Sponsorship 101: Working With Sponsors Isn’t Just About Promoting

Today Blog Conference Newbie Guide’s “Sponsorship 101″ series continues with the topic of how to work with your sponsor in ways you might not have previously thought about.

Many seem to focus solely on promotional efforts when it comes to partnering with their sponsor. However, doing so glosses over another important way to bring value to your relationship with your sponsor: being a source of information. Sponsorship partnerships shouldn’t just be about increasing the company’s exposure; you’re attendance at a blog conference makes you into a proverbial “information highway” for your sponsor to tap into.

Compile A Report About The Blog Conference

Your sponsor might benefit from a detailed report about the conference to gain insight into the importance of attending (as a company) or sponsoring bloggers. Or perhaps the company would be interested in considering sponsoring the event in the future.

Your report can include a background section on the conference, noting who the conference is geared towards, who the coordinators/creators are, and how many years the conference has been happening. Other important facts are: how many people attended, an outline of sessions, networking opportunities (for bloggers as well as brands to network), and your thoughts on your experience. If you have ideas on how the company may benefit in the future from partnering with the conference or increase their visibility by attending the conference, let them know this information.

Some companies have never sponsored bloggers to attend conferences before and may not even be aware of many (or any!) blog conferences. Your insight might possibly open up a door that the brand didn’t even know was there.

Suggest Other Avenues For Marketing To Moms or Bloggers

When you’re at the conference, keep your ears open in conversations with others for insights into how to better reach bloggers or others via social media platforms which you can then share with the company. After talking with other brands at the conference, ideas may pop into your mind about your sponsor’s products and new ways to promote them. Present these ideas to the company since you, the blogger, may very well be their target market. Offering them insider information on what people want to see can help them shape their marketing techniques to better reach consumers.

Consider Your Network of Friends

Have a conversation with someone about your sponsor’s products who seemed interested in learning more about them? Met people who you think would be a good fit with the company for future partnerships? Your ability to introduce your sponsor to other trustworthy and reliable bloggers is another asset.

Sometimes working with a company isn’t just about increased exposure. There is value in providing them information that they may not otherwise have been privy to. Since many people focus on efforts that revolve solely around product promotion, step outside the box and offer them these options to set yourself apart.

Stay tuned….The next post in this Sponsorship 101 series will weigh the pros and cons of having a personal conference sponsor.

Do you see the value in becoming an information source for your sponsor?
Have you provided this option for your personal conference sponsor in the past?