Sports bring people together and create excitement, making them ideally suited for powerful marketing initiatives. Effective sports marketing strategies can indeed help consumer brands reach new audiences and appeal to sports fans.
While super bowl ads and athlete endorsements are the most common examples, sports marketing also encompasses marketing that builds a brand around healthy or aspirationally athletic lifestyles. Using sports marketing strategies can significantly increase consumer appeal.

From collaborating with successful teams to running advertisements to stimulate interest in more specialized athletic activities, there are many various areas for a sports marketer to concentrate on.

If you're considering using sports marketing to expand your business, check out our Top 10 sports sponsorship ideas you can manage with Evalato.


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Wondering what Sports Sponsorship Ideas to achieve your business goals?

Let’s take a closer look at the best sports sponsorship ideas you can manage with Evalato

1. Create a sponsorship committee and invite community members to be part of it

Idea by Evalato

Invite people from your community to participate in your sponsorship committee and help you decide on your next sponsorship opportunities. By doing so, your company will be known as one that is engaged locally and that takes its community's opinion into account in its business decision process, in addition to sponsoring athletes that citizens care about. See full idea

2. A scholarship for young athletes with your sponsored athlete as the ambassador

Idea by Evalato

Showcase your engagement within the sports community by creating a scholarship for young developing athletes and having it named in the name of one of your sponsored athletes. This athlete will become the ambassador of the grant and will deliver it in person to the selected young athletes. See full idea

3. Request an employee referral for all your sponsorships

Idea by Evalato

Create a system where athletes must be referred by an employee to apply for a sponsorship at your company. This way, you ensure that your sponsorships correspond to your employees' interests and local commitments. By doing so, both your employees and the local community will see that you care about them, it's a win-win! See full idea

4. Let your sponsored athletes judge your new sponsorship opportunities

Idea by Evalato

Increase your sponsored athletes'  sense of belonging to your company and so their loyalty to your brand by letting them have a say in your sponsorship decisions. Let them express their opinions on whether or not you should sponsor certain athletes, they could have interesting thoughts that you would not have thought about. See full idea

5. Create a virtual encouragement board for your sponsored athletes

Idea by Evalato

Reach and engage with the sports fans community by offering them the chance to interact with your sponsored athletes through a virtual encouragement board on your website where they can leave messages to their idols. In order to post a message, request sports fans to submit their email address so you can contact them with future promotional offers or make a donation to your non-profit or a cause your company cares about. See full idea

6. Develop a nutrition plan for your employees with your sponsored athletes
 
Idea by Evalato

Showcase that your company values healthy habits and supports sports and athletic lifestyles by offering your employees the opportunity to receive a nutrition plan that has been developed in collaboration with your sponsored athletes. See full idea

7. Sponsor smaller local athletes to show your local commitment and global scale

Idea by Evalato

Instead of sponsoring only one or a few well-known athletes, sponsor a large number of smaller athletes that are local to your branches to showcase your local commitment and how global is your business. See full idea

8. Let your consumers choose which athletes you sponsor

Idea by Evalato

Increase consumers' trust and sense of belonging to your brand by letting them vote for the athletes they would like your company to sponsor. Ask them to subscribe to sponsorship-related news so they'll receive the result of their votes. See full idea

9. Organize meet and greet events with your sponsored athletes around the world

Idea by Evalato

Create a tour of meet-and-greet events with your sponsored athletes that follow their competition schedules and travels so that your consumers around the world can participate in those exclusive events and meet their idols. Access to these events could be offered to your customers as a loyalty reward or as a contest prize. You could also invite your local employees, collaborators, and providers to participate to reinforce your employee satisfaction and business relations. See full idea

10. Organize matches between your sponsored athletes and your employees and clients

Idea by Evalato

Activate your sports sponsorships and let your employees team up and try to beat your sponsored athletes in friendly matches. You could invite your collaborators and providers to participate to reinforce your business relations. You could also open these matches to the general public so that your most loyal clients can also join the fun and get the chance to meet their idols and play against them. This experience could be offered to your customers as a loyalty reward or as a contest prize. See full idea

FAQ

Q1. What is Evalato?

A. Evalato is an awards management platform used by organizers to help manage their programs such as awards programs, competitions, grants, scholarships, etc. Essentially, the software is used to collect program submissions from applicants, then have the submissions assessed by judges, as well as to automate many of the tasks associated with management, customer engagement, and data analysis.

Q2. Why choose Evalato?

A. Evalato streamlines your awards, saves you hundreds of hours, and helps your programs grow.

Q3. Is Evalato for you?

A. Evalato is for everyone who wants to streamline their programs, overachieve and impress their community. From large corporations and media groups to NGOs, associations, and organizations of all sizes, Evalato is loved by everyone.

Q4. How does the pricing work?

A. Each pricing plan has a per program fee that is paid upon its launch (what we call “going Live”), which allows you to keep the program active for up to 12 months (365 days). If you wish, you can choose to extend that period by renewing your subscription, or clone it into a new program for its next edition. The “Essential” plan has an indicated limited number of applications – every registered application counts towards the limit, but you can upgrade it if your program reaches that limit. Unapproved applications that you cancel or delete do not count towards the plan’s limit.

Ready to incorporate Sports Sponsorship Strategies into your overall plan?

The right sports sponsorship strategy can undoubtedly assist you in reaching new audiences and appealing to sports fans. Search for more Sports ideas to differentiate yourself and unleash your maximum potential on Wittycloud.