OMG! You can't say that word anymore! 😲

Is this one word why you're being ghosted by sponsors?

You’ve done it. You’ve finally done it.

You landed your dream sponsorship. It’s everything you’ve dreamed of, and the terms are great. Here’s how it works: You are going to promote your new sponsor’s products by doing highlight videos, traveling to stores and doing demonstrations, handing out coupons in your pits at the races, and giving their best-performing salespeople a stellar VIP experience at the races. Here’s the best part. In return, they’re not giving you money or product or anything you actually find useful. Instead, they’re giving you exposure! What does that mean? You’re not really sure, but you know they’ll make a post about you once in a while to their followers on social media.

Okay, that really doesn’t sound like your dream sponsorship at all, does it? You can’t pay for race fuel with exposure.

Your business partners don’t think exposure is better than money, either.

Flip the script and start thinking twice before using exposure as a sell in your proposal to a potential sponsor. Exposure refers to the visibility and awareness that the sponsor can gain from being associated with you and your brand. Don’t get me wrong, exposure can lead to a lot of valuable things. For racers with fans who are exceptionally loyal or engaged with their brand, exposure can lead to brand recognition, customer loyalty, or new sales for their sponsors. Those things are the value you should be selling to your partners instead of exposure, but be sure you’re able to deliver on the value you promise.

Before you can even begin to sell exposure as a benefit to your sponsors, you need to do three things:

1. Build a strong, recognizable brand with a sizeable, loyal, and engaged fanbase.
2. Partner with sponsors whose brand, products, and values align with the needs and interests of your fans.
3. Use exposure to your fans to solve a business problem for your sponsor. This will be different for every business, depending on their needs and marketing strategies.

The key is to be creative, flexible, and responsive to your sponsors' needs and wants. Before you send out your next sponsorship proposal, replace the word “exposure” with the value you expect that exposure to provide their business. Don't just offer them exposure, offer them solutions.