FIVE MINUTES WITH Megan Erber Educator, S & S Activewear Unapologetically Herself Megan Erber, outside sales rep with supplier S & S Activewear, is a known social media personality in the industry. Her posts on TikTok and other platforms feature promo mixed in with everyday humor, and with an overall message that it’s OK to be yourself. by Danielle Renda When you watch Megan Erber’s TikTok videos, it’s easy to understand why she was named to the No. 3 spot on Dale Denham’s #Online18 for 2022. She’s silly, she’s quirky and most of all, she’s relatable. Erber, an outside sales rep and self-proclaimed educator for Bolingbrook, Illinois, supplier S & S Activewear, uses the social media app as a tool to excite viewers about promotional products, but she also peppers her feed with content from her everyday life. In addition to her role in promo, Erber is a Navy veteran, a Jiu Jitsu fighter and a mom of seven, and her non-promo posts on TikTok (@ MegErber) and other social channels feature silly tidbits on everything from the everyday chaos of kids to snippets of yoga classes and PromoCares initiatives and even a few moments of vulnerability. “If you’re not yourself, people can tell,” she says. PPB spoke with Erber to learn about her experience and insights on social media, especially the fast-growing TikTok. PPB When it comes to TikTok, so many companies and individuals struggle with striking the perfect balance of marketing their brand while showcasing their own personalities in a way that’s genuine and relatable. When creating video-based content, how do you personally achieve this blend? Erber People can see through BS— they just can. So whatever social media platform you choose to use, you have to be authentic; you have to be yourself. I was always the nerdy kid and it wasn’t always accepted when I was younger, and now I can be the nerdy kid and people embrace different… I’d say with any social media platform, by being your authentic, weird self, you become human, you become relatable. I’ve been very lucky with the companies that I’ve worked for, where they’ve just allowed me to be myself. PPB Your videos feature such a variety, from promo products themselves to stats about the industries these products are promoting, to hot-button topics on promo and your own take— and let’s not forget your own funny, relatable content. What are some of the strategies you use when creating videos and how do you balance all of these components, along with text, sound, music, etc.? Erber It’s not as hard as it may seem. I literally just look for inspiration. It can come from outside the industry or inside the industry. We have an amazing marketing team at S & S Activewear here, and we send out these marketing campaigns to our 64 | JUNE 2022 | THINK
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