Social Media Spotlight - Abbie Swindell
Name: Abbie Swindell
Job Title: Head of Social, Electric House
Experience: I began working at Electric House (then On The Tools) after leaving Sixth Form. At the time I was ready to start my course at University but decided to take the route of an apprenticeship instead and learn on the job. Since then I have progressed within the company to the role of Head of Social, where I currently manage 11 people dealing with the largest online community for construction workers in the UK.
What do you love most about social media: I love how social is always changing, working as a publisher allows us to push the boundaries and trial new content styles in line with what's performing best on each platform.
Favourite social media platform: Currently my favourite platform is TikTok, the room for growth on the platform as a publisher is huge. We've recently hit 100,000 followers only a few months after setting up the channel. Commercially I think there is a lot of potential on the platform and the updates will only keep improving the opportunity for publishers and brands.
Top tip: Never post video content under 1 minute on Facebook.
What does your day to day work consist of?: Leading a team of social media experts to deliver the strategy for On The Tools social media channels.
What challenges do you face within your role?: There often is not enough hours in a day! Social media is an evolving field, so keeping on top of updates and testing new content styles whilst ensuring we achieve engagement can be challenging.
Are there any social media tools you use to make your job easier?: There are lots! Crowdtangle and Tubular labs are pretty good.
As there are so many changes to social media, how do you keep up to date with the latest information?: Time on the platforms on a daily basis and maintaining strong relationships with contacts - e.g. Facebook.
For someone looking to get into a social media role, where would you advise them to start?: Test and learn. Apprenticeships offer a great opportunity to gain a grounding in social media and understand what you are best at.
What's been your best social media success story to date (Can be your own or client) and why?: Winning two awards in one night at the Social Day Social Media Marketing Awards 2019!
What has been your favourite social media campaign (Big or Small) this year so far and why?: Aside from all of the great On The Tools campaigns, I think Lil Nas X reaching number 1 for Old Town Road driven by TikTok is a strong example of how social media can make a huge impact.
Finally, what would you like the future of social media to be?: I'd like more brands to embrace social media as the vital ingredient to their marketing plans. Some brands are still hesitant to get involved and this needs to change.
Want to connect with Abbie?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbie-swindell-766874127/
www.electrichouse.co.uk