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In 2022, every person between the ages of 8 and 98 has a love-hate relationship with social media. But there’s no denying that for your motorsports racing career, having a presence on social media is a must.

As a racer, you’re at your best when you’re on the track or in the shop, not spending tons of time creating content and replying to comments. So this post will take you back to the social media basics.

Figuring out which social media platforms you should be on, how and what to post on each, and why engagement really matters are your first big steps into harnessing the power of the internet for your team’s success.

Why is Social Media Important to Racers?

Reach more people (building a fan base, promoting sponsors)

While quality is important, so is quantity. Your career is founded on a whole host of folks supporting your skill and events, both fans and sponsors. More than 4.6 billion people around the world have a social media account. While they all won’t be following you, obviously, there’s a lot of fish in the sea to connect with that you’d struggle to make connections with outside of the Internet.

From the sponsorship side, the more qualified buyers that are following you, the better for them (and the better for you). Social media increases their reach via you to larger and more targeted audience than print ads or non-Internet word of mouth could do.

Reach better people (niching, stats on people on social media)

Speaking of quality, though, we know that True Fans are what we’re after in the long-run, not fair-weather fans. Your social media offers the opportunity to find exactly the kind of people who are “your people”. You’re not bound by location, so with the right branding you can collect a group of followers and fans that are deeply connected to you. Your social medias offers stats and insights to help you understand and speak to your audience in highly tailored ways — something sponsors are interested in.

Build a reputation and connections that can turn into sponsorships

Social media isn’t a broadcast network—it’s a relationship network. You have the ability to connect personally with sponsors, fans, and others you’d never get the chance to bond with. The relationships you form online, and the reputation you craft, can demonstrate how great an investment you are to sponsors. Plus, connecting with other people who are passionate about what you’re passionate about is what relationships are all about, right? Let’s make social media social again.

Content Creation and Posting Basics

What platform should I be on?

There are a ton of social media platforms out there these days, but here are the 5 I recommend looking into: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok. Depending on the demographics you’re interested in reaching, the kind of content you most like to create, and the sponsors you’re looking to book, you’ll be on your own unique combination of platforms. I suggest choosing 2-3 platforms to build branded reputations on. And don’t think too hard about this — if you like spending time on a particular platform, your ideal fans and sponsors are probably invested in it, too.

Kinds of content for each platform.

Each platform prefers different kinds of content. Creating—and recreating—content to promote on each platform is essential to building your brand on social media. Content needs to exist for you to share, for people to follow and engage with, and for you to engage back, which is the beginning of the relationships you’re looking for. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of content you need to produce for your 2-3 platforms, don’t worry. I’ve already written a simple guide on how to repost your social media content like a pro.

Engagement 101 for Racers

The point of engagement on social media is to build deeper connections with your loyal fans. And while doing so, you are gaining points with the platform’s algorithms and being rewarded for keeping users interested in your content.

Engagement is the golden ticket to the sponsorships of your dreams. High engagement reveals a high level of trust from a bought-in population who will take your sponsorship suggestions seriously. Building that level of engagement takes some time. Here’s where to focus.

Know: post often and consistently
- First, people have to know who you are and what you’re about. Stay present and knowable by posting often and consistently. What those two descriptors mean differs by platform, but consistently posting is a universal tip to developing strong engagement.
Like: share your real personality
- Next, people have to not just recognize you and what you’re about, but they need to like you. And you’re likable! One of the biggest mistakes I see racers make is getting way too serious about their work and forgetting to share their personalities and real life. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable, silly, and passionate on your social media, too.
Trust: be honest and vulnerable
- Finally, people have to trust you. When you reveal pieces of yourself on social media and invite your followers to do the same by chatting in the DMs or commenting on a post, you’re building trust. And trust is what seals in a fan for life and gets you one step closer to your sponsorship goals.