Is your marketing budget smaller than you hoped? Do the words “marketing budget” cause you to break out in a cold sweat? Fear not. There are plenty of ways you can promote your race for no cost at all. Here are 10 free strategies that every race director should use, whether you invest money in your marketing plan or not.

1. Use your email database. We’re willing to bet you have a collection of email addresses. Maybe they’re the addresses of past participants in your event. If you’re just starting out, maybe they’re your friends and business associates. Alert all these people about your race and invite them to join in the fun. Send an email announcement, and be sure to include a link to registration.

2. Go social. Share details about your event on your social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Include a direct link to your event registration page. On Instagram, you’ll need to paste the link in your profile. Then, be sure to include instructions to “follow link in bio to register” in your post. For ideas and inspiration visit the Leadville Race Series Facebook page here.

If you need additional help in navigating your way to social media success download our guide below!

race directors guide to social media

3. Update your signature. This is an easy tip to neglect, but include the link to your event registration in your email signature. Remember, the easier you make it for people to access your reg page, the more likely they are to sign up. And including reminders to register everywhere possible will also help!

4. List your event. Don’t forget to add your event to the major race website calendars, such as:

5. Get creative with Facebook Live. People love videos and live content, and Facebook Live provides a free opportunity to showcase your event. Use it to show off your beautiful course, answer FAQs about your race, interview pro athletes, share training tips, and much more.

6. Incentivize your tribe. Identify key local ambassadors who have participated in your event in the past, or who plan to take part this year. Ask them to help spread the word about your race on their social channels. Consider offering your ambassadors incentives such as discounted race entries or free swag. Make the incentives more valuable as the number of registrations they drive increases.

7. Use the Athlinks community. Encourage your participants to become Athlinks members, follow friends on the site, and invite these friends to join them at your race. Many of your participants will be eager to help. Most people love encouraging friends to share a race experience with them.

8. Buff out your Athlinks event landing page. Add a unique, eye-catching image and engaging race description to your event landing page on Athlinks.com.

athlinks.com event landing page

9. Tap into your sponsors’ networks. Ask your sponsors to share your event social posts on their own channels. They should be happy to oblige, considering they have a vested interest in the success of your race.

10. Stoke the competitive fire. Encourage your participants to claim their past race results on Athlinks.com. This is the first step in building their personal athlete profiles. Then, they’ll be able to compare their results with those of their friends and rivals. They can even set goal times for your upcoming race. There’s nothing like a friendly competition to help create buzz around your event!

claim your results

All that these tactics require is a small investment of time. In fact, you can get started and accomplish many of them today.

What are you waiting for? We’re here to help if you’re feeling stuck. Just give us a call at 855-709-4555.