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....
by Kristin Swartzlander | Oct 11, 2013 | Racing Social Media, Racing Sponsorship
Ever sent a cold email to a prospective sponsor? I have. And it’s not the crappiest feeling you can imagine – that’s a cold call – but you’re still interrupting someone’s day with a request. And often all you hear is crickets. But do you think someone would be more likely to open that email or take that phone call if they recognized your name first? Absolutely. There’s no doubt about it. Whether you’re trying to chat it up with a reporter at a newspaper or a prospective sponsor, warming that person up before reaching out can be what gets your email opened and, eventually, your opportunity considered. So how do you do it? Not with a Snuggie and a hot toddy. Unless it’s that kind of sponsor and, hey, I’m not judging. You can warm them up via social media. I recommend Twitter, specifically. Here are some key tips for doing it the right way (and not scaring them off in the process): 1. Know who you’re targeting (Hint: It’s not everyone with a wallet.) This is actually one specific example of a time why you need to know why you race. It matters. If you stand for a Christian message and you’re looking for press coverage, locate a reporter for a Christian publication. If you’re looking for a marketing partner, find a Christian organization that already does some advertising and could use a way to further their message. You can start really broadly and just identify groups of people – for example, publications in your local area or businesses that target dog lovers – and then narrow down...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Sep 26, 2013 | Racing Sponsorship, Thoughts and Rants
Silly question, I know. We race to win. Obviously. It’s like asking why you go to a bar, right? Most people would say the answer is to drink. But that’s only partially correct. It’s cheaper and easier to drink at home, where you don’t have to tip the bartender or find a taxi. We drink in bars because we want to interact with people. We choose one bar over another because we want to be associated with the other types of people that chose that same bar. We don’t drink in bars because we want to drink. We drink in bars for all of the other reasons. The choices we make go beyond the obvious, logical, need-based reasons. It’s easy, looking at racing from the outside, to assume why one races. There are so many apparent reasons. But at the core of it all, we could achieve the same things with other activities that didn’t cost as much, weren’t as dangerous and didn’t require a heavy time commitment. So why do we do it? At the most basic level, drivers race to win. But the desire to win comes from a different place in all of us. For some, it’s for the applause (applause, applause ← there it is! The Lady Gaga moment. Don’t resist.) For others, it’s the look of pride on their father’s face. The victory lane pictures they can post on Facebook. The kids that ask for their autograph. The feeling of satisfaction when they’ve proven the voice in their head wrong. The answer is different for everyone. But why does it matter? At the end...
by Kristin Swartzlander | Sep 5, 2013 | Motorsports Marketing for Tracks, Teams and Businesses, Racing Sponsorship
It’s disheartening but appropriate that when I started the work week in Pennsylvania the temperature was about 10 degrees cooler than over Labor Day weekend, when it still seemed like summer. My calendar isn’t the only one saying it’s nearly fall. Although I don’t head back to the same kind of office I used to, September brings out the same kind of joy and panic I experienced in my ad agency days. It’s a month full of both reflection on past accomplishments and shortfalls, and opportunities for new growth. Why? The month of September is often when companies start setting budgets for the next year. Seems crazy, right? But it takes a freaking long time for companies to review the last year’s marketing objectives, decide what worked and what didn’t, and roughly hash out what the company plans to do in the future. All of that weighs in on the projected budget. For many companies, September marks the beginning of the end of the year. At this point, you’ve got two months before the holidays hit and employees begin a downward, tryptophan-induced spiral of elf-yourself videos during conference calls, snooze-button-influenced outfits (and attitudes) and vacation days. You’ve got to get to workin’ in while the work is still good. Plus, with media deadlines set months in advance, the media buy calendars are already being turned to December or January. Since you buy ad space in chunks, sometimes guaranteeing a minimum ad spend for the entire year, September is the time that you need start finding a clear vision for the next calendar year. If you’re not already connecting the...
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