SPONSORSHIP/PARTNERSHIP
Not all visibility is gained through advertisements. Establishing
partnerships or sponsorships with other organizations is a fabu-
lous way to not only gain exposure but make money. This process
can work in two ways. You can place your event on other Web
sites, as well as opening your site up to others. This could involve
the exchange of money (e.g., the selling of advertising space) or
could involve a “trade-out” where no money is exchanged. When
developing your strategic partners, you can promote one another
through banners, buttons, text, links, and direct on-site sales. Part-
ners can even develop co-branded pages where they promote each
other together.
These are the five basic types of electronic sponsorship:- Branded Content.The advertiser does not play a role in
creating or shaping the content; it is the publisher’s
responsibility. - Event Promotions.The advertiser plays a role in developing
content in conjunction with the publisher. - Advertorials.This differs from traditional methods of print
because there is more of a willingness to display material
that is pleasing to the advertiser. - Microsites.This option expands the notion of the advertor-
ial to multiple ad/content pages, similar to special pullout
sections in magazines and newspapers. - Portals.This is perhaps the most confusing among spon-
sorship opportunities. In this option, one site agrees to merge
its content with that of another site as a service to Web
surfers, thus creating a brand value to the content provider.
AFFILIATE OR ASSOCIATE PROGRAMS
These programs are designed for the sole purpose of directing tar-
geted traffic to an event site. These programs are one of the best
online marketing tools available to small businesses because there
is no financial risk. In a nutshell, affiliate marketing is simply rev-
enue sharing between online merchants (someone selling a good,
product, or service) and the affiliates (content sites). Affiliates are
given links by the merchant to place on their site with the intent
of receiving quality traffic and expecting a percentage related to a
desired action (i.e., registration, sales, downloads, etc.).70 Chapter 3 Electronic Event Marketing Strategies