In this video I’m going to give you 5 tips for adding value to a sponsor if you don’t have a huge following. What could possibly be more important than your number of followers ?
You know people check you out before making any deals with you, right ? They go to your social platforms to see more about who you are – and yes to check out your number of followers. So what do you do if you don’t have a huge number of followers on social media?
Think about it – would you rather be associated with an athlete with millions of followers, possibly on performance enhancement drugs and super full of him or herself – or with an athlete who is likeable, who shares the values you try to communicate, who shows some content and who is perhaps a little more selective in what he or she posts ?
When I started competing on the world cup in moguls skiing – and for most of my years there – there was no social media. I would go down – sometimes to a post office to FAX a press release. For real! Okay so before I get on with we we used to live in a shoe box – on the highway – 10 of us together….. here’s my point. It had its advantages and it was probably easier to grab the attention of the right people.
I did a comeback in skiing – in a different discipline – five years later and technology and habits of media were totally different. We could now take people along on the competitive adventure with photos and videos – and all of a sudden people realized what I had been doing for 20 years that they had only ever read about – or maybe watched on TV during the Olympics the two times I went.
Okay long story short – there are so many awesome platforms for athletes now – that TODAY the challenge to nurture a sponsor is more about HOW TO STAND OUT than about getting your photo out to a ton of people as it was back then. That’s the easy part.
So that why I recommend that you focus on this and here are my 5 tips that will beat the number of followers anytime. Then you can always work on increasing the number of followers – quality followers that is !
If you dial down these 5 parts and you proactively show that you don’t chase followers for the sake of followers – you are going for the right followers – then you can put together a strategy with the sponsor on how to reach more of them.
Okay, so are you ready?
Here are my 5 tips for adding value to a sponsor without having a huge following
Tip number 1 : You show other strengths
Your communication skills
Your attitude
Your professionalism
The quality of your photos and posts
Your personality and edge
Tip number 2 : Being able to explain WHO your followers are
This is where LinkedIn comes into the picture. LinkedIn allows you to know way more about the people who engage with your content and who checks out your profile.
You can see where they work, what positions the have, where they are based and a whole lot more. This is extremely valuable to a potential sponsor – and to you of course.
Tip number 3 : Use LinkedIn as a platform for sharing your content. It will help you and your sponsor stand out – because it is not as crowded with athletes as other platforms and you can actually show that you have value off the field as well.
But your content should match the platform in style and tone.
Tip number 4: Show your sponsor some previous posts and articles – which you can go ahead and make right now – and show how you plan to communicate the sponsorship. Demonstrating that you have put thought into this shows that you care about the outcome for the sponsor. You don’t have to give them a full media content plan. But let them know that you will post one article a month on LinkedIn for example – or do a themed video a month that will add value to their image and branding. Then go ahead and make an idea list for articles or videos you could post.
Tip number 5 : Be generous with tips, lessons and imagery from your sport. High level sports is inspiring to a lot of people – and doing this will actually help you reflect on what you are learning on your journey. Think can this be valuable to someone else ? It doesn’t have to be super intellectual or original– often a quick reminder about something we all know is the best. Like: “with practice come skills” or “enjoy the process.” Simple useful ltips or lessons with a personal touch. The personal touch is important to not make it cheasy and that can be a photo from training or traveling that relates to your tip.
Okay just for fun – give me an example of the either the coolest or the cheasiest quote you’ve seen out there in the comments below!
I hope you enjoyed these tips. If you would like to work with me to get this up and running for you – do reach out. Let’s get you started! I can’t wait to connect with you.