Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Dear Fernando,

Let's regroup, shall we?

You're making lots of assumptions that the contributors to this forum know what futsal is (I have no clue and I'm from the UK and know a bit about soccer).

You're also assuming that everyone knows where Reading is, which many don't, and that they give a monkey's (both about Reading, and about futsal), which again, many folks don't.

Next up, your site's not finished, your overall sales pitch offers little that's positive, and you expect sponsors to do all your leg work.

If this were a date you've ignored the whole asking out, dinner and dancing, witty banter, asking about the other person and the coy kiss goodnight and gone straight for the drunken feel up.

Not good.

Here's another approach:

Tell people, in three short sentences, what futsal is and why it matters.

Focus on three primary benefits to potential sponsors and then give three illustrations of success and three solid points of potential for more success on the part of your team.

Next, give something of value to grease the skids. Show potential sponsors what they'll receive in exchange for their investment.

Then, tell sponsors in three short sentences what kinds of support you're looking for and at what levels.

Finally, and again in three short sentences, explain to potential sponsors how you will use the money.

Offer lots and lots of value up front and make your offer about benefits to the other person.

THEN ... focus on LOCAL sponsors.

This site has 340,000 registered users worldwide. How many of them are based in Reading, I have no clue. But the point is this: your request is going too wide: it needs to be ultra targeted at your local market.

You need to focus on sponsors within a 25 mile radius of your home field because that's where your FAN BASE is.

Most people buy the majority of their regular goods and services from vendors and suppliers within a 15 mile radius of their home: cars, groceries, banking, savings, investments, life insurance, newspapers, regional news, books and magazines, petrol, lottery tickets, meals out: most of these things are bought and paid for within 15 miles of home.

These are the niches you need to tap into for regional funding, NOT overseas.

My best advice to you is to find a local, Reading-based marketing and PR firm, to outline your plan, and to then ask them if they could give you two hours of pro bono advice. You'll get more mileage out of this than by asking for sponsors on this forum, many of the readers of which are thousands of miles away from you and who are also ignorant of what futsal is.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Princeton, NJ, USA

What's in it for a sponsor? Why would someone consider sponsorship? Who would be your ideal sponsor? Why?