Bubba Watson was a social media guru long before he was a Master’s champion.

The only reason he’s on social media is because of his manager’s suggestion to try it out. He tried it out alright, and now has over half a million Twitter followers, nearly 67,000 Facebook likes, well over 1.1 million YouTube views on his channel and who knows how many subscribers to his email list.

How has he done it? Much like his golf game, it appears he’s avoided over-thinking it and has simply done what nearly every company on earth is trying to figure out how to do correctly – he’s been authentic and focused on sharing and generating content for his fans, not for himself.

5 Lessons Social Media Lessons From Bubba Watson

1. Be Authentic
Bubba’s most famous YouTube clip is “Golf Boys,” where he and three other PGA pros sing a silly song, wearing silly clothes in the hope of raising money for charity. That one clip put him on a lot of people’s map, but almost all of Bubba’s videos are simply Bubba being Bubba. It helps that he’s a character, yes – but it’s his authenticity that makes him stick.

2. Produce Content For Your Audience
Most marketers are accustomed to producing content to promote and sell products and services. Social media, however, will chew you up and spit you out for such an act. Bubba’s entire social media presence is about two things – giving his fans what they want to see (value) and raising money for charity (authenticity).

3. Be Honest
Bubba is a rich white male from the South who plays golf for a living. Bubba’s prized possession happens to be a car with a Confederate Flag painted on the top of it. Did I mention he goes by “Bubba”? In almost any other world, that combination would be a PR person’s worst nightmare. But Bubba loves him some Dukes of Hazard and has always dreamed of owning the car most associated with the television show. Now he does, he’s proud of it and is going to show it off to the world. Have you heard even one suggestion that Bubba Watson is even remotely racially insensitive because of this? Nope, you haven’t. Why? Because Bubba is honest about who he is, what he loves and why he loves it. He’s never given anyone reason to doubt his honesty. So why would anyone doubt him now?

4. Multimedia Is Multidimensional
Nothing gets clicks like video. It can be poorly produced and filmed on an iPhone or professional done in a studio – video gets attention. Nobody does video like Bubba Watson. His YouTube channel is a network in and of itself and probably gets more valuable consumer attention than the Golf Channel. And because it’s video, it shows up everywhere – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Reddit and yes even good old fashioned television. Do you think ESPN is more likely to show a blog Bubba wrote about hitting a duck hook or a video on the same topic? Exactly.

5. Be Consistent
Once Bubba Watson got going on social media, he never stopped. He’s had ups and downs in his career as a golfer, but he’s been consistent in his social media efforts. His fans can count on him to always give them some insight into who he is and what he’s doing – whether he just won the Masters or not.

About The Author: Robert J. Munson is a marketing and public relations strategist based in Baton Rouge, LA. His firm, RobertJMunson, specializes in modern marketing strategies including social media marketing, content marketing and corporate social strategy. Follow Robert J Munson on Twitter.