Answering the questions we get regularly about sponsorships at Equine Eats n’ Treats
Again it will be fairly casually written with our customer/follower base in mind. No shade intended.
Just quickly, Another thing that came to our attention in the survey mentioned in part 2 is that because there are so many "treat businesses" run by kids that do things more casually, and are usually not long-lasting that people take our business and any sponsor/ambassador opportunities less seriously. I would like to ease peoples minds and say that this is a small business run by an adult. We operate the same as any other business out there just on a smaller scale.
How do I ask?
We usually approach potential sponsored riders on our own. We look out for people both online and irl that we feel would be a good fit and have a chat with them.
With the ambassador searches we usually host a search that involves answering a questionnaire telling us about yourself. We then form a shortlist and have a closer look at everyone’s social media before making a final decision. Sometimes we will choose someone sometimes we won't, finding the perfect fit is really important for both sponsorships and ambassadors as it is a two-way relationship.
So if you are interested enter the next time we host one!
For approaching other businesses see the links below or have a look on the business's website and see if they have
The following are what we do and dont look for, and tips for applying next time we run an ambassador search
Our Icks and red flags….
People who message out of the blue asking for sponsorship when they have never engaged with us at all have never been a customer, and have not really put any effort into preparing their social media for approaching businesses. For example having no content on their profile, very little following, and poor engagement. This isn't all about follower count it's about what benefits you can bring to the two-way relationship with a business. That kind of message just sounds like the person is looking for free stuff to show off.
People who send the same copy-and-paste message to loads of businesses. We do communicate with each other
Messy and unprofessional social media. - I am all for being messy on Tiktok but if you are approaching businesses try to have one social media platform/account where it is more professional (I suggest using Instagram for this)
Using watermarked photos all over social media, Its theft of content, unprofessional, makes your feed look crap, and is a major ick. Saying “I'm going to buy the photo later” doesn't really cut it most people who say this don’t actually purchase the photos and those who do can usually wait until they have purchased them to post them. There are several photographers out there who WILL blacklist you and just not take photos of you if you post watermarked photos. Support your event photographers guys! they are small businesses too
messages that say nothing other than “Are you looking for sponsors?” if that's all you have to say then no we’re not. A word of warning. The more stupid messages we get sometimes end up on our Tiktok as examples of what not to do… ( we dont include anything that can identify the sender though)
Bullies, the biggest ick of all. We have ZERO tolerance for bullying
Green flags
Things that improve your chances of getting noticed or chosen.
Being active on social media, making an effort to engage with your followers, and building your social media. There is a huge amount of information out there on the internet that helps people do this
Engaging with our account regularly! not just while the ambassador search is running most of the time we've chosen people who have been engaging with us regularly and we've gotten to know them a bit better.
Being a loyal customer
Being seen being supportive and kind to others and your Equines online and irl
Not using watermarked photos
Take advantage of more than one social media platform and take advantage of the tools and features they offer to show off your skills with social media ( edits, reels, photos, etc)
Showing maturity and an understanding of the two-way relationship of being a sponsored rider or ambassador. Ask yourself why is it that you want this.
Always treat
other humans and your pony with respect and kindness
(If you are a younger rider consider having a parent run your equestrian social media and work with sponsors for you)
As mentioned in the other posts there is a huge amount of articles online that give tips for getting a sponsorship or ambassador placement and show what other businesses look for It just takes some effort on your part to learn and put those tips into action! I will link my favourite articles in this post.
And most importantly, Is Equine Eats n’ Treats looking to add to the team?
Currently no. not officially.
We put a pause on having ambassadors over the winter months so we could dedicate more of our budget to event sponsorship, donating to fundraisers, etc. We may look for an ambassador in the new season.
For Sponsorships our radar is always on. If someone who is a perfect fit comes along then we will have a chat with them.
Once again check out these other fab articles for more information about sponsorships!
https://www.vivantequi.co.nz/how-to-ask-for-sponsorship - Vivant Equi
https://thebravepantscompany.co.nz/blogs/news/ambassador - The Brave Pants Company
https://horseandponymag.com/2020/09/22/sponsorship-a-game-of-give-take/ - NZ Horse and Pony
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