MARCH/APRIL 2019
The Voice of Craft Brands
Girl Power How Pink Boots Society is changing the craft beer game for women
PLUS: Shhhh… Don’t say that Go for it!
contents
VOL. 3 : ISSUE 2
MARCH/APRIL
6
GIRL POWER How the Pink Boots Society is changing the craft beer game for women
12
IN EVERY ISSUE: 3 EDITOR’S NOTE That’s what she said 4 INSIGHTS Industry News
16 2
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
MARCH/APRIL 2019
CBAM-MAG.COM
SHHHH… DON’T SAY THAT Why climate change is important to your craft brand
GO FOR IT! Your guide to growing your brand on social media
editor’s note
That’s what she said
S
A brewmaster story for the ages
“Sometimes it is still hard to convince people you know what you’re talking about.” After 40 years, Nancy More still smiles when she says that out loud. That’s 40 years of being a brewmaster, by the way. More, the first woman accepted as a head brewmaster in the modern era, admits that while it was hard in the early years for some of her early colleagues to accept her, it still happens on occasion today. Back then, she was told that she shouldn’t expect that any man would work for her. They even told her so. It didn’t stop her from pursuing her passion. Why should it? These days, More teaches brewing at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Langley campus in Surrey, British Columbia Canada. In a time when craft beer is still predominately a man’s game, More and others (see our cover story, Page 6, “Girl Power — How the Pink Boots Society is Changing the Craft Beer Game for Women”) are making their presence known. Ask any of today’s craft beer women and they will more than likely tell you that people still aren’t used to the idea of women being experts on male-centric things like beer—or anything else for that matter. But times are changing. “Without a doubt there’s an extra leap we have to make still today,” More said in a recent interview in the Vancouver Sun. That’s why organizations like the Pink Boots Society are helping pave the way for women interested in the craft beer game. And as its growing membership shows, women own breweries; they package and design beer; and they work with each other to hone and grow their craft. More than just a pretty name, the Pink Boot Society was started by Teri Fahrendorf, who after 19 years quit her job as a brewmaster in 2007 in search of bigger mountains to climb. She ended up creating a mentorship and networking program that helped women get into the craft beer game. Today, along with More, Fahrendorf is paving the way for a new generation of craft beer entrepreneurs—a group that doesn’t mind sharing their love of a good beer with everyone they know. The next time you pick up one of your favorite craft beer, take a look at who is behind the name. And while it might surprise you, it shouldn’t. The brewing industry is stronger because of all the voices— men and women—that scream for its brands to be heard.
Michael J. Pallerino
Ask any of today’s craft beer women and they will more than likely tell you that people still aren’t used to the idea of women being experts on male-centric things like beer—or anything else for that matter. But times are changing.
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
3
insights
Book Rec
Brave New Work:
Make it personal
Aaron Dignan has found that nearly everyone in the business world faces the same frustrations: lack of trust, bottlenecks in decision making, siloed functions and teams, meeting and email overload, tiresome budgeting, short-term thinking, and much more. What’s an entrepreneur to do to find a solution? There’s one thing you can’t do. Dignan says you can’t fix a team, department or organization by tinkering around the edges. It takes having the where with all to completely reinvent your the way you operate. Dignan takes you on a journey to see how others have learned to work smarter, healthier, and more effective. Not through top down mandates, but through a groundswell of autonomy, trust and transparency. This is just the kind of advice your company needs to improve the way you do business. The only question is, are you ready?
Survey shows why today's consumer like to feel special
Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization? By Aaron Dignan
When it comes to personalization, the feeling means something different to everyone. And it today's ultra-competitive retail lanscape, that's an important nugget to embrace. For example, according to Epsilon's "The Power of Me: The Impact of Personalization on Marketing Performance" report, 80 percent of consumers are more likely to do business with a company if it offers a personalized experience. That goes a long way toward creating a sense of security and trust with your community of customers. Here's a look at how today's consumers interpret the personalization experience:
32%
All about the experience When it comes to engraining yourself with your customers, it's all about what they walk away with. According to Set Creative's "The Value of Experience" report, 73 percent of people are more likely to purchase a product if they’ve participated in a brand experience. In addition, 40 percent of U.S. adults have upped their spend on new experiences over the past two years, with that number jumping to 62 percent among affluent milllennials. Interestingly, as part of the study, Set Creative held a themed experience around the launch of a fictitious orange drink brand called Sevillian. Those involved in the event said they felt entertained (66 percent), engaged (54 percent) and satisfied (37 percent). Something to think about as your market your craft brand.
