Many wonderful people (barbers and cosmetologists) reach out to me on a regular basis and inquire
about getting a sponsorship from Mane Tame. It is a wonderful blessing to have people who want to
work with our company but with this opportunity comes great responsibility.
One area which I’d like to address is what a licensed barber or cosmetologist should do, know and be
ready to address, before they apply. Here are 5 Dos and Don’ts that will help make you a desirable
candidate for a potential sponsorship from the brand of your choice:
Dos
- Know exactly who you are, what your goals are, and what companies you align with? Bad example: If you are a vegan, don’t ask McDonalds to sponsor you. You are not a good fit for
them.
Good example: If you use a certain brand for all of your professional services and you are familiar with all of their core items, you might be a considerable fit for them. Do a self-audit and focus your attention on the products and brands that you currently use the most. The best candidates are those individuals who are already using the branded products for the companies they are seeking endorsement from. - Actively engage with the brands you’re pursuing. If you get fortunate enough for them to go to your Instagram page, what do you think they want to see? They want to see that you have already established yourself as a true fan and user of their products.
- Actively engage with the brand’s current team, employees and staff. Turn on the push
notifications, leave comments, attend online and in-person classes and stay engaged. - Ask yourself some very important questions: Where would I fit in, with this brand? What value could I immediately deliver to them? Why this brand in particular?
- Create content like you’re already sponsored. Instead of making promises of the content that
you will create, or the work that you will put in; post content on your social media feeds as if
you’re already sponsored. I tell people all the time, “if I sponsored you tomorrow morning, what
would you do differently and how would that change your actions or decisions?” Pretend you’re
already sponsored to give your future sponsor a preview of the value you will deliver.
Don’ts - Don’t tag competing brands in your posts. This will turn off potential sponsors. They will think you’re not focus on one brand in particular and that you’re just a mercenary type of professional who will work for any company who pays them.
- Don’t tag competing professionals in your posts. This will turn off potential sponsors and make
them think, you’re just trying to get as much attention from as many brands as possible. - Don’t create content with competing brands in the background. No matter how good your video
or picture is, you will never get a repost from the brand. No one wants to promote their
competitors. - Focus on the process of creating your posts, not just the finished product. One of the worst
things you can have, is an Instagram with nothing but haircuts or finished hairstyles. Unless your
goal is purely to attract new customers, you are turning off all brands. Brands want to see how
you are integrating their product(s) into your customer’s hair. Coca-Cola doesn’t want to see a
picture of how you look after take a drink of their products or a picture of an empty bottle of
their beverages. They want images and videos of their beverages being consumed. - Be familiar with the brand before inquiring about getting sponsored. It sounds silly, but an
alarming number of applicants have inquired about sponsorships without ever trying our
products. Don’t be this person.
