CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A FREE SPONSOR PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
Having sponsors for your music events is simply magical. Bringing business leaders together with the community can promote togetherness, diversity, and a community-in-action atmosphere. Sponsors can help you cover expenses related to putting on your events, impact your revenue earnings in a positive way, and make it possible for you to do events you only dreamed of. Also, your sponsors will more than likely advertise their involvement in your project which will multiply your exposure as they get your music and message out to their constituents as well.
This a part 1 of a 2-part post detailing how to get sponsors for your music events and increase your earning potential.
If salesmanship and fundraising is not your thing, don’t worry. In this article I share tricks to help get yourself used to fundraising and ways to make it fun. Firstly, do not get attached to one certain outcome. Be flexible and remember that fundraising is all about numbers. After you understand how to make a convincing pitch, your success in raising money will depend on how many good leads you make a connection with. That’s all. In post II of this series, I’ll share with you an easy formula you can use to achieve your fundraising goals every time.
Getting event sponsors for your gigs can create a boat load of opportunity. Not only does it increase your earning potential, but it also creates genuine connection with business leaders in your community.
— The Crafty Musician (@IndieArtistsDIY) April 18, 2018
Already know how to make the right connections? Click here to download my Free Sponsor Pitch Template and start getting more sponsors for shows and music events.
So let’s begin…
Who should I approach?
When you decide to pursue sponsorships for your music events or gigs, the best place to start is with your attendees. Start by creating a profile of your attendees – the people who will be showing up to your event. Who are they? What are their demographics? What do they like? What services do they need and what businesses do they frequent? What products do they use? Write down every product, service, business, hobby, and need you can think of that your attendees would have. Take a look at your list and try to match actual companies that you know of with that list. For example, if you identify that most of your attendees are naturally biking enthusiasts, then a local bike shop would probably be interested in hearing about a sponsorship opportunity that will help them reach more people in their target market.
Give yourself an hour or even a couple days to brainstorm all the possibilities. After a while you should have a sizeable list of local businesses. You might even be able to come up with a few national businesses or brands who have a significant interest in your local market. See if you can identify any businesses or potential sponsors you might already have a relationship with. The reason for this is because you will have a much easier time convincing a person who knows and trusts you to spend their money with you than a person just meeting you for the first time. It’s certainly not impossible to convince a stranger to sponsor your event, however, starting with people you know can help you ease into the process.
How should I approach a potential sponsor?
Once you have a list of businesses you think are a good fit for your attendees, the next step is to make the connections. Call the business and ask for whoever might be in charge of making sponsorship decisions? Here’s what you can say…
“Hi, I’m Anitra a local performer in Houston. I’m hosting a Summer Fling Concert in July and I’d love to have Lovett Dental be a sponsor. Who can I talk to about sponsoring an event?”
They will most likely tell you one of these three things:
-They’re not interested.
-The person is not available.
-Or, put you on the phone with that person. You will need to have a response prepared for either answer.
What to say if they’re not interested.
At this point you should thank them and wish them well. However, if you have the skin for it, you can try feeling them out to see if you can change their mind. You might be able to get them to at least accept a proposal. You can say…
“I totally understand. Look there’s no pressure here. If you want to at least just have a look at a proposal, I can send it to you with no strings attached, you can decide then if it’s not a good fit. (Pause here.) Would you like me to e-mail it to you or send you a physical copy?
They might say yes. However, be prepared for a little attitude and forcefulness here because, in all fairness, you completely ignored their initial response. If you feel like they’re not budging just let it go and move on. Getting a ‘No’ is not as good as a ‘Yes,’ but it’s still an answer.
[bctt tweet=”Getting a ‘No’ is not as good as a ‘Yes,’ but it’s still an answer.” username=”IndieArtistsDIY”]
Read on to the next post in this series for phone tips, a phone script you can follow as well as a special formula you can use to get the money you need every time.
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