focus on the main benefits for working with your organization. What are the main ways you and the sponsor are a good fit?
4. The Fact Sheet: The nitty-gritty details of your event, tour, or organization that they are sponsoring. Cover all of the major who/what/when/where/why questions, such as as “What is the event?,” “Where does the event take place?,” “Who is involved?,” “Why should I be sponsoring this event,” etc.
5. Key Marketing Information: This is where your research into your industry pays off. You’ll want to talk about your niche market, the demographics of your audience (and who you are targeting), how you will be messaging your brand/event along with their company, and talk about successes with past sponsorship campaigns.
6. Co-Branded Marketing Opportunities: You’ll want to send 3-6 custom, creative pitches to the company that allows for them to visualize working with you. This should play directly off of your niche market/their target audience. The more custom the idea, the higher the asking price that you can fetch. It also helps you stand out from other sponsorship opportunities that only offer logo placement. Marketing folks love creative ways to showcase their brand, especially to an interested audience who they might never be able to reach in any other way. If there is also a “viral” component to one of the ideas, that’s even better.
7. The Benefit List: List all of the benefits that the company gets from sponsoring you. Put your emphasis on the more custom, creative options and less on the generic commodities that typical sponsorship packages offer (such as logo placement). This is your formal offer so make it as clear as possible on what they can be expecting in return from their sponsorship dollars or in-kind gifts. If you’ll accept a payment schedule, include that as well.
8. The Sponsorship Agreement: The sponsorship agreement should be easy to complete and return. Details such as a self-addressed and stamped envelope are good. Add an extra bit of professionalism by having this portion printed on NCR (carbonless copy) paper where they can tear off a copy for themselves and send one to you. You can also do things such as adding a QR code or link to a digital version of the agreement.

From my book, How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements, on sale for less than $4 on Amazon.com right now!

5 Non-traditional Ways to Promote Your Music

Artists tend to be creative people. We write music, create dazzling visions of art, and express sentiments in the most unique ways. However, when it comes to promoting our art, something else happens. For one reason or the other, most artists fail to express any creativity in their business endeavors.

Here are five easy (non-internet) ways that you could promote your band. I hope that more than anything else, they get your brain going and inspire you to create ideas that work with specifically for your art.

1. Teaming Up with Local Food: Do you frequent a local restaurant or know someone in the restaurant business? Offer to come up with a new recipe. On the menu, it write “created by ______” (or however you want it phrased). In return, you’ll help promote the restaurant by encouraging fans to order the dish: through social media, on the back of your business cards, maybe a flyer or coupon. What restaurant wouldn’t want a local band promoting their food for free all over town?  You could do the same thing with a bar as well (designing a signature drink).
2. Coast with the Local Watering Hole: Speaking of bars, you many of them also need coasters (they’re often supplied for free by beer or spirits distributors). Why not design some coasters and drop them off at your favorite place? You could design a cool logo, offer a free download, and link with a QR code to your music right there. Coasters are only a few cents to custom imprint, why not? Maybe your fans would want some too.
3. At the Car Wash: I drive by an intersection that has car washes nearly every weekend. I’ve seen sports teams, church groups, and rehab centers, but I’ve never seen a band out there raising money for an album or tour van. Why not? Car washes are actually a great way to make money fairly easily. You could get friends and fans to help out, have a performance or sell CD’s, etc. In fact, you could even offer a free CD with a $10 donation or more for the car wash. You’d probably make more money in one afternoon than your typical dive bar gig.
4. Consignment: Consider selling your music or merchandise via consignment at places outside the normal record store. For instance, my band (The Slants) has a strong connection with the anime/comic book world so I set up displays and sell music at comic book stores around the country. We often offer to come in and do a performance, help promote the store, and only ask for a percentage of each sale in exchange for having the store feature our music. Music can be bought/sold anywhere, just look at Starbucks creating their own record label. What kinds of stores do you have a connection to?
5. Charity Fundraisers: There are many fundraisers that are looking for live entertainment. You might have even played some yourself. But have you also participated as a fundraising team for a cause that is important to you? Most of fundraisers use a website system called Convio where participants can set up a personalized fundraising page and the top fundraisers are featured.  If you also participate as an active fundraiser, you’ll have much greater support (and recognition) from the organization, its staff, and volunteers. You can also give away free music in exchange for donations (makes a great tax write off) as well.

