Cascade Marketing 

Promoting golf tournaments 

In one particular client's case, the corporation is structured as a "family of companies", all practicing in the healthcare field.

A main theme of their practice is to coordinate and integrate conventional and alternative medical services with the state workers' compensation agency, private patient insurers, and patients' representatives. Not an easy gig by any stretch.

The "mother company" goes to great lengths to build relatiosnships between practitioners, insurance agencies, and personal injury attorneys, by holding corporate events, inviting clients and associates from all fields to get together and dine, have cocktails, etc.

Some of their most "special events" involves coordinating several golf tournaments at different locations throughout the state of Maryland. My role, in this instance is to team-up with their marketing dept. and design invitations, promotional material for sponsors, and signage for the golf courses. 

One effective way we achieve, not only high attendance, but high participation from sponsors, is through "cascade marketing".  I was taught this method of marketing by 2 very effective marketing executives while working at Human Equations Inc., during my second stint there functioning as Chief Operating Officer.

This process involves mailing/e-mailing a series of invitation-reminders to prospective attendees and sponsors. In this case, because we are asking them to take an entire day out of their schedules for a golf-event, we stagger the "reminders", sending the first round out as early as three months in advance. The second is sent about 2 months before, and the 3rd through the 5th rounds are sent more frequently as we close in on the date of the event. 

Promoting Your Sponsors Using Cascade Marketing  

Not only effective for building participants, one of the most appreciated aspects of this client's golf tournaments is how it also uses cascade marketing to promote the sponsoring companies. 

Having as many as 35+ sponsors and 144 attendees, this client takes great care in building sponsorship-momentum as it gets closer to the date, as well as after the event. The mailings have a blurb of information about each sponsor-company along with contact info. Note: It surprises me how, because of the face-to-face interaction on the golf course, many CEO's, Presidents, etc. will use their own direct contact info. rather than a marketing dept.'s information.

Before the event: As sponsorship grows prior to the event, we send mailings like the one above, each mailing functions as an update, highlighting new sponsors that have signed up.

After the event: The final list of sponsors along with descriptive info and a "thank you" note is sent following the event.

As a result: When it comes time for the next event, companies are excited to join, knowing that more than 144 important contacts are being marketed to, with their Company's information attached. Add to that the opportunity to meet-up the day of the event, and you know what they say; "a lot of good business deals are made on the golf course!"