4
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
MARCH/APRIL 2019
CBAM-MAG.COM
Customization
32% Service
16%
Discounts/offers
8%
Specific products/services
7%
Convenience
MEET LANCE
(800) BEERCUP • BEERCUP.COM
One of Boelter’s regional Field Sales Managers. His favorite beer style? German dark lagers.
“It’s all about learning each brewery’s unique story and providing innovative, affordable, quality products to match.”
YOU BREW BEER. BOELTER GROWS BRANDS. Lance loves helping breweries and distilleries spread their craft and grow their brands through custom glassware, promotional products, and brand fulfillment services.
ARE YOU READY TO TALK BRANDING OVER A DRINK WITH LANCE OR ONE OF OUR OTHER PASSIONATE REGIONAL SALES MANAGERS? CALL 800 BEERCUP TODAY.
TA L K B R A N D I N G & M O R E W I T H O U R D E D I C AT E D S A L E S M A N AG E R S C A L L (80 0) B E E R C U P T O D AY O R V I S I T TA P.B E E R C U P.C O M / C B A M - M A G T O L E A R N M O R E .
Girl Power How Pink Boots Society is changing the craft beer game for women
Pink Boots Society stands for something. Yes, it's a group of women movers and shakers in the craft beer industry. They own breweries. They package and design beer. They serve beer and write about every aspect of it. And they teach. That's probably the most important part of the whole equation. Each member works to teach one another what they know through seminars and programs. They help each other advance their careers and raise money for educational scholarships.
By Michael J. Pallerino
6
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
MARCH/APRIL 2019
CBAM-MAG.COM
And if you think that is all Pink Boots Society stands for—think again. Each letter in its name means something personal to each person who accepts a membership offer. P—Passion I—Integrity & Inspiration N—Networking K—Knowledge B—Beer & Brewing O—Opportunity O—Open Exchange of Ideas T—Teach S—Success The Pink Boots Society developed out of necessity. In 2007, Teri Fahrendorf quit her job after 19 years as a brewmaster and sought out new adventures. Her search uncovered scores of women like her. There were actually female brewers who didn’t know they had counterparts out there. Fahrendorf quickly figured out that she could create a mentorship and networking program to help build a bridge to new opportunities for women brewers. She created a list of women brewers that quickly grew. The list eventually grew into an organization that’s dedicated to assisting, inspiring and encouraging women beer industry professionals to advance their careers through education. CBAM sat down with Laura Ulrich, Jen Jordan and Cat Wiest of the Pink Boots Society to get their insights on how women are helping drive the craft beer scene.
Give us a snapshot of today’s craft brew market from your perspective. From the Pink Boots Society perspective, we are seeing an increase in women represented in many facets of the brewing industry. We are definitely not 50/50 female/male, but we are making a slow, small dent in the gender ratio. Besides the diversity aspect in the market when it comes to gender and
race of the consumer, the diversity conversation and progressive work are taking shape inside breweries themselves. Breweries are becoming more aware of what diversity really means, and how it can benefit their business. Having the perspective and input from an array of ethnicities, backgrounds and genders has the potential to open your markets.
What’s likely to happen next? Pink Boots Society’s active membership doubled in 2018, from approximately 1,200 members to 2,400. New members and chapters are popping up globally. As we continue to expand our offerings of local, online and international scholarship
opportunities, we expect membership growth to continue. We are continuously engaged in new partnerships. We will provide increased educational opportunities across all sectors of the beer industry in 2019, 2020 and beyond. We will create new pathways for the advancement of women employed in the beer industry. Also, we expect to see more diversity among beer consumers, as the definition of craft beer continues to evolve. Beer will be different, and so will the people who love it.
What trends are defining the space? For us, International Women’s Day (held on March 8) was a huge success. When we jumped on board with the idea of women brewing on this day, we
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
7
cover story
had 72 registered in 2014. This year, we had 366 registered— which reinforces to us that more women are interested in beer, work in beer and their employers are supporting the women who do work in their breweries. Women are creating more space for themselves across many industries—not just beer.
What is your story from a brand perspective? We have grassroots origins and we are proud of that. For over a decade we have been maintaining this organization because we are passionate about our craft, our membership, our mission and have had the dedicated volunteers to keep forging forward. The Pink Boots Society brand developed out of necessity. It is a great story. In 2007,
8
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
We expect to see more diversity among beer consumers, as the definition of craft beer continues to evolve. Beer will be different, and so will the people who love it.
