Grow Karting ~ Share Your Ideas ~ Lend a Hand ~ Market your Driver ~ Strengthen Your Race Community!!

 

I\’ve blogged and posted on Facebook about how much I love my RPM Newsletter.  Not only do they share great tips, advice and suggestions for Race Track operators the content is so very well written.  Editor Stewart Doty does such an amazing job of getting the point across with stories that keep you interested with examples of what other Promoters are doing.  Even though it is geared more for bigger dirt tracks (Sprint car, Sport Mods, Stock Car types) and some of the concerns don\’t affect small dirt kart tracks like KAM as much as they do big tracks like Boyd or KSP.  Those big tracks rely on filling the stands with spectators week after week to keep the show going & pay the bills, they have major liability issues to worry about and their overhead & purse payouts often make a sane person wonder why track owners get into this line of work to begin with. 

But, I have been eaten\’ this up for the past 6 or 7 years and with every issue, it just makes me want more to read more….I can\’t wait to get my newsletter each month! 

The RPM motto is summed up with the slogan \”Educate, Inform and Share\” – something I\’ve been known to quote a time or two. Sharing ideas to achieve results that help everyone in the racing community is the major reason this publication is so popular with race promoters and track owners.  One technique Doty uses to grab attention and make his point is to write short, easy-to-read posts that are packed full of great information & tips. 

For example, I got this one today: \”Attendance Builders: Shoe Leather Promotions\”.  I thought I\’d share it with you to hopefully spark some new ideas from our racers & parents, or even to help another race community/track/program with their promotions by sharing some tips and ideas that have been successful for KAM and/or our local drivers. 

Here is what Stewart wrote in this RPM snipit:

[quote style=\”carbon\” cite=\”RPM Newsletter\” url=\”http://www.promotersnewsletter.com/attendance-builders-shoe-leather-promotion/\”]\”Each year, Workshops panelists offer many low- or no-cost, do-it-yourself promotional ideas that work and compensate for the high cost of media. Here’s a sampling. Work with beverage suppliers to tap into their distribution–a ticket coupon with purchase. Work with race teams to distribute coupons, a $2.00 off, two for 1, or family pass. This is a good tool for those nights when you must offset other competing events such as local festivals. Distribute posters, for opening night, weekly events, or specials. They are low cost and have a high impact. Children’s promotions: mimic McDonalds, a kids in free night, penny rush, box car races. Don’t forget Ladies’ Night. It’s still a big draw in many places, with escorted ladies in free. How about town nights–anyone from Centerville in free or half price. Try a Buck Night–one-dollar admission, one-dollar beer, one-dollar hotdogs. Sardine night–“Save Gas. Pack your car like a sardine can. Just $20 per carload.” Kids rides: kids from the age of seven can ride in the race car prior to race event (talk with your insurer first). Anything for children is easily sponsored. Direct mail/E-mail list: inform and excite fans with new and fresh information sent regularly and increase the number of nights they attend.\”[/quote]

Good stuff, huh?!

For years I have emulated the big tracks in the way we operate KAM – I figure if they are successful doing it that way, we should take their lead.  I\’ve been fortunate enough to have a great mentor in Ron Clark as well to help me along the way.  Race promotions are a common thread among all the successful, long running tracks that I\’ve researched.  So I have tried to have a Promotion for every race, and I\’ve gotten many of my ideas from big dirt tracks from all across the country (and my RPM Newsletter).  It\’s hard to come up with fresh new ideas that are designed to keep the drivers, families, fans and spectators entertained before, between or after the racing action. 

Some are easy…. for instance we have coming up at KAM a \’Back to School Nickel Dig\’ promotion.  This was such a big hit last year that I brought it back.  How it works is easy peasy…. purchase a bunch of nickels from the bank (by the roll) and before the races start throw them around the infield, making sure to scatter them ALL over as evenly as possible across the non-racing surface part of the track.  During intermission we will organize the kids ~ usually by age groups ~ and then its \”on your mark, get set, GO\”! The kids scramble to find, or \”dig\” out of the dirt, all the coins they can find and carry.  What they end up with they get to keep. 

Simple, not too expensive and FUN.

I wish I could remember what track I borrowed this idea from so I can give them credit for it. But that\’s the best part of our sport – we share ideas, tips and tricks with one another.  Successful motorsports vendors (engine builders, tuners, marketing executives, etc.) often share their tips and ideas via YouTube videos, Facebook or blog posts. 

Some of these businesses include:

• Our own Class Sponsor JRPW does this on a regular basis. Their most recent free tech tip segment was on \”Proper Clutch Installation\” > Click here to view it. Visit Jimmy\’s Facebook page and be sure to LIKE it to get his free tips in your news feed so you don\’t miss out on some great advice and tips from the expert.
  
• Dirty Mouth Communications Owner, Kristin shares many of her ideas in a monthly email newsletter, and also offers a \”Free\” section on her website. Read her recent blog post she shared called; \”Making New Fans Feel Invited\”.  Be sure to go to her website and sign up for her newsletter!!  It\’s FREE!!  Its also full of great advice that other companies charge an arm and a leg for.  You won\’t be disappointed.
• KAM Kartway also hosts Beginner clinics at the start of each race season to \’educate, inform and share\’ to new drivers and their parents.  We often utilize former KAM drivers who are successful in their racing careers to teach the youth driver classes. Not only do they enjoy it, they feel it\’s their way of giving back to their sport as well. Payton Pierce is a favorite instructor at KAM with the kiddos and has helped us with the clinics now for 4 years as well as our own racer/instructor, Kaley Engstrom.
  
