Between 2008 and 2018, small-scale brewers went from producing 8.5 million barrels of beer a year to 26 million barrels a year, thanks to the growing love for craft beer among Americans. While the market is big enough to accommodate more brewers, standing out from the crowd of existing brewers can be a challenge.

The first step toward making your brand stand out is identifying who your customers are and where to find them.

The most significant chunk of craft brew consumers are millennials, and there is no better place to reach them than social media. If you consider social media as a medium for boosting your craft beer brand, this guide offers tips on getting the most out of it.

1. Take and Share Quality Photos

Pictures are arguably the most engaging content on social media. But everyone else is doing it, which makes standing out tricky.

An excellent way to give your photos an added edge is by being intentional with the quality of the photos you share. Quality photos create more engagement and are better at attracting attention.

While today’s phones can take some pretty impressive photos, they do not allow for the quality and the creativity you would achieve with a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, so you may want to invest in one.

Even though your quality photos may do well on all social media platforms, you will probably get more engagement on a picture-oriented site, such as Instagram. But if you are new to Instagram marketing, you may want to look at this beginner’s guide on running an Instagram account for your brewery to help you get things right.

2. Video Content Works Great

Video content is becoming increasingly popular, and the audience is consuming more video content now than ever before.

Like pictures, videos are excellent at capturing the audience’s attention. However, the results will depend on how creative you are at capturing the moments that matter.

For example, you may want to capture happy patron moments, service, or random happenings at your brewery. However, you may need to invest in high-quality camera equipment to create quality videos.

Many tools on the internet can help make your videos look professional even when you may not have the best editing skills. But you may consider hiring a professional videographer if you want to get the best.

3. Tell Your Story

Every business has a story, even the very new one. Your business story can start as far as you think are relevant.

For example, if you come from a family with a history of beer making, you may want to start there. Similarly, if you had previously worked at a brewery, that would be a great place to start.

The aim of telling your story is to capture attention. People love a good story and will be more inclined to like a brand because of its story. But the story has to be authentic. One way of making your story believable is accompanying it with pictures or videos that back it up.

When telling your story, use the language and words your target audience uses, which can help create impressions of belonging to the community you intend to reach.

4. Share Behind the Scenes Glimpses

Sharing quality photos and video content of the happy moments is great. But you can go a step further to give your audience behind the scene glimpses that can help personify your brand. Also, sharing behind the scene glimpses allows your audience to see what happens through the beer creation process, which can help boost their confidence in your brand.

When creating behind-the-scenes content such as pictures and videos, you may want to capture your employee’s quirky moments, interactions, and everyday activities such as transferring the stout to a barrel or adding hops to an upcoming batch. You may also want to showcase the skills of your employees, which can also help boost consumer confidence.

5. Engage Your Audience

Boosting your brand via social media is not a one-time event. You have to do it regularly, which means creating new content now and then. But creating content and posting is not the end.

You have to engage the people that leave comments or ask questions about your brand. A simple thank you to a nice comment makes a big difference in your audience’s perception of your business.

But you do not always get nice comments. Even after doing your best to make customer experiences great, there is always that person that will not be impressed, and they may express it in their comments.

You must be prepared to handle such comments with grace and offer to resolve their grievances. Keeping calm in such situations can be a great way of winning over the support of the rest of your audience.

6. Hire a Social Media Manager

With so much happening in a brewery every day, it is easy to have your social media brand awareness efforts taking a back seat, and you do not want that to happen. If this feels like a challenge you are experiencing, you may want to hire a social media manager.

If you are a startup, the idea of hiring a social media manager could be the last of your priorities, considering the cost. But you do not need to hire an in-house social media manager. Instead, you can outsource your social media management. An excellent place to get a social media manager would be freelance platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork.

When working with freelancers, you only pay for work done at a pre-agreed upon rate. Also, you stand a chance of working with exceptional talent with years of experience in social media brand awareness.

7. Create a Calendar

Craft beer lovers want to know what you offer on any specific day. So you may want to create a social media calendar for that. Besides keeping your audience updated on your offerings, a calendar can help you stay on your toes to ensure you deliver what you promise.

However, do not be afraid to make some changes. But it is essential to stick to your calendar most of the time if you hope to win customer confidence.