Making Your Brewery’s Social Media Content Work

Using just a few thousand dollars as advertising has netted some social media value for Thorn St. Brewery.

The San Diego brewery created more than a million views and plenty of clicks. The plan was based on short videos mimicking many classic macro beer ads.

“Video is a no-brainer when it comes to online presence on social channels,” said Thorn St. co-founder Dennis O’Connor. “It is engaging and Facebook gives it priority over static advertisements.

“I think the idea stemmed from having a few beers and talking about our favorite beer ads growing up. Spuds Mackenzie, Corona on the beach, Mr. Baseball, and more started to come to mind. So we ran with it! Have some fun, poke some fun, and drink some craft beer.”

O’Connor said social media can be a sneak peak into the businesses culture and family that is a craft brewery.

“People want to know what you are about, what you are doing, and why you are different,” he said. “Video is such a great format for sharing these behind the scenes moments. If a picture is worth 1,000 words. I would say video is 10 times that — as does Facebook’s EdgeRank.”

EdgeRank is the name commonly given to the algorithm that Facebook uses to determine what articles should be displayed in a user’s News Feed.

Each ad lived through a specific life cycle, gaining traction and momentum through the brewery’s followers of more than 14,000.

“Likes, comments, and shares all play a part early on when it comes to organic reach,” O’Connor said. “Then after that, we moved toward targeted spends focusing on specific demographics such as ads for engagement, reach, and different groups of craft beer drinkers.

“Once Facebook recognizes it as quality content that is like, shared, and commented on, your marketing budget goes much further from that moment on.”

When asked how the few thousand dollars helped make an impact in the market, O’Connor noted that people loved the videos and it was a nice break from other social media discussions — especially the more contentious ones.

“First and foremost, we are making beer and having fun,” he said. “A little humor goes a long way when so much of what’s online is politics, religion, and depressing acts of violence.”

If someone enjoys Thorn’s humor, beer, and style online, O’Conor theorizes why wouldn’t a potential consumer support and buy a six pack?

“I think people buy who and what they relate too,” he said.

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