The most common question asked by race directors
As athletes, our team has attended countless races and competitions over the years from paddling to track and field to ultra running. Some events have come and gone, whereas others have continued to attract racers for decades. No matter what your sport is, creating a race that stands the test of time requires deliberate planning and execution.
We’ve had the privilege of talking to hundreds of race directors over the years, and we’re consistently asked the same question.
“How can I get more people to come to my race?”
Is this something you ask yourself too?
There’s no easy solution. But we think the problem lies in the status quo.
Take registration, for example. Technology has made signing up for a race so much easier, increasing the standard for the entire industry. Here's the evolution of processing registration and results:
1. Pen & paper: nightmare
2. Spreadsheets: better but tedious
3. Race management software: automated
With the introduction of e-commerce and race management solutions, registering for a race is a lot less painful than it used to be. Fast forward a few years, and this becomes the new status quo. Racers now expect to be able to sign up online. With thousands of events for athletes to choose from, if you’re not exceeding their race experience expectations from the moment they hear about your event, it’s hard to stand out from the competition.
So what does this have to do with getting more people to come to your race?
The same principle applies to promotion. Once you've met the status quo of listing your race online, doing some good old PR and advertising, it's time to innovate. And we can help.
Grow your race organically
We see a lot of races checking the typical marketing boxes, but they’re still not growing at the rate they’d like. This is why we built RaceHub photos. To go beyond the status quo with a new and organic way to promote your event with the content you’re already gathering; race photos.
Watch this 60-second video to get a sneak peak into the power of viral marketing:
Next week, our co-founder and 2012 Olympian, Tim Hornsby, will shed some light on how viral content works to achieve a variety of race growth goals.
Happy racing!
Reach out to me at heather@racehubhq.com to learn how to promote your race with RaceHub photos.