MARCH/APRIL 2019
CBAM-MAG.COM
Teri Fahrendorf quit her job after 19 years as a brewmaster and went in search of adventure and another job. What she found were many new or young women brewers who had never met a woman brewmaster and, in fact, had never met another woman brewer. They had felt throughout their careers that they were “the only woman brewer,” and thus felt quite alone. Teri immediately picked up that her career story inspired them, and in return, they inspired her to figure out a way to mentor them and help them network with each other. So was first born “the list of women brewers,” which over the next three months morphed into the “Pink Boots Society. More than just a story, it is a continued reality. We know this because we are getting
Our strategy is to educate, engage, fund and support. The strategy is to expand the educational opportunities and provide value to our members. Encourage engagement in the society’s memberships and activities through chapters. Identify and engage with key industry partners and funding sources. Lastly, create a responsive and enabling structure that utilizes data. We exist to support and encourage female beer professionals; to give them a voice and a step up. We have recently surveyed our membership to assess their current needs. This feedback will steer our direction going forward.
What’s the biggest issue today related to the marketing/sales side of the craft beer business today?
more membership and sponsorship inquiries than we can handle. We intend to continue to change the story of beer, and our story is gaining more and more momentum. Our volunteers, our membership and our fans are all passionate about seeing us be successful. And we are, too. It’s exciting to be part of this.
Walk us through your branding strategy. Our strategy and mission are relatively straightforward—we want to help women advance their career through education, along with that we want to be the premier resource for women in the brewing industry.
Our strategy and mission are relatively straightforward—we want to help women advance their career through education, along with that we want to be the premier resource for women in the brewing industry.
Things are happening fast. Trends are coming and going faster than ever, and breweries are marketing new products and releasing one-off brands so quickly it’s a challenge to keep up. More reason than ever to diversify your marketing and sales teams, to add new perspectives and palates to your product R&D teams and go after new consumers. Although studies show that women are consumers of craft beer (beer), very few companies are making an attempt to responsibly market to them (example—putting a six pack in a “pink purse” carrier is not responsible marketing).
What is the secret to creating a branding story that consumers can buy in to? Make them feel like they are part of the story. Beer is social, and
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
9
cover story
Even if it is not well attended at first, give it another shot and show your commitment. Seek out festivals or street fairs that are likely to be attended by a higher number of women, ethnic minorities or the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A. community, and request to pour your beer there. Make new friends. Ask them what they like to drink and be responsive. Check out what’s on tap or on the shelf in neighborhoods that are outside of your regular distribution. Avoid making marketing assumptions based on gender identity or ethnicity, and do not appropriate images or words in an effort to “bait” certain populations. Stop spending all your time on people who look and live exactly like yourself. We can’t learn anything new that way. Look at things from a different perspective if you want to grow.
What do you see as some of your biggest opportunities moving ahead?
the needs of the community define the story. Engage the consumer and find ways to involve them in your branding.
What is the one thing that every craft beer brand should be doing in the way of marketing? Go beyond the “buddy and bro” mentality. Maybe changing your angle to not solely focus on the young white men. Come up with strategies that include different ethnicities, underrepresented genders and an array of lifestyles. Contact the leadership of local community groups and ask how your brewery could help them support or host an event?
10
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
MARCH/APRIL 2019
Our opportunities will be to continue focusing on our mission, which is to assist, inspire and help women advance their careers through education. The growth that we continue to see shows we need to continue to mentor women, encourage them to apply themselves in areas that are lacking in the brewing industry. Pink Boots Society will focus on new ways for our members to “Pay it Forward” with Regional Conferences and honing in our chapters worldwide. A lofty goal for us is to work with HR departments to help them diversify. We want to see more women speakers at industry conferences and contributing to publications. There is such a wealth of knowledge among our membership, and so many leaders willing to serve. Being all over the globe, we will take advantage of virtual meetings, giving us the opportunity to learn from members who are outside our local areas.
CBAM-MAG.COM
What’s the biggest item on your to-do list right now? Member retention and understanding specific membership needs regarding educational opportunities, communication and available resources. For every two new members who join, there is one who doesn’t renew their membership. We are working actively to determine how we can suit the needs of our members and keep them in the fold.
