It’s Carnival time and many small and large community groups, up and down the country are busy not just coordinating these events but raising funds to make them happen. Many businesses get involved in by providing money or goods and services to help make the event a success.
Whether you’re a volunteer coordinator or a professional fundraiser, here are some handy hints to help you get your hands on those treasured sponsorship funds.
1) BE PROFESSIONAL
First impressions always count, so ensure when contacting a sponsor you are well presented. Whether it’s a phone call, a letter or a personal visit – think about what impression you are making. Is your letter addressed to the correct person, have you spelt their name correctly? What about the letter or leaflet itself, does it give enough information in an exciting way to whet the appetite or is it boring and repetitious? Ask a friend or colleague who doesn’t know about the event to read through it, they’ll probably pick up spelling mistakes and tell you if it’s interesting enough.
For those telephoning prospective sponsors, how does your voice sound, is it clear and exciting or monotonous and slightly scary? Ensure you have notes in front of you when calling, so you can answer any questions. Ask to speak to the marketing coordinator or general manager, as they usually look after sponsorship. Again there’s no harm in practising first.
If you’re making a personal visit, ensure you look smart and are courteous and friendly. Make a pack that includes the event to be sponsored as well as information on your organisation.
2) DON’T BE A SIZE QUEEN
Sometimes it’s better NOT to go after the big fish, but try their smaller competitors. Usually the big corporate companies like Coca Cola, Cadburys are flooded with sponsorship requests – so why not go for smaller but similar companies like Green & Black or Plamil, who also make chocolate.
3) LIKE A SCOUT, BE PREPARED
Research the companies that you want sponsorship from. What is their history, have they sponsored similar organisations or events? Use the internet and read their websites. Find out who the decision-makers are.
4) OPPOSITES DON’T ALWAYS ATTRACT
Align your brand values. Who are their customers, who are yours? Is there a similarity or synergy? Remember sponsorship is not a donation but a payment to reach a target audience with a particular message.
5) WILL YOU STILL RESPECT ME IN THE MORNING?
Have you given a thought to the post-event relationship? How will acknowledge their assistance? A certificate, an awards presentation, or a post event dinner or social event, where sponsors can meet those who they have helped. Ideally you’ll be writing a press release to your local media thanking your sponsors and volunteers for their assistance. It’s a good idea to keep sponsors (and even those who didn’t sponsor you) on the Christmas card list by sending them your group’s newsletters and invites to other functions. That way you will remain ‘top of mind’ when it comes to getting funds next time around.
The main thing to remember is to be courteous and polite, it’s not your money yet and the person you’re dealing with will have to justify to their boss, that yours is the right organisation they should be sponsoring.
Sunday 31 August 2008
GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS WITHOUT GETTING MESSY!
GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS WITHOUT GETTING MESSY!
Advice for those in PR industry with a focus on marketing to ethnic minorities.
For those in Public Relations and marketing related industries, helping clients promote their products can be the difference between making great sales and bankruptcy.
Most PR companies have seasoned professionals with backgrounds in journalism, a never-ending list of contacts and a healthy knowledge of their clients’ industries. For newcomers to the industry, who are establishing their own business, in particular those who choose to focus on the BME community, face a different set of challenges.
BE A MATCHMAKER
One of the biggest sins of new PR companies is to get clients who come from a different industry background of which they have no experience or skills. Of course it’s tempting because you have a business to keep afloat, bills to pay but if you don’t understand your client’s sector, this could create more problems than it’s worth; not just for you but your client. It is absolutely essential that you understand not just your client, but their industry, market and product. Aim for a perfect match. If you want to be an allround PR agency then your team should consist of PR professionals who have expertise across different industry sectors and media fields. Alternatively specialise in a chosen field or industry and stay focused on YOUR target market.
THE MANY SHADES OF BLACK In addition to differing industry sectors, the ethnic PR agency should also consider that there are 54 countries in African and 31 in Caribbean, making the black community in the UK incredibly diverse in terms of ethnicity, heritage, skin colour, language, religion, music taste and reasons for migration.
How well do you know these people? PR agencies that focus on predominately urban music and fashion may not be well placed to promote an upcoming tour for a visiting evangelical preacher.
Or if your agency’s expertise is in Caribbean marketing and you’re approached by a company to launch a new product for Nigerians; it would be prudent to pass this onto an agency that specialises in the African market. Would your firm know the nuances of Nigerian tribal politics (or even the names of the tribes?)
