3. Evaluate the sample Raceway plan located in the appendix of your textbook. What are the key strengths of the plan. How would you improve it? Sample Social Media Marketing Plan: Raceway Introduction Raceway, located in the Southeastern United States, is the bome of memorable motor races, a top-of-the line drag strip, dirt racing, auto fairs, and numerous events that attract racing lovers from a large area. It sits in a 2.000-acre complex and boasts a capacity of 140,000 fans. Although Raceway has a sizeable fan base, the management team wants to create more awareness of its offerings, polish its brand reputation, and strengthen relationships with fans. With a minimal promotional budget, Raceway's leadership recognizes the value of incorporating social media into its communications program. Raceway offers racing enthusiasts the opportunity to attend races, car shows, and other special events such as the Christmas Lights Show, It attracts visitors from all over the region and even from other parts of the country. Raceway consists of a super speedway, a zMax dragway, and a dirt track, so it can offer a portfolio of events to cater to the interests of a diverse fan base. The venue also offers a variety of ticket pricing options. These range from affordable tickets and discounted group packages to high-priced VIP tickets that come with a variety of perks. Raceway promotes events and special deals using traditional outlets such as radio and television advertisements and its website. Recently it developed a Facebook page and Twizer account, but now it wants to more fully incorporate social media into its promotional mix. Situation Analysis Raceway has a strong loyal fan base that visits the track at least once per seson. It also has fairly good ticket sales to corporate offices that buy tickets to suppor the community and provide incentives to employees. Families enjoy Raceway for its fanily-friendly envi- ronment and the ability to tailgate before and after events. However, a day at Racewvay can be expensive for families, one of the primary targets for race events. This has beccame an even greater problem given current economic conditions. On a positive note, the:e are no other tracks within a 3-hour radius of Raceway. Still, races are entertainment and there are manyy forms of entertainment available, whether simple weekends at home or an outing to a movie. 322 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING Raceway needs not only to stay top-of-mind in its target audiences' minds for weekend entertainment, but the venue also needs to minimize media spending on offset weaker ticket sales than in past years. The rise in social media usage is an oppor- tunity for Raceway to shift some of its promotional focus to less expensive media Overall, Raceway has a strong brand and brand awareness, but a questionable el position compared to other forms of entertainment. It also faces competition in the cue of alternative entertainment activities. A campaign should build on the Raceway brand, differentiate Raceway events from other entertainment, and utilize social media to renel underserved target markets. advertising to Marketing Objectives Create awareness of Raceway's VIP offerings including networking opportunities and corporate functions among at least 60% of the target audience. Develop a multidimensional relationship with the target audience by incorpo- rating Raceway events and communications into fans' social and family lives. Increase visits to Raceway's homepage by 25% within a 6-month period. Increase visits to Raceway's social media profile cages by 30% within a 6-month period. Increase ticket sales by 20%% within a 6-month perio Target Audience Raceway already successfully targets motorsports fans and families within a 2-hour radius of its location. The social media strategy will not only encompass this existing audience but also focus on a secondary market for Raceway-professional working adults. These indl viduals are highly motivated, active, and career-oriented with a passion for success. THe are familiar with motorsports but are not fans. However, they view motorsports evethey suitable social experiences for time with work colleagues, friends, and family members. are tech-savvy owners of smartphones. They spend time online for work and pleasuneAs maintain at least two social media profiles (typically including Facebook and Linkedln) As we discussed in Chapter 3, they use social media to perform the roles of conversationalists, joiners, spectators, and collectors. Though they live busy lives, members of this target market enjoy spending time online and using their smartphones; they frequently play short social games like Angry Birds. This audience spends less time with traditional media because of their work schedules, active social lives, and time spent online. With incomes upward of $75,000 annually and large networks personally and professionally, they are ripe for targeting Social Media Strategy Given the campaign objectives and the target audience's characteristics, the social media strategy most appropriate for Raceway utilizes three of the four zones of social media: community building, social publishing, and social entertainment. Raceway's slogan, "Life's a Race. Get on Track," will integrate the social media plan with Raceway's other promo- tional work. Raceway's homepage will be repositioned as the hub of all activity related to the speedway. Links to all social media sites will be prominent on the site and feeds Erom some social media activities will be shown on the site. Integrate Zone E Social Community Raceway should develop and maintain a presence with the social networks that the target audi- pont to announce business-focused networking events. The campaign will also feature a mobile that will be developed specifically for this initiative Tahs will be created on Raceways Facebook page for each element of the campajen, includingg (1) Information, (2) Eve 9 Speedway Club, (4) Special Promotions, (5) Fan