How to secure sponsorships for your esports team?

Playing for fun, even competitively, is one thing, but teams looking for a long-term career in esports will need sponsors to pay the bill and will further move forward in the industry. In a sense, one can say the only thing required to get sponsors is performing better. However, with so many teams emerging across every game, it is getting harder and harder to secure sponsorships.

Furthermore, it is not just about the team performing better, as getting a sponsor requires much more effort and an equal benefit to the sponsor for partnering with the team. So let’s check out some necessary steps that are required to secure sponsorships for your esports team

Here are some necessary steps to secure sponsorships for your esports team:

5. Create a brand identity

Making yourself easy to remember, including both name and logo, is an important aspect of any team. Even if your team is not able to win but had a great run and placement at tournaments, no one will remember if the name is hard to remember as people will keep wondering what the team is and who played really well.

On the other hand, an easy name or an eye-catching logo that can convey your team will make it easier for people to keep the team’s name in their mouth. The biggest esports organisations have their logo designed to make the team name easier to remember. Word of mouth among fans can also turn out to be a real benefit for anyone in esports.

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4. Prove your worth

It is quite obvious, but performance in events is another sold way to create a name for any team. Sure, a team will not get a chance to match against the pros and even if they did, it is unlikely they will see success. To prove their worth, all teams need to start from the bottom. Low-tier tournaments are an easy way to climb up the popularity ladder.

With enough wins, a team will already be considered higher tier and get a chance to play in even more prestigious tournaments. All they have to do is keep up the great performance, even if they do not win. This will create a portfolio to further back the team while looking for sponsors.

3. Create an online presence

Social media is a powerful platform to promote your team. Every other team in the esports space is well-active across social media and keeps posting updates regarding the matches they are playing or any changes to the team. It is a great way to keep your initial fans up-to-date regarding the team.

Teams also need to keep up the engagement to increase their reach. Collaboration posts with other teams and events they are participating in can come in handy. Interacting with fans is also a great way to build goodwill, although they need to be cautious in this regard and not fall for trolls online.

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2. Building network

Networking is another powerful way to get more exposure to the team. Attending esports events with potential sponsors is a great way to start. If a team is already making a name for itself, it is possible that they might get their initial offers for sponsorship via networking.

Furthermore, if that is not the case, making connections and introducing yourself to others who might help you out in search of sponsors is also a good idea as others can also point the sponsors looking for a team towards you. It might not happen outright, but having a connection in the esports industry is already a huge upside for any team.

1. Approach potential sponsors

The final step remains approaching the sponsors. All the hard work the team has done till now is for this moment. The team will need to convince the sponsors of what they bring to the table and how they can benefit by joining hands with them. Highlighting the team’s success and the potential to bring a large audience to the sponsors will come in handy.

The best sponsors to approach for any esports teams are the ones that are also engaged in the esports or the gaming industry. The process can be exhausting in the competitive market, but any decent team should easily manage to secure one. If not, they will need to improve upon the said areas.

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