Social media is becoming increasingly important for companies to engage in customer marketing as more and more aspects of our lives are shared online. Traditional brewery teams may overlook social media promotion, which is understandable given its confusing nature and the lack of immediate benefits.
The Importance of Social Media for Breweries
Social media is often the first place where people learn about a brewery, so it’s crucial to provide them with a delightful experience from the very beginning. It offers a low-cost entry point and direct access to customers, acting as a friend that brings new customers to the brewery. Craft breweries rely on high-quality products and unique brand identities to stand out on social media and build their image. A coherent social media marketing strategy is essential for keeping your brewery up-to-date.
Gaining Insight into Your Customer Base
Social media is a great tool for understanding your customer base. You can gather information on social media platforms, such as:
- Their preferred type of beer
- The brands they find most appealing
- Whether they are following your marketing efforts
Social media helps answer these questions while allowing you to share your brand’s story through images, partnerships, videos, and human interactions, thereby generating more compliments and attention.
Increasing Engagement
Engagement is a valuable but elusive marketing concept. People spend an average of two hours per day on social media, making it an effective way to reach customers. Engaging with your brand on social media can include actions like likes, comments, and shares. These interactions can drive customers to visit your bar or make purchases on an e-commerce site.
Building Brand Awareness
A consistent social media presence ensures that your brand remains visible across various online platforms. In today’s virtual world, brands that lack an online presence are at a disadvantage. If your social media activity is inconsistent, it can work against you, especially when competing with other active breweries. Great Notion Brewery is an example of a brewery with a strong online presence, selling 90% of their products directly to consumers through a fun app. Creating an online aesthetic and design style can be a cost-effective alternative if developing an app or a branded game is not feasible.
Boosting E-commerce Sales
Social media can drive leads to your e-commerce platform if your brewery sells beer directly to consumers. By promoting your products on social media, you can redirect followers from these platforms to your e-commerce site, thereby increasing online sales. Great Notion Brewery showcases character illustrations on Instagram, which correspond to stories in their proprietary app.
Utilizing Limited Releases
Limited beer releases can generate excitement and increase sales. Social media is an effective tool for hyping and selling limited-edition beers. Highlighting the time sensitivity of these deals in your posts can maximize sales by appealing to customers’ desire for exclusive offers.
Influencer Collaborations
A strong presence on brewery social media positions you well for influencer marketing. Influencers can help drive sales by leveraging their established trust and audience. Partnering with smaller influencers, who have loyal followings, can be a cost-effective way to promote your brand by exchanging gifts or free beer for sharing photos and content. An influencer program can direct potential customers to your brewery.
Authenticity Matters
Your social media presence doesn’t require a large marketing budget or exceptional graphic design skills to connect with your audience. Authenticity is crucial to engage with customers who care about your brand. While some breweries produce high-quality videos and flawless graphics, their most popular content may be simple videos shot on iPhones. If unsure about making your social media presence more authentic, consider using simpler techniques with minimal post-production.
Targeted Marketing
Craft breweries frequently share relevant content on social media, aiming to sell beer to customers. Social media allows for the execution of targeted ad campaigns on a small budget, converting traffic into clicks and sales. A mature and consistent social media feed is essential for running high-quality promotional posts. Running paid ads on platforms like Facebook or Instagram can promote your beer to potential buyers and drive traffic to your e-commerce site.
Connecting with Your Community
Social media enables direct communication with your customers, free of charge. You can engage with your community by chatting with customers, conducting informal polls, creating Instagram Stories, or organizing contests to encourage customers to post and tag your beer.
Knowing Your Competitors
Social media helps you gain insights into what other craft breweries are doing. By observing their releases and social media strategies, you can run targeted advertising or develop your own social media marketing campaign. Making social media marketing an essential part of brewery operations requires dedicated professionals or collaborative efforts within your team. Investing in social media can increase brand awareness and drive sales.
If you plan to open or expand a brewery, we offer a turnkey solution for brewery equipment. Our engineers can design and manufacture brewery equipment tailored to your brewing process. We also provide complete turnkey solutions and customized options for brewery expansion.
