Minnesotans are wild (wink) about hockey. In fact, with its passionate hockey lifestyle and abundance of youth hockey programs, Minnesota is known as the State of Hockey. And as local youth associations drop the puck on the winter hockey season, now is the time for your business to make a marketing power play. Keep reading to find out how to sponsor youth hockey and “breakaway” from the competition with help from PRIME.
Concentrated Marketing
Your audience is out there. But they’re likely on-the-go, making them sometimes difficult to reach. Chances are, they’re at a local sports venue right now, cheering on their favorite youth hockey team. And they’re looking for your imagery and messaging in and around rinks across the metro.
So, how do you reach them? Simple: by sponsoring youth hockey.
From dasher boards and ice resurfacer wraps to wallscapes and banners, PRIME is your ticket to finding and targeting your audience in the height of hockey season and beyond. Through its partnerships with several sports venues around the metro, PRIME provides opportunities for businesses to get their names, their logos, and their messaging out to the community and in front of its members.
Hockey fans and hockey families are a dedicated and engaged bunch, meaning they’re a captive audience in a highly charged and electric atmosphere. “That’s a great environment with which to associate your brand,” said Katie Roberts, Media Sales Director for PRIME.
And that type of audience often finds great interest in supporting the sponsors that endorse their kids, their communities, and their teams.
“These audiences are very much aware of the sponsors,” Roberts said, before detailing some of the added benefits of sponsorships.
“Outside of ad placement, there are digital screens in the lobby that highlight sponsor logos, a spread in local community guides that highlights and thanks sponsors, and our partners put sponsor logos on their websites with a link that directs back to the sponsor’s site. So, there’s a lot of value with sponsorships,” she added.
And with price points for every budget, a youth hockey sponsorship can help your business’s marketing operate at full strength.
Increase Reach and Recognition
Sponsoring youth hockey is one of the quickest ways to increase your business’s reach and recognition. PRIME partners with local sports venues that usher in a lot of year-round foot traffic—from everywhere. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
“People are coming in from all over the metro, the state, and bordering states,” Roberts said. “So, the potential for reach is really high, and getting your brand seen is a significant benefit.”
Increased traffic means increased visibility for your business across dasher boards, banners, programs, jerseys, and more. Not to mention increased recall through repetitive impressions on parents and visitors who visit these venues multiple times a week.
In addition, games that receive media coverage expand your audience through television, radio, and social media channels. “Many of these games are live streamed and broadcast to an entire audience who isn’t even in the building, further extending your reach and visibility,” Roberts added.
Community Loyalty Generates Customer Loyalty
When your business sponsors local youth hockey, the community takes notice. That connection can help strengthen your company’s image and can go a long way toward building rapport and long-term loyalty within the community.
In fact, a portion of your sponsorship goes back to the organizations to support youth hockey, which is a win-win for businesses, players, families, and communities.
And for hockey parents, that’s a big deal.
As a tight-knit group devoted to every aspect of the game, many hockey families will often return the favor to companies that support their favorite team. “A lot of hockey parents are loyal to the businesses that sponsor their child’s extracurriculars,” said Roberts, a hockey mom who speaks from experience.
Strong community ties also build the foundation for emotional connections. Anyone who’s been to a hockey game can feel the energy and sense the passion that drives the sport’s fanbase.
And when it’s their kids playing, that passion goes even deeper.
With a youth hockey sponsorship, your business can tap into the lifeline of that enthusiasm. You can connect with the athletes and their families on an extremely visceral level, potentially generating loyalty to your business for years to come.
Marketing Extras
In addition to all the possibilities at local sports arenas, businesses can become title sponsors for hockey tournaments to generate even greater reach, recognition, and retention.
“As a title sponsor, you are on site for that tournament weekend,” Roberts said. “And you have a booth or table which allows you to have direct conversations and interaction with your audience.”
Many of PRIME’s sponsorship options also present opportunities for additional publicity with literature, rack cards, brochures, or even restaurant menus in the lobby areas of these venues. These types of promotions provide additional ways to connect directly with the community and your audience.
Secure Your Sponsorship
Youth athletic sponsorships clearly offer a host of symbiotic benefits. When you sponsor youth hockey, your business invests in more than marketing; it invests in its community. The recognition, reach, and retention your business deserves is just a click away. Make a power play and contact PRIME today to learn more about sponsorships and the impact they can make for your business and your community.