As owners, we have certain belief systems and phrases we share regularly. One of mine is that most of us would not exist today if it weren’t for social media and the Internet.
While we all cringe a little to think that social media has become so significant in our success, it’s unfortunately very true.
When we were all sharing our favorite songs with our top friend Tom on MySpace about 20 years ago I don’t believe we could see the giant advantage platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, or websites like Constant Contact would have on our marketing budgets and overall success.
From its inception, Brewer Magazine has made its home on Facebook. We of course have Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn as well. But for Brewer, Facebook has been king. It’s allowed us to share our content worldwide, seven days a week for almost 10 years. It’s given us an audience that wasn’t even calculable on our level 15 years earlier.
At Abettor Brewing, aka the Test Kitchen, we also utilize Facebook and Instagram significantly. Facebook has been the stronger of the two, but I believe that’s due to our market demographic — rural America. We even have a counter over our bar purchased from Smiirl, which counts “Likes” in real time — many of our clients love watching the numbers change over a few pints.
Without these entities companies in towns such as ours would struggle to get exposure throughout multiple markets. Additionally, even with more than 11,000 Likes on Facebook our Test Kitchen brand still has local citizens that have never heard of the brand — a true head-scratcher to our staff.
Without social media, all of our brands would rely on competing for exposure on TV and radio at a premium rate. Simply posting regularly on social media is free and allows you to engage customers and reach new customers for a very low fee if not for free.
At Brewer Magazine we post twice a day seven days a week. Originally we began posting at 10 a.m. EST and 7 p.m. EST. We continually move the post periods to keep our content relevant within the algorithm.
Abettor Brewing follows the same method of posting twice a day. We alternate between daily updates of food trucks to showcasing beers and cocktails as well as a weekly schedule that is utilized by our Tourism Department, Chamber of Commerce, and local radio station — we also pay for radio exposure to reach another unique demographic.
Lastly, Brewer Magazine has utilized Constant Contact since its inception. Even though our list started small it now boasts close to 20,000 contacts. Equally, Abettor Brewing utilizes the same platform for its distribution contacts. We send out a Monday morning newsletter with available products and have started infusing content as it’s unique to our brewing community and develops a personal connection to our products.
Constant Contact is not free but its price is based on your cultivation of emails, which are still extremely valuable. However, all social media is free with paid elements. Harnessing the power of free marketing is what significantly separates your business journey from entrepreneurship 20-plus years ago.
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