On the flipside, if your client is ethnic and wants to introduce their product to a predominately white audience, do you have the expertise, skills and contacts or would it be better to refer them to a white agency?
These issues should be fully considered before signing up clients that want a campaign that is outside your usual field. If you choose to refer them to another agency, the client will have more respect for you; thus enhancing your reputation, rather than a campaign backfiring and causing grief!
TALK THE TALK AND WALK THE WALK
To woo your prospective client, you must sell the sizzle but under no circumstances should you promise more than you can deliver. In fact, it’s safer and better to under-promise and over-deliver – it will make you look good. Always ask your client for a written brief that clearly explains what results they expect from a PR campaign and what their budget is, prior to presenting your programme and price. This way there can be no misunderstanding, or any confusion can be clarified prior to delivering the work.
CONTACT KARMA
This is an industry where contacts count and what goes around comes around! This is especially so, in the BME community. Everyday there is an opportunity to network, collect business cards or find a new supplier. Aside from your media list, with whom you should be on first name terms, you should be seeking out specialists and experts in the field you can call on for ‘quotes’, endorsements or just plain advice for a campaign. Remember to always be on your best behaviour, as you never know who you are talking to, who they know and if you may need them in the future.
Public Relations is an exciting and fast industry to enter but even faster to exit if you don’t have the skills, savvy and contacts to make your client shine!
Advice for those in PR industry with a focus on marketing to ethnic minorities.
For those in Public Relations and marketing related industries, helping clients promote their products can be the difference between making great sales and bankruptcy.
Most PR companies have seasoned professionals with backgrounds in journalism, a never-ending list of contacts and a healthy knowledge of their clients’ industries. For newcomers to the industry, who are establishing their own business, in particular those who choose to focus on the BME community, face a different set of challenges.
BE A MATCHMAKER
One of the biggest sins of new PR companies is to get clients who come from a different industry background of which they have no experience or skills. Of course it’s tempting because you have a business to keep afloat, bills to pay but if you don’t understand your client’s sector, this could create more problems than it’s worth; not just for you but your client. It is absolutely essential that you understand not just your client, but their industry, market and product. Aim for a perfect match. If you want to be an allround PR agency then your team should consist of PR professionals who have expertise across different industry sectors and media fields. Alternatively specialise in a chosen field or industry and stay focused on YOUR target market.
THE MANY SHADES OF BLACK In addition to differing industry sectors, the ethnic PR agency should also consider that there are 54 countries in African and 31 in Caribbean, making the black community in the UK incredibly diverse in terms of ethnicity, heritage, skin colour, language, religion, music taste and reasons for migration.
How well do you know these people? PR agencies that focus on predominately urban music and fashion may not be well placed to promote an upcoming tour for a visiting evangelical preacher.
Or if your agency’s expertise is in Caribbean marketing and you’re approached by a company to launch a new product for Nigerians; it would be prudent to pass this onto an agency that specialises in the African market. Would your firm know the nuances of Nigerian tribal politics (or even the names of the tribes?)
On the flipside, if your client is ethnic and wants to introduce their product to a predominately white audience, do you have the expertise, skills and contacts or would it be better to refer them to a white agency?
These issues should be fully considered before signing up clients that want a campaign that is outside your usual field. If you choose to refer them to another agency, the client will have more respect for you; thus enhancing your reputation, rather than a campaign backfiring and causing grief!
TALK THE TALK AND WALK THE WALK
To woo your prospective client, you must sell the sizzle but under no circumstances should you promise more than you can deliver. In fact, it’s safer and better to under-promise and over-deliver – it will make you look good. Always ask your client for a written brief that clearly explains what results they expect from a PR campaign and what their budget is, prior to presenting your programme and price. This way there can be no misunderstanding, or any confusion can be clarified prior to delivering the work.
CONTACT KARMA
This is an industry where contacts count and what goes around comes around! This is especially so, in the BME community. Everyday there is an opportunity to network, collect business cards or find a new supplier. Aside from your media list, with whom you should be on first name terms, you should be seeking out specialists and experts in the field you can call on for ‘quotes’, endorsements or just plain advice for a campaign. Remember to always be on your best behaviour, as you never know who you are talking to, who they know and if you may need them in the future.
Public Relations is an exciting and fast industry to enter but even faster to exit if you don’t have the skills, savvy and contacts to make your client shine!
GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS WITHOUT GETTING MESSY!
GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS WITHOUT GETTING MESSY!
