There are thousands of race car drivers in every type of motorsport – what makes you any different than the person in the other lane? Why would a company want to sponsor you when they could sponsor anyone else? This is why you need to develop your brand.

Your brand is the personality you portray to the world as a business — how you look, how you sound, how people feel when they interact with you. Read on for tips on how to differentiate yourself from all the other racers out there on the track.

Tip 1: Know what you want to be known for

Let’s start the obvious—who are you? Beyond racing, what makes up you as a person that fans and sponsors can connect with? Your personality, your life experiences, your core values—having these things all jotted down on paper and woven into your marketing, website, and sponsorship conversations will help you mark your own territory in this industry.

Tip 2: Brand consistency

There might be a lot of other racers out there vying for the same fans and the same sponsors—just like you’re all going after that same trophy at a race—but the vast majority of them? They’re all over the map. Consistency in your branding is key to standing out. That means across all of your visual content, keep the same aesthetic brand. Talk about the same core things. Have a clear direction of where you want to take your fans once they show up on your social media or website. Maintaining a consistent presence across all of your platforms will elevate your brand and give you a perceived sense of authority, affinity, and professionalism (we want those things!).

Tip 3: Aligned sponsors

I know it can be tough when you’re first starting out to turn down any sponsorship opportunity—money is money! But when you’re dialed into your core values and your brand voice, some sponsors just don’t fit in that box. And that’s great—you’re not for everyone, and everyone isn’t for you. That’s a core truth about branding. Start being picky about the sponsors you want to work with and work hard to connect with sponsors that align with your values and your brand.

Tip 4: Powerful brand message to cut through the noise

If your competitor could say exactly the same thing, then maybe it’s not worth saying. Every racer has a brand and a presence out there on the internet now, so what you say has to cut through the noise. What are your fans and sponsors really longing to hear? What do they want to know that you have a unique, singular perspective on? That’s the content that will define and elevate your brand (not just another cliche caption, even though they’re easy to do).

Tip 5: Visuals and aesthetics

The final piece of branding is your visual identity or your aesthetics. Having determined colors, fonts, patterns, and logos that you use across all of your assets is crucial to having a defined brand. But it shouldn’t come first — your voice, audience, and strategy should direct your visual elements. Let your brand visual identity tell your unique story, too.

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It’s not enough to have won championships and set records and be the expert in your sport. You need to build a brand around your identity to truly be known and remembered. Your brand will separate you from the competition and once you take the time to define these things, only then will the magic happen.

With almost 10 years of motorsports marketing and graphic design, I offer different brand-building services for drivers and race teams! I’ve been right where you are, and through some education, some success, and a lot of learning I’ve mastered helping racers brands that help them beat the competition online. Complete this questionnaire to have me help you build a winning brand.