These are just some initial thoughts. I hope that they inspire you to think outside the box with all areas of your music career and how you can inject your own creativity into the process. What’re some interesting things that you have done?

 

How to Get Sponsored: Rethinking Sponsorships

From my book, How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements:

When most people who want sponsorships think about their ultimate goal, it involves money. They’re looking for someone to fund their event, to pay for their tour, to raise money for their charity, and so on. When many business think about sponsoring someone, it ultimately involves money as well: even if it is an incredible cause, at the end of the day, they want to know how sponsoring will help them get more customers. Each party treats the sponsorship as a transaction. However, I believe it is important to shift the definition from “a cash and/or in-kind fee paid to a property (typically sports entertainment, non-profit event, or organization) in return for access to the exploitable, commercial potential associated with that property” (IEG, 2000) to something more equitable: a partnership.

Sponsorship as a Partnership

A sponsorship insinuates something more akin to a one-sided relationship: the sponsor gives money in the hope for more customers or being associated with a positive cause. A partnership denotes an agreement where both parties share the risks, responsibilities, and rewards. By approaching the relationship as a partnership, it also implies a long term agreement.

By examining how we approach sponsorships more closely, we can also identify a few other important factors that should be considered:

• Who do we want associated with our brand, event, or organization? You hear about companies dropping their advertising dollars or sponsorships of athletes all the time because they don’t want to be affiliated with improper behavior. Recently, talk show host Rush Limbaugh lost multiple major advertisers due to some of his controversial statements. However, sometimes as an artist or non-profit event, we don’t think deeply about who we are getting our money from and how our customers’ perception of us might change as a result.
• What kind of people do we want to work with? If you are planning a cross-promotional marketing campaign where you work closely with a brand, you’ll want to know their customers, their work-flow, communication processes, and their approach. Does it make sense for what you are doing?
• Is everyone getting fair value for their work? If you are getting a $20,000 sponsorship, are you providing at least $20,000 worth of deliverable returns back to the investor? Conversely, is the amount of work you’re doing worth the money/partnership or are there other ways you can get the same resources more easily?
• What are some creative ways that this partnership can be highlighted? You should be able to do more than simply trade logos on websites and your printed materials. How can you use your respective brands to drive customers towards one another? Is there a way that you can involve the employees of a sponsoring business?

Sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer puts it best: “All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. All things being not so equal, people still want to do business with their friends.” By elevating the value of sponsorship to an established, friendly partnership, you’ll instill loyalty, and get more in return than a simple check could ever provide.

How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements now available

I’m happy to announce that the digital version of my book, How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements, is now available for only $3.99. Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007Y6SCOO

If you’ve found the writings on this site helpful (especially the sponsorship articles), I hope you’ll consider spending the $4 for the complete book. The printed version will be available in a few weeks.

Here’s the Amazon.com description:

Building a relationship with a corporate sponsor is one of the most important things an organization needs to do in order to achieve its mission. Sponsors can not only provide a source of income, but also increased brand awareness, volunteers, and other valuable resources. However, marketing guru Simon Tam argues that the relationship can be so much more.How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements provides step-by-step, practical advice on how to build sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships that can help your organization succeed. Whether you are representing a non-profit organization, a musician in a band, or an athlete looking for product and cash support, this book will become a resource that you can turn to over and over again.

Get specific advice on how to:

• Find the right sponsor for your organization
• Get information for the right contact at a company
• Approach potential sponsors
• Create an effective sponsorship proposal
• Follow up the right way

Free: How to Get Sponsorships Book

I’ve been busy working on a new book on getting sponsorships for your band, tour, non-profit event, etc. to take on some of the regular blogs I write about the subject in much greater depth. I should be publishing the book in early Spring.

