5 Craft Beers Get it Right on Facebook- Social Media Week 2012

THE BOOZE BIN

By Rosalie Morton (@rosaliemo)

What better way to celebrate Social Media Week 2012 than with a look at how craft beer, an American past time, is faring on everyone’s favorite social network, Facebook.

The craft beer movement is well underway in 2012, and these small breweries are absolutely perfect for social media. Add the naturally social aspect of drinking with friends to the sense of local pride that comes from drinking a beer from the brewery around the corner, and you have a sense of community that transfers seamlessly to Facebook.

From splash pages, to e-commerce, to good ol’ fashioned engagement, here are five craft breweries getting it right on Facebook:

1) Heavy Seas Beer- From the punchy phrase on their splash page, “Join our crew. Sailor’s tell tales. Pyrates make legends” to their three custom tabs dedicated to their “fleets” of beers, it should come as no surprise that fans flock to Heavy Seas. They share pictures, give away shirts and interact with their fans. Ahoy, mateys—it’s a happenin’ place.

2) Deschutes Brewery- Deschutes knows Facebook. A fan-gate tempts prospective fans with the chance to win a ski-trip, the welcome tab offers an easy-to-view summary of the brewery’s offerings and… they had me with the “Shop” tab. E-commerce!? I’ll take four pint glasses. Well played, Deschutes. Well played, indeed.

3) Victory Beer- Victory Beer’s Facebook page is no-frills and the 35,000 fans love it. They keep their fans engaged through Friday Quiz Questions, lots of pictures and constant event updates. Honestly, the intense Victory pride probably stems from their location. These beer-lovers have built-in Philly pride. And, Victory uses that to its advantage.

4) SweetWater Brew- Creating regional Facebook or Twitter profiles is a challenge, and I love the way SweetWater confronts it. Their splash page links to each of their regional pages, front-and-center — a great way to unify the brand, while enabling fans in certain regions to keep up with SweetWater news and events.

5) Anchor Brewing Company- Anchor’s page has a delightfully simple tag-line: “Beer is Social.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. I love the classy splash page that channels old-school San Francisco and the “virtual toast” at the bottom left corner. On Anchor’s wall, a fan asks for a couple of coasters to add to his wall of coasters. The Anchor team offers to send him some, showing they understand that social media only goes so far. It’s those real-life touch points that turn a typical beer fan into an Anchor devotee.

So with that, raise your glass to a rockin’ Social Media Week and please share any other great examples of craft beers going social below.

(photo credits: Anchor Brewery, Victory Brewery, snbz.net)

About Rosalie Morton:

As a senior account executive, Rosalie CRT/tanaka clients’ traditional and social media relations initiatives and provides crisis counsel. She has successfully placed speakers at high-profile industry conferences, submitted winning award entries, planned events and media tours, managed social media campaigns, served as editor for client blogs and garnered placements in top-tier traditional and social media. She can often be seen on the third floor of the Richmond office, trying to find her dog, Petey, who has most likely snuck into someone else's office to beg for food.