Golf tournaments have become a very popular way for charity to raise money. Probably the number one reason why most companies support a tournament is an affinity for the cause. But in addition to supporting a worthy cause, golf tournament sponsorship represents an opportunity for effective advertising. This article contains some anecdotal evidence to support this theory.
At a golf tournament a while ago, I happened to be on the same foursome and share a cart with one of that tournament's major sponsors. This fellow was a marketing manager for a car dealership. His rather enviable job description included playing in tournaments that the company sponsored, which through the summer months amounted to about two or three a week. Of course, he had some other responsibilities like making sure the cars from the dealership were displayed properly and the gift bags his company sponsored got to every golfer. So it was a long day for him, showing up well before the tournament started and leaving long after the last after dinner speech was made. But even so, he still got to golf as major part of his job. He had a hard time garnering any sympathy from our group.
As we talked throughout the day, I learned that his job of playing golf had not come about by accident. A few years earlier, he had done some extensive research and analysis of the company's advertising budgets, their media exposure and the cost effectiveness of the various types of promotion they were undertaking at the time. This analysis resulted in the very conscious and deliberate decision to drop their media advertising and focus their budget on event sponsorship.
In other words, they found that the caps and shirts they gave away at each golf tournament, the cars they had on display at hole-in-one and other contest holes, their logo on the program and on signs located around the golf tournament, and their name on the sponsor list in the paper and on the tournament website, and so on, resulted in more exposure and more people showing up at the dealership when shopping for a car, than the ads they used to run in the paper and on radio and television.
He would not divulge any numbers, but I can imagine what a major car dealership in a city of over a million would spend on advertising in a year. It would be millions of dollars. To divert this budget to sponsorships was a major decision. Given the money involved, I believe him when he talked about the homework they did before making the decision and the research they did on an ongoing basis to monitor the effectiveness of their expenditure.
He believed the strategy of sponsoring golf tournaments and other events was effective for a number of reasons. They appeared to be more a part of the community if they were associated with local causes and organizations. This elevated the perception of trust in the minds of consumers. The prizes and gifts they gave away, like caps and shirts, displayed their company logo to far more people for far longer, with that positive association, than any form of media advertising. And they could target their audience very carefully and specifically.
So when a charity calls asking your company for sponsorship of its golf tournament, think about supporting the cause, but also think about the win-win that can be accomplished by strategic placement of some of your promotion budget into golf tournament sponsorship.
The first step which must be completed before you start recruiting is to finalize all operative details of your tournament. You must have the schedule of play confirmed and in place along with the venue. Once you have these details its so much easier to contact, canvass and recruit your players. At this stage it would help if you design an attractive brochure that introduces the tournament, states the purpose behind it and which moreover contains all the relevant information. Additionally you can also present all that information online through your own dedicated tournament website, and you can then disseminate the website address amongst your targeted and prospective tournament players. This will allow them to research the tournament on their own and to register for the tournament online through your website if they wish to participate.
The recruitment of players can be undertaken in various ways: email lists of prospective players, roster lists of other tournaments, or even customized player lists that suit your specifications from internet searches. It is jus as important to remember that contacting players is not enough, and that you must also be able to provide them with the incentive to participate.
There are a number of ways that you can get golfers to participate in your tournament. The chances of recruitment are enhanced if you can get their friends to request them to come or if their business associates invite them to your event. So after preparing your list, try and make contact with the known friends or business associates of the players and get them to mediate. This will ensure that you get your targeted golfers for your tournament. Another effective way to get golfers to participate is to involve their existing sponsors and business contacts in the tournament. Since a golf tournament presents a great opportunity for making social and business connections, try and rope in well known sponsors: you can request your sponsors to invite their clients, have the businesses invite their vendors, and get your contacts to invite their own business contacts. If you can publicize the names of the business houses involved, you are sure to get lots of people willing to be a part of your tournament and event.
There are two other ways to allure golfers to your tournament. The first is by making the tournament unique or making it singularly appealing which sets it apart from other tournaments through something that other tournaments do not have; for example by its geographical location or by its playing venue. So a remarkably scenic setting or uniquely challenging playing conditions might be the ideal bait for golfers.
A second factor is obviously the prize money offered. The more prize money that can be won the larger the amount of players you'll be able to recruit. A third consideration is your statement of mission and the cause hat your even would aim to support. If you can get the players to believe in and endorse your cause, they are sure to participate. Here you can especially try and contact players who you believe will be interested in the cause. So try and factor in these considerations at the very time that you plan your golf tournament. If you can convince players that they will get more out of your tournament in comparison with the others being organized at the same time, be it in terms of player satisfaction, tourism, media coverage or recognition, prize money or even mental satisfaction through being related to a noble and preferred cause, this will surely get them to participate.
So get a direct marketing campaign in place that contacts people using both regular and electronic mail. It is essential to market to the right demographics, basically people that you hope to attract for your tournament. You should also try to get media coverage and if possible live telecast, either on TV or on the internet for your tournament. You can also have your sponsors and vendors create specific links on their website so that viewers can be directed to your event coverage.
If you can ascertain a good tournament once, players and sponsors will never pass up the opportunity of returning.
Both Ron Strand & Kevin Kirkpatrick are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Ron Strand has sinced written about articles on various topics from Golf Guide, Business Plan and Golf Guide. Ron Strand is a college instructor and consultant with an interest in .. Ron Strand's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.
Kevin Kirkpatrick has sinced written about articles on various topics from Recreation and Sports, Golf Guide and Advertising Guide. Kevin Kirkpatrick is one of the leading charity golf tournament experts in the country. He is an expert author and founder of several popular golf outing event sites. Learn about his latest venture which helps raise billions of dollars for charities every. Kevin Kirkpatrick's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.