Whether you love it or hate it, I think we can all admit that social media is here to stay. Selfies, never-ending foodstagrams, motivational quotes, awkward personal shares, duck faces, yoga posing army figurines all around the world — you name it, and social media has it covered. But as a craft maker, what does this mean for you? You know that social media is important for small businesses, but you may be wondering, Why? How? When? Do I have to?!
For the quick answer and a few tips and tricks, keep reading below for a recent article we wrote for Distiller Magazine on this very topic. But we all know when it comes to good marketing, the more you know the better results you’ll achieve, and the less time and money you’ll waste. So if you’re ready to maximize the return on every minute you spend on Social Media check out our courses from our Craft Alcohol Marketing Bootcamp on Becoming a Social Media Rockstar (for free social media marketing) and our other course on Paid Marketing (which includes social media advertising as well as other paid marketing tactics).
All right, ready for your quick primer? Let’s jump in…
Why You Have to Be on Social Media In The First Place
Yes, you have to. As a craft maker who wants to reach consumers who will discover, enjoy and then passionately share your brand, you have to be a part of the social media game. Honestly, the earlier the better. Consumers love being taken on the behind-the-scenes journey of how a small business comes to life! And (bonus) when you are ready to sell your product, you’ll already have a base of interested consumers following along.
Already established with a great product? Perfect! Craft enthusiasts are always looking for new products and makers to support, so it’s time to make sure they know you and your story.
But really, what’s in it for you as a craft maker? Why put in the effort when you have so many other things to do?
First and foremost: awareness. Think back to when you were in high school or college and were totally crushing on a cute football player (stay with me here, men!). For weeks, it’s like you see his football number everywhere! Every bus that passes by is the #27, you ring up at the grocery store and it’s $27.27. It’s a sign!
At its best, brand awareness is almost like this. When something is top of mind for you, subtle things make you think of it, look for it and talk about it to your friends. This is precisely what you want your potential consumers doing with your brand.
Beyond awareness, social media helps you pull potential consumers along the purchase funnel until they finally try, buy, and then even share it with others. At bars, restaurants and bottle shops, your customers will ask about you when they order their next vodka soda. And that, my friend, is a win-win, because now the staff at that location also knows about you. When they’re in town, if they’ve connected to your story emotionally, they’ll remember to visit you. And then you have a captive consumer just waiting to be romanced and locked into happily-ever-after with you.
While some of you may already be sold on these benefits and are social media rock stars, many of you are either avoiding it entirely or struggling to be successful with social media. And it is true: If you’re not careful, social media can turn into a time suck with little to no value. Taking the photos, editing the photos, choosing what to say about the photo and when to post it, researching hashtags, tagging other people in your posts, actually remembering to post it. Yeah, it can get overwhelming fast.
And how do you even know to do all of those things in the first place? You got into this to make amazing craft alcohol, not to be a marketer! I get it, and I imagine that for some of you just reading this far has begun to stress you out. But believe me, I’m here to help.
Good Social Media Strategies Make for Good Results
Like most things as a small business owner, if you have a good strategy in place you can minimize the time you spend on something while getting better results. So the question is: How do you manage social media effectively as a craft maker? What are those key tips and tricks to keep your social media humming along while you tend to your stills, tanks, and barrels so you can spend more time on what you’re passionate about?
The key to effective social media is having a plan and sticking to it. We all know that batching is efficient, yet I often talk with craft makers who are trying to remember to post day by day and are flying by the seat of their pants. They get frustrated when they realize they haven’t posted in a week or their following isn’t growing. Consistency is key with social media; you have to be there for your audience regularly with engaging content to become top of mind and attract new followers.
So my number one tip for craft makers who really want to leverage social media to help grow their business is to get set up with a social media scheduling tool. Every client I have worked with on this and who really stuck to the plan we created has seen great results while also being able to breathe a sigh of relief. But before we can even get to a scheduling tool, let’s make sure we have a few key basics straight.
1. Consumers connect with people and stories, not products or brands.
First, we have to talk about the importance of storytelling. Consumers connect with people and stories, not products or brands. Your product has to be amazing, of course, but then you need to draw consumers in and help them remember you by connecting with them emotionally. And since the dawn of time, that has been done most effectively with storytelling. But before you can tell your story, you have to know what it is. And no, the fact that you’re a local craft distiller in whatever state you’re in is not a story. What’s your unique angle? What will your potential consumers remember and love about you? What problem can you help them solve?
2. Know Your Potential Consumers Deeply
Next, you have to deeply know your potential consumer in order to decide which social media platforms to choose. No, you do not have to be on every social media platform under the sun. Start small — one or two, max. But make that choice based on where your consumers are engaging, not where you engage personally or where you think you should be based on what others are doing.
3. Content Is King
Now that you know your story and which platforms you’ll use, it’s time to gather and curate a ton of content — which today means images and video. This sounds like a daunting task, I know. But, honestly, if you sit down for a couple of hours and just scroll back through your own photos, I bet you’ll find at least 50 related to your business, your distillery…
