Competitor Group gets paid to Advertise on Social Media

This past weekend, I competed in the Rock n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon hosted by Competitor Group. Prior to the start of the race, I was emailed about “runner tracking.” Competitor Group offered all race participants the option of having their progress from start to finish posted on the social media platform of their choice. By signing up for runner tracking, family and friends can track a runner’s progress by looking at their Facebook or Twitter page.

I was easily persuaded into this offer so that my family members could know when I would be at the finish line. There was a fee of $5.00 for the updates and I had to give them permission to post on my behalf onto my Facebook profile. Each post used first person as if I was personally posting the updates and said “via Runner Tracking” and the end of the update.

Not only did Competitor Group get to advertise on thousands of social media profiles, but they got paid by each user to do so. Getting paid to advertise is always a great thing.  Competitor Group was able to keep their customers happy by offering them real time race updates in exchange for permission to advertise on their profiles. Since they used social media platforms, many people were exposed to the advertisements by simply looking at a friend or family member’s race updates. I was happy to sign up for runner tracking and didn’t mind that they advertised through my profile. I was happy to share my progress through the race and my friends and family found it very beneficial. Although I wouldn’t normally pay a company to advertise on my behalf, if they offer a nice incentive, it could change my mind.