How does your taproom space integrate into your branding/marketing strategies? Pro-tip for taprooms—Do you want women to feel welcome in your space? Put tampons in the bathroom. Go to Costco, get bulk boxes of tampons and make them available for your female patrons. Put beer holders in your bathrooms or toilet stalls— women can bring their beer to the bathroom and not have to worry about putting on the toilet tank or the floor. Mom always said “Never leave your drink
Sitting down with... Laura Ulrich, Jen Jordan & Cat Wiest of the Pink Boots Society What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Seeing women move up through the industry and achieving their goals, as well as being part of a team with a clear vision. What was the best advice you ever received? Don’t ask for permission. Take the initiative. Always throw your hat in the ring, and don’t worry about your “halo slipping” What's the best thing a customer ever said to you? While I was brewing, a preteen girl on the brewery tour said she wanted to be like me when she grew up. Also, have heard, “You are my new superhero.” Jan-Feb-2019.pdf
1
1/17/19
10:19 AM
We intend to continue to change the story of beer, and our story is gaining more and more momentum. C
M
Y
CM
MY
unattended,” and sadly, she’s still right. Too many taproom managers and owners are making the assumption that they know what women want. Just because a taproom manager values diversity and has it on their mind doesn’t mean they are doing the work to change anything. Taprooms need to have defined diversity goals and initiatives in place. Taprooms should ask female customers and employees what change they would like to see in the space. Some men are simply not able to perceive the unwelcoming barriers that exist for women. Just because the barrier is unseen by some, doesn’t mean it not there.
CY
CMY
K
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
11
business
By Eric Balinski
Shhhh… Don’t say that Why climate change is important to your craft brand
My last article departed from branding and marketing to discuss climate change. Readers may think climate change is relevant in these pages. Here's why it's important to you. There is a clear narrative to define the world based upon the belief that climate change will end life as we know it. According to 97 percent of scientists, that might be true. On the condition “If all the industrial it is, making improvenations went down ments will have proto zero emissions—it found financial impact, affecting both busiwouldn’t be enough, nesses and individual not when more incomes. Potentially, than 65 percent of these costs will have the world’s carbon financial implications pollution comes greater than anything from the your business has developing world.” faced before. Kind of makes the idea of – U.S. Secretary of State branding and marketJohn Kerry ing seem almost silly by comparison. That's why the departure from marketing topics. The business implications are too significant to blindly accept what the media and politicians tell us to believe. Some are willing to pay whatever the costs are to save the planet. But these new taxes take money away from running and growing your business. What if all the effort and money to fight climate change ac-
12
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
MARCH/APRIL 2019
tually makes no difference to saving the planet? How would you feel about giving the government so much more of your hard earned money? As my previous article suggested, if the world is facing an eminent existential threat due to climate change, how is it that the top polluting nation, China, does not have to reduce emissions at all until after 2030, according to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord? This strikes me as absurd, given the proclamations about the greatest immediate threat to human survival. Further, seven of the 2020 presidential hopefuls, 68 House members and six U.S. Senators double down endorsing this threat. This contradiction has not always been the case. At the Paris COP 21 Climate Meeting on Dec. 11, 2015, then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said: “If all the industrial nations went down to zero emissions—it wouldn’t be enough, not when more than 65 percent of the world’s carbon pollution comes from the developing world.” (Kerry reference to the “developing world” specifically means China and India.) This is reality: China is dramatically increasing emissions and generates more than double any other country and at an increasing rate, with India increasing emissions rapidly as well. Ask yourself this: What then is the real problem? A country not being part of the Paris Accord, or China and India’s rapidly increasing
CBAM-MAG.COM
emissions to the point of surpassing all other countries combined emissions? The media, politicians, many Americans and most of the international community heaped scorn on any person or country that doesn’t support the Paris Accord. But the data shows Kerry was absolutely correct in 2015. He recognized the Paris Accord will make little difference as it is written. Continuing to say it, or the Green New Deal, will save the world is an illusion no matter how aspirational (See Figure 1). Hold on, scientists, politicians, the media and celebrities must be speaking up about China? Right? Virtually, they say nothing. Assuming one is convinced climate change is an extreme existential threat, why do the same people who profess this threat completely ignore speaking up about China’s role in polluting the world? It’s perplexing to say the least. Don’t take my word about their silence. The next time you hear anyone evangelize about climate change and the peril for failing to address it, listen carefully to what they say or do not say about China, or India for that matter. The silence is deafening. By their silence, they are saying it is fine that China pollutes and continues to dramatically increase its pollution, particularly from coal emissions. While U.S. coal usage and emissions from coal have decreased, China has dramatically increased its use of coal, consuming now more than 51 percent of all the coal used in the world. Their silence says it’s alright to engage in an inadequate effort that is outrageously expensive because it’s just taxpayer money. That effort will cost U.S. taxpayer tens of trillions of dollars, while China’s pollution output negates any results achieved. Their silence also says, believing there is an eminent existential threat to the planet, they are insincere and perhaps hiding another agenda. Without China improving, anything the U.S. and the rest of the world does to improve the planet, is a waste of time, effort and money, just like John Kerry stated in 2015. Consequently, being taxed more heavily to save the planet would be going toward a futile cause.
