Episode 106 - Making Your Business More Marketable to Sponsors with Sara Kim

Learn which social media platforms you should be using, how to improve your photos and video content, and how to find sponsors for your paper flower business.   Attracting sponsors for your paper flower business can bring in extra money and security. But how do you find them? How do you make your brand attractive to theirs?   In our latest episode of Paper Talk, we talked with Sara Kim of Handmade by Sara Kim. She was such a joy to have on the podcast last year. We wanted an update from her since her business has significantly shifted focus during the pandemic.  With so many big events and weddings canceled, many paper florists have had to find new income sources. Sara went from hosting large in person workshops and creating huge paper flower orders, to now building up a successful online presence across social media platforms. She’s also worked with many sponsors. Sara shared many tips about how to make your business more attractive to sponsors, and what it’s like working with other brands. Listen to the episode to hear all of that incredible information.  In the meantime, here’s a little glimpse of what you can learn. Here are the first steps you can take to get your business ready for sponsorships.   Here’s what you’ll learn when you listen to our conversation:► Why you should be making videos for various platforms ► How to monetize your YouTube channel ► Which software Sara uses to edit her photos and videos (plus tips!) ► How to approach brands for sponsored content► Planning out consistent content across platforms Curate Loyal Followers Sara would be considered a micro-influencer, and big brands are very interested in them right now. That means that you don’t have to have a huge following in order for big companies to work with you. They know that spending a little bit of money on a smaller creator can have a big impact, often giving them a bigger bang for their buck than investing in a huge, traditional advertising campaign.  You can benefit from this targeted marketing by building up a loyal fanbase. Those big brands want to see engaged and excited followers. Post consistent and valuable content. Take the time to respond to comments. Build up relationships with other paper florists.    “Paper flowers are a very marketable thing outside of just the flower itself. We use paper, we use scissors, glue, tools.”   Building a solid base of followers won’t happen overnight, but the effort you put in now will pay off in the end.    Create Video Content  Brands aren’t paying for photos as often anymore. They want TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube videos. A year ago, Sara felt very out of her depth making videos. But she learned! She looked up as much information as she could, followed artists who made content she admired, and just kept trying. As Sara pointed out in the episode, you should constantly be working toward making more polished videos. It’s okay if they aren’t top of the line, professional right now, but you should have the goal to continually improve.  Listen to the podcast to hear Sara’s specific tips on how to improve and the sources she recommends learning from. She shared a wealth of knowledge about how she creates videos, what sponsors ask for in video content, which software and platforms she uses, and much much more.    Stand by Your Brand’s Values  Whether you approach a brand or they find you, your values should line up with theirs. Your loyal followers trust your judgment. You don’t want to break that trust by recommending products that don’t align with what you value.  You need to know now what your values are. What is important to you? What do you want your brand’s image to be? What do your followers expect from you? If you have a solid understanding of what your paper flower business is right now, you’ll know which sponsors are a good fit for you.  Once you’ve figured out your values, Sara had some great advice on how to approach sponsors on the podcast.     “That’s my biggest advice for small business owners in general, is just to be learning and making progress… You wait until you have the perfect photo or perfect video, it’s going to take too long. I do believe in pumping out and being consistent, consistently reminding people that you’re there, but then approve your aesthetics and progress in the quality of your flower, quality of your photo and your video. All of that.”   Join our Facebook group where you can share, connect, and grow with us. Please also consider supporting us on Patreon for even more great content like this.