Kelly Slater is one man who is using his social media correctly. Photo: Instagram/Kelly Slater
Professional surfers are more than athletes with the best jobs in the world. They’re also brands. And brands have to learn how to use social media to reach their fans and supporters. There are plenty of examples of how to get it wrong: not interacting enough, being boring, or being offensive. So if we’re going to study anyone, it’s probably better to follow the examples of those who are getting it right. Here are five surfers who are definitely doing just that.
1. Julian Wilson
Surfers get to travel to the most exotic destinations for their jobs. Bali, the Maldives, and sometimes even Hawaii are places their fans and followers only dream of visiting. Surfers who are savvy with social media know this and make it a point to share their travels with the networks. Julian Wilson is one of them. He recently posted this shot to his Instagram account of his time in Indonesia.
2. Sally Fitzgibbons
Life’s not all about surfing, is it? Even if it were, you can’t do it all the time. Sally Fitzgibbons’ Twitter feed is full of shots from her everyday life, including this one of her hiking. Surfers who share that off time with their fans and followers invite them into personal life. Fans starts to see their favorite surf athletes as more than just a name in a contest or a picture in a magazine–they start to see them as human beings.
3. Kelly Slater
Kelly Slater is a hugely popular surfer in traditional media and social media. He has almost a million followers on Instagram alone. Part of the reason he’s so popular is that he puts a lot of effort into his posts. While most of us just add a line or two to each post, he is practically writing a book about what’s going on. Check out this Instagram post above where he not only posts a picture with Gabriel Medina, but writes a lovely congratulatory note to him.
4. Stephanie Gilmore
One of the biggest complaints about social media is that it seems like it’s just a bunch of people talking about themselves. While it can be like that, it can also be a bunch of people sharing their lives, spreading movements, and helping each other. Surfers who understand social media also understand that their following gives them a platform to help others get their message out in the world. Take Stephanie Gilmore’s retweet of a follower’s missing dog poster, for example: she has 81,000 followers who saw that tweet and helped get this rescue dog back home.
5. John John Florence
If we’re honest about why most people follow professional surfers on social media, it’s because they want to see big waves and talk shop. Those who are smart about social media know this, and they make sure to post images of themselves in action. They also use their platform to talk about their competitions, sponsorship, and surf culture in general. John John Florence uses his Facebook page to show pictures of his competitions and encourage fans to watch the footage.
It’s all pretty simple. If you want to follow the examples of the surfers who get social media right, you just have to real about who you are, share your world, and remember to use your platform to help others.
