by Kristin Swartzlander | May 1, 2014 | Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Thoughts and Rants
I contend that showing up is everything – you can’t win a race that you don’t show up for. But, you might argue that not everyone that shows up at the racetrack wins. There’s only one winner in each race, and some teams will never taste that victory. You’re right. But parking your ride in the pits is just one part of showing up. You can’t just show up for a job interview and win the job, right? You have to show up to creating a killer resume, show up to your shower that morning, and show up in your words and body language when answering questions. To win a race, you can’t just show up at the track. You have to show up in the garage, show up for your sponsors, show up with your parts programs and show up with the right attitude towards the people who support you. Showing up isn’t just showing up. And that’s why I’m thrilled to tell you that you’re going to win the race against your competition over the long haul because you’re showing up by reading this. I’m not just saying this because it’s my content – there are many other places to get valuable information. You’re winning the long race because the majority of your competition isn’t reading or consuming any of it. While they’re focused on getting faster, you’re investing time and effort into making yourself better off the track and out of the garage. If you think every successful driver out there got that way just by winning races, you are dead wrong. They might not be the...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Mar 20, 2014 | Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses
There is a level of scarcity attached to most things in life. There are only a certain number of hours in the day. There is only so much work you can do. There’s only so much space on a race car. When you think about things that you spend money on that aren’t life-sustaining necessities – concert tickets, pit passes, funky t-shirts, bacon tacos (arguably not life-sustaining) – you realize that many of these things are purchased because of FOMO. The fear of missing out. The fear of missing out isn’t just about competition or keeping up with the Joneses – it’s generally not about owning the same amazing things other people have. It’s about missing out on an experience or advantage that you could have benefited from. If this fear is present in your audience, you can sell. Whether it’s fans buying t-shirts or marketing partners buying appearances and advertising space, when people understand that there is scarcity around something they want, they are willing to pay more for it. And they do it faster to ensure that they get it before it runs out. The catch is: what you’re doing needs to be good. Better than average. The best, in fact, to your audience. It’s obvious that the better your work is, the higher prices you can charge and the faster your schedule books up. I’ve experienced this first-hand – recently, I’ve been surprised by clients offering to pay more than what I normally charge just to ensure that they get the spot on my schedule that they want. Think that would never happen in racing? Think...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Mar 6, 2014 | Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses
I had an epic day yesterday, in which I got nothing on my to-do list crossed off. The epic-ness stemmed not from what I did, but from what I learned about the process of building something you love. Something that you’re proud of. You racers ought to be able to relate. You pour your heart and soul – and all the money, time and energy you can muster – into building your race team. The first time you race, the goal is just to get that car on the track and turn left as many times as you can without screwing up. Your goals change as you gain knowledge and experience – you go from wanting to finish a race to shooting for victory lane. Racers know especially well that no matter how much you accomplish, you always want more. Successful local drivers want to go on tour. Tour drivers want to win more races. Winning drivers want to win championships. Championship-winning drivers want to grow a mustache like Fred Rahmer’s. There’s always room to improve. But sometimes, you can get so caught up in achieving the highest possible goals that you stop yourself from doing anything. I’ve personally fallen into this trap. For months, I didn’t write anything here because I wanted everything I wrote to be perfect. I didn’t see anyone else putting out the type of content I wanted to write, so I didn’t either. No one learned anything about me and my goals. And I didn’t help anybody achieve theirs, either. If we’ve ever met, you know I’m pretty quiet – I’ve got to be...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Dec 30, 2013 | Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Sponsorship
In this silly, happy, stressful time we call New Year’s, I wanted to recap a year in DirtyMouth blog posts. Some of you are new to this blog (sign up for the newsletter if so!), and you might not know how we roll here. So if you’re looking for something to read that will help propel you forward in racing, and maybe in life, I’ve summarized a few of the best, most popular musings this year. All I ask is that if you have something you’d like to read more about in 2014, please post in the comments with what that is or shoot me an email. And maybe tell me why, if you’re feeling so bold. I have plans for lots of different projects and content, but any direction for what should come first and loudest would be great! Happy New Year’s! Kristin Sponsorship and Marketing Finding a Sponsor is Like Online Dating (Or, why sponsorship templates don’t work.) Searching for sponsors this off-season? Ask yourself these 2 questions. Warm Up Prospective Sponsors (Snuggie not required) What You Can Learn from Drivers that Cry Poor (Hint: Don’t Do It) Mindset and Goals Fourth Quarter Intervention: Are you where you wanted to be in 2013? How to deal with people who (kindly) don’t support your racing dream. Turn people off. It works, believe me. Why do we race? (Gaga-fied.) Change: It’s hard, scary, and totally worth it. Also: Donuts and Bacon Fans and Social Media What I learned about racing from a Craig Campbell concert. Scarcity -> Social Media Influence in...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Nov 30, 2013 | Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Sponsorship
As far as conferences go, the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) and the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show have set themselves apart as the premier gatherings for racers and industry folk alike. Events like IMIS and PRI provide valuable networking opportunities, key insights into the industry on and off the track, and for most of us two shots of motivation and inspiration for the next racing season. Now that the two shows are combined, there’s an unprecedented number of opportunities to meet new people and learn new things, but it’s also overwhelming to decide how to spend your time, especially if you’re not able to attend the entire show. Having attended for the past few years, here are a few tips that I have for getting the most out of your trip to IMIS/PRI: 1. Save Your Sanity. Generally I would tell you I can’t help you here – let’s just say that would be the arguably bat-shit crazy leading the blind – but in the specific case of trade shows, I can give you some advice. The whole point of these conferences is to provide a ton of information about a ton of different subjects so that everyone can have access to pretty much everything they need in one place. But it’s a gift and a curse – if you try to learn a ton of information about a ton of different topics at once, you probably won’t absorb much of anything. I make this mistake myself – I try to go to every class that even remotely interests me so that I have that information in...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Nov 2, 2013 | Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Sponsorship
It’s the conclusion that everyone comes to at some point in their racing career, if not every single season – ‘we need more sponsors.’ We don’t just hit that wall in racing – it’s obviously a problem in business, too. In order to survive, we need more customers. Side note: It’s worth mentioning that for you to be able to thrive instead of just surviving, you also need to get deeper investments from your current or future sponsors. But that’s a discussion for another day. So, why don’t you have more sponsors? Chew on this: there are really only two ways for you to form a partnership with a sponsor. Even though there are a lot of variables, the general equation is pretty straightforward and can be boiled down to the following: They find you. This can happen in a variety of ways – through your fan network, social media, word-of-mouth, at the race track, through your personal connections. They’re your ideal customer and they sign on to your sponsorship program. (In the grand scheme of things, how they find you actually matters a lot but it’s not important for this discussion.) You find them. This can also happen in a variety of ways with the right content. You’ve reached the right audience, they’re your target customer, and they sign on to your sponsorship program. Most racers make the mistake of focusing on the beginning of the equation – how you find or get found by sponsors. Yes, that’s hard and requires time and dedication. But the bigger problem is identifying the potential sponsor as your ideal marketing partner....
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