Today is Melbourne Cup Day here in Australia and it’s a big deal. The best horses, the best jockeys and the fanciest hats are out for public enjoyment.

A lot of brands have been leveraging this unique event over the last few weeks, reminding us on every billboard, TV ad and packaging.
Countless pre-events, hat purchases and lots of marketing… Incredible! And then it’s over in less than 4 minutes on the first Tuesday in November.

Leveraging a significant event such as Melbourne Cup is a fabulous marketing strategy for your small business, as people are already paying attention to the event.

Here are 5 keys the Melbourne Cup day is teaching us:
1. Focus on the win:
Every single horse trainer is putting in everything they can to win the prestigious Melbourne cup. They are very much focussed on winning, placing second or third is not an option.
In business it’s not always easy to stay focussed and motivated when things get tough. But if you have a big goal, something that keeps you motivated and positive, it’s much easier to push through challenges or get up again fast after a setback.

2. Work with the best:
The horse trainer and jockey have a huge influence in how well the horse will do in the race so the owners find the best people worldwide to work with.
In your business you should do the same, work with the best, create a team of amazing people. Your mentors, employees, suppliers and customers are all part of your team conspiring for your business success.

3. Believe that you can win:
If they didn’t believe they could win the cup, why bother spending so much time, energy and money.
Business is not a race, but you must believe in your business so you put in 200% and give it a really good go. It helps to visualise your success and put solid plans in place.

4. Get fans behind you to cheer you on:
Every year I’m stunned to see how many supporters Melbourne Cup has. Pretty much the whole nation shuts down for 4 minutes to support their favourite horses.
Imagine if you had the whole nation cheering you on! It might take a while to get the whole country behind you, but at least start building a community of supporters and raving fans, a little encouragement makes everything worthwhile.

5. Marketing
Melbourne Cup is one of the most leveraged events in terms of marketing in Australia! Brands are talking about the event weeks before Cup Day, leveraging its fame and popularity.
How can you leverage big events such as these in your own business? Now is a good time to think about how you can promote your business around Christmas.

Ok, we are off to the beach, empty waves on Cup Day because everyone is watching the race.

PS: Between you and me, Franziska doesn’t like the races because she feels sorry for the horses:-).

Please send your marketing questions to [email protected] and we might answer it on the next video.