by Kristin Swartzlander | Sep 26, 2014 | Media and Public Relations, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Thoughts and Rants
You’ve come to the right place. That’s what I’m about, in business and life. Whether I’m opening the door to my house or welcoming you to my website, that’s what I want people, my kind of people, to feel. You’re in the right place. That’s one of the million reasons that I’m excited for this weekend. On Saturday, we’re launching what we hope will become the first annual Dirt Classic Presented by Kasey Kahne at Lincoln Speedway, a $20,000-to-win sprint car race that has been, let’s just say, very well-received by both racers and fans already. And the goal? To make every single person who walks through the gates feel like they’re in the right place. Maybe that’s not how my friends on the Dirt Classic team, from Jarrod Adams of Adams Investing to Alan Kreitzer of Lincoln Speedway to Kasey himself, might describe it, but that’s one of my main goals. I believe that events become great because of the experience, and the feelings it invokes. For this race, our shared vision is to create an unrivaled experience. For me, that’s not just the action on the track – the thrill of side-by-side racing, slide jobs and last-lap passes. It’s sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with fans that share the same passion as you do. It’s racing against some of the best in the business, pitting next to a new competitor. It’s listening to music with your family, seeing the joy on a kid’s face when he gets a decal or an autograph, and trading racing stories with old friends. If you’re a race fan, driver, promoter, team owner or manager...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Sep 11, 2014 | Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Thoughts and Rants
Over the weekend, Carl and I were blessed to be able to take part in the annual Children’s Hospital Heart-to-Heart Picnic hosted by Turner Dairy Farms. I had an inkling that I’d be inspired by the families affected by heart conditions and their caregivers, but I got a bit of inspiration in an unexpected place. Some of the volunteers included members of the football team at Seton Hill University. Many of them had never seen a racecar before in person, but some knew about sprint cars because of the recent media coverage. When there was a break in the action they came over to ask Carl questions. They were respectful and genuinely curious. One player asked if Carl was a professional. When Carl said no, he asked if that was what he was working towards. Carl said yes. His reaction really caught me off guard. He broke into a big smile, nodded and said, “Keep grindin, man.” He probably didn’t think much of it, but I was so touched by this little nod of encouragement for someone else’s dream. It’s easy to become jaded when you’re consistently talking about racing with other racing people. At first, it seems like everyone is in it together. And we really are. But when you get a taste of success, you may get a reminder that the people you’re talking to are often the same people you’re competing with. Some of them react to ambition and success negatively, as if there’s only so much to go around. “You’re so lucky.” “Must be nice.” “You want to ____? Good luck with that.” “Aren’t you happy with what you...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Sep 5, 2014 | Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Thoughts and Rants
How do you know if you’re the best racing wife ever? Well, you obviously look at the racing-wife-scale and see where you match up. Oh wait. There isn’t one. (Unless we live together. In that case, even the dog knows where I rank.) Unlike marriage, there are ways in racing, and in business, to know if you’re improving. You might be winning more races. Or finishing more races. Or feeling more comfortable in the car – whatever’s important to you. But how do you know for sure? You measure. Because you can’t improve what you don’t measure. Think that’s baloney? The entire basis of our sport rests on who crosses the finish line first, then second, and so on. Our performance is measured every single night. It’s up to us if it’s measured that one time in that one way or many times over in other ways. So why can’t you improve without measurement? Anyone who wants to achieve a certain goal (hint: setting a measurable goal is the real first step) has to know where they’re starting from. And they have to know what constitutes improvement towards that goal and what factors actually matter. And that last point is the real key: you have to focus on measuring and improving what actually affects the overall goal. For example: if you’re looking to be more attractive to sponsors active on Twitter, keeping daily track of your Instagram followers isn’t a helpful act of measurement. You can improve that number without making progress on your overall goal. Measuring Twitter followers is the first step. In racing, there are countless things...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Aug 29, 2014 | Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Sponsorship
If Dave Despain called today and said he’d like to feature you on his show tomorrow, could you make money from that opportunity? Most people would say ‘yes’. But, even though thousands and thousands of people will have seen your face, your name and, hopefully, your message…the publicity itself doesn’t pay. You won’t make a penny directly from being on television with Dave Despain – or Oprah herself, for that matter. Sure, that’s obvious to most of us. But our career or business will improve based on that publicity, right? You have to have tools in place to capture the opportunity. Or else your television appearance will soon be a distant memory with no dollars to show for it. One of the biggest differences between those who are already successful and those who aren’t is that they have a plan in place to capture opportunities. Most of them have: Social media accounts A navigable website A product, like apparel or an event ticket, and a way for people to purchase it A way for potential partners to get in touch with them And the ones that are really doing it right make all these things work together with an integrated plan. See, opportunities (like t-shirt sales and potential sponsors) are lost if you don’t have some way to capture them in the moment. Humor me this scenario: When an announcer says your name over the loudspeaker, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the stands that hear it. As soon as he or she is done talking about you, people will begin to forget. But many of...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Aug 22, 2014 | Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Sponsorship
Over the weekend, I had the privilege of watching my husband, Carl Bowser, win his fifth feature of the year and, with it, clinch his second track championship at Lernerville Speedway. We heard a lot of the generous and kind feedback you’d expect, but a particular comment struck me. One person told me that when you’re sitting down with potential sponsors, and they’re comparing you to another driver, it’s essential to have as many of these accomplishments and titles, worth money or prestige, on your résumé as you can. While I don’t disagree that great on-track performance helps you to stand out, I doubt that in today’s world most of us are competing against each other for sponsorship. We’re not toilet paper – you can’t just substitute one of us for another. And that’s where the value of the sponsorship comes in – it’s differentiating us from one another and providing something that another competitor can’t. And when I say ‘competitor’, I don’t necessarily mean another car on the track. I’m referring to the other ways that companies can spend their money to generate sales, whether that’s a billboard, a ski trip for their best clients or a radio advertisement. When talking about racing sponsorship – which is different than the ever-elusive ride, no doubt – you’re most likely competing off the track. You’re showing your value on social media, via your website, in person and via your network of friends of colleagues. You’re likely competing on a playing field that most of us don’t know that much about. And that’s why every little bit of knowledge about what your potential marketing partner...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Aug 7, 2014 | Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Sponsorship
Everyone wants to know about sponsorship pricing. And the expert response is to base the price on what it’s worth to the sponsor, not how much you want or need. Price should be based on value. But that’s really hard information to put into practice, I know. The truth is that your sponsorship package price is just like Goldilocks and the three bears. It is either: too expensive, too cheap or just right. You rarely hear the it’s-too-cheap response. Most often, you hear ‘it’s too expensive’. The truth is, ‘it’s too expensive’ usually has an underlying meaning and it’s this: the value to us doesn’t match up with the price. Too expensive means something specific to everyone. Too expensive doesn’t always mean someone can’t afford it – sometimes it does, but mostly it doesn’t. Ever bought a $500 sandwich? Probably not. And I bet you have more than $500 in the bank. Just because you have the money doesn’t mean it’s not too expensive. It means you don’t think a sandwich is worth $500. Now, let’s talk about something a little bit more reasonable – a $50 burger. You probably wouldn’t buy a $50 burger 364 days of the year. But let’s say you’re on a date with the girl of your dreams and you really want to impress her. That $50 burger is boasting gourmet cheese, a specialty-blend spice rub, a homemade bun and Kobe beef. With this burger, you can impress her with your knowledge of gourmet food. You can show her you know the value of good quality. You’re not cheap. You’re getting a $50 burger....
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