by Kristin Swartzlander | Mar 5, 2015 | Mindset, Racing Social Media
One of the most frequent questions that I’ve gotten when talking to promoters about using social media is the fear that they’re opening themselves up to very public negative feedback. It might seem pessimistic to be so concerned with negative feedback, but I know from firsthand experience that criticism and complaints – from racers, fans, employees, etc. – make up the majority of the feedback that promoters get. Maybe this is your biggest concern. Or maybe you’re working with decision makers who have that concern. Either way, it’s a reasonable argument. So what do you say to someone that is afraid to use social for fear that all of the complaints they get in person will get blown up online? The reality is, if you start to build a community online you will encounter a few bad eggs. But not showing up for that reason is like not putting on a race because you’re afraid of wrecks. They’re going to happen. That it’s not always a bad thing, though. Here’s why: Instead of fighting the racing grapevine – the rumors that will get spread without you being able to right them – you’ll have the opportunity to dispel tension publicly and handle it professionally. You’ll also give supporters an opportunity to argue your case for you, so that you may not even have to get involved at all. Race fans are passionate – some critical, some extremely supportive. You’re giving them both the opportunity to give you feedback online. And that leads me to my last point. I got much more negative feedback as a promoter in person – mostly...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Feb 27, 2015 | Media and Public Relations, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Social Media
As many of you know, last year I had the opportunity to help produce the Dirt Classic Presented by Kasey Kahne with Jarrod Adams of Adams Investing and Alan Kreitzer of Lincoln Speedway. Together we created a solid foundation for the entire brand from scratch, crafting everything from logos and social media profiles to the race format and purse structure. Everything, and I do mean everything, was built into an overall promoting strategy designed to build awareness for the initial event and create a brand experience that customers (drivers + fans + marketing partners) would want to experience year after year. This year, the Dirt Classic will once again be an event produced by DirtyMouth. And as we work on the event, I’m thrilled to see how solidly we built this strategic foundation for ourselves. Because of that solid foundation, we’re able to innovate with tactics. Instead of rolling out a brand-new social media strategy, we’re able to tweak and innovate with individual tactics. Instead of a new advertising strategy, we can optimize to reduce costs and test new ads. Instead of a new race format, we’re able to modify the existing one to create better track conditions and more exciting racing. One of the fun new promotions we’ve introduced this year, for example, is the Fans’ Vote Race. The race will be a five-lap, $400-to-win dash for four cars as voted in by the fans on the DirtClassic.com website. Most importantly, though, it offers us a new tactic to promote the event through engagement with fans and drivers. It’s great for us – it doesn’t add a large percentage...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Feb 13, 2015 | Racing Social Media
Preparing for the RPM Promoter’s Workshops in Daytona next week, I’ve been doing quite a bit of research. One thing that became quickly apparent to me was that many tracks, drivers and series’ are hard to find on social media. Many are there. And many are doing a great job. But you wouldn’t know that if you didn’t already have them as part of your network or see their content being shared by a mutual connection. The big mistake? An un-searchable bio. Bios are so difficult to perfect, because they’re so brief. You can’t say much in the 160 character Twitter bio. That’s why it’s so important to optimize the space you do have so that fans can find you easily. If you take nothing from this post but one single point, it should be this: do not leave your bio blank. It’s a blank billboard that could be used to point your fans directly to you. If it’s empty, they may not even know you’re there. Here are a few more tips: Make sure your name is on your profile (not just Twitter handle). If you’re a celebrity, people will likely still find you if you use a nickname, parody or do something like, for example, forget to put the space in between first and last name. The rest of us? Not likely. Make sure your company or racer name is in the name field of your profile, and if it won’t fit there (Jacksonville Speedway, I feel your pain) make sure you include it in your bio. Include your location (like Tri-City Speedway in Granite, IL) so...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Feb 5, 2015 | Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Social Media
Quick Note: Just a reminder that DirtyMouth will be at RPM doing quick and dirty consulting sessions and much more at RPM from February 16th and 17th. Sign up for a session here. I’ve gotten a few requests for non-promoter coaching while I’m in town, too. If that’s of interest, please shoot me an email at Kristin@DirtyMouthCommunications.com and we can setup a quick intro call to see if it’s a fit. Now, on to the good stuff… — How to promote yourself without feeling like a sell-out. We all know that racer – the one that repeatedly finds a way to tell everyone else how great he is. He’s on Twitter, Facebook and, sometimes, a victory lane microphone lamenting how hard he’s worked, how much he’s sacrificed and why he deserves to win over, well, you. When the topic of self-promotion comes up on almost every coaching call I do, we inevitably end up talking about that guy (or girl). And almost everyone, myself included, has that moment where we think everyone else believes that guy. They’re buying it, right? They think she’s as great as she thinks she is. “And I don’t want to be that guy, so I’m just not going to promote myself at all.” – said me, and lots of clients. But in reality, that’s not the case. Most people can see right through the clutter and call it what it is. Bull. (Even though it’s interesting to watch sometimes…) So how do you promote yourself without selling out or blowing smoke or being that guy? Listen before you talk. This is important in all...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Jan 29, 2015 | Racing Social Media
I’m excited to share that I’ve been working with Stewart Doty and the RPM Promoter’s Workshops to provide some extra content and value for promoters who attend this year’s Florida Speedweeks event. From February 15-17th, DirtyMouth will be on hand to help show promoters how to use their online program – whether you’re just starting out or already established – to make their offline business more profitable. As you’ll read below, part of what I’ve been working on is written material on social media that promoters can go over and discuss with us during the workshops. I’ve already integrated a number of your existing questions and dilemmas, but I’d love it if you’d take one minute and tell me what your biggest social media questions are so I can make sure I cover that. Quick survey here: http://bit.ly/1tzUV3j DirtyMouth at RPM: Get the next best steps to move your program forward. Assessments: If you pre-register for the event, I’ll be providing a quick assessment of your current online properties. I’ll give you a handful of helpful suggestions on what improvements, if any, will give you the most bang for your buck this season. Hands-On Help: DirtyMouth staff will be on hand to help promoters with the actual training needed to get up and running online, no matter what level you’re social media is currently running at. We’ll will walk you through how to setup your first profile, send a tweet or post a message, and show you how to collect the data you’ll need to fill your social media channels, in addition to providing more advanced one-on-one training. Quick...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Jan 22, 2015 | Media and Public Relations, Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Social Media
Without one, it’s really tough to successfully do the other. You might not see it directly as a racer – in theory you can do the work of building a fast race car and win races without ever promoting. But that’s just theory. How many successful racers do you know that pay the bills just by winning races? I don’t know any at all. Purse structures don’t support that model. Without some level of promotion, you can’t pay for your racing, except for out of your own pocket. (Which I would also argue makes you a successful person, not necessarily a successful racer. Nothing – nothing at all – wrong with that. But recognize the distinction.) Successful racers pay for their programs off the track with apparel sales, sponsorship packages, product partnerships and more. And how do they do that? Promotion. You can’t sell tickets to your race track, t-shirts or sponsorship packages for your race team, and race car parts or shock dyno services for your racing business if no one knows who you are, what you do and why they should want to be a part of that. You can’t pay the bills without promotion. But here’s the catch you’ve probably already considered– you can’t promote without producing. At least, not for long. If all you do is promote your race track but you don’t do the work, you won’t continue to sell tickets. Twitter won’t find your fans working restrooms. You can’t make promises to marketing partners without doing the work. You can’t tell people about your speed shop if you don’t have any parts. You can’t...
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