Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/360137
SNOWMOBILE Company's founders asked to sit on multi-business panel BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR When Wendy and Travis Gavinski of Divas SnowGear were invited to be panelists at a Facebook Fit educational workshop in Chi- cago, the husband-and-wife duo knew the event would be a great marketing and network- ing opportunity for their business. But when they accepted the invitation, they did so with a different goal in mind — sharing the workshop with a few of their retail partners. "First and foremost it was something that we felt that was obviously good for our business, but more important, good for our partners. We've been trying to figure how we can tie in what we've been doing with the advisory council with some of our partners," Travis Gavinski said. As members of Facebook's Small to Medium Business Council, the Gavinskis were asked to participate in the event to share their experi- ence with marketing on Facebook. The July 10 Facebook Fit event in Chicago, the third of five nationwide Fit workshops, included nearly identical morning and after- noon sessions designed to help small busi- nesses learn about Facebook's advertising opportunities, along with services offered by sponsors Square, LegalZoom and QuickBooks. More than 800 people combined attended the event at a cost of $25 per person. "I think it was extremely cost efficient, and I think it was also a very good session to attend for anyone who uses or wants to use social media as part of the business," Gavinski said. Knowing the agenda included sessions on online sales, in-store sales, getting started on Facebook and more, the Divas staff was excited to share the event. Divas invited Wendi and Whitney Fogelson of Up North Sports in Bemidji, Minn.; Michael Lutes of GearUp2Go. com in Appleton, Wis.; and Mark Browning of FirstPlaceParts.com in Aberdeen, S.D., to join its staff at the event. "Ultimately we felt that this would be a good avenue to help them with their social media presence but also with the rest of their business with the other partners there," Gavinski said. Whitney Fogelson said she learned about using Facebook to better engage with power- sports customers and about using Square to complete transactions at tradeshows. "The event overall was really nice — espe- cially for those who didn't have to travel very far," she said. "It was clean, inviting, endless snacks and terrific speakers. It was also fun to hear from other business owners around the region and what they've struggled with and things they've accomplished." Fogelson also learned from conversations with Wendy and Travis Gavinski throughout the day, and from the panel the two were a part of, along with representatives from Morgan Miller Plumbing in Grandview, Mo.; The Silver Fox in Streator, Ill.; and Lou Malnati's pizza, with multiple locations in the Chicago area. Though Gavinski was at the event primarily to share the educational opportunity with the three retailers Divas invited and to be part of the panel, he and Wendy also learned much from the sessions they attended. They learned about the services LegalZoom offers and learned about Facebook's "lookalike audience" targeting, which helps companies market to customers who have similar demographics as the company's current audience. "We gained a better understanding of some tools that are available on Facebook because we're very familiar with Facebook, but we're by no means experts, and they're always adding and updating things," Gavinski said. Divas also benefitted from exposing the 800 attendees to its brand, networking with fellow business owners and interacting with media in attendance. The Gavinskis also had the oppor- tunity to meet Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who addressed the crowd at the start of the afternoon session. Gavinski said that although Divas is based out of southern Wisconsin, Emanuel still showed interest in the company and remarked on the uniqueness of marketing snowmobile gear to women. "That was neat. It was definitely interesting, and I think it added an interesting component to the event itself," Gavinski said. "To hear him speak and to hear him deliver actionable items to help businesses grow and make things easier for them was obviously reassuring that he is pro small business in the Chicagoland area." Divas is now waiting for its next Small to Medium Business Council meeting and is working to find ways to use its presence on the council to the benefit of its dealer partners. "If we can help other businesses grow via social media, we want to do that," Gavinski said, "because it's something that we truly believe in." PSB Divas invites retailers to Facebook Fit event 34 • August 11, 2014 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com "Ultimately we felt that this would be a good avenue to help them with their social media pressence but also with the rest of their business with the other partners there." Travis Gavinski, Divas SnowGear The official start of winter this year is Sept. 6-7 in North Branch, Minn., at the 48th annual Sno- Barons Haydays Grass Drags. Divas SnowGear and FLY Racing will be the official men's and women's apparel sponsors. "Haydays is where we first launched our busi- ness, and it gives us a tremendous opportunity to market our brand, engage with our dealers and most importantly engage with our end consumers. We would not miss and opportunity to partner with such a prestigious event," said Travis Mayne of Divas SnowGear. Divas SnowGear and FLY Racing will provide each volunteering club member with an official custom crew tee shirt to represent the partnership between Sno-Barons, Divas SnowGear and FLY Racing. "I'm a powersports fan period. When I step back and look at this event as a fan, it has everything to get my excitement level peaked," said FLY Racing's Ron Bentzinger. "From a business standpoint, we had to be involved to engage the core fans just like myself. The Sno-Barons rolled out the red carpet for us and made the decision a no-brainer." DIVAS JOINS FLY AS HAYDAYS SPONSORS Divas SnowGear invited its staff and a few retail partners to the July 10 Facebook Fit event in Chicago. From left: Mark Browning of FirstPlaceParts.com, Travis Mayne of Divas, Travis Gavinski of Divas, Liz Keener of Powersports Business, Wendy Gavinski of Divas, Dani Rae Rury of Divas, Whitney Fogelson of Up North Sports and Wendi Fogelson of Up North Sports. Not pictured is Michael Lutes of GearUp2Go.com. (Top) Wendy and Travis Gavinski of Divas SnowGear were invited to participate in a five-member panel at the Facebook Fit event in Chicago. (Right) Dan Levy, director of Small Business for Facebook, talks about Divas Snow- Gear and the success the aftermarket company has found with Facebook marketing. (Above right) Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a surprise appearance at the Facebook Fit event in Chicago, taking a few minutes to speak to the attendees of the afternoon session.