4 Free Tools to Measure Whether Your Marketing Works

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

As a very smart marketing lady once told me, “Don’t just chuck something over the fence and hope it lands in the right spot.” She was full of off-beat analogies to make the point that you need to keep a close eye on your marketing efforts to tell if they are working or not. (And if they’re not working, then why not? We ask as we stamp our feet.)

Looking at detailed data is the best way to track the success of each marketing channel as you try to drive registrations for your event, especially as you throw new things out there into the wild blue yonder. Guesswork or personal pride at coming up with a super creative idea won’t get you far–a good marketer is a statistician. Arm yourself with powerful information using these FREE, easy-to-use analytical tools: Continue reading →

Get to Know Your Participants Better with Facebook Insights

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

If you scroll through your participant database, it probably makes you feel warm and fuzzy that you have so much background info. You know who is a current registrant, who isn’t registered this year but did your event three years ago, who is in each age group, etc…which helps you target your emails and other marketing channels to reach the right people at the right time.

You can get similar info on your Facebook fans, using that data to make better posts that get better results. It’s called Facebook Insights and here are three parts of this tool that you can use to figure out who is interacting with your page and what they want: Continue reading →

7 Ways To Promote Your Event With Facebook

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Shannon Fiack

Promoting your event or race with social media can be really effective – helping you attract more participants and get your current registrants fired up – if you do it right. It takes some work, but the good news is that you can have some fun because these social channels are so casual and interactive.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are seven Facebook ideas and examples from other events who are doing it well: Continue reading →

5 Free Graphic Design Tools for Event Directors

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Shannon Fiack

Race directors often have to wear many hats and operate on limited budgets. You’re probably a manager, marketer, designer and logistician all rolled into one. When it comes to marketing, wouldn’t it be nice to have professional, creative graphic designs that will attract participants without stressing out your wallet? Well you can now.

Here are five easy online tools that will help you, the multi-tasking race director, take your graphic designs up a notch (for free!): Continue reading →

10 Tips to Make Your Website Your Best Marketing Tool

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Shannon Fiack

With 245 million internet users across the United States accessing the web from their computers, phones, and tablets, it’s no surprise that your website should be the cornerstone of your race marketing plan. It’s your strongest marketing tool and often the first place participants go to get information or register for your event. To make sure your website is functioning like a well-oiled marketing machine, follow these ten tips: Continue reading →

Increase Registrations With the New “Just Redirect” Facebook App

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Shannon Fiack

You may know a thing or two about Facebook. Your organization’s page has a great cover image, tons of likes, and your fans seem to respond to what you have to say. But there’s one thing missing from your Facebook strategy: you don’t exactly know how it helps you increase real participation and real revenue. Continue reading →

Get Found in Google (Part III): Link Building

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Shannon Fiack

You’ve done your keyword research and on-page SEO, so it’s time for the third and final step: getting other websites to post links that lead to your website. This is called link building. When Google uses its algorithm to rank websites, links are the most important factor (both quality and quantity of the links, as well as words used in the link). Simply put, you need other websites to point at your event through links. Here’s how: Continue reading →

Get Found in Google (Part II): How To Optimize Your Website

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Shannon Fiack

Part two of our Get Found in Google series is all about what to do with those keywords you assembled in our last post. Now that you’ve created your keyword list, it’s time to add them to your website. Doing that will optimize your site—in other words, it will be easy to find online. It’s important that the keywords go in the right places. Continue reading →

Get Found in Google (Part I): How To Do Keyword Research

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Shannon Fiack

When you need to find information about something, what do you do? Look in an encyclopedia or in the Yellow Pages? Probably not. If you’re like most people, you “Google it.” So, if everyone is going online to find things, then it’s important to make sure your event is easily found. There’s a variety of ways to accomplish this, which we will cover in our three-part blog series, Get Found in Google. Continue reading →

Learn How to Promote Like the Gladiator Rock’n Run™ (Infographic)

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Shannon Fiack

In just its second year, the 2011 Gladiator Rock’n Run™ created a name for itself as the go-to event for thousands of endurance athletes—and spectators—across the country. The first Rock’n Run brought 2500 participants to its insane obstacles and harsh terrain; the most recent event hosted up to 7500, plus spectators. This growth came about through word of mouth and targeted consumer marketing that leveraged the Rock’n Run website as well as Active Network’s race management software. Continue reading →