How to Get Your Craft Beer Fans to Create Content for You

You know what’s even better than a killer social media post? A killer post that is created for free, carries more weight with your audience than your own content, and encourages your thirsty Craft Beer fans into a feedback loop of good press.

We’re talking about User Generated Content (UGC). As the name suggests, UGC is a post or photo that is created by your audience, not by your company. Imagine an Instagram pic of a customer with their friends in your tap house—that’s UGC.

The good news is that you can actively encourage and manage UGC, and there are several great reasons to do just that. According to Businesswire, a survey of 400 consumers and brands revealed that 85% of users “find UGC more influential than brand-created content”. It makes sense—fellow craft beer drinkers are more likely to be candid and honest than paid representatives.

Here are our tips on how to capture, direct, and generate more UGC.

1. Understand Why Your Craft Beer Fans Create Content For You

It was previously thought that fans would create content only if directed to by a contest or similar incentive. As it turns out, you don’t even need that—users are excited to see their pics shared by the brands they love. In fact, sharing users posts will encourage other users to do the same, because they want to see their own posts shared as well.

2. Find the Content Your Craft Beer customers are Making

To find out what people are already saying about your craft beer brand and amplify them, start with a simple hashtag search on your social feeds. Here are searches for UGC in:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Be sure to reply or “like” the posts you find and start a conversation with your customers before sharing! (With credit to the original poster, of course.)

3. Tell Your Fans How to Talk About You

This step is overlooked and misunderstood. According to the survey, 53% of users actually wanted to be told exactly how to create content for their favorite brands. Create a hashtag for your fans to use, get creative when asking for pictures on your feeds, and post signage at your locations telling folks how to share. They will!

To create a winning social media strategy for your craft beer brand, talk to us at Bad Rhino today to see what we can do for you.