Five Ways To… do social media for an F1 team

Head of Caterham F1’s communications, Tom Webb, gives us five hints on how to creatively master the art of social media for a Formula 1 team.

1. Be open: use social media to open the doors to your world and don’t be afraid to show behind the scenes. Formula 1 is about glamour, excitement and passion, but it is also extremely hard work, grit, sweat and determination, and social media allows you to show that side of our sport as well.

2. Be honest: the ‘Twittersphere’ will see straight through disinformation and spin, and your credibility will disappear very quickly.

3. Have a sense of humour: yes, F1 is a serious sport, a technical showcase and a platform for billions of dollars of investment to be showcased. But don’t forget that it’s also a human sport, and not taking yourself too seriously all the time is important.

The ‘Twittersphere’ will see straight through disinformation and spin, and your credibility will disappear very quickly.

4. Don’t be afraid to surprise: sometimes an opportunity arises to show something your social media audience would not expect. Perhaps posting current-season telemetry sheets is overstepping the mark somewhat, but using social media to go on a virtual tour of your garage is inclusive, entertaining and, frankly, cool for most Formula 1 fans.

5. There is a line: it’s easy to take the comments you receive online to heart, both positive and negative, but you have to remember that there is a line that cannot be crossed, no matter how much you might want to bite back at a particularly vociferous critic.

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