3-Gun Show Podcast Helps Brand Ambassadors Up Their Game

(Newswire.net — February 14, 2018) Lakewood, CO — The 2018 SHOT Show convention has come and gone, and the outpouring of firearms industry related media covering the massive show is in full swing. Podcast host, Dave Hartman of The 3-Gun Show is likewise equipped with more than enough material to release weekly episodes for months to come; ranging in interviews with sponsored 3-gun competitors, to key personnel at companies who support the sport. But one interview Hartman just released stands out as a little different than the others. Some could almost say it skirts the line of being off-topic.

On Valentine’s Day morning, faithful subscribers to The 3-Gun Show found a new episode notification on their smart phones entitled, “2018 Brand Ambassador Digital Playbook With Sean Burrows,” a member of the Heckler & Koch Shooting Team that happens to be a digital marketing expert at his day job. 

This is the second appearance Burrows has made on the show, though. His inaugural interview was for a similar episode recorded last year during the 2017 SHOT Show that wound up quickly becoming one of the most downloaded in The 3-Gun Show catalogue. In it, Burrows shares the mic’ with Reuben Aleckson of Vortex Optics as they discuss, “What To Expect Sponsors To Expect From You.”

“The 3-gun community is very tightly knit, and the subject of sponsorship is something that is discussed online all the time,” says Hartman. “So with Episode 113 I wanted to bring two people onto the show that could give both perspectives of a healthy sponsorship or brand ambassadorship symbiosis.”

“The idea was to hopefully paint a clearer picture for people that may not have the most accurate understanding of what a company sponsorship is all about.” – Dave Hartman

Following the immediate and overwhelming response to Episode 113 in February 2017, Burrows put together a supplemental how-to video crash course (free of charge for subscribers of the show) teaching current and aspiring sponsored 3-gun competitors alke how to effectively use Instagram to promote themselves and the companies that support them.

“I figured since I know a thing or two about increasing one’s online audience, and how to make one’s self more valuable to sponsoring companies, that it would be beneficial to the community,” said Burrows.

“After all the more sponsored shooters we have growing their digital footprint; not only do the companies they represent benefit from the increased exposure, but the sport of 3-gun as a whole gets more exposure and will hopefully continue to grow.” -Sean Burrows

Unlike other national athletic events, major 3-gun matchesl don’t generally involve many spectators outside of occasional appearances of supporting friends, family, and loved ones. Often these events span more than one day in length, take place in remote locations (due to safety conciderations of discharging live ammunition), and require participants to help with set-up and tear down. This means that often the only people who are exposed to the arrays of logos on the jerseys of sponsored shooters, are other sponsored shooters with logo-laden jerseys.

The value and exposure most companies get for their brands from sponsored competitors is through the means of social media and other Internet-based self publishing. In a time where firearms and ammunition companies are greatly restricted by the ways they can advertise online, broad organic exposure through brand ambassadors can be a crucial piece to the marketing puzzle. 

“When I brought Sean back for Episode 175 this year, I wanted it to be a checkup.” affirms Hartman. “I wanted to see his professional assessment of how the 3-gun community and supporting companies have absorbed his professional advice that he gave so freely. I think anyone who listens to this second installment on the subject will agree that there has been a significant shift in a positive direction.”