Sponsorships 101

A helpful list of do's and don'ts and some tips for securing a sponsorship. The social media boom has changed everything in recent years. One thing that will NEVER change is a company needing to make a profit. Athletes need to realize they are basically an expense to our balance sheet. Being in the fitness industry for just under a decade and running Violate the Dress Code for almost three years, I've witnessed so many success stories and miscalculations regarding people acquiring sponsorships. I feel obligated to do my part to help people obtain and reach their goals, as well as see things from the business perspective (which is overlooked by many I believe). Here is a little insight...

1. Is following important? Yes, but it is NOT the end all. Here is a simple analogy I always use. Think of a person's following as a TV program's viewership. Would you rather pay $500 to have your ad air during "Watch Paint Dry" on ESPN8 at 4:30am or pay $500 to have it air during the Superbowl? Of course a business wants their product being seen by a large percent of their demographic.
2. When contacting a business, do not send an email as if you are texting a friend. Make sure to include contact information as well as your social media accounts. We have received emails stating that @violatethedresscode "liked" their photo on Instagram and we should therefore sponsor them. In one of the recent emails the corespondent did not even include their Instagram account name. Include information such as your FaceBook profile link, Instagram name and what you are interested in as well as how you can help be part of said companies extended family.
3.  Have something to offer the company. This can be a HUGE benefit to those with a small following! Content is KING! This past June we took an athlete with just about 1,200 followers. Why you ask? She wrote a very professional email and also made sure to state she does many photo shoots and can get us high quality content for our various social media outlets as well as website. Since June, said athlete has increased their following 10 fold and is now at over 22,000 followers.
4.  Social media platforms are the forms of advertising! You must make a ROI (return on investment) to keep a successful business relationship. Meaning, if you expect payment you had better make the company a profit. If they give you free apparel or supplements you need to make them more back in sales than simply the cost of your free gear. Otherwise the business is at a loss. It's simple accounting.
5.  Look the part! If you are emailing Prime Nutrition, stating you should be the face of their "fatburner" supplement, your social media accounts had better not be filled with 90% posts from Five Guys burgers.
6.  Love the product! How can you promote something you don't truly love? If you ask to be part of Violate the Dress Code, we would assume you like the edgy and aggressive fitness/ lifestyle apparel that we sell. You can do a much better job promoting if you look forward to wearing our Queen of the Abyss leggings instead of being a timid person without the confidence to pull off the look.  
7.  Do you need to compete? Nope. It really comes down to engagement and following. We would prefer to send out hundreds of dollars of clothing and money to a person that passionately likes, wears and promotes our gear over Ms. America, with a quarter of a million followers, who is reluctant to post.
8. Spam is not necessary or needed! Do not think you need to post daily for your following to buy "Product X". Our athlete with the greatest sales numbers  does not post bugging or annoying people for sales. She posts consistently wearing our gear so it can be seen. She will tag us into the photo and @violatethedresscode at the end of her caption, but that's it. The posts are much more natural and organic. 
9. Loyalty is important. Would you want to purchase a product from an athlete who posts new brands each week? Obviously not. Loyalty shows your followers that you not only love but believe in the product. 
10. The all important question "CAN I MAKE $$$?"  Yes, but like anything else in life it requires work. There are people making 7 figures (YES, 7 FIGURES A YEAR) but they blog, make videos, schedule photo shoots all for the sake of posting religiously on social media and getting name recognition. It's a job at that level. At this point you will not have to seek out companies, as they will seek you out! 

Good luck in achieveing your goals. If you end up with too much product feel free to send some my way! 

www.violatethedresscode.com

Life is tough, Be tougher!