If you’re interested in getting a free digital copy of the book and would be willing to write a review/testimonial/feedback, please send me a message at simon@laststopbooking.com with “sponsorship book” in the subject line. If you don’t mind me sharing your name, band, etc. and your comments with the publishing of the book then please let me know as well. This is for the first twenty people to contact me. Thanks!

Creating More Sponsorship Opportunities for Your Music

I’ve written a whole series of blogs on How to Get a Sponsor for your band, tour, etc. In the end, it boils down to being able to creating mutually beneficial partnerships.

Here are some other ways you can approach sponsorship and create more opportunities for you and your partners:

• Create new sponsorship opportunities out of existing inventory. People rarely want to spend large amounts of money on new inventory, especially for a new investment. In addition, it’s a healthy practice for any business to clear out existing inventory. Perhaps you can come up with a new idea to highlight older (but favorite) products from your sponsor. You can also view “inventory” not just as a collection of product, but available services or skills as well. What could create new opportunities without risking a large investment?
• Creating unique programs that sponsors can own. Innovative businesses don’t like a “one size fits all” approach. If you come up with ideas that are specific to their target audience and makes sense for their brand (as opposed to just a “menu” of options), they’ll be more likely to invest into your project. Always show the return on investment for their business.
• Make it easy. The benefit to a tiered (or menu) style of sponsorship is that it makes it easy to select different amounts in terms of dollars, services, or goods. However, it doesn’t mean that this can’t be personalized. If you make it as easy as possible (simple agreement, payment method, method of measuring return on investment, etc.), you’ll get better results.
• Reposition your brand from their point of view. If you were a Marketing Director or business owner at X company, what would you like to see? In every proposal and communication shared, highlight how you will reach their target audience, highlight their brand, get them more for their money. Sponsorship programs often bring in a much higher return on investment than buying ads (that’s why they’ve endured for so long), you just have to prove how you will be effective for them. Sometimes, that means describing your music differently. Other times, it requires more an entire overhaul of your press kit.

Sometimes we’re so fixed on our own ideas that we forget to position them and view them in someone else’s light. Before you make the actual pitch, you could always get ideas/input from people outside of your band. Actually, proofreading is always a good idea.

And if you ever have questions or want someone to help you create a sponsorship packet, drop me a line.

5 Tips on Getting a Label, Sponsor, or Booking Agent

1. Treat it Like a Job Application

I can’t stress this point enough. If you want to get the right sponsor, label, agent, etc., you have to treat the process like you would for a high-end job. You wouldn’t send a generic cover letter filled with typo’s and grammatical errors or an incomplete resume would you? It seems basic but nearly 70% of the submissions I receive lack some of the basics – at least 20% forgot to include the band’s name or a link to the website. If you want a someone to take you seriously, then you have to take yourself seriously enough to make sure the presentation is just right.

It’s often said “It isn’t what you know but who you know.” Just like job applicants who have a mutual contact or letter of recommendation have an advantage, artists that have spent their time networking and building their reputation will have much greater odds. Think of A&R reps as recruiters or the HR department. Put yourself in their mindset, ask someone else to look at your press kit before you hit send. Try not to send unsolicited demo’s (if it is a company you want to work with, introduce yourself and get to know them first).

2. Understand What Makes You  Unique

I often write about honing your “elevator pitch.” Although many bands claim to be different, they don’t seem to have any way of proving it. Don’t ever say anything along the lines of “we are different than anything you’ve ever heard,” because it usually means that you sound like the same crap that the last band who claimed that. Find ways of expressing why you are the first or only act of your kind. Also, when describing your music, use other artists to help explain your sound even if or especially if it is in a new and interesting way (i.e, “Sounds like Dolly Parton covering Marilyn Manson”).

