Do you ever think about what you think about on social media? Scrolling through Instagram and TikTok are pretty much second nature to us at this point, but your thoughts are still processing — even if you’re not aware of it. The same is true when we show up to share on social media, especially as the small business owners we racers are. In this post, we’re talking about the mindset mistakes you might be making on social media and how they’re impacting your growth and success on social media.

If your focus is all on you and your follower count and your post likes, your vanity and ego could be what’s holding you back. Shifting your focus to providing valuable content to people who you really care about will take you from just another content creator to a true asset in their feed that they look forward to hearing from.

Mistake 1: Quantity Over Quality

I know, I really do — seeing that follower count go up is a great feeling. But I’ve learned the hard way that getting more followers that aren’t really qualified to invest in you and what you’re selling (exposure for your sponsorships) is pretty worthless. In fact, having too many followers that aren’t invested (and therefore aren’t engaging) will hurt your engagement rate in the long run, and you will be less appealing to potential sponsors. It’s better to focus on fewer, high-quality followers that are in your target market than just roping in the masses of ghost or spam accounts.

Mistake 2: Inconsistent Posting on Social Media

We’ve all done it: We don’t post for a week, then we get obsessed and post every day for like 10 days, and then burn out or run out of content and go AWOL for another few weeks.

No more! Focus on consistency, it’s your best friend to organic growth and reach on social media. Aim for 4-5 days a week of content, or whatever feels actually manageable for you and your life. Showing up consistently with pretty good or even mediocre content will always beat the one perfect post you spent way too much time on. Perfectionism will keep you from being authentic, and we don’t want that either.

Mistake 3: Not Really Using Your Brand

Which is your downfall: Caring waaaay too much about your grid, or having zero connection from post to post? I see it all the time on Instagram, where either there’s an obsession with the grid color scheme or it’s like there was never branding discussions at all.

Hear me out: Branding is really important; it’s what sets you apart from your competition off the race track. Consistency across your visual elements is great for building trust and appearing professional, but focusing too much on a perfect grid could keep you feeling stuck if you don’t have “just the right” picture to share. 

Are there certain colors you always pick from that match your car (besides black)? What style of branding does your sponsor use? A brand can be as simple as a few colors, fonts, and photo filters, so start there and be more intentional with designing your visuals when you’re posting onto your feed and stories. Once you narrow down your look, get some t-shirts and hats made with designs that fit your brand so your fans can be brand ambassadors for you!

Mistake 4: Post and Ghost

Don’t be a lurker! Social media really is all about building relationships. Showing up just to post and then leave the app without responding to comments, viewing and engaging in stories, or nurturing niche hashtags is a red flag for the algorithm. Keep the energy up in your comments and your DMs, and even go ahead and make the first move towards new followers who could be in your target market. Engagement and building relationships is the key to social media success!

Mistake 5: Never Taking a Break from Social Media

Don’t get me wrong, social media is fun. But man, if we haven’t all felt the effects of spending too much time on these platforms. Comparison, jealousy, headaches, hustle, workaholism, and so much more bleed into our hearts and minds if we don’t delete the apps every so often. If you’re not taking a scheduled break from social media every once in a while, typically during the off season for holidays – not in the middle of the racing season, you’re probably burned out and this is the reason why you don’t post consistently in the first place. Trust me: rest is helpful for resetting social media growth and creativity.

If you made it here in this article, you would love this FREE live workshop I have coming up! Hang out with me on July 26 or 27 (or both!) for an even deeper dive on using social media as an incredible marketing tool for your racing. Register now to save your seat and show up live because there will be no free replay. See you there!