How do lesser known athletes find sponsorship opportunities? SPRTER!
How do lesser known athletes find sponsorship opportunities? SPRTER!
The Issue
Generally, when people think of athletes they think of fame, big money contracts and the perfect life. The reality is that this is only the case for a small percentage of professional athletes that are able to take advantage of sponsorship opportunities.
The majority of athletes need supplement their salary income by attracting sponsorships and endorsement deals. The secret to this is building a strong brand and offering a point of difference that other brands can relate.
Brand building is essential for all athletes today as athletic careers are short, can end quickly due to injury, or may not work out as successfully as first planned. In fact, NCAA statistics indicate that fewer than 2% of the 490,000 student-athletes currently playing collegiate sport will make it into the professional leagues.
Thankfully, there are ways that all athletes can safeguard against the uncertain nature of sport and set themselves up for successful futures by taking advantage of sponsorship opportunities.
The Opportunity
In today’s digital age there are numerous ways that athletes can leverage their brands to create income. One way to do that is via social media. We are currently in the age of the influencer, with people around the world making a living through social media. They have established vast followings, but better yet, they have established trust among their followers. This makes them prime candidates for companies’ marketing campaigns and an effective avenue to reach targeted audiences.
Companies have been utilizing athletes to endorse their products for years. However, the way which they activate these sponsorships has shifted, and that shift has been towards social media. But, finding such opportunities and making that connection as an athlete or an organization has not always been easy.
There are numerous platforms that facilitate sponsorship deals, however they are expensive, and time-consuming. They either make you pay to use the platform, or charge a fee or take a cut of every deal. So, we at SPRTER are aiming to facilitate a new shift through our free sport-specific social media app.
The Shift and Solution
The shift we are referring to is how these connections are facilitated. Our solution is simple, hassle-free and doesn’t cost athletes or sporters (sports influencers: athletes, former athletes, coaches, teams, leagues, brands, etc.), as we like to call them, anything to use. We have developed the SPRTER app which allows sporters to tell their supporters and potential sponsors everything they would like them to know about them in a simple and effective manner.
The profile is divided into the following sections:
Bio – This is where you let everyone know your nationality, sport, team, league, and information about who you are. This gives companies an insight into your unique characteristics and how well you might appeal to their target markets.
My Favorites – This is where you highlight your existing sponsors, favorite brands, favorite moments, and big accomplishments. This tells companies who you already work with, who you would like to work with, and what you have accomplished during your career.
My Causes and Community – Here is where you highlight any charitable work you did, and communities and causes you care about. This is a chance for you to show your character and the type of person you are. This could help with companies wanting to work with you to raise awareness or funds for a particular campaign.
My Other Socials – This is where you can link your other social media accounts and this gives companies an idea as to your social reach and impact.
My Spotlight – This is where you keep everyone informed with everything going on in your life, on and off the field. Show companies what you enjoy doing and the type of person you are. For example, if you are someone who loves fashion, post about that! That makes it much more likely for fashion companies to want to work with you.
How to Connect with Sport Companies
Companies can go through your profile in 5 minutes and make a decision about wanting to work with you due to the easy-to-follow format. It’s a free branding tool for you and a way to then earn some extra money through new opportunities that are created on the app. If you are interested in a company which has asked about you, then we will make the introduction.
This is all completely free – we do not take a cut or a fee of any kind. We simply want to provide a platform that helps sporters in a number of ways. If you’re interested in the other ways that our app can provide you value – check out this article.
We have already been contacted by numerous companies who are interested in working with sporters on our platform. Don’t miss out, get involved!
We are also working on other exciting monetization features that will hopefully be available in the coming months!