Basketball is not only a fun, fast-paced sport to watch or play, but it can also be used as an effective promotional vehicle. You can capitalize on basketball's popularity by sponsoring an event at a high school, college or even a professional game. You can also tap in to the huge interest generated each year during March Madness.

One type of basketball promotion you can use at a game to generate interest in your company is sponsoring a half-court shot contest. Randomly select a spectator and award a prize if he can sink a shot from half court. Due to the difficulty of the shot, this works best for big-ticket prizes like automobiles or large cash giveaways.

Another promotion at a basketball game is to sponsor a three-point shooting contest. Randomly select several spectators from the crowd and have them attempt to make as many shots from behind the three-point line as possible within a minute. Award the winner a prize such as free game tickets or free merchandise from a local store.

March is the time of year for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament when fans fill out the tournament brackets to see if they can select the ultimate champion. Hold a contest to see who can select the most winners correctly and award a prize. Have the contestants enter online to generate more traffic for your website.

Basketball promotions can also be used to benefit a worthy cause. Schools can sponsor a canned food drive where all spectators are asked to bring food items to the game. Sell homemade goods at the concession stands to raise money for a charity. Sell raffle tickets to raise money and give donated prizes to the winners.

Use a basketball game as a forum to get consumers to sample your product or patronize your business. For example, if you've just opened a restaurant in the area, give away a discount coupon for a meal. If you own a sporting goods store, give away coupons for free or discounted merchandise. You can also give away a free product or service if the home team scores a certain number of points during the game.