by Kristin Swartzlander | Jul 10, 2014 | Media and Public Relations, Mindset, Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Sponsorship
We established last week in that one reason people accuse others of cheating is because they don’t like to lose. And they really don’t like to lose big. And for some reason, people really, really don’t want to accept that they lost to someone else’s natural advantage. They don’t want to think that someone can be that much smarter than them, in that much better shape than them, or be that much better at driving than them. They love to blame factors that are out of their control, right? The most common two factors: money and cheating. A lot of people like to think that at a base level, everyone is the same. Everyone has the same potential. We get frustrated when we see people in great shape, but deep down we think that we have the same potential. So it’s not cheating. (Insert motivational quote here.) But we don’t all have the same potential in every aspect of our lives. The truth is that most people who are accused of cheating aren’t doing anything illegal. Many of them are ‘cheating’ legally by using an unfair advantage. Illegal cheating is breaking the rules. It’s doing something that you’re not allowed to be doing. An unfair advantage is something that you’re competitors don’t have and can’t easily copy. Because they’re not you. Insider trading is illegal. Using the connections that you have or network you’ve built to get inside information about engine tuning, shock adjustments and a million other things is not illegal – it’s an unfair advantage. Buying components that are outside of the rules is cheating. Spending money...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Feb 8, 2014 | Media and Public Relations, Racing Sponsorship
It might seem like sponsorship is harder to get these days, but when you think about it, there’s never been a better time to prove what your proposal is worth. Here are a few ways to start thinking about valuing a proposal: 1. Show them how big it is. (Your audience, duh.) One of the most common gripes about social media is that you can’t link results with input. But one of the reasons that I love social media is that it’s easy to show people how big your audience is – and even where they live and how old they are – with some straightforward metrics. Audience size. This is pretty straightforward – you can look at your Twitter follower count, your Facebook page likes, Instagram followers, etc. Your audience size isn’t the combined number, and I’ll explain more on that below, but you can prove how many eyeballs you’ll reach on each platform to a potential racing sponsor. Engagement level. It doesn’t matter how big your audience is if they don’t actually care about what you’re doing. That’s where engagement comes into play. And some platforms, like Facebook, are really good at measuring it. You can see what percent of your fans like your Facebook posts, how many YouTube subscribers watch your videos and more by visiting the analytics section of those platforms. That’s a great way to show a sponsor that your audience is actually engaged with your team and not just a bunch of drones. Kevin Kelly maintains that, “A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author –...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Jan 23, 2014 | Mindset, Racing Sponsorship
For many of us, it’s sponsorship crunch time – where you really have to step your game up and get some deals done for the season. And if you look practically anywhere on the interwebs, you’ll see plenty of people complaining about how difficult it is to go after sponsorship for their race team. Many people have even given up on it. And it’s true – it’s not easy. But the truth is, if you want to succeed in racing, you have to get the money to pay the bills somewhere and sponsors are generally where it’s at. If you dread working on sponsorship, avoid it at all costs (darn you, cute kitten videos every racing video ever uploaded to YouTube), there are a few things you can do to stop procrastinating on it and start moving forward. Stop thinking of yourself as a salesperson. Even worse? Stop thinking of yourself as someone looking for a handout. Sponsorship is not free money, people. (What’s paid money? I don’t know all this knowledge.) In other words, sponsorship is not something for nothing. It’s generally not money in exchange for slapping a logo on a racecar and calling it a day anymore, either. Sponsorship should be creating value in exchange for value. It is, essentially, solving a problem for your marketing partner. So, start thinking of yourself as a problem solver instead of a salesperson. Almost everyone cringes at the idea of sales. It sounds sleazy, even if it’s not. It makes me think of sales calls, slamming doors, and every other awkward situation you can imagine. It sounds embarrassing, tiring...
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 15, 2013 | Racing Sponsorship
What if finding a sponsor was the like the process of dating? Specifically, online dating? It’s getting more and more common for couples to meet on sites like Match.com, eHarmony and – be still my heart – FarmersOnly.com. So online dating, and how it works, shouldn’t be a foreign concept. When you think about online dating, the first, and most daunting, part of the process that you’ll have to address is creating a profile. Or, rather, the right profile – the one that says every bit of what you want it to say, and none of what you don’t. You want the profile that gives them some details – successful career, great social life– but still leaves some mystery. You went to a good school and your hobbies include woodworking (he’s good with his hands!). You want the photo that says ‘I’m smart’ (glasses) but still sexy (two layers of eye liner). I’m young (purple hair feather!) but I know what I’m doing if you know what I mean (leopard print scarf). I’m in shape! (No full body shot.) See, there are lots of variables. And that seems like the hardest part of finding a lovah: You imagine the perfect lovah and then you imagine what they want in a lovah and then you craft a profile that matches it. But love, angel friends, is a two-way street. At least it is if you want to keep it legal. At some point, you’re going to have to actually talk to this person if you want to date them. You’ll have to meet up for an awkward coffee shop conversation or...
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