For those in Public Relations and marketing related industries, helping clients promote their products can be the difference between making great sales and bankruptcy.
Most PR companies have seasoned professionals with backgrounds in journalism, a never-ending list of contacts and a healthy knowledge of their clients’ industries. For newcomers to the industry, who are establishing their own business, in particular those who choose to focus on the BME community, face a different set of challenges.
BE A MATCHMAKER
One of the biggest sins of new PR companies is to get clients who come from a different industry background of which they have no experience or skills. Of course it’s tempting because you have a business to keep afloat, bills to pay but if you don’t understand your client’s sector, this could create more problems than it’s worth; not just for you but your client. It is absolutely essential that you understand not just your client, but their industry, market and product. Aim for a perfect match. If you want to be an allround PR agency then your team should consist of PR professionals who have expertise across different industry sectors and media fields. Alternatively specialise in a chosen field or industry and stay focused on YOUR target market.
THE MANY SHADES OF BLACK In addition to differing industry sectors, the ethnic PR agency should also consider that there are 54 countries in African and 31 in Caribbean, making the black community in the UK incredibly diverse in terms of ethnicity, heritage, skin colour, language, religion, music taste and reasons for migration.
How well do you know these people? PR agencies that focus on predominately urban music and fashion may not be well placed to promote an upcoming tour for a visiting evangelical preacher.
Or if your agency’s expertise is in Caribbean marketing and you’re approached by a company to launch a new product for Nigerians; it would be prudent to pass this onto an agency that specialises in the African market. Would your firm know the nuances of Nigerian tribal politics (or even the names of the tribes?)
On the flipside, if your client is ethnic and wants to introduce their product to a predominately white audience, do you have the expertise, skills and contacts or would it be better to refer them to a white agency?
These issues should be fully considered before signing up clients that want a campaign that is outside your usual field. If you choose to refer them to another agency, the client will have more respect for you; thus enhancing your reputation, rather than a campaign backfiring and causing grief!
TALK THE TALK AND WALK THE WALK
To woo your prospective client, you must sell the sizzle but under no circumstances should you promise more than you can deliver. In fact, it’s safer and better to under-promise and over-deliver – it will make you look good. Always ask your client for a written brief that clearly explains what results they expect from a PR campaign and what their budget is, prior to presenting your programme and price. This way there can be no misunderstanding, or any confusion can be clarified prior to delivering the work.
CONTACT KARMA
This is an industry where contacts count and what goes around comes around! This is especially so, in the BME community. Everyday there is an opportunity to network, collect business cards or find a new supplier. Aside from your media list, with whom you should be on first name terms, you should be seeking out specialists and experts in the field you can call on for ‘quotes’, endorsements or just plain advice for a campaign. Remember to always be on your best behaviour, as you never know who you are talking to, who they know and if you may need them in the future.
Public Relations is an exciting and fast industry to enter but even faster to exit if you don’t have the skills, savvy and contacts to make your client shine!
For those in Public Relations and marketing related industries, helping clients promote their products can be the difference between making great sales and bankruptcy.
Most PR companies have seasoned professionals with backgrounds in journalism, a never-ending list of contacts and a healthy knowledge of their clients’ industries. For newcomers to the industry, who are establishing their own business, in particular those who choose to focus on the BME community, face a different set of challenges.
BE A MATCHMAKER
One of the biggest sins of new PR companies is to get clients who come from a different industry background of which they have no experience or skills. Of course it’s tempting because you have a business to keep afloat, bills to pay but if you don’t understand your client’s sector, this could create more problems than it’s worth; not just for you but your client. It is absolutely essential that you understand not just your client, but their industry, market and product. Aim for a perfect match. If you want to be an allround PR agency then your team should consist of PR professionals who have expertise across different industry sectors and media fields. Alternatively specialise in a chosen field or industry and stay focused on YOUR target market.
THE MANY SHADES OF BLACK In addition to differing industry sectors, the ethnic PR agency should also consider that there are 54 countries in African and 31 in Caribbean, making the black community in the UK incredibly diverse in terms of ethnicity, heritage, skin colour, language, religion, music taste and reasons for migration.
How well do you know these people? PR agencies that focus on predominately urban music and fashion may not be well placed to promote an upcoming tour for a visiting evangelical preacher.
Or if your agency’s expertise is in Caribbean marketing and you’re approached by a company to launch a new product for Nigerians; it would be prudent to pass this onto an agency that specialises in the African market. Would your firm know the nuances of Nigerian tribal politics (or even the names of the tribes?)