China’s intellectual property theft and do nothing about it, too? When they discuss the creation of all the new "green" jobs, whose economy will those jobs actually reside in? Again, I’m perplexed. If climate change is such an impending threat, why would U.S. and European leaders be so careless to let one key component for the future survival of our planet, solar energy, be stolen? When politicians ignore more than $500 billion in intellectual property thief by China each year, it is hard to believe their sincerity about creating and then protecting any new green jobs in the United States. Little makes sense to me if the goal is to save the planet and/or create green jobs. If the climate threat is real, it would demand all sources of pollution emissions to be dealt with immediately. And that’s just not happening. Worse, many defend China by claiming it’s a developing nation and say its unable to quickly change. Weird, because in only 15 years, China took over the solar industry, yet we cannot expect it to stop polluting. Figure 1
Alright, how about this? Next ask yourself this, why European and U.S. companies that pioneered the solar industry lost their dominance in only 15 years to China? (See Figure 2) Why have politicians accepted
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
13
business
Seems people are talking out of both sides of their mouths on this. Equally troubling is the climate change peril is being indoctrinated into school kids. We witness children protesting at Sen. Diane Feinstein's office, to the students who left school to protest in D.C. and the kids suing the U.S. government to force lawmakers “to do something” about climate change. All of them demand immediate action to save the planet, but likely are clueless as to how the world’s pollution is generated. As a father of five, it’s quite disturbing to see educators rely on a distorted world view, let alone use that view to manipulate and generate fear in children. Shameful. Figure 2
This contradiction between what is proclaimed and what is not spoken should make people wonder what the truth is. The drum beat goes on though: 97 percent of the world’s scientists are convinced of global warming and humans cause it. To not listen is to deny science. What about this statistical claim? The “97 percent” claim was first generated by a University of Illinois student’s 2009 study of 10,257 earth scientists. The scientists were sent an online survey from questionpro.com and asked two questions. The survey was designed to take no more than two minutes to answer. The questions were: • When compared with pre-1800s levels, do you think that mean global temperatures have generally risen, fallen, or remained relatively constant?
14
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
MARCH/APRIL 2019
• Do you think human activity is a significant contributing factor in changing mean global temperatures? There were 3,146 individuals who answered the survey questions. But here's where this takes a twist: Of the 3,146 respondents, only 79 respondents’ answers were used to make the now infamous 97 percent climate change assertion. The 79 were selected because of how much they published. Hmm? Then why mail to 10,257 scientists? How did they arrive at 97 percent? Of the 79 hand-picked respondents, 77 scientists (or 97 percent of the 79) said global temperatures are rising and human activity is a significant contributing factor. As any marketer can tell you, this is a highly skewed biased analysis, begging the question, was the survey created to support a viewpoint already held? Ten years later, this corrupt data is still being used to substantiate climate change. Aren’t 77 scientists far short of the hyperbole that claims 97 percent of the world’s scientists believe it? The media, politicians, kids and many adults bought this dodgy claim hook, line and sinker. Frankly, people are peddling a climate change narrative that ignores obvious contradiction: We must change or die, but China/India can just keep spewing crap into the environment. So which is it? Genuinely answering this question is worth the effort considering the financial impact and our mental sanity. Common sense and actual data must guide people on this, not aspirations born from manipulated statistics. Otherwise, any spending on climate change initiatives is futile as well as devastates companies by the substantial tax burden that comes with the aspirational solutions. " Silence like a cancer grows Hear my words that I might teach you, Take my arms that I might reach you" But my words like silent raindrops fell, And echoed In the wells of silence" — "The Sound of Silence" by songwriter Paul Simon Eric Balinski is the owner of Synection, LLC, which is a strategy and growth consultancy firm. For more information, visit: synection.com.
