You put in a lot of work to vend at motorcycle events. So, it is important to maximize your sales. Here are two common questions about how to vend at motorcycle rallies we get:
1. How do I get more visitors to my booth/tent at rallies?
2. What are some tips to generate more sales at events?
Below is a good overview of how to market your motorcycle business at rallies.
- Visitor Goals for a Motorcycle Rally
- Marketing That Doesn't or Rarely Works
- Tips to Increase Visitors & Sales at Rallies
- Social Media & Website Announcements
- Having Your Audience in Person
- Reasons Why People Don't Buy Online:
- Considerations of Selling at Events
- Buying Alternatives
- "Funneling" Bikers to Your Booth
- What Your Employees Are Doing Matters
- Motorcycle Company's Facebook Ads
- Value of Facebook Marketing Experts
Visitor Goals for a Motorcycle Rally
First, who do you want to show up at your booth at a rally? The answer should be whoever best helps you accomplish your goals:
- Generate sales
- Introduce your company.
- Increase awareness of your company or keep it top of mind for riders.
- Introduce a new motorcycle product.
- Collect leads and email addresses.
- Answer questions from your prospects and clients.
Next, you can win or lose big at the top 10 motorcycle events. And this is not just because of your marketing, product, etc., but also because different locations have significantly better foot traffic.
Marketing That Doesn’t or Rarely Works
Companies at rallies have tried numerous ways to increase visitors and sales. Unfortunately, these usually don’t work at an event or don’t deliver the value you need. Here is a partial list of marketing that isn’t effective:
- Buying advertisements on the rally’s website.
- Purchasing large traditional banners from the promoter to be displayed at the event.
- Paying for small to mid-size ads in the motorcycle rally’s guide.
- Advertising in local or regional biker publications – depending on the price, regional websites often don’t offer the necessary value.
- Radio, TV, and billboard ads are rarely effective and can be expensive.
Tips to Increase Visitors & Sales at Rallies
One essential advertising tip is to send out newsletters before the event. First, newsletter subscribers are your “warm” prospects. By this, I mean they have some interest in your company and products. After all, these people took the time to sign up for your company’s newsletter.
Then, your newsletter should announce that you will be at the rally and include your booth’s location. This newsletter will increase visitors and sales at your booth during a rally.
Social Media & Website Announcements
Announcing the motorcycle events your company will attend on social media is helpful. Again, social media followers are “warm” prospects or customers. These people are highly valuable. They are already prospects or customers and are likely to buy.
However, the difference between pretty good and great-performing Facebook posts is huge, not only for attracting visitors but also for generating revenue.
Next, list the rally your company will attend and the location of your booth at the event. Why do you need to announce this on your social media and your website? If your prospects don’t know you will be at the event, they won’t know to look for you. And riders are not going to search through 100 or more vendors.
Having Your Audience in Person
First, the salespeople at a bike rally should have a higher closing rate than you do online. This is because they know the product and can answer questions best.
Below are some additional reasons. Often, website inquiries are delayed. But with a salesperson at the rally, your target audience’s questions are answered immediately.
Online communication is done via email or chat, but these are impersonal. At a rally, riders get to communicate in person with their representatives.
Answering questions from prospects and clients in person is important for complex, high-priced products. Think about buying a $10 product online. There isn’t much money to lose.
However, as the cost of the motorcycle product increases, the risk increases. As prices increase, there is also greater hesitation to buy your product sight unseen. The same goes for buying a complex product.
Note that all riders have other options besides buying from your site. For instance, they can often buy a similar product at a dealership or shop. Many people are impatient online, so selling in person at rallies helps speed up the process.
Plus, you will get a higher sales rate with expensive, complex, and newer motorcycle products in person. Many riders want to touch and feel a product, and with some products, they can try it on.
Reasons Why People Don’t Buy Online:
- Unsure of the quality or value of your product
- Unsure about your company or not very familiar with it.
- Your website does not look trustworthy.
- Concern about your motorcycle site’s security
- The habit of not buying online
- Want to ask questions.
- Just their preference to buy in person
- The product requires a precise fit – a good example is motorcycle helmets. For many people, it is hard to find a helmet that fits. A well-fitting helmet is important for safety. Also, having a comfortable, fitting helmet is important for enjoying riding. Different brands, and even different models within a brand, fit differently.
- Then, different helmet brands fit differently. One common issue is that some brands run a little smaller or larger than others. Plus, even helmets from the same manufacturer can fit slightly differently depending on the model.
- They aren’t convinced your biker product is worth it.
- Concern that their products can get damaged in the mail
- Want to avoid the cost of shipping.
- They are afraid of credit card fraud.
- Fear of not getting the product they ordered.
Considerations of Selling at Events
Notably, many bikers shop at motorcycle events. And this should be something to consider when your company goes to the event.
But first, selling at events must work for your niche. For some companies or niches, it wastes time and money. Next, for others, are huge sales days. If so, there are many benefits to vending at rallies. And some of the largest rallies (Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Daytona, Galveston, Leesburg, and Laconia) will be a big part of your annual sales.
Buying Alternatives
Here are four common places where your target audience can often buy similar products:
- At your competitors’ booth at a rally
- From a competitor’s motorcycle site that they know better and have more confidence in.
- Amazon
- Dealerships
“Funneling” Bikers to Your Booth
Our marketing agency has helped clients vend at biker rallies over the last 20 years. Funneling is one area we’ve found employees could improve in. Next, I refer to “funneling” people to your booth, just like pouring something into a funnel.
Employees are trying to interact with the largest number of their target audience. Their goal is to get them to at least look at your booth. It is better to get people into your booth.
Having a person or a few people outside the booth can help. These people “funnel”/direct people towards or into your booth at the event. Yes, they might be in people’s way. But this slows down the foot traffic right in front of your booth. The person greets and gives a one-sentence value statement, such as, “Hi, check out our original, quality biker shirts.”
Yes, and it’s true: cute girls get more people to or into your booth. In general, they get more riders’ attention. Also, it gets bikers to look at or go into the booth. Then, it is time for your company’s salespeople to perform.
What Your Employees Are Doing Matters
Another important marketing basic at motorcycle rallies concerns your employees’ activities. If they are sitting doing nothing or talking with another employee, this hurts your sales.
If they are sitting, they aren’t maximizing the number of visitors or your sales by funneling. But they also won’t be engaging with as many potential customers.
You might have seen this if you’ve been to a dealership or a brick-and-mortar store. For employees who are sitting and doing nothing, it makes them look uninterested in helping you. And when the employees are talking, it reflects the same. Plus, they look preoccupied because they are.
Motorcycle Company’s Facebook Ads
Here are a couple of marketing tips to increase sales at events. First, run some simple “boosts” on Facebook or Instagram for your post about attending a rally. Your target audience can be your followers, who are already familiar with your company. Then, for people unfamiliar with your company, run targeted Facebook ads through Facebook Business Manager.
Another important factor in making Facebook ads successful is when your marketing person truly knows the industry and rallies and rides.
Value of Facebook Marketing Experts
Here is some of the valuable knowledge a Facebook expert brings:
- Improving your graphics
- Writing more convincing text
- Knowing and following marketing basics for both ads and text
- An expert will know your target audience well, so your ads will reach the right people and deliver more value.
- A Facebook business ad expert is used to Facebook’s complex ad platform.
For more marketing articles, go to our motorcycle blog.
