Sponsoring Youth Sports

My little ones are still a little young for me to be a hockey mom, but I remember seeing neighborhood kids walking down the street with the logo of a local business on the back. The business probably paid for the team uniforms in exchange. They get a little advertising to the kids parents and the attendees at the game, and the kids get uniforms…

…and that’s where it ends?

This has got to be the most overlooked networking opportunity for small local businesses to really meet their potential customer base and find out more about how to serve them better. Inevitably 75-90% of parents stick around during the game. Either the kids are too young to leave alone, or the game is too short to do anything productive. This is your captive audience as a sponsor, or perhaps you can think of them as your survey panel. The key either way is too never push your product or service and to make it all about them and their expectations. If your establishment serves food offer a discount if the parents bring them in to the shop in their uniform, any day of the week, regardless of if they have a game. The more the kid wears the shirt, the more advertising you get. Show the parents you are interested in how they think you can better serve customers or expand your offering and you will find it to be the cheapest market research you’ve ever collected.