Turn On Your Company’s SWAG with Social Media

By Alex Weinrauch

We’re not referring to the generic business acronym of SWAG for “Stuff We All Get.”  Forget the free giveaways; we’re focusing on SWAG that cannot be purchased and distributed, but better yet developed.  What we’re talking about is revitalizing your company with a different SWAG to become the “Justin Bieber” of your industry.  

Justin Bieber SWAG

Whether you’re a true Belieber or hater, Justin Bieber clearly knows how to captivate the mass audiences. Some may say Bieber’s success was all by chance, but Justin Bieber has proven himself to be a legend. It began with a single home video gone viral on YouTube of an innocent small town Canadian boy singing in front of the mirror. The once prepubescent shaggy haired kid seems to have catapulted into a stylish trend setting swag-meister. How did he do this? The answer is simple: Social Media.

Bieber activated his Twitter account once he noticed the power of YouTube and tweeted to inform fans about his performances. Today, he controls much of the twitterverse as anything he tweets is bound to be trending by the end of the day. JB rejuvenated the term “swag” after he simply added “#SWAG” to the end of a Tweet.  Look up the term “swaggy” on Google, and your first image will be the Biebs. Justin proves that swag goes hand-in-hand with his personal brand as he has landed himself everywhere from music to novels to the big screen.

We decided to take “SWAG” to the next level by elaborating on the standard business definition.  Get an edge on your competitors with this plan to jump into the wave of social media. Check out these easy tips to bring your company’s “SWAG” to the next level with social media using our elaboration on the  original acronym:

1) Stuff You Need:  Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram…The list goes on.  Start a social media marketing campaign– If you’re not on Twitter, Facebook, & LinkedIn, you should be. What are you waiting for? Promote your brand on these social media websites for free.

Let’s take a look at the Twitter; a twittastic outlet to make your company shine. The entire concept of this social network is to ‘follow’ others without the confusion of complex profiles and apps. Sweet and simple. Use Twitter wisely to follow your target audience by going to similar profiles and essentially “borrowing” their followers. Remember, Justin Bieber’s fame is based on the size of his…fan base!

 

2) We are One: It has been said that a company’s greatest asset is its people; take advantage of the resources you already have. Start off the campaign my sending a mass email to your employees and clients or customers with links to the new websites. This will get your company’s pages a solid amount of followers and likes to begin as each person associated with your company is bound to have his or her own network of friends and family.

Keep in mind; Bieber’s videos went vira right after his mother sent out a mass email to his family.  Also remember, your employees serve as the face of your company. Be sure to maintain screenings of your employees’ social media accounts. As stated earlier, your workers are the primary representation of your brand.

 

3) Always “ON”: You’re not actually connected until you join the conversation. The key to a healthy social media campaign is interaction. If yesterday was a “slow” day for your business, then something’s not right.  Any free moment should be spent on social media, keeping your company involved in the conversation.

Social media campaigns are complex, especially if you’re looking to add some swag.  Avoid assigning a single individual to operate your social media websites. Try to make your posts collaborative amongst multiple people to ensure that multiple interests are being reached. Beware of apps that allow you to connect all of your social media accounts by allowing you to post the same update on all of your pages. If visitors wanted to see hashtags, they would be logged into Twitter, not Facebook.

 

4) Get Swaggified: Seal the deal. It’s time to flip the switch to activate your “SWAG.”  Make sure your pages are sexy and customized with your logo, high quality pictures, and backgrounds. Keep it classy with swaggy.

Every post you make should have meaning and purpose with creative content. While posting, speak confidently in the third person about your company while being assertive, yet appealing. Your posts should be creative by incorporating links, images, and videos. Creativity will bring your company closer to being designated as the trendsetter of the industry.

 

Follow these tips, and before you know it your company will have hundreds of followers, starting trends, and having posts go viral in hours.