Motorsports Marketing Is Not Just About Wins And Logos
Are you a racer or race team owner looking for sponsors (marketing partners) and having very little success?
If so, you’re not alone.
The good news is that there may be some steps you can take to enhance your marketability that don’t cost a lot of money.
Coach Tom
These steps will require time and that you be open to improvements in your approach, your presentation, and your personal appearance and communications skills.
First, let’s understand clearly that when a company gives you money and forms a marketing partnership with you or your race team this is a business transaction and not a donation. That’s why I don’t like to use the word “sponsorship”. It sounds too much like sponsoring someone for 2 cents a pin to bowl for cancer relief.
You become a marketing “tool” for the company and they expect you to spend serious time introducing people at and away from the track to their product or service and helping to get them new business. It’s about what you can do for them.
While it is true that your “tools” (car, transporter, driver suit, etc.) all have value to the marketing partner for logo placement and promotion, those are not the only tools that you need in order to bring the check to your bank account.
Wins and championships aren’t the key ingredient either. At the short-track level, there are many successful drivers who don’t have sponsors because although they’ve dominated their class or region, so that’s also not enough.
At the grassroots level of our sport, the easiest way to make a potential marketing partner excited about an association with you is to be active out in your community with the car doing meet and greets, signing autographs and putting yourself in a position to interact with as many people as possible and get them excited about the products or services your marketing partners provide.
It is also critical in today’s internet world to have a strong online presence. A clean, easy-to-navigate website that is updated regularly is the minimum that should be expected. Understanding how to “brand” yourself professionally on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In is also necessary because those sites let you build a network of “fans” that can be used to interact with and promote the companies that become your marketing partners.
It’s not enough anymore to have a clean race car and look nice at the track and win races. It’s all about giving a marketing partner a unique promotional program that is exciting and will bring them exposure to an audience they likely wouldn’t otherwise reach.
If your sponsor materials need a tune-up and you need some personal coaching on how to improve your marketability, don’t waste time. Packages start at just $295 and are available at that price for a limited time only. Call Team Full Throttle at 704-464-6907 or email askcoachtom@carolina.rr.com today!
Tags: marketing partner
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