3. Use a Laser, not a Shotgun

Choose your prospects carefully. You always want to be wise about who you choose to work with because it does reflect your art (and their business). Spend more time focusing on a few targets and less time copying and pasting generic emails to everyone possible. Most people understand that sending your jazz trio’s demo to a record label that focuses on metal is a waste of time but they still are looking for sponsorships from companies that have nothing to do with their target audience. The more you can prove how working with you makes sense for the company, the more likely they will respond positively. You will be more effective if you spend more time researching the appropriate companies to work with than blasting everyone with a generic email.

4. Build Up Your Own Business

The best way to get the music industry’s attention on your band is to help up our business so much that they can’t help but notice the buzz about you. Labels aren’t interested in acts that can’t sell records…so if you want to get on their radar, you’ll have to sell some. Most booking agencies don’t like to take a risk on unestablished acts, they want to see a strong touring history. Besides, it will always behoove you to learn as much about the music industry as possible anyway, especially if you are hiring others to help you with your work. Building up your business is the best way to prove that you can provide a return on investment for a sponsor or label. Think of it this way: if you had some money to invest into a business, would you want to go with the unproven idea or the money-making one that has a history of success?

5. Leave Them Wanting More

When you first contact someone, your immediate goal isn’t to get signed or securing a sponsorship. It’s to develop a relationship, a series of communications where you can get to know the prospect more. Think of it like “courting” – you don’t want to ask for marriage on your first date. You want to leave some mystery so that they’ll be wanting more. If you want them to be more interested, don’t just talk about yourself. Ask questions, find out what they want. Get permission to contact them more and find creative ways to leave them thinking about you.

How to Get a Sponsor For Your Band or Tour cont’d

Just wrote an entry on my business marketing blog about why businesses should invest into building a strong arts culture in their community. Some of the benefits also pertain to businesses that invest into music groups as well. Feel free to see what you can get from the post and use for your “pitch” when talking to a potential sponsor:

(from simontam.biz):

Business have much to gain from partnering with other organizations, brands, and events. Since the concept of “branding” has existed, it has been important to create strategic relationships to help define a person’s identity, product, and services. However, with limited resources available, it has become even more important to choose partnerships that have the greatest return on investment. This includes profitability as well as developing a long term investment with the community in which a business is based. Channeling resources into building a healthy arts community fulfills both needs.

From an investment point of view, building a healthy arts community provides access to a target audience for a local business. A company’s brand is enhanced when they align with a local arts organization and it can increase employee retention through entertainment and/or involvement with the arts. Furthermore, the return on investment includes creating a thriving community with innovative solutions, qualitative relationships, and a balanced lifestyle.

It is important to build a strategic relationship that goes beyond simple financial gifts or one-day volunteer projects. An arts-driven community stimulates innovation and attracts new businesses to the area. Businesses and organizations have the opportunity to not only gain financially through working together, but they also receive enhanced branding, exponential spread on the reach of their message, and greater efficiency through synergetic cooperation. Benefits are available through investment in both non-profit as well as for-profit entities.

 

September Special on Consultation Services

As many of you already know, Last Stop Booking is able to offer consultation services to help you get to the next level of your career. Sometimes, you need an objective voice to take a look at what you’re doing and give you straight, reliable advice based on years of experience. Sometimes, you just need a kick in the pants. Whatever your need is, we could all use some extra help to achieving our dreams.

Starting today, I’m offering a free 30 minute consultation to the first ten artists to reserve. If you’d like the full hour session that I offer, you only need to pay for the additional 30 minutes ($20). With a full hour session, you’re also able to send me your press kit, music, and websites for me to review ahead of time (there is no charge for reviewing materials when you book a session). The consultation can be done in person, on the phone, or online. We reserve a time that is convenient for both of us.

Do you have questions like these:

• How can I find a sponsor for my band?
• Do I need a manager or a booking agent?
• Where can I get the best deal on merchandise?
• How do I open up for these incredible headlining bands? Do I need to?

If you’re interested in taking advantage of this offer while there is still space, please email me at simon@laststopbooking.com

The articles and blogs I write will always be free here but sometimes its nice to get personalized attention on you specifically.