I've yet to meet someone that doesn't want to be an expert. Being an expert means that you command the respect of your audience. People trust experts. People look up to experts. If your association audience thought of your sponsors as experts, could you command a premium for that partnership?
Absolutely. If you are in the partnership side of your association, you know how hard it is to deliver great value for your sponsors. The attention span of your membership is fleeting at best. Your sponsor's message will most likely be lost in the 3000+ messages that your members are bombarded with everyday, unless your members think of them in a different light. You need to leverage the fact that your partners are great at what they do. They have developed an offering that excels in a cluttered marketplace. They are indeed experts in their field.
Part of the strategy of Association TV® is to help our association clients to create meaningful sponsorships by creating a video or podcast series that elevates your sponsors to thought leaders. 3 important outcomes will happen when you take this approach;
1. The expert content can be repurposed by your sponsors to other audiences. Creating content that positions a sponsor as an expert will span other audiences that your sponsors are wanting to engage. Sponsors can use that content as an endorsement from your association to build trust with other markets.
2. The expert piece will help your sponsor fill their desire for meaningful content creation. All organizations struggle to develop and deploy meaningful content. By creating content for your sponsor, you are helping to take the pressure off their already overworked marketing departments.
3. You can create more sponsorship revenue. By creating expert content for your sponsor, you become elevated as a true partner. Your sponsor will now think of you as a resource rather than just another event looking for a luck-luster brand buy. This could lead to a year long agreement spanning multiple events and other digital opportunities.
If you would like more information on how to elevate your sponsors to experts, click on the button below for a complimentary consultation.
Association TV® is a division of WorkerBee.TV
Dan Stevens is president of WorkerBee.TV and is a sought after guest speaker on association trends