The appeal of motorsports is universal. After all, nearly everyone drives, but it is only on the track that speed is the name of the game. It is an adrenaline rush like no other and has the potential to draw in huge crowds. That’s where the potential for charity comes in. Either by putting a portion of the proceeds towards a local charity, or by having fundraiser events in the form of raffles, food vendors, or more, the motorsport community can really make a difference.
Charity events happen all the time, but they need to be bigger. They need to be more successful. They need to use these marketing tactics to rally communities together.
- Raise the Stakes
One of the first ways to draw attention is to raise the stakes. See if the biggest names in racing will compete for the charity event. Add an additional factor, like racing against the world record. The Shark Week program caught the world’s attention by claiming that the world’s fastest swimmer would be racing against the shark, and, while the actual race was him against a CGI creation, it did its part for drawing in millions of viewers.
- How to Draw in Crowds
The bigger the names, the better. It could be on an international, national, or local scale, depending on the size of the event. Either way, get those the people know and love to come. Doing this will get the sports fans interested, to get those who have never visited a track before to visit, however, you need to be more creative. See if you can get the neighboring sellers to come and set up a large market. They can make money through business, and an entrance fee can go towards the charity. You could set up the market in the parking lot as well, bringing everyone closer to the main part of the action, where there could be many different activities and means for guests to donate towards the charity in question, even if they don’t realize it.
- Create Branding
The biggest events are those that are professional. They are also ones that are well known. For the local areas, for instance, use a flyer maker to create branding with all the information about the event, and paste these heavily throughout the neighboring towns. For those places further away, you have news coverage, social media, and even SEO to help you.
- Local SEO and News Coverage
Local news agencies love a feel-good story, and national news agencies love stakes. Depending on how you organize your event, you can use one of both of these options. Once you do, push on that. Ask local news agencies to have a guest appearance with a spokesman. Be on social media. Invite people to your event. Have publicity stunts to garner attention. The more effort you put into promoting the event, the better. You can even partner up with big-name companies to help pay for your marketing efforts.
Charity and motorsport go hand-in-hand. From hosting an event specifically for a charity to adding a charitable component to every race, there are options that should be explored.