5 Reasons Your Business Should Sponsor Local Youth Sports
- By PGI Printers
- •
- 16 May, 2017
- •
Here at PGi Printers, we are proud sponsors Easton’s Hockey team (Kerry and Liam’s son!). So we know firsthand the benefits our business has experienced and we wanted to take a moment to share 5 reasons every business should sponsor a local team.
1. Paying-it-Forward by Supporting Local
As a local business, we can only hope potential customers will choose to support local, right? Well, consumers are more educated than ever before, and it has changed their decision-making process. They are thinking about more than just finding the right products or services, they are thinking about finding the right company to support. There is a growing trend in consumers looking to support local and choosing a company that also invests in their community. When they see a company is kicking in to cover costs for kids to be involved in a local team, they will be more moved to support your local business over your competitor.
2. Affordable and Welcomed Marketing
Sponsoring a team can range in commitment levels and can often be more costly than other marketing efforts, like radio or billboard options. If you have your marketing covered, this might be a nice option to round out your efforts and is often more well-received. That brings us to number 3.
3. Helps Keep the Costs of Kids Sports Down
We all know that having children in organized sports helps them to build confidence, sportsmanship, and it imparts a healthy lifestyle. By sponsoring a team, you will be helping to keep the costs of participation and tournament fees down. This will make it easier for more families to afford to enroll their kids in sports, and it will lead to more kids gaining the benefits of sports.
4. Networking Opportunities
In B2B sales, we all know that building trust and forming lasting relationships is right up there with offering exceptional customer service. You may share sponsorship with another business in town and have a chance to meet other decision makers. Networking is always a good thing and often opens doors to future business.
5. Branding and Awareness
While everything above is enough to say yes to sponsoring a team, there is the undeniable fact that building awareness is always a benefit and every little bit helps. Whether you are a new business trying to get the word out or have been in business for a decade, being top of mind is key. If you do not already have a team in mind, be mindful in choosing which team you want to sponsor and who will be attending their games.
Business marketing is a way to develop sales opportunities based on referrals and introductions. This can be a low-cost marketing method that includes events such as face-to-face, gatherings, phone and -mail and social media.
Networking is important especially to small businesses as it provides a way for your business to develop its place within the community.
Shared knowledge lets you expand on your personal knowledge and see things from other perspectives. This can be an opportunity to learn and gives you the chance to avoid common pitfalls.
Networking often provides your business with new opportunities such as referrals, business leads and other connections. Word of mouth advertising, or referrals, are still very popular and people often would prefer to take the recommendation of their friends and family. Networking and telling people about your business helps to increase brand awareness and recognition and in turn help increase your share of the market.
Another benefit of networking is the chance to raise your profile. Attending networking events gets yourself known in the community and helps to build your reputation as the leader in your industry.
Opportunities for networking in Saskatoon are endless.
Many professional associations will host their own networking events throughout the year, so check with any professional associations you are a part of.
Organizations such as Saskatchewan Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs run networking events that help bring together people from different professions and industries. Smaller companies may also host their own networking and training events in your community.
If you are not interested in attending a networking event but still want to reap the benefits you can do things like:
- Whatever your business’ approach to networking may be remember that it is a valuable tool that can be used to unlock countless opportunities. You just need to get out there and talk!
As the end of the year draws closer, client gifts are often top of mind for small and big businesses alike. Promotional calendars can be the perfect way to say thank-you while helping to keep your business on your customers minds.
Calendars are a great client gift as almost everyone uses calendars throughout the year. Most people have at least one if not more calendars, in their home, their office or other places of business. They are often places in visible and often high-traffic locations which gets people looking at them and familiar with your brand.
A promotional calendar can be the perfect way to keep your brand top of mind for a longer period of time than with other promotional products. Calendars are used for 12 months or longer so you know your customers will be reminded of your brand more frequently than with products that may be consumed or misplaced much before the year mark. This continued presence in your customers lives helps to build loyalty and keep people coming back to you!
If cost is a concern and hold back when considering ordering promotional calendars this year, it is great to know that they are actually one of the most cost effective gifts that one can give!
There is certain information that you can include on your promotional calendar to increase advertising effectiveness. These include contact information and hours, important dates for your company, personalized photos that showcase your company and of course your logo!
Our top 5 picks for 2018 calendars are:5 - Custom sticky note calendar
3 - Living Healthy wall calendar
1 - Standard seed paper eco desk calendarRemember that while many factors are at play, emotion often contributes to customer’s purchase decisions. Keep your brand top of mind by ordering your calendars today!
Company culture is truly the personality of your company. It embodies your mission, values, expectations and goals. Building and maintaining a good company culture encourages both employee engagement and retention. People want to feel appreciated and the happier employees are the better they will perform.
Part of maintaining a great company culture is team building. It helps to boost team morale and reinforces your company values. Fun team building activities get people engaged. Teams are able to combine their strengths and work together towards a common goal. This increases collaboration, encourages effective communication and can help to ease conflicts in your office. The end goal of all team building is to increase motivation and help your employees feel valued and appreciated.
Whether your company is small or large, corporate events are a great way to recognize and appreciate all the good that your employees are doing for you! A fun day away from all the pressures of the office helps to remove barriers and allows employees to better integrate into the company. These events help to increase company pride and are a great way to show your appreciation for your employees families as well. At the end of the day, a corporate event is simply a great way to give your employees a chance to recharge and relax.
If you have multiple locations or branches, a friendly slow pitch tournament can get your teams working together.
While corporate events can take on many shapes, a family friendly event is the perfect choice for the summer. There are many outdoor venues in Saskatoon to choose from, like the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo or the PotashCorp PLayland at Kinsmen Park.Both offer open space for kids to run and play and areas for adults to chat and mingle. With this being the year of Canada 150 it can be the perfect way to incorporate a theme to make your event stand out from past!
Incorporating team building activities into your corporate event can be a great way to get your employees up, moving and having fun. We suggest the Minute To Win It challenges! Originating from the goofy but entertaining TV game show where one to two people would try to compete a task in 60 seconds, these challenges have quickly made their way into corporate team building exercises. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Even if a large event is not in your budget you can still gain the benefits of team building activities. Try incorporating them into your next meeting, or better yet, get out of the office and hit up an activity like the
Frisbee Golf Courses in Saskatoon or Martensville.
If you are a B2C business, you know finding unique and interesting ways to stand out and leave a lasting impression can be tough. Whether you are a retailer, restaurant, or coffee shop, a thoughtful gesture can go a long way!