Sierra Nevada Brewing, Stone Brewing, and New Belgium Brewing are among some of the most popular independent craft breweries in the United States. Besides producing amazing beers, what sets them apart from their competitors? Their ability to get the message out about their companies without using what used to be considered traditional marketing methods. And one of the most popular methods? Using social media to their advantage.
Providing the ability to reach fans and potential customers who don't live near their breweries, social media is a useful tool to make connections. But how do they acquire, and keep followers' attention and as a result build their brand recognition?
Outreach
With a social media channel like Instagram, the photos shared can make or break your channel. Instagram is all about being visual. And with the addition of Instagram Reels and Stories, this is especially true. With over 2 billion monthly users, Instagram is still a popular way for businesses to share information and find new customers.
And as exampled below by Sierra Nevada's post, sharing recipes and using moving images is an excellent way to outreach to followers and keep them engaged.
Accessibility
Another factor that goes hand-in-hand with the outreach of these apps is accessibility. Using the social media channel that potential customers will be on is imperative for getting followers to engage with your content. Each channel is different from the next one and in this instance, less is more. Start off with the channels where your fans would be and then add additional channels as time goes on and you get more comfortable.
Facebook is one channel that everyone is familiar with. There are many stories that the younger generations aren't using Facebook, but it remains popular, especially for local businesses, which many craft breweries are.
Using Facebook is still the best social media channel to post events or create advertising for important aspects of the business that are happening. And although Facebook does has a higher average age of users than other channels, there are still almost 2.5 billion monthly users there. Making it accessible to a lot of locals who might not have visited your brewery yet.
Customer Connectivity
Having some kind of connection with customers and fans is important to build interest in what's being sold. Customer connectivity also helps build a relationship between the brand and its social media followers.
Tik Tok is one place where connectivity, when done right, comes into play. With over 1 billion monthly active users, short video format, and ever-changing trends, Tik Tok is the perfect social media channel for breweries to show off new beer releases, constructions, events, or anything else taking place.
Another plus for breweries using Tik Tok - customers don't expect perfection and, in fact, love to see little mistakes and shots that are done at the moment. The most important feature needed? A good sense of humor and the ability to share what's going on in the brewery to make people want to come in and purchase beer.
One good tip for mastering Tik Tok is to be very observant and have a staff member who enjoys following the trends on the platform. The app is big on getting clicks for following the latest trend and using the current trending music. That doesn't mean everything produced needs to be 'on trend.' But especially on Tik Tok, it is important to be aware of what's going on.
What Does This Mean For Your Business?
In the ever-growing world of digital marketing, it would be inherently useful for businesses in the foodservice and brewing industries to utilize social media platforms as part of their inbound marketing strategy. It’s a simple fact of life nowadays that most individuals use some form of social media. In fact, many people do research on companies by scanning websites and social media platforms. Don't get left behind. Having consistent content posted, with personalized images of your team and behind-the-scenes aspects of your office or test kitchen, can make all the difference to a potential customer.
Ready to find out how social media, combined with a strategic Inbound plan, can help your company grow? Click below to browse our menu and find out more!
