Showing posts with label Gainesville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gainesville. Show all posts

Friday, May 30, 2014

Swamp Head Brewery's "got 99 problems, but good beer ain't one."



Swamp Head Brewery was founded in 2008 and prides itself on being Inherently Floridian. They started up in Gainesville, and make their love for Florida apparent in their logo, brand, and mission to be "Florida's brewery." The short bio description I used in the blog post title was found on Swamp Head Brewery’s twitter page. I love it because it's a great attention-grabber for those who have never been exposed to the brand - it shows a little attitude, helps tell their story, and includes a reason for people to follow their account. This is just one example of how I find them to be successful in using multimedia communications to reach their customers.

The three things that I really appreciate about Swamp Head Brewery are how they focus on telling their story, they work to keep fans up to date on their social media platforms, and focus their energy on the local Gainesville community. Their website not only shares their story, staff and upcoming events, but also includes ongoing promotions, tasting room selections, and photos (posted by company AND customers). They've realized that is a starting point to inform the consumer and they immediately make it known that the company can be followed on social media with one-click widgets on their homepage (see below). 

 

In terms of social media, Swamp Head creates lots of opportunity for dialogue and the tone and voice of their messaging highlights their passion for the brewery and its products. You cannot mistake having reached their company/business pages because they use the cover photo function to keep their pages consistent with their website. They often use the platforms to promote new products and share across platforms by linking to their social media accounts within posts. This makes it very easy for people to follow them on their preferred platform (or all of them).  


Swamp Head understands the importance of making sure posts show up in people’s feeds, letting people get involved in their story and communicating with them one-on-one.  They share great content like pictures and videos from the Brewery, messages about brewing beer, notifications about events (on and off premise), and local community events that they’re involved in. The 5th Annual Taste of Gainesville post below showcases their official beer sponsorship. 

Swamp Head's marketing department is obviously doing their job very, very well. Not only has the company expanded to selling merchandise like t-shirts, hats, and frisbees, but you can find their craft brews served in bars and restaurants across the state of Florida. They are doing so well for themselves in fact, that they are looking to relocate and double in size. A lot of this has to deal with Swamp Head's online presence via social media platforms, as it's consistent with their goals and brand. Their approach is interactive and entertaining,  and they understand "it takes a village" and its involvement to get their brand recognized as Florida's brewery.







Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Allow me to introduce myself...


My name is Tiffani Stephenson and I'm so happy to be here with all of you for my first semester!
A little bit about myself - I'm originally from New Jersey, moved to Orlando with my family in 2003, and graduated from University of Florida in 2012. My Bachelor's degree is in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, with a specialization in Event Management. Gainesville seems to have sucked me in and won't let go, as I still live here and work for the UF Performing Arts as Event Coordinator for the Baughman Center and Phillips Center. Currently, as Baughman Center manager, I'm actively working to re-market and re-brand our venue to UF students and the surrounding Gainesville community in an effort to increase the number of rental events held here annually. I firmly believe that with applying what I learn while pursuing this degree, we'll finally create a solid social media presence and get the exposure the Baughman Center so rightfully deserves. (To those of you in the area - come by and see us! It's the prettiest place on campus!)

My experience with social media includes running a Facebook and Twitter page while I was Resident Director for a local student housing community. They acted as participative outlets for resident retention. That was my first taste of connecting event management and social media marketing. In the last year, my dad decided to start a small baking business, and I’ve been named as his Brand Systems Consultant. As such, I’ve assisted him in developing an overall brand strategy, package design, pricing, placement, advertising campaigns and customer service messaging. I’m especially excited because I see there a few classmates who run their own businesses, and I’ll be able make strategic applications IRL.

Those of you who have added me recently, you may have noticed that my current Facebook page is pretty bare. During my last semester at UF, I decided to deactivate my personal Facebook because I was suffering from “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) syndrome. Yes, research tells me this is a real thing! It has changed drastically since the last time I logged in, but I’m anxious to dive right back in to work with all of you.
When I’m not working (or doing homework now), I practice yoga or play with the cutest puppy in my world, Tobias!

 I can’t wait to see how the summer unfolds. Cheers to a great semester and Go Gators!