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In today’s world, social media can bridge the gap for many brands looking to not only connect with their audience but to grow their audience as well. The benefits of social media are truly endless, and the variety of brands it helps absolutely covers the spectrum.

Right now, I want to touch on just one of those elements and that is utilizing social media to create a buzz and awareness. So many brands – ranging from Fortune 500 companies to individuals – have so much going on, but no one knows about it. That’s where social media must come into play.

Social media can be that bridge. Social media can be leveraged to easily inform your audience of what you’re up to, causing increased credibility, awareness, fan bases, and other reactions.

A phenomenal example of utilizing social media is one of our clients; 2x World Champ, Olympic Gold Medalist, and current 65-0 wrestler, Jordan Burroughs.

Just this past weekend, I (Justin Basch), had the honor of attending his wedding in Buffalo, NY.  While Jordan gets great press coverage in the wrestling world and can easily be labeled the greatest wrestler in the world right now, he’s by no means a celebrity that has media show up at his wedding.

Be that as it may, because of Jordan’s optimized social presence, an article came out today that resulted in press coverage of this wedding, which in turn helps in part to elevate brand awareness for Jordan. Keep in mind while you might think "who cares if someone's wedding got press attention", follow this train of thought: More press = more brand awareness, more brand awareness = more potential customers, more potential customers = more end sales.

USA Today’s “FOR THE WIN” sports site did an article labeled Olympic wrestler gets married, bride wears his signature wrestling shoes down the aisle. Within this article, images taken by Jordan and wedding attendees were used and expounded on as the centerpiece of the article.

This article also demonstrates the actual benefits of and appropriate usage for a #, a question still so commonly asked. A # is meant to allow individuals to join in on a conversation. Here, everyone at the wedding was encouraged to use #BurroughsWedding on Twitter and Instagram so that anyone interested in seeing more pictures/posts/tweets/etc. from the wedding could simply click on the #BurroughsWedding. This also allowed for multiple photos to be found and used when this article on "FOR THE WIN" was put together.

Jordan is a prime example of someone who not only understands the benefits of connecting with fans on social media but also thoroughly enjoys it. While many might consider it a chore to send a dozen tweets on their wedding day, I don’t think anybody would expect anything less from Burroughs.

We’re not the only ones accrediting Jordan for “doing social media right”. Sports Illustrated recently named Jordan to the SI Top 100, a curated list of the top 100 athletes in the world recommended to follow on social media. See the full list here. While athletes aren't the only ones seeing success on social media, their sure are a number of success stories that could be written on them. Just this summer, Olympic Hurdler Lolo Jones was interviewed on ESPN’s special “BRANDED” on how she leveraged her social media fan base to get her sponsorship deals. Check that out as well here.

Whether you're new to the social hemisphere, just can't get it right, or looking to drastically improve your social media presence, Basch Solutions has a social team standing by to help you elevate your social media presence and connect with your audience better!