• Kaley enjoys teaching technique & coaching drivers so much she created K&K Race Services to offer rentals, coaching and Driver Development programs that she has created from years of successful racing experience & attending two prestigious Driver Development programs herself – and okay maybe this is another shameless plug…..but ~  She is really good at it! 

[quote style=\”flat-light\” cite=\”Kaley Engstrom Racing\” url=\”http://www.kaleyengstrom.com\”]Side Note: Kaley is a racer\’s racer and I\’ve learned first hand from her just how important a strong race community and support network is to ones own race program. She can often be found at our track lending a hand to race program operations when in need (ie: Flagging, Grid Steward, Race Director, and scoring (she hates that one) are just a few task that she will step up to take charge of to make sure the kids have the best race program possible, week in and week out. She refuses to take a dime in pay for her work so I consider that \’giving back\’ in a big way because she is will drop her own plans or put her racing on hold to help us with our youth racing program at KAM.[/quote]

Okay, back to the topic of Race Promotions…..(sorry, but I couldn\’t pass up a marketing opportunity, she\’s a KAM Sponsor too!!)

You can help me keep things fresh and exciting by offering your ideas or suggestions for upcoming race promotions.  OR you can help me with the race promotions and be a direct part of bringing the fun to life.  We have a Poker Run race coming up (Sept 19th) and I will definitely need help with that one!!  Please don\’t be shy.  Volunteer now!!   >>Here\’s a link to the Poker Run we did on Jan 4,  2013 that tells how it works.<<

Another event that I have on the books that we really don\’t have anything special planned for is \”Family Night\” on Aug 29th (race after next).  Do you have an idea?  Seen something at the big dirt tracks that you thought was pretty cool that we could adapt for the kart track?  One thought I had was to give out coupons for \”Family Package\” with family of 5 getting in, each get a Hot Dog and drink for $25.00 per family. 

We could promote \”Family Racing/Youth Racing\” at our kid\’s schools now that the new year has begun for most of you. Another huge success was having the kids take their karts to school for \”Show and Tell\”!!  Johnny Bouland, Kaley Engstrom, Payton Pierce, I think Anton Hernandez, Trevor McIntire and Tony Dowd did this or similar events too, along with several other drivers have done this and brought awareness to our sport while having \”braggin rights\” with their friends at school.  [If you know someone who has done this please shoot me a message to remind me so I can add them and give them a link!]

 

 

Not only do these type of events and race promotions help to promote karting, it helps KAM Kartway get new racers ~ PLUS it is a GREAT way for the young drivers to get real hands-on experience in their own Driver Marketing programs.

>>As the saying goes: start \’em young in racing. But the saying should also include: \”the same applies to Motorsports Marketing\”.  It is never to young or too early in your career to start training drivers in building this essential, MUST-HAVE skill.  It\’s almost equal to driving ability at higher levels of competition, trust me.<<  Now when they are little it is perfectly acceptable for the parents to do the race reviews/recaps, and thanks sponsors on social media and websites on behalf of the race team/driver, but the older the driver gets they must take on this important task themselves. Otherwise Sponsors and potential sponsors (Fans too) will find them to be lazy, arrogant, or spoiled/self-entitled (in some cases all of the above if we don\’t teach our young drivers to take ownership of their race program and to nurture Sponsor/Fan relationships responsibly).  Sponsors will buy our sales pitch at the karting level, especially if the driver is raking up wins and championship titles, but they want to see results at the Sprint Car level ~ and that means the driver has to shine, build fan loyalty and base, positively promote the sponsors product or service – the whole shebang.  Don\’t let this vital skill set slip by because you (Pit Mom & Dad) did all the marketing yourself.  These kids need to learn how to speak to people about their sport and be knowledgeable about their karts and motorsports in general. {Stepping down of soap box now….}

Okay, so this blog post turned into a little sharing with a sprinkle of seasoned advice of my own.  LOL   Hope you enjoyed it and now you will be inspired to offer your ideas and suggestions for an upcoming race promotion.  Remember at the karting level it takes EVERYONE to promote our sport ~ to build and grow our racing community.  Karters are together for up to 9 years in most cases when a driver starts young and follows the ladder steps provided by the sport. We will have strength in numbers and garner more respect from the higher levels of competition when we present karting as a highly competitive, organized and exciting form of motorsports as well as the perfect option for Driver Development.

Not only are we are building educated, strong, successful motorsports racing career for aspiring drivers who want to \”Live the Dream\”.  Additionally we offer weekend warriors an outlet to have their need for speed met and the emerging Outlaw Classes a professional division in its own right. But Fun and Exciting Entertainment is on everyone\’s agenda. I believe that race promotions are important to drawing and keeping interest (yes Mike ~ providing a well prepped track is #1!).   

Okay, Ideas & Suggestions now being taken:

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