Archives for October 2015

#ALLTHEHASHTAGS

It might seem like a silly practice, but how you are tagging your social media posts is important for your visibility and growing your fanbase.   Hashtags have become critical to social media interaction.   They are how new followers are introduced to your account, how cross-marketing platforms begin, and how sneaky search engines are finding your content in the social mash-up.

Choosing good Women Racing Hashtags for Growth

Hashtags can be an easy way to drive new traffic interested in your activities.   But what are the best terms to use?   Because each of them are very specific search terms, there could be thousands of similar hashtags that fit your audience.    The problem with that is, it waters down the chances that you will be seen greatly.    Because #WomenRacing and #WomeninRacing are two different terms, you may be missing the mark with the terms you choose.   Do your research!  See what tags are already out there and popular, and tag accordingly.

I polled a few women in racing to see what terms they used most.  There doesn’t seem to be much consistency in the terms used to tag women in motorsports activities.   These are a few of the more popular terms I’ve found #WomenRacing #WomeninRacing #WomeninMotorsports #WomenOfMotorsports #femaledrivers #FemaleRacers #RacerGirls #CarChix #WomenWhoRace #GirlsWhoRace #GirlPower – the list could go on and on.

In general, its best to keep it simple, short and most importantly- consistent.   Long tags won’t be very commonly used or search-friendly.    Although it can be tempting to be thorough and list all variations and varieties of tags with your message,  a laundry list of tags will quickly be ignored and your message will be drowned in the pool of tags.   Test out your hashtags and monitor which ones seem to get the most visibility through insights or analytics.   Once you’ve determined which ones do best, refine your list to include those only most relevant to your efforts.

Categories of Women Racing Hashtags

1. Event Tags–  Check to see if the event you are participating has an official event tag, and make sure you use it.  That will help you connect with fans at the event, and keep everyone updated on your activities if you post real-time trackside updates.   #USNats #Indy500 #Daytona500 are a few examples of event terms.  Going to a tradeshow?  Those are some of the best ways to connect and find out show-related happenings!   Don’t forget to tag and follow along with the show’s main hashtag.   #SEMA #PRI  #NAIAS
2. Racing Series Tags–  Tagging your posts with your sanction is another way to engage fans in your genre of motorsport.    #ARCA #NHRA #IndyCar
3. Racing Genre Tags–   Try using a more generalized tag to attract less familiar fans.   #DragRacing #OpenWheel #RoadRacing #OffRoad #StockCar #Rally
4. Location Tags–  What facility are you racing at?   What city or landmark are you visiting?   Be sure to use the location tools to let people know where you’re at.  Checking into your favorite restaurants on the road gives an interesting perspective to fans trying to get to know you beyond the track.
5. Movement Tags–  Supporting a cause or aligning with a particular movement?  Don’t forget to tag with terms of the movement #FightLikeAGirl #LikeAGirl  #EndCancer
6. Current Event Tags–    Trending live current event happenings and global conversations that you take part in are great ways to be part of a larger discussion.  Often used to announce breaking news, these type conversations could be sensitive and urgent conversations such as natural disasters #HurricaneKatrina or maybe just of national interest like #IndependenceDay  or the #ElectionDay results.   A great way to see what is current is to check trending topics on each of the social networks.
7. Create Your Own Tags–  Want to interact with your fans?  Encourage them to use a custom-created tag that matches your initiative.   Hosting a fun Q&A social session with fans?  Indy racer Pippa Mann often encourages fans to #AskPippa on Twitter for a cool interactive twist.   You can even help bring more value to your sponsors with traffic and metrics by creating a special promotion or contest tag for your sponsors #WinWithAerospace
8. Social Tags– Play along with long-standing Hashtag Socials like the Follow Friday Twitter tag.  #FF is used to recommend some of your favorite twitter users, and allows reciprocal following and connecting.    #Followback and #photooftheday are other examples.

Following and Monitoring

Hashtagging isn’t a one-way road.  You can also search and monitor terms to use it to your advantage.    If you’re at an event and monitor the event’s hashtag, you may discover some neat happenings in other areas you maybe wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise.    You can also use it to find new fans to interact with by following others that post the same hashtag interests.

