Meet Abbie Swindell: Social Media Marketing Awards 2019 Winner

We’re always looking for an excuse to highlight incredible people in the industry, and when’s a better time than on the run up to the Social Media Marketing Awards, where we celebrate the very best of the best? To kick off the launch of the 2021 awards, we’re interviewing Abbie Swindell, the 23-year-old Head of Social Publishing at Electric House. In 2019, Abbie came away from the SMMAs having won both Young Social Media Marketer of the Year and Social Media Rising Star. 

We asked her how winning 2 awards at the SMMAs in 2019 affected her career, what her experience of 2020 has been like and her advice to other young marketers thinking of entering the awards this year. By the way, nominations and entries for the Social Media Marketing Awards 2021 are now open!

Hey Abbie! First off, could you tell our readers a little bit about you and your journey on the run up to the awards?

My name is Abbie Swindell, I’m 23 years old and I’m currently the Head of Social Publishing at Electric House. In 2019 I won Young Social Media Marketer of the Year and the Social Media Rising Star Award. I have been in the industry for around 4 and half years now and can honestly say I fell into it completely by chance, but regardless, social media very quickly became my biggest passion. I would never have imagined after starting my journey in 2016 as a digital marketing apprentice, that I would now be managing a team of incredibly talented social media marketers and working with some of the most successful online communities.

For someone so young and early on in your career, how did it feel to come away winning 2 awards in one night?

I was so shocked! The night as a whole was just one of the best nights of my life, I felt so proud and like all of the hard work I had put in over the few years I had been in the industry was made worth it. We shared it across the Electric House channels and I even made it into the local paper which my bosses got multiple copies of, my mom even has one framed in her living room haha!

How did winning the awards affect your career?

Growing my team and the communities at Electric House is still a strong focus for me, so if anything it has given me the confidence to really push myself. I’ve been involved in a few panels and podcasts during lockdown as well which were really enjoyable. I love to be able to share the knowledge I have and reach young people who may be struggling with their career paths, to show them that you don’t need to have your life set out at 18 to achieve big things.

What moment in your career are you most proud of to date?

There are multiple things that I am proud of, but winning the awards tops it all. It really was one of those moments of disbelief, and seeing how proud everyone was around me too was just so lovely. My mom even organised a surprise party on her birthday to celebrate me winning, which just goes to show how much it meant to me and everyone who supports me.

2020 has obviously been a year like no other and presented so many new challenges. What do you think the biggest change or challenge has been for you professionally during this time?

Being out of the office and spending most of my life on Google Meets. I miss human interaction and as a business we thrive off face to face meetings and being able to talk to one another over a desk. We’ve done extremely well with communication given the circumstances, but more than anything I miss my team! We only moved in to our new offices at the start of 2020 so we only had a short period of time to really enjoy the new space. It’s been that long now and Electric House has grown so much, we’ve run out of desks!

As someone at the forefront of your industry, are there any social media platforms or trends that you think social media marketers should be keeping an eye on in 2021?

TikTok is always one to keep your eye on, and one I will always tell people to get on and test. There's no doubt that they have big plans for this year, and it’s amazing to see them pushing their ‘Learn on TikTok’ initiative even further. Being able to connect with the younger generation during the current pandemic and add any form of educational value is a credit to the platform.

And finally, back to the awards - As a young social media marketer, what would your advice be to other young people in the industry who are thinking of entering the awards?

Don’t let the fact that you are young hold you back. It can be quite daunting as a young person stepping into a digital space. However, the most important thing you can do is own your achievements, praise your own wins, and realise that every day you’re getting better. Being young doesn’t mean you’re any less capable of achieving big things, so go for the award!

If Abbie’s story has inspired you as much as it has us, head to the Social Media Marketing Awards site now and give yourself or your team a well-deserved shot at winning a trophy of your own.

Entries and nominations are now open for the 2021 SMMAs.