by Kristin Swartzlander | Aug 12, 2015 | Racing Social Media
If you’re a sprint car racing fan, there’s no doubt that you’re tuning in to the Knoxville Nationals this week. Below is the annual updated list of Knoxville Nationals Twitter handles. This list includes drivers on Knoxville’s pre-entry list and their Twitter handles, broken into groups based on their qualifying night as of Tuesday, August 11th. New drivers or drivers that have joined twitter since the 2014 list have been noted in bold. Wednesday Qualifiers (by car number): 0 Bud Kaeding – @bud_kaeding 1a Jacob Allen – @JacobAllen1a 1D Justin Henderson – @Henderson_racin 2KS Craig Dollansky – @dollanskyracing 2L Logan Forler – @forlerracing 4 Dakota Hendrickson – @dakota_joshua 4R Jon Agan – @Jon_Agan4 4s Danny Smith – @4DannySmith o5 Brad Loyet – @LoyetMotorsport 5V Colby Copeland – @ColbyCopeland5v 7 David Gravel – @DavidGravel89G 7D Dustin Selvage – @sprntcar7 7s Jason Sides – @SidesMotorsport 7TAZ Tasker Phillips – @tazphillips7 7x Kaley Gharst – @KaleyGharst6x 9 Daryn Pittman – @darynpittman 11K Kraig Kinser – @kraigkinser11k 12 Lynton Jeffrey – @lyntonjeffrey 12x Wayne Johnson – none 15 Donny Schatz – @DonnySchatz 16 Shane Stewart – @ShaneStewart_2 17 Josh Baughman – @Josh_Baughman17 17A Austin McCarl – @austinmccarl17a 17B Bill Balog – @billbalog17 17M Todd Mickelson – none 17w Bryan Clauson – @BryanClauson 18 Ian Madsen – @IanMadsen 19 Bobby Weuve – none 19P Paige Polyak – @paigepolyak 20 AJ Moeller – none 21au Garry Brazier – none 22 Tony Shilling – none 23 Jimmy Light – @jimmylight23 23B Seth Bergman – @bergmanracing 24R Rico Abreu – @Rico_Abreu 27 Greg Hodnett – @GregHodnett 29c Willie Croft – @williecroft29 31c Justyn Cox – @justyncox_jc 35AU Jamie Veal – @jvr35 40 Caleb Helms – @HelmsRacing40 49J Josh Schneiderman – @jsracing49 51 Paul McMahan – @paulmcmahan 55W Logan Wagner – @loganwagner7w 56 Davey Heskin – @heskinmotorspor 60 Kory Crabtree – @KoryCrabtree60 67 Christopher...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Aug 6, 2015 | Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Social Media, Racing Sponsorship
“All things being equal people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.” – The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann Marketers throw around the phrase ‘know, like, trust’ like pitchers throw around, well, balls. You’ve probably heard it before and completely ignored it, because what does that matter in racing? That’s marketing. Here’s how it applies to racing (which, by the way, is how it applies to the real world because we’re not that different!): in order to become a customer – whether that’s a sponsor, ticket holder or apparel buyer – a person has to trust you. You build trust with a potential customer by getting them to like you. In order for a customer to like you, they have to get to know you. In effect, first they get to know you. Then, they like you. As they like you, they trust you. Only then will they consider buying from you. Putting yourself out there consistently is the first step. That means both online and in person. Here’s how I get to know people: Talk to them. Shocking, if you know me. I’m quiet, but I actually do talk to people!! Use social media. Tweet. Snapchat. Periscope. View their website, read their articles or look at other non-social content. Look at their associations with other people I already know. Telling your story authentically is the second step in getting them to like you. Here’s how I decide if I like someone: Their interests, attitudes and values align with mine. Their sense of humor. Do they get it? Their respect for...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Jul 30, 2015 | Racing Sponsorship
This week (as opposed to some other weeks, to be perfectly honest), I’m taking my own advice. Many of you have been with me for the nearly two years that I’ve consistently blogged every Thursday, but others are brand new. That’s why I thought it might be a good time to take a broader look at one of the most popular topics here – racing sponsorship – and my philosophy. So, let’s break it all down. What is Sponsorship? You probably already have an idea of what sponsorship is. When a company gives a race team money, right? Kind of. The mainstream outlook is that sponsorship is a company giving a race team money to support their racing efforts. The problem with this viewpoint is that it doesn’t reflect what the company gets in exchange for their money. Here, the sponsorship is all about what the company is doing for the racer, not what the racer is doing for the company. My definition of sponsorship is this: a marketing value exchange between two properties. I’m not trying to oversimplify here – most people do recognize that companies don’t just give you money to help you. (They get a logo on the car that hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people will see, right?!) But that’s what I see most sponsorship seekers focus on: how helpful sponsorship will be to their operation. This might have worked in the past for local, mom-and-pop businesses that you patronized, but even those companies – the companies that love you and truly want to support your dream – have become wise to the need for...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Jul 24, 2015 | Media and Public Relations, Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses
Last night, I was fortunate to get an invitation to a Cornell University alumni event through my Columbia alumni club. The gathering centered around a talk from alumnus Jeff Broadhurst, who is the CEO of Eat ‘n Park, an iconic chain of Pittsburgh-based restaurants, as well as other gourmet establishments and a catering venture. At the end, the group was invited to ask questions and an attendee asked about how blurry the lines were now for businesses in terms of fitting into a certain category. Broadhurst joked that now, more than ever, when asked who his competition was he could honestly respond: everyone. Gas stations are now serving fast food. Fast food restaurants are venturing into gourmet ingredients. Grocery stores now have gourmet coffee and high-end establishments have food trucks. It’s difficult to be unique, and communicate your uniqueness, in a crowded market. What I liked about Broadhurst was his positive spin on the ever-changing business landscape. Instead of focusing on the difficulty, he spoke to the opportunity. With so much competition and differentiation, you no longer have to fit in the proverbial box. There has never been a better time to do things differently than your competition. There has never been a better time to carve out your own niche, with your own audience. Race tracks are not alone in competing with everyone for race fans time, attention and money. We can complain about how we’re competing against the movie theaters, restaurants, theme parks and house parties, or we can look at the opportunity to be the grocery store with a gourmet coffee shop. Does every race track serve...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Jul 17, 2015 | Media and Public Relations, Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Social Media
Have you ever walked into a crowded restaurant and felt the whole place turn around? Their eyes take you in and the room seems to go silent. You know, somehow, you broke their code. You used the wrong door, you wore the wrong clothes. You’ve walked in on a story that you’re (obviously) not a part of. Then there are the other crowded restaurants, the ones that you walk into and feel like you’ve discovered something. There’s a story here, too. But it’s one that you’re excited to have caught a glimpse into. There’s something special going on here. And now, you want to know more. Many of you have been around the blog for a while, but for others, this might be your first visit. Every day, new people happen on to my website, Twitter feed, or Facebook page. The same goes for you, whether you’re a race track welcoming new fans through the gate or a racer getting a retweet. You know you need to tell your story. I know you already know how important that is. But while we’re all in the middle of telling our stories – you started the day you put yourself out there – people are tuning in at different points. How much getting up to speed will that new potential fan need to get invested? How long do they need to see or know to care? I’m not saying that you need to treat every tweet, every piece of signage, and every interaction as if the person is new. Or a beginner. But you do need to be welcoming and inclusive. Help people to...
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