On the flipside, if your client is ethnic and wants to introduce their product to a predominately white audience, do you have the expertise, skills and contacts or would it be better to refer them to a white agency?
These issues should be fully considered before signing up clients that want a campaign that is outside your usual field. If you choose to refer them to another agency, the client will have more respect for you; thus enhancing your reputation, rather than a campaign backfiring and causing grief!
TALK THE TALK AND WALK THE WALK
To woo your prospective client, you must sell the sizzle but under no circumstances should you promise more than you can deliver. In fact, it’s safer and better to under-promise and over-deliver – it will make you look good. Always ask your client for a written brief that clearly explains what results they expect from a PR campaign and what their budget is, prior to presenting your programme and price. This way there can be no misunderstanding, or any confusion can be clarified prior to delivering the work.
CONTACT KARMA
This is an industry where contacts count and what goes around comes around! This is especially so, in the BME community. Everyday there is an opportunity to network, collect business cards or find a new supplier. Aside from your media list, with whom you should be on first name terms, you should be seeking out specialists and experts in the field you can call on for ‘quotes’, endorsements or just plain advice for a campaign. Remember to always be on your best behaviour, as you never know who you are talking to, who they know and if you may need them in the future.
Public Relations is an exciting and fast industry to enter but even faster to exit if you don’t have the skills, savvy and contacts to make your client shine!
Culture Club - Business Style & Profile
Business culture is the style and personality of a company. There are many types of culture that mostly depend on the size of company and type of industry in which it operates.
For example working in creative fields such as fashion, music and the arts can be quite unstructured in terms of career development as you may be self-employed or employed on a contractual basis. These industries can be notoriously low paid compared with working in financial services sector. However our colleagues in this sector are under government scrutiny and heavy regulation which means they most certainly have a policy and procedures manual for every eventuality. Their sector will definitely be a culture of conservatism and structure.
What you need to discern and to make the most of your career is, does your company culture match your personal style, personality and career goals?
You need to ask yourself several questions to ensure your company’s culture will enhance your personal growth rather than hinder it.
- Do you prefer to work with the reassurance of a policy and procedures manual or would you like to re-write the rule book?
- Does your dress sense match that of your colleagues and superiors or are you considered ‘a little different’ by teammates?
- Get a little abstract and think of your company as a drink and then ask yourself – would you drink it? If not, why not?
For instance if your ambitions want to take you to top of your field but you work in a structured environment, then you will need to play by the rule book. You may need to climb up every rung of the ladder. If that isn’t you, then you may experience problems in the long-term and feel unhappy in your job.
However for those in more flexible and fluid operations, particularly in small businesses you may not have much career growth in that there aren’t really any promotions but gain immense experience very quickly in a range of different areas. That can be great fun, the excitement of not knowing what will happen from one day to next and having to develop new material or very draining and stressful depending on your expectations and personality.
On the positive side, whatever type of culture your firm offers, whether good or bad, you’ll know exactly what you want or don’t want in your next job!
For example working in creative fields such as fashion, music and the arts can be quite unstructured in terms of career development as you may be self-employed or employed on a contractual basis. These industries can be notoriously low paid compared with working in financial services sector. However our colleagues in this sector are under government scrutiny and heavy regulation which means they most certainly have a policy and procedures manual for every eventuality. Their sector will definitely be a culture of conservatism and structure.
What you need to discern and to make the most of your career is, does your company culture match your personal style, personality and career goals?
You need to ask yourself several questions to ensure your company’s culture will enhance your personal growth rather than hinder it.
- Do you prefer to work with the reassurance of a policy and procedures manual or would you like to re-write the rule book?
- Does your dress sense match that of your colleagues and superiors or are you considered ‘a little different’ by teammates?
- Get a little abstract and think of your company as a drink and then ask yourself – would you drink it? If not, why not?
For instance if your ambitions want to take you to top of your field but you work in a structured environment, then you will need to play by the rule book. You may need to climb up every rung of the ladder. If that isn’t you, then you may experience problems in the long-term and feel unhappy in your job.
However for those in more flexible and fluid operations, particularly in small businesses you may not have much career growth in that there aren’t really any promotions but gain immense experience very quickly in a range of different areas. That can be great fun, the excitement of not knowing what will happen from one day to next and having to develop new material or very draining and stressful depending on your expectations and personality.
On the positive side, whatever type of culture your firm offers, whether good or bad, you’ll know exactly what you want or don’t want in your next job!
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