Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a topic of hot debate. Frankly, we don’t care to engage in its politics or make predictions for the future. We know today that AI, like ChatGPT, is a great tool for solo sellers who want to kickstart sponsorship success.
As a sponsorship seller, there are various ways in which you can utilize the benefits of AI. We suggest five strategies for you to leverage AI.
Some Cautionary Notes
Before anyone launches a sponsorship sales plan based on AI, we offer several cautionary notes for you.
It’s Not Flawless
There are many AI tools, but we prefer ChatGPT. While ChatGPT is an incredible piece of computer science, this large language model has flaws. Every page on its website notes, “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Consider checking important information.” Unfortunately, today, it can get its facts screwy. Before you rely on it for an important sponsorship pitch or meeting, check on important items through independent research.
It Scrapes the Internet for Everything
Large language models, like ChatGPT, ingest an enormous amount of data from the internet. Since you may need to learn its source, AI responses should be checked for accidental plagiarism. You should never use the work product of another without proper attribution.
It’s Not an Expert
AI is not a sponsorship expert. While AI may someday replace sponsorship experts like us, that day is not today. Its advice can be slightly (or considerably) different from what we would suggest. However, for many sellers who don’t have access to a sponsorship expert, it may be good enough to get the job done.
Five Ways Sponsorship Sellers Can Use ChatGPT
Creating Customized Pitches
ChatGPT can help generate sponsorship pitches. AI can create interesting angles that address each sponsor’s specific needs and interests by inputting information about the potential sponsor and yourself as the property seeking sponsorship. For example, if we ask ChatGPT “how a maker of flour would find value in sponsorship of a pizza festival,” it lists seven ways, including specifics about brand visibility, product integration, networking opportunities, market research, social media, and PR, community engagement, and sampling. As a seller, we’re on our way to an effective first draft of a pitch.
Email and Communication Templates
If you’ve ever been stumped about how to write the first draft of a cold-open email or a response to a sponsorship prospect, the initial contact, follow-ups, or thank-you messages can be drafted for you. We find this especially useful to maintain a professional tone and to edit out grammatical errors.
ChatGPT for Role Playing and FAQs
Our Sponsorship Success Method clients LOVE this capability of ChatGPT. It can help create a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and responses a sponsor prospect can be expected to have. If you’re nervous about the questions a prospect may ask you after a sponsorship pitch, why not practice questions and answers with AI as the hard-ball interrogator? When you get to the real conversation, you’re a seasoned veteran at the answers.
Activation Brainstorming
Many sponsorship sellers need a background in marketing. While we recommend that sponsorship decks include relevant activation ideas, some sellers struggle to assemble ideas that attract the attention of sponsorship prospects. ChatGPT can brainstorm and provide a range of activation suggestions to include in a deck if a seller is looking for creative sponsorship activation ideas.
Social Media Content Creation
In the future, sponsorship campaigns will heavily rely on social media as a vital component. During the sales process and into a partnership, sponsors may rely on their property partners to bring a sponsorship to life through social media. ChatGPT can generate engaging social media content promoting your properties and attracting sponsors, including posts, tweets, and captions highlighting your value to a sponsor.
Final Thoughts
We use ChatGPT daily to provide thought-starters, offer outlines, supplement research, and improve our writing. It feels like a super smart friend who helps us work better and faster. AI can work the same way for sponsorship sellers. When you need a friend to help you get sponsors, leveraging the power of AI can be another tool for finding the right sponsor for your program.
If you’re interested in learning how we coach our clients to supercharge their sponsorship programs with AI, contact us for a call about the Sponsorship Success Method.
