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Throughout America, each group has its place to come back collectively, often for a sports activities staff at the highschool, school or skilled stage, that’s capable of join folks throughout completely different cultures, beliefs and industries. Within the Pacific Northwest, it’s the Seattle Seahawks.
For Washington natives like me, the Seahawks characterize one of many few constants which have endured from childhood to maturity. As kids, we dream of enjoying, cheering or working for the Hawks. Our NFL staff is our rallying cry, the place we take nice pleasure in our home-field benefit — the place fan noise reaches 137.6 decibels, akin to the sound of a jet engine.
For years, I’ve hoped that sometime I would be capable to grow to be a company companion of the Seahawks, however, sadly, the associated fee was all the time prohibitive for an actual property brokerage. However that each one modified when the Hawks launched a partnership alternative for small companies.
Right now, my brokerage, RSVP Brokers ERA, is a proud Seattle Seahawks Small Enterprise Companion. It took some effort and willingness to discover on our half, however this partnership has opened our eyes to the worth of sports activities in actual property, and I need to cross that data on to the subsequent enterprise proprietor who’s on the fence about doing one thing comparable.
Why it is best to do it
This yr marks my twenty fifth yr as a licensed actual property skilled in Washington. I’m the co-founder of my household brokerage alongside my son, Andy. My father was a customized homebuilder and a craftsman who prided himself on high quality. Andy, my daughter, Kadey, and I’ve constructed RSVP Brokers ERA primarily based on that heritage.
Over time, we’ve been approached by a whole lot, if not 1000’s, of teams that needed me to sponsor or companion with them. In fact, as actual property professionals, we need to be a part of our communities and search for each alternative to provide our brokers unmatched identify recognition and enterprise alternatives. But, over time, I’ve discovered to ask myself, “Why am I doing this?”
Within the case of the Seahawks, asking that query was important. It helped me transfer away from how superb it could be to be a part of the Seahawks household and, with the help of the Seahawks, problem myself to offer actual and tangible causes to take part. It couldn’t be an ego determination.
It got here right down to figuring out ways in which the now extra inexpensive sponsorship might function an organization rallying cry to influence agent morale and retention, recruiting and, in fact, generate higher shopper consciousness and leads. Earlier than we signed the settlement, we needed to have a method for every and a strategy to measure the success of every.
Now that we’re “official,” we and all our brokers have the precise to make the most of the Seahawks Small Enterprise Companion brand in our digital advertising and marketing efforts. We even have our model on the stadium’s massive display, stadium televisions and throughout the ribbon boards that wrap the seating bowl.
Together with entry to tickets, we additionally get entry to the Seahawks on social media, the place they’re the most important model within the Pacific Northwest, with 10.6 million followers throughout Instagram, Fb, X and TikTok. One other nice perk we will use at our discretion is Blitz, the staff mascot, and the Seahawks Dancers at choose occasions all year long.
Even with these choices, we nonetheless knew it could be as much as us to “activate” our sponsorship to succeed in our objectives. The staff offers loads of instruments and alternatives, but it surely rests on you as a enterprise proprietor to capitalize on these sources. We’ve gone all in on the Seahawks and are guaranteeing that the whole lot we do is tied to the facility that being concerned with the staff offers.
Shopper
We determined to supply all Seahawks followers a free dwelling worth analysis. Whereas I do know it is a customary actual property advertising and marketing exercise, we tied it to our sponsorship of the Seahawks, the place we drive in-stadium followers and people we attain on social media to a selected URL.
We have now simply begun our partnership with them, however we anticipate our website at rsvpre.com/hawks, which might be marketed on all ranges of the Lumen Discipline on Stadium TV, will generate leads.
We additionally plan to show pregame hype and the video games themselves into our occasions. We have now plans for ticket giveaways, shopper appreciation occasions and even methods to make use of massive wins or nice performs to attract consideration to the truth that RSVP Brokers ERA is a part of the motion.
Firm morale and retention
In my lifetime of expertise in actual property, I’ve by no means seen extra pleasure throughout the brokerage than what’s transpired since our Seahawks partnership. Working with the staff has impressed a brand new sense of group and drive throughout our enterprise that we haven’t seen in any of our earlier team-building efforts.
It’s been a difficult couple of years for our brokers because of the rising costs, lack of stock, elevated mortgage charges and the whole lot else that has gone on in actual property. However our Seahawks partnership has grow to be an enormous motivator for us.
We have now seen our brokers embrace the Seahawks Small Enterprise Companion alternative with a rejuvenated sense of enjoyable, being part of a successful custom. It’s been superb to see. Check out this video from Julian Gonzalez, which exhibits a few of this pleasure.
We’ve plastered that Seahawks Small Enterprise Companion brand in every single place that is sensible, together with our web site, social media, electronic mail signatures and a lot extra. The identical goes for the authorized photographs that the staff — which protects its model closely, as you’ll think about — has supplied us. And, in fact, we are going to permit our brokers and their shoppers to be eligible for tickets and occasions down the highway.
Recruiting
The vitality is contagious. Our brokers and their sense of pleasure are being seen all through the native actual property group. We’re a “hot” model. For the reason that begin of the season, we’ve had calls from potential brokers. Our appointment depend is up, and they’re extra prepared to take heed to what we and the ERA model can supply them.
As a matter of truth, I simply spoke with an agent who’s a giant Seahawks fan, who was on the recreation on Sunday, and the very first thing she noticed when she walked into Lumen Discipline was our brand proper subsequent to the Seahawks crest. You may’t beat that for branding your brokers, those that will be a part of and the agency’s shoppers.
I needed to offer some tips about how one can get entangled in sports activities sponsorship at your native stage:
- Know your funds: Have a look at your total promoting and advertising and marketing spend and decide if a sports-related sponsorship would match.
- What staff(s) give you the results you want? In case your group has divided loyalties, a sports activities sponsorship could be self-defeating. An instance could be if a group has two excessive colleges, and also you solely select one.
- Know your why: It’s important to know what you need to get out of the partnership. Keep in mind our wants in actual property are doubtless completely different from different industries. If the staff is aware of what you need to obtain, they will craft a program to fulfill your wants.
- It’s important to ask: Groups are within the enterprise to earn money, and they’re all the time on the lookout for company companions. However they might not have considered you earlier than. Name them as far earlier than the opening day as attainable. The Seahawks have refined in-house sponsorship groups and are customer-centric. On the increased school ranges, they are going to both have in-house or outsourced sponsorship workers that function equally. Smaller schools and excessive colleges often gained’t have that stage of sophistication so you can begin with the athletic director.
- Sponsorship is just the start: As I mentioned earlier than, when you purchase the sponsorship bundle however don’t reap the benefits of all of the perks and lengthen the connection so far as attainable in each aspect of your enterprise, it is not going to be as efficient.
I’ve personally seen the alternatives the Seahawks sponsorship has supplied my firm. When you have the chance to align your model with a neighborhood sports activities franchise, whether or not it’s on the skilled, collegiate or newbie stage, don’t be afraid to go for it.
Steve Kloetsch runs RSVP Actual Property ERA Powered alongside his son, Andy. Join with Steve on Fb and Linkedin.
