It’s still a rough economy, and as the New Year starts, many service providers and vendors are looking at where they will put their 2010 promotional dollars.
For those of us who serve particular industries there is a steady stream of requests to sponsor the programs and events of that industry’s trade associations and professional societies. The chief benefit of sponsorship that these groups tout is "visibility". But how is that visibility delivered? Are there actual measurable benefits?
In November I posted the following question on LinkedIn and forwarded it as well to a few clients and colleagues:
Do you give any preference to vendors because they sponsor professional societies, scholarships or professional development programs?
I often wonder if people even notice the names of such sponsors and if so what impact it has on their impression of the firm.
PRofessional Solutions, LLC is a public relations temporary staffing agency. Over the 15 years that we’ve been in business I’ve tailored our sponsorship approach to support programs that promote high standards of learning and skill within the public relations/ communications profession. I want prospective clients to see us as a partner not only in providing but also in developing the kinds of talented, creative and ethical professionals they want to hire.
I got a dozen responses. All knew me and PRofessional Solutions. Two are fellow service-provider business owners who sponsor, but the rest are PR Directors and VP’s from associations, nonprofits and two corporations and a small PR firm. Only two – both either past or present PRSA Board members – reported using sponsor lists to select vendors. I’ll share some comments from the rest shortly.
PRofessional Solutions' sponsorship dollars have gone – and go – to:
From these varied experiences I have learned a lot about what can make “visibility” worthwhile and what can make it meaningless.
How will you be recognized? What is the visibility?
No two groups provides the same kind of recognition or thanks. For example, although PRofessional Solutions, LLC was the exclusive sponsor of the IABC Senior Communicators Council for two years, each meeting started with the chapter thanking equally and at the same time the “host” (the organization that allowed use of a conference room but contributed nothing else) followed by the sponsor. The “host’s” name and address were featured more prominently so people would know where to go (and sometimes the sponsor was forgotten on program notices). Add to that the irregular and infrequent meeting schedule and there was pretty much no value in "visibility".
More often you are one of many sponsors, and there are categories of sponsorship with the names and/or logos grouped under their level of support. If that is your only recognition you might want to think about how big the crowd is. As one respondent from a medical specialty group noted, “I really don't give preference to vendors for sponsorships since I see that as a visibility tool for the business. It's a nice gesture, but if there are too many names, you run the risk of getting lost in the crowd”.
Another high level communicator responded, “What a sponsorship does do is make me aware of a particular vendor. Then, when I am looking for a particular product or service, it is more likely that I will at least investigate this vendor, assuming the timing is right and I remember the vendor! I think what a sponsorship does for a vendor is provide additional exposure and name recognition possibilities, enabling a vendor to stand out from competitors, assuming the vendor is not just one of numerous others sponsoring the event."
What do you hope to get from sponsorship and visibility?
Even though your name may be in front of your target audience of people who purchase your kind of services, you might not see results. A service providing colleague answered that “in ALL my years sponsoring in events, particular WWPR - I have never gotten a lead throughout the year from them, don't necessarily feel that someone takes my "cold call" due to the connection, or have had someone call me from the sponsorship.”
But PRofessional Solutions, LLC continues to sponsor the WWPR PR Woman of the Year luncheon, reinforced early on by a call that turned into a client from someone who said, “I don’t know where I got this post-it pad I’ve been using, but I need a PR temp.” Our post-it pad features our name and contact information but also a list of our services -- and including an item in the gift bag has been a regular perk of sponsorship at Woman of the Year.
And the small PR agency owner reported, “one of the sponsors at the recent WWPR event was a new baker I hadn't heard of but I was looking for a company to create a very special cake for an upcoming event. I was thrilled to give the business to a fellow supporter of WWPR and to discover a new, woman-owned business to try out. I am so happy with the result and I loved being able to tell them that they got the business from donating to the WWPR raffle!”
Is there a well-organized and well-run sponsorship program? Does it allow for personalization?
The best run professional society sponsorship program in town has to be PRSA. It regularly communicates with sponsors, reminds them to take advantage of their benefits (including attending PRSA programs at no additional cost) lists them or highlights their logos on absolutely every possible communication from the chapter and keeps their materials visible and available to those attending all its programs. In addition, they are flexible and look for ways to personalize sponsorship to the needs and interests of the business.
And it’s the personalization that makes it valuable. For PRofessional Solutions, LLC there is not much impact from being one of many logos in the pack. However, when programs are scheduled the chapter seeks out sponsors with a strong connection to speak, serve on a panel or moderate. That kind of visibility is significant and results in much higher name recognition and retention among members and attendees.
WWPR has adapted a version of this benefit at the PR Woman of the Year event: the first three sponsors at the highest category of support each get to introduce one of the three honorees at the event. Great visibility for the sponsor, though not all are good at writing or presenting the introductions.
Plan to make something of the sponsorship yourself.
AWC-DC is small and attendance at its annual Matrix luncheon doesn’t compete in size with the events of the other communications groups. But for PRofessional Solutions, LLC it is still a valuable to provide sponsorship for the Matrix scholarship to a communications student studying at an area college or university. While the publicity reach of the organization may not be great, we get to highlight this project on our own website and let clients know of our support.
And while 10 of the 12 respondents to the LinkedIn question said they do not give preference based on sponsorship – and a couple said they never even notice the names – that didn’t mean that no one notices.
“I think that being highlighted suggests that a vendor is doing well and has money to invest in promotion and in some cases I may hear of them when I otherwise would not,” was the comment of a senior corporate communicator .
“I always notice the names of event/scholarship sponsors and partners. I try to lend my support to companies and groups who support me in my job and get behind causes I'm involved in and believe in.” said one.
“For me, it's a second or third tier issue. I pick the vendor for its merits; however, if all things are equal its support for a cause I value might make me take a second look or put someone over the finish line,” said another.
When: Tuesday, January 12 from Noon - 2:00 p.m.
a's leading business communicators to discuss these questions, as well as additional ones you might have.
cember 15th
RSVP required: CapitalCommunicator@gmail.com
COST: $20.00 plus one new, UNWRAPPED toy for Toys for Tots
Cash only; exact change appreciated.