What hashtags do YOU post and follow?   Let us know in the comments below!

For many years, I’ve been known as an encourager. I truly have faith that anyone can do anything they believe they can. They just have to believe in themselves.  I take this belief with me where ever I go, whether it’s when I’m with kids or adults, at work or at play. It doesn’t really matter to me. Being known as a supporter can get pretty tough sometimes. There are certain days that encouraging others can become very difficult or demanding. That’s when I really have to take my own advice. I’m sure you’ve had days just like this too.

Believing in Yourself

For many of us it’s really easy to encourage others. Telling them they did well or telling them they can do better the next time if they didn’t do so well this time. We often do that with our own family or friends and it seems to work well. Besides encouraging others, you must also encourage yourself. You’re probably the first person that needs to be encouraged but is often forgotten. Believing in yourself may seem easy enough, but there’s more to it than that. It’s not just sounding like the ‘Little Engine that could’ saying “I think I can – I think I can” that will allow you to reach your goals. It’s how you behave that makes the difference.

When I first began in road safety almost three decades ago, I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I had self-doubt, even though it was something I really wanted to do. I loved cars and I loved driving. Sound familiar? I was used to performing well at other levels and my expectations were high because of that. I had confidence. However, here I was trying something which was more difficult and more demanding than what I was used to doing. What could I do? Should I quit? Should I go back to doing what I was comfortable doing just because I was in a comfort zone or should I keep trying to get better and attempt to succeed at the higher level?

Setting Short Term Goals

As I kept trying to get better – and failing at it – I decided to change my philosophy. On a scale of 1 – 10 I was so used to receiving a 9 or 10, but now I was receiving a 2 or 3. My self-esteem was dropping rapidly. But then I had an epiphany. I temporarily lowered my expectations. Once my performance equaled my expectations, I slowly raised my expectations bit by bit until my performance finally got to that higher level. It’s easier for our self-esteem to stay positive if we can reach our short-term goals. If you set your goals too high, it can feel devastating and perhaps overwhelming to us.

Accepting Feedback

My expertise comes in training driving instructors. Many people feel they can already drive well when I see them, so when I have to correct their driving, it can be hard for them to accept. They usually reply “But that’s not what I’m used to doing” or “I’ve never done it that way before”. Just because it’s different, doesn’t mean it’s wrong. That’s a big part of getting better. Accepting feedback from those who may know more about the subject than you do and making changes. At times, you’re going to need to swallow your pride a little bit.

We’ve all heard the saying “I learn from my mistakes”. Sometimes we need to forget those mistakes and move on. Learning from your mistakes often means you now know what not to do. It doesn’t necessarily mean you know what to do. Once you make a mistake in your learning process, instead of focusing on your mistake, focus on what you did well and what you need to do differently. Focusing on your mistakes reinforces those mistakes. It’s what you think about more and more and when you perform that same task again. You have a high chance to make those same mistakes again. They become the habit.

Focus on solutions

Instead, focus on the solutions. If you’re not sure what those solutions could be, ask advice from someone who knows more than you. Someone with more experience. Discussing what you’re doing is a good way to improve your knowledge and experience. Other people may have a different view of the same things. And remember, be patient with your skill development. It will take time to develop that new habit.

A skill is habitual. Doing something without giving it much thought makes it part of you. So many times we’ve heard the saying that “practice makes perfect”. That’s not exactly true. Practice makes permanent. In other words, practicing something the same way makes it into a habit. Practicing something the wrong way also makes it into a habit. It doesn’t mean it’s perfect. It just means you are consistent with doing it that way. Think of it this way; proper practice makes perfect. Don’t cut corners.

Many people say it can take roughly 21 days to make something into a habit. Other people may say it could take up to 30 days to do the same thing. However, since everyone’s brain is different, that can depend upon the individual. All I can say is keep doing what works. Day after day. Over and over again. Repetitively. Again and again.

Take the time to gain the knowledge and then practice that knowledge as often as you can. Eventually you’ll get there. With enthusiasm, proper instruction and commitment, anything is possible…just give it time.

I encourage you to try it.