RaceNation continues partnership with Racecheck

How to Leverage Reviews at each stage of your Marketing Funnel and Increase Conversions by +22%

RaceNation is proud to continue the partnership with Racecheck: the world’s #1 review and reputation management platform for mass participation sports events.

Used by over 1,350+ world-class event professionals, Racecheck’s industry-specific design and review authentication process make its review platform a standout choice for race organisers.

The RaceNation X Racecheck integration enables organisers to leverage credible and authentic experiences throughout each stage of their marketing funnel and measure the positive impact this has on sales. Organisers also benefit from a more comprehensive and complete view of performance data in one easy-to-access place, with seamless navigation between event management dashboard and full Racecheck experience (where you can respond to reviews and more).

This article explains how organisers can integrate behavioural science into their user journey; leveraging reviews at each stage of their marketing funnel.

If, whilst reading, you decide that you would like to experience the full potential of this integration, there is a great incentive on offer for you right now to upgrade to Racecheck Premium…

Awareness

Word-of-mouth marketing is widely accepted as ‘the number 1 strategy’ in our industry. This can come in a variety of forms, from a personal recommendation between members of a local running club to participants sharing their experiences with their wider network on social media.

RaceNation’s Head of Marketing, Hollie Light, describes Racecheck’s platform as “the digital equivalent” of asking your running club buddy how their race was at the weekend and goes on to explain:

“Racecheck reviews make for valuable marketing material organisers can use to drive word-of-mouth marketing. Many of our organisers have seen great success in sharing a strategic selection of Racecheck reviews via retargeting ads on social media.”

Interest

At this stage participants have heard about the event and are now looking for more information about it. They could also be looking for a few alternatives, which is why it’s so important to rank well within search engines like Google.

In the same way that Racecheck reviews help organisers to shape the narrative of their events – highlighting key aspects such as a “great atmosphere” or even how they have addressed areas for improvement from last year: [now with] “free parking” – reviews contain relevant keywords that can help align an event webpage with specific search terms.

Most marketplaces within our industry have a dedicated SEO strategy in place – this in part is because they know that most participants will click the first trustworthy link they find. However, organisers could end up paying 10-15% or more in commission for an entrant referral coming via that marketplace.

Whether or not organisers have a dedicated Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) campaign in place, their websites can benefit from a wider range of search terms by having more reviews associated with the event. Additionally, Racecheck Premium automatically injects rich snippets into websites. This makes them eligible for the gold stars in Google search results which increase CTR by at least 10% (up to 20-30% in some cases!) and significantly increases traffic.

Consideration

Race reviews are already known to be one of the most powerful influence and persuasion principles in our industry for leveraging conversions. Racecheck’s latest study concluded:

  • 90% of respondents said they read reviews when entering events
  • 73% of this group said the information they gained from reviews influenced their purchasing decisions
  • Racecheck Premium users reported an increase in registrations from first-time participants by over 22% and an average ROI of 30:1.

At this stage, participants will be heading to Racecheck to read reviews about the event to help them decide whether or not to enter. This is why both RaceNation and Racecheck recommend installing Racecheck’s widget on your website. Doing this enables participants to read verified reviews from this independent source, whilst staying on the organisers’ website.

Conversion

Before this integration, there was no way for organisers to leverage reviews at this end of the funnel. The integration enables organisers to showcase the event’s Average Racecheck Score by populating their Racecheck Widget on their Event Checkout Pages. Organisers can then measure the positive impact that this has by installing tracking code across the event registration journey. Displaying Racecheck insights at the point of sale enables your prospective customers to:

  • Establish trust at the point of checkout. Reducing the participant’s need to navigate elsewhere reduces instances of shopping cart abandonment.
  • Make decisions based on information they trust. This increases the likelihood that the participant will have a satisfactory experience -and subsequently write a glowing review

The integration enables Racecheck Premium users to display a selection of recent reviews in addition to the average score. Premium users have reported an increase of over 22% from first-time participants and an average ROI of 30:1.

Advocacy

From the RaceNation dashboard, organisers can schedule email and/or SMS communications to participants reminding them to review the event or send Push Notifications via their Event Day App. Some organisers have found great success in offering additional incentives such as an entry into a prize draw, but asking alone is usually enough!

This is the best way to start turning your participants into loyal advocates; driving the awareness end of your funnel ready for your next event.

We hope that you found this article useful and are inspired to switch on the RaceNation X Racecheck integration.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER for RaceNation Clients

Enjoy 20% OFF AND +10 DAYS FREE when you Upgrade to Racecheck Premium in August & September.

As a RaceNation client, you’re invited to experience the full potential of this integration with +10 days free when upgrading to Premium this August and September; totalling 40 days free at the start of your relationship with Racecheck. A 20% discount will also apply if you choose an annual subscription.

For more information about RaceNation, the integration, or help switching the integration on, please contact RaceNation’s VIP Support Team: vipsupport@race-nation.com .

 

Check out the RaceNation SportsGiving RIA Foundation Member profile here  .