Forum, and (O the Fan Track, a section for sales reminders, Raceway news updates, specials, featured user-generated content, and ques- rices to fans. Wall content will vary so as not to over nush sales information. The Informton ub will include links to all other forms of online presence for Raceway. Participation from fans will be encouraged, with calls for shared photos, videos, and testimonials. The Fan Forum is a place to encourage interaction among fans, Twitter will be used as a reminder device. Rather than bombard followers with prices, events, and specials, Twitter will be used creatively to post fan and racer quotes, links to user-generated content, quirky thoughts, fan questions, and requests for service quality recommendations. A mobile app will be developed and branded the Raceway Track App. The app will serve as a mobile hub for all things Raceway. It will stream feeds from all social media posts related to Raceway, allow users to post to the Facebook Wall from within the app. and feature a calendar component to allow the target audience to keep track of their own personal upcoming events along with events hosted by Raceway. Integrate Zone 2: Social Publishing Raceway will harness and create eeml forms of content for use in the social publishing aone of its social media strategy. content will include live streams of races and other events from Raceway cams (canes positioned in the garage inficid campgrounds, and dther vital areas), blog posts inclaliag articles about racers, festured tans, stories from the perspectives of the teams racing, and video footage. This ccet will require ongoing development. A Director of Content will be needed to guide ianan development of the content used in the social publishing zone. The Raceway webbsite will include a blog called Tbe Track, wi witi seve as the primary publishing channel for original branded content. RSS feeds will ensure that the content is yndicated to fans. New content will be promoted using Facebook, Twitter, and the mobile pp. Fans will be encouraged to comment on blog posts. While the social relationship activ- will include daily updates, the blog will include new stories at least twice per week such as interviews with drivers or gossip about the racing community. Immediately preceding s, blog activity will increase to drive traffic to the ticketing section of the website. eo content will be published on the Raceway website and on a new Raceway YouTube annel. Videos will include race uploads, Raceway cam video captures, interviews with d drivers, and fan videos. New content will be promoted on all other social venues SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING 324 Major events and interview engagements with star racers also will be promoted wvith a Social Media Press Release. The press release will help ensure additional online linke to Raceway social content. The social publishing portion of the strategy ensures a strone linkwheel for fans to find other content and optimizes Raceway's search engine rankines Integrate Zone 3: Social Entertainment The final zone used in Raceway's social media strategy is social entertainment. A social game titled Raceway: The Game will be developed and launched. Players can play Raceway The Game on Raceway's website and within Facebook, much like the popular Farmyille game. Racing is a popular video genre and social games are gaining rapidly in popular- ity. By developing a game that simulates the Raceway experience while allowing fans to drive their own virtual car, Raceway will ensure that fans spend more time online and in social venues with the Raceway brand. The game also encourages players to share the game with friends and it provides advertising inventory in the game that can be sold to sponsors as an additional stream of revenue. Branding within the game will be consistent with Raceway's slogan of "Life's a Race. Get on Track." The Experience Strategy Raceway's campaign theme is "Life's a Race. Get on Track he social media strategy must support this theme. The campaign will position Raceway as ay for professionals to escape the hustle and bustle of the workplace while still staying connected and "on track." The campaign is centered on the concept that it doesn't have to be "all work, no play" and that Raceway offers great opportunities for corporations and working individuals to socialize, enjoy themselves, and be productive-all at the same time. The "Get on Track" slogan is a fun pun; it will inspire the target audience to get themselves to the Raceway track. From a creative perspective, the most appropriate approach is that of an experiential strategy-the promotional messages should encourage the target audience to imagine the experience of being at the track, seeing and hearing a race, and feeling the pleasure of time spent with others. The core message is to become involved in Raceway, online and in person, by buyns tickets and attending events. By becoming involved, new fans will have a better awareness of Raceway and its events and begin to see Raceway as a viable entertainment alternane In each zone there are opportunities for the target audience to experience Raceway and. importantly, to engage and to share with others in their networks. The Facebook p will enable the creation and sharing of user-generated content and discussions in the a forum. The Twitter account will be used to share quirky messages designed to encour age sharing with others. The mobile app will make Raceway a part of a user's mobile pl ar ot experience-for hours each and every day. With the campaign theme, "Life's a Race. Get on Track," users will be able to integrate short- and long-term goal planning and time management activities in a fun and aesthetically pleasing branded mobile application. be consumed and shared. Lastly, the game is an experience in itself. Even people who The social publishing activities provide interesting and entertaining content designed to RC are not at the track can be in the game. is