Sometimes social media is more about a connection made with the right consumer, than the amount of hype a hashtag gets on Twitter. This is exactly how I feel about DSW and their use of social media. As an avid shoe lover and DSW rewards member, the brand continuously delivers relevant and interesting information to me through Twitter and Facebook.
There are four main things that DSW is doing right when it comes to social media and connecting with people like me.
The “SHU LUV”Never Stops
DSW continuously uses social media to connect with their consumers and social media followers. DSW tweets and posts on Facebook between 2-5 times a day, just enough to have a presence on their followers’ news feeds. Though they post a lot and sometimes retweet, it isn’t too much and I’ve never once considered unfollowing them.
How active a brand is on social media directly correlates to the presence of the brand in the mind of the consumer. In my opinion, not enough activity makes social media a waste of time and too much can negatively affect the brand. Finding the middle ground for an individual brand is tricky and DSW has got it down.
Relevant
They may not have any catchy hashtags or huge Twitter/Facebook campaigns, but they do make sure that all of their content is relevant and interesting for the needs and wants of their customers. They tweet links to newly added shoes and advertise when sales are happening. They Facebook pictures from their corporate headquarters and upload pictures of real people wearing their shoes in their everyday lives.
Most importantly, they don’t try to make their brand more than it is, they simply show their customers what they have to offer and what kind of good deal they can provide.
Relatable
People who shop at DSW are shoe lovers who are looking for a good deal on designer shoes. That being said, their customers are looking for a company that delivers high end shoes at a low price. In addition, they are looking for a brand that they can relate to, a shoe company with expensive taste but a down to earth personality. Not only does DSW offer low prices on good shoes, but they also have friendly employees and an open corporate culture.
Most of the photos they upload of new or seasonal shoes are taken at their corporate headquarters and many of them are modeled by corporate employees. They also take the time to upload and tweet pictures of employees wearing stylish outfits and shoes sold in their stores. To me, this shows that they really are the fun and friendly brand that they try to portray to their customers.
In addition, I personally enjoy the pictures they upload that show of their corporate culture because DSW is a place that I would LOVE to work. Every time they upload a photo of a holiday party they have at corporate headquarters or they upload a photo of an employee wearing cute shoes at work, it makes makes me want to work at DSW corporate. Not only do I continue to purchase shoes from DSW, but I also want to be a part of the DSW brand myself.
FUN
Understanding that their main consumer is female, DSW does a great job of making their social media fun and female friendly. They have free shoe flash contests on both Twitter and Facebook which help them engage their customers and show off the fun side of their brand. Every girl loves free shoes and DSW gives their followers plenty of opportunity to try and win some!
Overall, DSW uses social media to show off their fun and friendly brand in order to engage their customers and keep their brand image consistent.
colleenkehoe 
I really liked your points about a company being relevant. Often we see businesses that tweet to get people’s attention but it has nothing to do with the brand. A local business that does this is, Sobleman’s, who is constantly getting people to answer questions but it has nothing to do with the restaurant and what they serve.