If you aren’t using technical shirts by SweatVac Performance Wear for your endurance event, you are missing out on an easy, powerful, and affordable marketing opportunity.
As the old joke goes, “How do you know if someone is a runner? Don’t worry – they’ll tell you!” All joking aside, running is something to be proud of. Make it easy for your participants to advertise you:
Get high quality products – The differences between bottom barrel products and shirts that are made with true microfiber fabric and refined yarn, have flat-seam construction, and weigh less than four ounces are astounding. They will be worn over and over on the running path, each time advertising your race to people who share similar interests. A cheap shirt that falls apart after a few washes will never come close to this return on investment. Runners can attest on the quality of running shirts and their possible effect on their performance. A bad, cheap shirt can spoil a good race in more ways than one.
Design a great logo – This probably goes without saying. Chances are, your branding is already solid and people know your race. Use this as an opportunity to really show what your race is about. Your branding and your sponsors’ logos should be shown off!
Use a long lasting decoration process – If you’ve never heard of dye-sublimation, go check it out. It’s a great option and allows you to use literally any color you want. No limits on the number of colors, gradients, or details. And the best part about it is that the process preserves the wicking integrity of the quality shirt. Unlike screen printing, a dye-sublimated image will never crack or fade. It’s there for the life of the shirt. And something else to consider: unlimited color means that each of your sponsors can show off their designs, too. No more one color backs where everything runs together.
Sell additional merchandise – People run your race because they are excited about it. Let them show it off! Even more-so than the giveaway shirts, these are a super powerful word of mouth advertising piece. Not only are they advertising for your event, but they gave you money to do so. Pretty solid deal, right?
These four aspects of your shirts will create walking and talking billboards. Brand ambassadors. It’s pretty hard to argue the promotional power of a shirt – after all, that’s why everyone does it. Your participants are not just customers. They are your absolute best advertising tools. Give them yet another reason to say great things about your race.
Another thing to consider: Designing race wear and accessories according to the weather. Know that you can always go for style, comfort, and promotional design. Whether it’s for your entire race crew, or just a team entering a race, you can use this awesome feature from Runners World to give you an idea of what type of gear you should prepare for: What to Wear.