Marketing a website is a challenging thing. There are so many services out there to advertise on, and the main differentiation comes in by splitting your options into online and offline advertising. Offline advertising is usually seen as expensive to the online world, and more of a focus on improving your brand than actually making sales. However, depending on what you are aiming to do, it could pay off very well.
EasiOnline.com has recently decided to sponsor a superstar on the motorbike racing circuit, David ‘McFlash’ McFadden. He’s not only a top racer, he’s also very well known. And for him to get onto the next stage of his career – the international level, he requires quite a significant sponsorship. This is because, clearly, for any world class athlete moving from one step of motorcycling to the next, that dream of competing internationally is really attractive, especially when one has the potential that McFlash displays every time he mounts his Kawasaki motorbike to race. So EasiOnline has quite publicly announced that it is sponsoring R20,000 and a portion of their sales made on the website.
This seemingly large sponsorship is apparently paying off. Even though David is not the most famous bike racer the world has, he has a known status in the South African scene, and regular announcements and displays of his sponsors are giving EasiOnline good exposure. David has seen a lot of support from MSA (Motorsport South Africa) and its very large following.
Most of us are not knowledgeable on biking, but it would seem that there is an audience of a bunch of somewhat tech-savvy people who often use the Internet, and now have the EasiOnline.com name in their mind.
Will we see more online companies doing sponsorships in the future? Personally, I don’t think so, but this is proof once again that before spending money, one has to weigh up the pros and cons of each and every marketing avenue.
About the author: Jess Green is a digital entrepreneur, passionate about tech, web and mobile. Follow him on @jessello.
