Tumblr Hits 15B, Why Aren’t you in that space?
The social blogging site Tumblr is seeing it’s use skyrocket after the first month of 2012. The site has reached 15 billion (yes, billion) monthly page views, and over 120 million unique IPs. A 200% year to year increase that shows the popularity of the new social site.
As we have mentioned before, to reach new markets for your motor sports operation, now is the time to experiment with these new media sites. Tumblr is free to use and promote your track, drivers and sponsors. It is a great way to get video, audio, photos and small snippets of news spread among your social media sites. Plus, you never know who will spread your content to their friends and “reblog” you.
Engage with Facebook Fan of the Week
Starving for new ideas to keep your fans engaged in the off-season? Market to them and get them involved by rewarding them with a “Fan of the Week.” Not only will they appreciate the acknowledgment, but they just might share it and spread the network through all of their family and friends.
We really love the relationship that we have with our fans and potential customers, so we like to show the world. Every week on our Facebook page, we highlight one of our fans as “Fan of the Week.” This is fun because their love for our company is displayed to our fans, and that person will then share it with their own network. – Andrew Saladino, Just Bath Vanities.
Where are they looking?
Where are your Facebook fans looking? It might not be where you think. In a new Mashable research article they tracked how brand pages were “looked” at. Content, as always, is key.
Mashable Article on the Full Break Down
As always, the one with the most pictures wins!
The New Twitter. (Again)
Social Media isn’t confined to Facebook. If your track/series or a driver and not using Twitter, now is a good time to start. Today Twitter launched a redesign to it’s pages, along with new Mobile Apps and the popular TweetDeck they purchased some months ago.
New Features
Page Redesign
Embeddable Tweets
Brand Pages
It’s starting to look a lot like, dare we say… Facebook.
Off-Season Engagement and Sponsor Promotion
Keeping news going in the off-season is usually the hardest part of a track/series media person’s job. The ASA Midwest Tour has found a unique way to keep fans engaged on their social media during the downtime. Promoting Series and Driver Sponsors through their Facebook page has not only helped market their teams, but they have kept their fans clicking.
ASA Midwest Tour Facebook Page
Off-Season Posting Importance
Make up news. Well, don’t take it to that extreme, but don’t let your social media and website become a barren wasteland in the off-season. Tracks and Series take all summer to build up website numbers just to throw them away in the off-season. Keep your fans engaged by giving them driver reports, sponsor articles or even progress on the upcoming season.
Interact with your fans, drivers and sponsors on social media all winter. Give them polls, surveys or ask for ideas.
Things to have your media person write about… Division Rookies; Division Champions; Driver Profiles; Sponsor Profiles; Sit Downs with Officials; Ultimate Fan Profiles
The ideas are endless. Just post SOMETHING to keep your fans begging for the new season to return.
Check out the examples of what these tracks and series are doing in the off-season. Dells Raceway Park in Wisconsin Dells, WI. and the United States Racing Association Profiles and Pictures. It keeps them coming back!
Tumblr & Tracks
Tumblr is not known to many in the short track racing world. It is a geek driven, social blogging site that allows users free space to post, blog and post rich media. The platform has grown 900% in 2011 and it is time for short track racing to stake it’s claim.
I experimented with Tumblr this year for ROL. Posting Dennis Krause’s Motorsports Minute, World of Outlaws Video and various odds and ends that didn’t warrant a full post on the main site. Results were interesting. Re-blogs, likes and comments by people that would have never ventured to ROL were the norm. Often gaining a spike in traffic on the main site every time something of interest received multiple shares.
Is it the answer to traffic ills? Not on it’s own, but as with all social media, you are reaching new fans, new sponsors and making yourself more rounded in new media for your track or series. Stake your claim by getting on the bandwagon. It’s free advertising.
Google+ Tied to Direct Connect
The importance of Google Brand pages is evident with the addition of it’s connection to Direct Connect. +BrandName in Google search will bring your visitors directly to your brand page on Google+ A one up for the company over Facebook.
Google+ Brand Pages
Brand Pages have officially launched (finally) on Google+ However, they are not open to everyone yet. If you are not part of Google+, join now by going to http://plus.google.com and get your short track ready to became part of this social media space.
Franklin County Speedway Does it Right.
Social Video Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
Following a ton of tracks this summer on Facebook, one stood out. Franklin County Speedway in Callaway Virginia. Not only do they participate with social media, but they do so by including simple video all season.
Proof that is doesn’t take much to keep your fans excited. All you need is a simple cam (phone/flipcam) and the announcer/employee willing to take a little time to post it.
Keep it simple, keep it personal and keep doing it!