Keeping tabs on social media can be difficult for even the best social media managers.
”Consumer habits and technologies are constantly changing,” said Pascal Fritz of Block 15 Brewing. “It’s a constant experiment to see what works and what doesn’t.
”We constantly stay on top of our engagement insights and adjust our storytelling based on those learnings.”
Although it’s extremely difficult and challenging to stay on top of social media trends, it can also be very fun and rewarding to try new ideas and see successes as well as learning from things that flopped, added MadTree‘s Trevor Self.
”Timing is incredibly key when getting in on a trend,” he said, noting that there are some platforms out there to help you know optimal times to push content out and get it in front of as much of your audience as possible.”
Societe Brewing Media Coordinator Megan Stone said it doesn’t have to be that difficult if you’re paying attention and quickly making plans to integrate your brand into new trends and platforms.
“Appropriate hashtags, geotags, and timing are all key elements to visibility,” she said. Stone will experiment and get familiar with any new platforms by making a personal account before she translates those techniques to work for the business.
“That way we can come out of the gate with a running start,” she said. “I also try to remain authentic and relatable when speaking as the voice for the brand. I believe that people feel more connected and appreciate the authenticity.
“We don’t try to come off as flashy or exclusive.”
So what is working for these breweries?
Curtain Jerker
Jack’s Abby has really been pulling the curtain further and further back explained Rob Day, Senior Director of Marketing.
“COVID forced us into the unpolished, unsure environment where we just had to do something,” he said. “It wasn’t always pretty, but it was always real. This broke down some barriers and saw some great interaction. So we did more of it.
“We’re showing people how we set up a photo along with the pretty final image. We’re doing rough quick videos to speak to people often rather than making one or two polished videos a year. We’re highlighting our staff and all the awesomely weird stuff we do. I think this is the heart of a good strategy and might be “outside the box” to some.”
Data collection
Self would highly recommend using a platform like Sprout Social or Agorapulse.
”Also using the analytics either from the platforms or from Instagram, Facebook, and Google to see how well your post did,” he said. “We have metrics that we check in on every month to see how “healthy” our messaging is and if it is resonating with our followers and consumers.
”Look for common themes or content that does well at a high level and keep that as part of your core messaging, but also don’t be afraid to try new things.”
Moving pictures
Misty Vandergriend, the Marketing Manager for Empyrean Brewing, said the Nebraska brewery is working on a strategic plan to incorporate more video.
“People like to see movement on social media and we are working to increase that,” she said. “We have also noticed that our followers love to see photos of our people in them as well as behind-the-scenes content.”
Use Your Audience
One of the things Self said he realized is the amount of consumer research you can collect with your social media platforms.
“Doing a variety pack? Poll your followers on what they want to see in it,” he suggested. “Coming out with new swag? Do a “this” or “that” vote for what your target demographic actually wants to buy or use asking which of the two items they would prefer.”
MadTree has also seen a lot of success with open-ended questions on stories.
“One time we asked everyone to share a story or say congratulations to a beloved bartender that had his work anniversary,” Self said. “We did the same thing for our 8th anniversary asking folks to tell us their favorite memory at our brewery and the responses were fantastic as well as encouraging to hear all their stories while being able to share them and thank them. It makes the interaction feel more personable.”
Also, creating any content that compels someone that sees it to save it or send it to someone else like a fun, easy cocktail recipe using one of your beers, can be great content generators.
Photo courtesy MadTree Brewing
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