Engage with the local community through equipment sponsorships

This is sponsored content for Technishelter.

A few years ago, when a consumer wanted to purchase an item - whether a book, a washing machine, or spare parts for a car - their first port of call would be a local business. However, times have changed.

Competition is fierce, and online retailers are able to cut costs due to high volumes of sales. That's why it's a major priority for a small business to connect with their local community.

Being visible to customers in the vicinity will increase the likelihood that they'll think of a local supplier as an alternative to going straight online or traveling to a large-scale retailer when they're about to make a purchase.

So, as a small business owner, how do you engage with your local community?

Sponsorships can be an effective means of raising the profile of a business and supporting a good cause at the same time. They demonstrate a sense of social responsibility and help create that vital connection with the local community.

They also allow the sponsor to support groups or causes that are in line with the values of the business. For example, a sponsor could choose to focus on environmental issues, youth development, health, animal welfare, etc.

Most businesses are inundated with sponsorship requests, finding it impossible to support every cause or group that asks for help. When considering to sponsor a local group, a few questions need to be answered. What does the group need the most? How can the business help with that? Finally, how will the sponsorship improve engagement with the local community?

From a business perspective, possibly the least effective way to sponsor a local group is to donate some cash. Although it'll undoubtedly be put to good use, it'll soon be spent and the donation will be forgotten.

An alternative approach to supporting community groups, while also bringing in additional business, is to offer an incentive. For example, a coffee shop could offer vouchers confirming that, when used, a percentage of the price of a cup of coffee and a cake will be donated to a local cause.

While this is a way to demonstrate community support, in reality, vouchers may be left unused. In addition, as the actual amount raised is often vague, any positive impact on the sponsors or the local group is likely to be minimal.

A better way to add value as a sponsor would be to buy or contribute towards a piece of equipment. This could be a sports kit for a local soccer team, a kid's playground installation, a marquee for outdoor events, furniture for the local health centre, or even a community hub, such as a small public gym or meeting space.

This approach has a number of advantages for a local group. The sponsor will be able to provide what they need or at least taken them much closer to their goals. Even if the full cost isn't covered, a significant donation can really get fundraising efforts off to a flying start.

Supporting the community in this way also benefits the sponsor. First of all, it creates a strong, positive link with the members of the group, their families, and the general public. Secondly, the equipment can carry the business logo and acknowledgment of support. This way, the support is visible for all to see, over the long term.

For example, a typical small business that wants to engage with the local community, but has a limited amount of cash to invest, could purchase and donate a folding marquee to a club, which can be used at any indoor or outdoor event.

Leading suppliers of marquees will incorporate the community group's logo as well as the sponsor's branding messages into the design on the roof and walls. Without additional cost, this high impact method of advertising makes the link between the sponsor and the group highly visible.

Durable, versatile, and easy to assemble, a marquee could be used, especially by local sports clubs, in a myriad of ways. It can provide a 'home base' when the team is playing away, offer shelter from the weather, or become a chill-out area between events.

Regardless of where and how the club chooses to use it, the sponsoring business benefits from free and highly-visible promotion. High-quality marquee frames are guaranteed for up to 20 years, so there'd be no call for additional funds to purchase spare parts or replace it.

Should additional sponsorship funds become available, they could be invested in an extension marquee, allowing more space to display company information and messages.

While a pop-up marquee is often donated to a single club or group, there's another way a sponsor could engage with and support community clubs and groups-by purchasing the marquee and branding it with their own marketing messages. From there, it can be made available to a number of different groups to use whenever they need it.

In this way, the sponsor can increase the number of times a marquee is used. Their marketing messages will be seen more frequently by a greater number and a wider range of people.

A branded pop-up marquee, which pops-up every time there's an outdoor event, can't help but gain positive attention for the sponsor. Each time it's used, it strengthens their sponsor's image as a strong supporter of the local community. Whether for sporting events, local fairs, dog shows, or fun runs, group organisers will appreciate the offer of a marquee for their big day.

For your business to be successful in today's challenging business climate, businesses need to innovate and find new ways to connect with their customers. To promote their products and services effectively, they have to be visible to the greatest number of people. With tight advertising and marketing budgets, sponsorship can be extremely cost-effective, which is the reason it is of growing interest to businesses.

Even with a limited budget, by engaging with the local community through equipment sponsorships of any kind, any business has the opportunity to invest in the causes and activities that their customers care about. The message they're sending is clear: Keep supporting us and we'll keep supporting you!

This is sponsored content for Technishelter.