p r e s e n t e d b yL e g a c y F i n a n c i a l P a r t n e r s

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Community events are great marketingopportunities that advisors often fail to takeadvantage of. This is a shame because communityevents allow consumers to see a friendly, personalside of your business.

Rather than meeting you or engaging with yourbrand through normal business channels,consumers become aware of you in settings thatadd enjoyment to their daily life. Here are 12 bestpractices with sponsoring a community event.

Consider the community activities thatoccur in your area. Are they popularenough to draw significant crowds?Do they bring together differentstrands of your target market?

While sponsoring a new event or a one-offactivity can certainly be helpful to yourbrand, finding events that occur regularlymay lead to a long-lasting relationship withorganizers. This provides you moreopportunities in the future, granting yourname a strong association with the event,and helping you to plan far in advance.

You can certainly sponsor an activity just for thesake of brand awareness, but if you choose anevent that reflects your personal tastes andhobbies, you will be more invested into it. Thesemay also give you chances to showcase parts ofyour life not related to your business. For example,let’s say you are great at cooking BBQ. Sponsoringa BBQ cook-off would allow you to be a part of anevent that attracts people in your community aswell as participate.

Align yourself with events that provideyour target market with a unique, funexperience. Avoid boring, information-style activities, and think of things thatthe entire family can enjoy.

Getting your branding in front of consumersis great, but directly interacting withconsumers is a better way for them to get asense of you. So don’t just sponsor the artwalk, or beer fest, or block party—directlyparticipate and mingle.

It’s fine to discuss your services and area ofexpertise, but avoid trying to sell. Explainwho you are, what you do, maybe evengive a business card, and then focus onhaving fun and interacting with attendees.

Don’t simply count on organizers to promote theevent. Promote through your social mediachannels and newsletters. Let current clients knowabout the event, as this can be a form of clientappreciation and referral gathering all in the sameactivity. Use your regular marketing channels tomarket the event, i.e. e-blasts, phone calls, andeven direct mail. Understand how the event fitswithin your other marketing activities. Whatmarketing will you do before and after the event?How will you use these to highlight the activity?

Younger consumers may beresponsive to a summer concertseries or a food fest, while olderconsumers may respond more toleisurely activities like crafts. If budgetallows, strategically place yourselfwithin both types of events.

Make sure your role is clearly definedand that you don’t overstep thebounds of those doing the brunt ofputting on the event. Offer your helpwhere needed, but don’t overwhelmthem and make the event all aboutyou.

If you are unable to find a suitableevent that aligns with your hobbies orpassions, create your own. While thismeans that organization falls an youand your staff’s shoulders, creatingyour own event, especially if it isunique, can set apart from yourcompetitors.

Without being narcissistic ordisturbing the spirit of the event,document it through photos andvideos. Place these on your websiteor social media platforms.

Make sure you have a clear idea ofwhat your business gets out of theactivity. Are you looking purely forbrand awareness? Or will you try tocapture leads?