Motorsports Marketing Mail Tips
APPROACHING POTENTIAL SPONSORS AND WHAT NOT TO DO
Posted on: Monday February 27, 2023
November, 2022 Monthly Motorsports Marketing Tip…….
APPROACHING POTENTIAL SPONSORS – WHAT NOT TO DO……by Joe Verdegan
While sitting in my deer stand during Wisconsin’s gun-deer hunt this year (I was able to bag a fork horn buck for those who care) I received a Facebook message from a friend who happens to be a solid business owner in the Green Bay area.
This friend is also a supporter of stock car racing in Wisconsin and his message prompted this month’s Monthly Motorsports Marketing Mail Tip. This is shining example of what NOT to do in the great money hunt.
The original text this individual sent me said, in part “I had a kid today like our (business) page and I minute out of the blue ask to sponsor his car. Never met the kid either.” The driver, who races a sportmod, wasn’t named and that’s not the point anyways.
This is WRONG on many, many levels. For starters, any direct FB messaging requesting ANYTHING of this nature illustrates 100 percent laziness on the part of the race team. As we’ve mentioned in past columns (they are all archived at joeverdegan.com under the Motorsports Marketing tab) a big part of the motorsports marketing deal is it’s a true relationship with between the race team and the business owner.
Before any request like this takes place, not only should you do your homework on the business, “like” their social media pages and share EVERY post they have for weeks, if not months. Support that business, and even meet the owner and have a face-to-face conversation.
This business owner supports some race teams and a racing series and if anything, I always encourage race teams to approach businesses who are NOT yet involved in sponsorship in the sport. I saw a lot of that with Forest County Potawatomi in northeast Wisconsin in the 2000’s. It seemed like the money was flowing freely for years – with a couple of teams getting six-figure paychecks during its height.
And just like that – no more casino money. One year it all came to an abrupt halt, affecting several race teams financially. All good things eventually come to an end, right?
The point being your odds are better long term with courting a new business to the sport. Even it takes a year or so for that process to take place. I’d recommend NOT going after a business that is already involved with a race team, track or series.
NOW is the time to get your sponsorship decks in the hands of those potential sponsors. We can help you put one together! Email me at jverdegan2@gmail.com for a quote. Thanks for reading!