Social media marketing creates buzz around your brand. Beer creates a buzz of a different sort. Together, they make consumers tipsy with digital delight.
Both communicative catalysts, social media and beer are creating new precedents online by way of creativity and connection. Although the beer industry has struggled with appropriate marketing on social media platforms known for younger demographics, networks are using age restriction features to address those issues.
Social media is beneficial in marketing alcohol because it allows for interactive elements in a way many traditional ads do not. Consumers can share their pictures and stories, as well as engage with brand promotions and questions. Of course, social media is also an effective form of customer service.
Facebook is the top social network for many in the beer industry, with brands such as Heineken and Budweiser leading the way. Yet Blue Moon Brewing Company is slowly inching up the list – it’s currently ninth in the Top 10 Beer Brands on Social Media, as well as in the L2 Digital IQ Index Beer Study.
We chose to focus on Blue Moon Brewing Company’s social media marketing because, like most of us, they have the opportunity to increase optimization efforts and rise to the top. By focusing on what they’re doing right – as well as where they have room for improvement – we hope to inspire other brands to amp up social media marketing as well.
Blue Moon currently features Facebook and YouTube social sharing buttons on the website, but their YouTube channel is not as well optimized as Facebook. They are especially successful in highlighting user submissions on Facebook – they often share photos of consumers enjoying Blue Moon. This encourages others to do the same, increasing their site engagement and fan enjoyment. The following examines the creative content posted on Blue Moon’s Facebook page, as categorized by social media marketing best practices.
Blue Moon Brewing Company illustrates a few of our 13 Basic Rules of Social Media Marketing with their Facebook posts below:
Interact with your audience. Asking questions signals interest and initiates conversations. Other interactive content, like fill-in-the-blanks or “caption this,” demonstrates the worth of your fans. You aren’t just asking for “likes,” but for opinions, thoughts or ideas.
Offer value. Everyone loves food and (almost) everyone loves beer. Why not put them together? By highlighting innovative ways to cook with their beer, Blue Moon is appealing to a larger target audience. These indirect product promotions increase sales as well as offers value to users by way of sweet inspiration.
Target content based on network & audience demographics. With an average user age of 30, Facebook is an excellent network in which to market beer. Their content and ad targeting options also increase effectiveness. Blue Moon shows possible targeting opportunities below with their post about the brewing company’s home state of Colorado and support of the Rockies.
Be timely & build on the buzz. Blue Moon may not typically be associated with the tequila-focused holiday that is “Cinco De Mayo,” but that didn’t stop them from celebrating. They encouraged fans to join in with their visual post, illustrating different ways and places to enjoy their beer. Lesson of the day: discover a way to insert your brand in to the popular conversation or trending topic, and do so with confidence.
Blue Moon Brewing Company has a creative, interactive presence on Facebook. However, they also have room for improvement in other social spectrums, including video optimization on their YouTube channel. They stand to increase their social media marketing success with Twitter growth and Pinterest optimization – their Blue Moon cupcake recipe is already making waves as a recipe pin (it just isn’t attached to the site yet!).
Social media marketing can be a powerful tool when it comes to increasing brand visibility and engagement. Even those who have faced setbacks – such as age restrictions in the alcohol industry – have found ways to overcome and thrive online. Wondering how you can do the same? Contact us today for a social media optimization solutions.
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