CBAM-MAG.COM
Puzzled about how to build your business? You’re experts in your business. You want to grow. Whether you’re going in new directions, ready for expansion or just keeping your name “out there,” we’ll solve your marketing challenges with a strategic program tailored to your specifications. With over 30 years of major market experience and close ties to the building and design community, we’ll help you develop a clear, big picture. And ultimately, bolster your sales.
been working with Communicators for the last three years. “ We’ve The results have been absolutely remarkable. I would recommend this firm to anyone! ”
– Scott Banda, Director of Marketing & Business Development, Bostik
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS www.communicatorsintl.com | info@communicatorsintl.com
social media
By Dalana Morse
Go for it! Your guide to growing your brand on social media
Your brand could be the next big winner on social media in 2019. New brands arrive on the world stage every day, achieving critical mass and reaching millions of people in a few hours with the perfect social media post. If you want to achieve this result, you'll need a combination of humility and ambition. You need to understand that there is a long path ahead of you. You will need to create and distribute a lot of content, providing as much value to your audience as possible without seeking anything in return—at least not in the short-term. By giving to and growing your audience without "cashing in," you can improve your page more in a year than other brands will do in a decade. This guide will show you how to start in the absolute best way with marketing your brand on social media.
Choose your social media platforms The most important choice you can make when it comes to social media is what platforms you
16
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
MARCH/APRIL 2019
will use. The list has a few big players at the top, and then hundreds of niche options after that. You have the "Big 4:" Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube. There's also Twitter, which has a considerable cultural influence in its own way, too. After that, it depends on your niche. Entertainers may use Musically and Soundcloud to reach millions of fans. Creators of physical products often gravitate toward Pinterest and Etsy to sell their creations. Writers will use Medium, Steemit, or perhaps even a Tumblr-based blog to share their newest stories and essays. Craft breweries have platforms like Untappd and Rate Beer. The lists go on and on. With dozens of platforms that your brand can try to use, you need to prioritize. It will be impossible to do your best work if you spread your resources too thin. Make a list. Do your research. Come up with the 10 most viable social media platforms for your brand. The "Big 4" should be on your list, plus a few niche options that relate to your industry.
CBAM-MAG.COM
social media
After you have the list, cut it down to your favorite two platforms. Pick one dominant platform and one niche option. Pick your platforms based on where the most significant communities of active brands are for your niche. Look for colleagues or friends who are already succeeding on each platform. Can you imagine your brand posting three to five original pieces of content on this platform every week? Try to pick the platforms that will be truly powerful, not merely "useful," for your brand. This way your time and energy will be aiming at a big reward.
Invite your audience to join you After signing up for a page on your two chosen social media platforms, invite your audience to join
media presence. Do whatever you can to get the word out in your first week of social media activity.
Captivate and cultivate your fan base Once you set up your page and invite your audience, turn to the next step. Now the real work of creating and distributing content begins. That's where your early work of picking right platforms and inviting fans will pay off. With only two platforms to focus on, you can make great content. Each post should be designed to entertain or educate your audience and encourage them to leave comments. The most important aspect of good content is good visuals. Either hire or train a team member who can create original images for each of your posts. There are several apps that can help you design on the fly. One of the more popular apps is Canva. It has a web version and mobile app version. Text is less important, but it does matter for some brands. If you're going to include long text as part of your social media content, get a writer and an editor. The editor is a crucial aspect of the writing process. You can hire one on a freelance basis for only a few hours per week. Be consistent. The best way to cultivate and grow your audience over time is to keep posting and improving. Every time you make a good post, you're making progress in your social media strategy.
Social media can seem overwhelming at first, but it gets easier with time. After you put in the work of creating content for your audience, you can build a critical mass of support. you. Even if you're an independent freelancer or a small business, you probably have an audience you can reach. Think about your friends, family and regular customers. Invite them. Use a combination of personal and business resources to try and get at least 100 followers on each page right away. Think of this as your first time learning to be a promoter. It's a useful skill that lends itself to other opportunities in the future. If you have any other digital resources, use them. Email lists are a great way to kick start your social
You can win the social media game Social media can seem overwhelming at first, but it gets easier with time. After you put in the work of creating content for your audience, you can build a critical mass of support. Happy Posting!
Dalana Morse is the founder of DAM Media and Design, a boutique design and digital marketing firm located in Fort Worth, Texas. Dalana is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in marketing, web and media design, digital and social media marketing, and search engine optimization. Having served in marketing leadership roles for close to a decade, her experience spans both B2B and B2C industries including multifamily and single family real estate, electrical and utility technologies, and visual branding agencies. For more information, visit dalanamorse.com or dammediaanddesign.com
18
CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
MARCH/APRIL 2019
CBAM-MAG.COM
