Your ROD hashtag is gold, you just don’t know it yet.

It seemed like this day would never come, and also like it’s snuck up on me all too soon. Tomorrow, the Racer on Demand Merch Marketplace goes live. I created this marketplace with a vision of revolutionizing the racing industry and transforming the way racers and fans interact by creating a platform that fosters connection and modernizes motorsports marketing.

On the surface, the Merch Marketplace is a sales hub where you, the racer, can sell merch to fans, year-round, without the high overhead costs of holding inventory. Underneath the surface, though, it’s so much more. The Merch Marketplace is your tool to start building real, meaningful connections with fans through intentional branding and marketing.

One of the tools at your fingertips is the custom hashtag you’ll be assigned when your racer profile is built out. Just take a look at Kyle Annala’s profile – you’ll see the last sentence of his bio is “Show your support for Kyle by using hashtag #RODKyleAnnala on social media to share pictures of your merch.” We’re encouraging fans who buy Kyle’s merch to share pictures of it and use his custom hashtag to share it with him, and you’ll have one on your profile, too.

Let’s step back a bit and think about how this changes the way we approach merch sales and building a fan base. How do you plan on selling your merch? You’re probably going to share your Merch Marketplace link with some sort of caption, but then what? How many people will share your post? Your mom, your significant other, and your best friend will probably share the link. Every time you post your link, it’s going to reach the same people: those who follow the updates of you, your mom, and your best friend. You’re never reaching a new market that way.

Now picture this, instead. You have a fan that buys your merch, then posts a picture of it on Instagram, using your custom hashtag. You check your hashtag periodically, so you see it pop up, and you ask if you can use the picture on your own social media. They give you permission, so you snag the picture and post it on Facebook and Instagram with a link to your Merch Marketplace profile. This does a few things differently:

1. That fan will be ecstatic. You just turned a casual fan into a loyal fan – they’re more likely to buy again from you, follow your social media, and trust your recommendations when you’re promoting your sponsor’s wares.
2. It’s highly likely that the fan will share your post of the picture of them – they’re proud of it, after all! And guess who else is going to be proud? The fan’s mom, the fan’s significant other, and the fan’s best friend. And they’re going to share it too. This is a NEW MARKET for you – you’re reaching an audience you didn’t have access to when it was just your circle sharing the posts. By promoting your fans, they’re also promoting your brand and your merch.
3. The other fans who follow your social media will see that you’re posting about fans wearing your gear, and they’re going to want a chance to be featured too. They’ll buy merch from you, they’ll post about it with your hashtag, and when you share their pictures and videos on your page, they’ll share out to new markets, too. Each time you highlight your fans on your page, you strengthen your fanbase and create more loyalty to you and your brand. You gain sales, reach, and trust.
4. Your sponsors (and future business partners) care a lot about how wide of an audience you can influence. This isn’t just about reaching more people with more shares, it’s about creating a loyal following that trusts you enough to pay attention when you’re promoting your sponsors’ goods. Loyal fans are more likely to listen to your recommendations on what tires to buy, what car wash product to use, and what restaurant to have dinner at.

Building your program isn’t just about getting likes and shares on social media, it’s about creating moments of connection that turn into lasting bonds between you and your fans, (and therefore, your sponsors.) You can gain visibility through someone wearing your shirt, but you can gain a fanbase by acknowledging them and connecting because of it. We’re giving you the hashtag, but it’s up to YOU to use it!