Social Media for Craft Brewery Marketing

How do you stand out in a crowd of interesting and hip craft beer brands that are all vying for your customer’s attention? A comprehensive digital marketing strategy will put you in the best possible position. One of the elements of this is using the various social media marketing tools available. With that in mind, here’s a brief look at how social media can be used to boost your craft brewery’s standing in your social media community.

1. Increase the Size of Your Audience

As of January 2022, the number of social media users worldwide reached 4.62 billion. Social media use has grown over 10% year-over-year, giving digital marketers more opportunities to connect with their audiences.

Beyond the massive number of people using these platforms, the way they use them should be important to your craft brewery’s strategy. Roughly one in three consumers say social media is their preferred way to learn about brands and about 65% of consumers say they’ve already made purchases directly on social media.

2. Use Multiple Social Media Platforms

To run a successful social media campaign, your craft brewery needs to use more than one platform. Each has its own unique audience, so you can reach more of your target buyers when you pick several of these major social media sites for your efforts. Some of the best ones to consider are:

• Instagram— Instagram is arguably the preferred social medial platform among younger users, and it’s incredibly popular with craft breweries.
• Facebook— Facebook has more than 2 billion monthly active users, so it gives you the chance to reach the widest audience.
• Tiktok— TikTok has become increasingly popular with younger audiences, so it’s worth exploring for your social media marketing.
• Snapchat— While not as popular as some other platforms, Snapchat does offer a feature called “geofilters,” allowing automatic tagging of your brewery on posts from your location.
• YouTube— If you plan to use video marketing strategies (you should), it also makes sense to establish a presence on YouTube.
• Untappd — Untappd is an industry-specific app that many craft brewery customers use to research and rate breweries and specific beers.

3. Post Quality Photos & Video

Share high-quality photos and videos of your products and space to demonstrate that your brand is worth supporting. Fortunately, you don’t have to invest in pricey equipment to do this since most modern smartphones can accomplish this task. You will, however, need to learn a little bit about proper lighting and editing.

4. Diversify Your Content

It’s easy to get bored with a brand that repeatedly posts the same stuff, even if it’s a brewery. One suggestion is to consistently change the focus of your posts. Here are some options:

• Tell Your Brand’s Story— People want to support brands they have an emotional connection with. Some of your posts should tell your brand’s story, such as how you got started and the things you value as a company.
• Showcase Your Products — Of course, some of your content should focus on specifically on your beer. Talk about your different brews and what makes them special.
• Share Behind-the-Scene Footage— Make sure you include some content that illustrates what makes your operation tick. This might include features of your employees and posts that illustrate your actual brewing process.
• Connect to a Cause— Your beer-drinking audience cares about much more than just craft beers you sell. It will be worth your efforts to connect with a cause you and your audience cares about.
• Post Contests and Specials — People love to feel like they’re getting something special on social media sites. So use yours to run contests and post exclusive offers.
• Show People Having Fun— Social media is great for creating a “fear of missing out (FOMO)”. So, show other people having fun at your location, creating a sense of community in the space.
• Harness User-Generated Content— Posts by your brand’s own customers can be some of the most valuable because people tend to trust recommendations from their peers.

5. Use Hashtags and Mentions

Another way to attract attention to your craft brewery’s social media campaigns is to use hashtags and mentions in your posts. A hashtag is something like #drinklocal or #beerstagram, where you can join in with something trending to get your post some attention.

You can use mentions when you respond to particular followers or if you would like to tag another brand or influencer. You can also watch for mentions of your brand so that you can reply.

6. Interact With Users

Social media isn’t meant to be a one-way interaction where you post stuff, and people just take the action you want, like buying your products. It can work that way sometimes, but your followers are real people who expect to engage with the brands they support.

You still get to post things on your social media platforms. But you also want to be available to answer questions and respond to comments from followers. This will get you more engaged and loyal fans who will stick with you the longest.

7. Consider Some Sponsored Posts

If your social media marketing strategy is just getting off the ground or you are having trouble getting traction with your organic content, you can boost your efforts using sponsored posts. These posts start out as organic posts, but you pay a small fee to make them more visible to your target audience.

8. Track Your Results

Avoid the temptation to send out your posts and forget about them. You need to know what’s working on your social media platforms so you can do more of it and what’s not so you can make adjustments. Choose some key metrics, like engagement rate and click-throughs, and start tracking them. As your numbers continue to improve, it will be a confidence booster for your team.

Get Help With Social Media Marketing for Craft Breweries

At Too Darn Loud Marketing, we help your craft brewery get found and chosen by people who love the kind of products you create. Social media is a must when you’re marketing to this demographic, and our team of social media marketing gurus will help your brewery get listed and stay active on the top social media platforms.

We offer results-based digital marketing solutions, so use social media to elevate your brand’s message. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you create meaningful and lasting connections on these platforms that will foster growth and improve your overall results.