Maine Marathon
Event
It was well organized and the communication pre & post race were super!—Lisa, 2017 Maine Marathon runner
About Our Client
The Gorham Savings Bank Maine Marathon was founded in 1979, making this one of the longest-running marathon events in New England. The race also includes a half-marathon and marathon relay, making it accessible to everyone. This was the first year of a new race director with big plans. Visible Logic, Mail on the Mark’s parent company did the rebranding and web design work.
The Challenge
Increasing awareness and registration numbers with a long-term goal of increasing the funds given to Maine charities.
The Solution
Mail on the Mark was used to promote and encourage potential runners to sign up for the race, as well as keep registered runners up-to-date with news from the event. In addition to encouraging registration to run, it also drove volunteer signup as well. The final newsletter was to registered runners only and provided them with electronic coupons to use during the race weekend.
The Results
Registration grew during the course of the enewsletter campaign, with dramatic increases in registration the day it was sent and continuing into the following day. A new race ambassador program was announced via the enewsletter and immediately received dozens of applications from potential participants. And charity contributions by runners, their friends and families increased by 60% over 2016. The final coupon email to registered runners had a massive 70% open rate, proving that everyone loves a deal!

Highlights
Marketing goals
With each e-newsletter, registration would jump as recipients clicked through for more information and to register.
BUILDING A COMMUNITY
The e-newsletter was the first place to see images including a picture of the medal and merchandise for sale, with these initiatives then continued through the Maine Marathon social media accounts.
MAKE IT AN EVENT
Using pre-event deadlines such as price increases, bib ordering dates, and training milestones ensured that the e-newsletter and the whole marketing plan had natural hooks to engage readers.