55 Ways to Support your Sponsors
An Essential List for all Equestrian Riders
So I started this blog as ‘25 Ways to Support your Sponsors’ but ended up with 55 and, I’m sure that there are more!!
Like most equestrian riders, you’ve worked hard to get your sponsors and there are so many ways to support them but are you really doing a good job?
To help you, I’ve put together some tips and advice to show you how you can support your sponsors and promote their products in a natural and genuine way.
You don’t have to do everything below, just choose from the list, those that are relevant to you, and start showing your sponsors just how much you value their support!
1. Make sure you LIKE & FOLLOW all your sponsors’ social media pages – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to their YouTube Channels.
2. Share the love – share your sponsor’s latest Facebook posts on your page and add a comment of your own.
3. Sign up to your sponsor’s newsletters – it’s a sure way to keep up to date with all their news.
4. Post a picture on your social pages, of your fave product and include why you love it in your caption.
5. Update your Instagram bio and include your top 3 sponsors, tagging their page
6. Record a video of you using your sponsor’s product, share on your social pages and send to your sponsor for them to use.
7. Add a story on your Facebook and Instagram pages showcasing your sponsor and their products.
8. Share a recent success or a past achievement and include how their products helped you. Keep it individual, focus on one sponsor at a time.
9. Tell the story of how you first discovered your sponsor’s products and how your relationship came about.
10. Make it personal…. focus on one person in the company and share how they have helped you.
11. Create bespoke posts for each of your sponsors, tagging them individually. Whilst it’s easy to list all your sponsors in one post, it’s much more valuable for your sponsors to have a bespoke social media post.
12. Shout out to all your sponsors – an overall team post is great if you have recently had success or you are off to a big competition.
13. Be sure to share your plans for the season with all your sponsors. Keep them up to date with all your latest news. A group newsletter is an easy way of sharing your plans.
14. Send a written product testimonial for your sponsors to use on their website and marketing.
15. Offer to organise a professional photoshoot at your yard or at an event – team up with a number of sponsors to share the cost.
16. Wear your sponsor’s branded clothing whilst training and competing ** be sure to check the relevant equestrian association regulations on sponsors’ branding
17. Give your sponsor a Google review. Post on your sponsor’s Google profile.
18. Leave your sponsor a Facebook review.
19. Leave your sponsor a YouTube review.
20. Wear your sponsors branded saddlecloth whilst training and competing ** be sure to check the relevant equestrian association regulations on sponsors’ branding
Need help managing your sponsors? – Ask me How!
21. Tell a friend, associate or fellow rider about your sponsor’s product – how it could benefit them and why.
22. Ask your sponsors for discount code to promote to your friends, staff and associates
23. Run a targeted online campaign to promote a personalised product discount.
24. Run a week-long focus for one of your sponsors. Create a post a day on your social pages showcasing your sponsor’s company and their products.
25. Spend a few hours with your camera or phone taking photos of your sponsors’ branding and products around your yard, so you have a bank of images ready to post throughout the year.
26. Create a ‘sponsors highlight reel’ on your Instagram page and save your IG stories to it.
27. ‘Send to all’. Invite your Facebook friends to like and follow your sponsor’s Facebook page.
28. Comment on your sponsor’s posts on their social media pages.
29. Create a YouTube video to feature your sponsor’s products.
30. Arrange a visit to your sponsor’s HQ or manufacturing facilities and share your day on social media
31. Arrange to meet up at events that your sponsor is attending.
32. Support your sponsors at events. Visit their trade stands to show your support and chat to their customers in person.
33. Offer to host an online competition with your sponsors.
34. Offer a yard tour as a competition prize.
35. Offer a private lesson as a competition prize.
36. Host a sponsors day at your yard to thank your sponsors and supporters.
37. Offer to write a blog for your sponsor’s website.
38. Get involved with product development. Offer to trial your sponsor’s new products and provide detailed feedback as a rider.
39. Be a guest on Instagram. Offer to take over your sponsor’s Instagram account for a day or at key times.
40. Share a training exercise – offer to film or write a training exercise that could be featured on your sponsor’s website.
41. Offer to share a behind the scenes look into your preparations for big events and important competitions.
42. Host a quick welcome party at an event. Invite your sponsors to meet you at your lorry on event to thank them for their support.
43. Get snapping! Ask a friend to take photos of you and your horses with your sponsor’s branding.
44. Arrange to have some postcards printed and offer to sign them for your sponsor to use.
45. Host an online Q&A on your social pages, focusing on all of your sponsors, why you use the products and what it means to you.
46. Ask your sponsor for some leaflets, product samples, brochures or their latest catalogue and share them with your friends and associates.
47. Distribute your sponsor’s marketing material at clinics or events that you are attending.
48. Include a link to your sponsor’s website from your website
49. List all your sponsors on your website, with detailed information about the brand and why you use the products
50. Prepare an up to date rider profile/bio for your sponsor’s website
51. Provide a recent image to accompany your rider profile (with full commercial usage)
52. Provide your logo and links to your website and social pages for your sponsor to use on their website.
53. Include your sponsor’s logo on your lorry, horse box or trailer.
54. Display a branded arena banner to your school or around your yard.
55. Display branded stable drapes at competitions when you are stabling away from home.
If you would like to share how you are supporting your sponsor or if you need help with any sponsorship related marketing, please get in touch I would love to help!