Your craft brewery competes for attention in a crowded market—without a strong social presence, you're leaving foot traffic and direct sales on the table. Instagram and Facebook remain the top platforms for building community, showcasing your beers, and driving weekend crowds through your doors. Here's how to turn your brewery's social channels into a real revenue driver.
Why Social Media Matters for Craft Breweries
Social proof moves people. When someone searches for a brewery in your area, they check Instagram first—they want to see your taproom vibe, the quality of your pour, and whether their friends have tagged themselves there. Facebook drives event attendance and local discovery, while Instagram builds brand loyalty and reaches beer enthusiasts beyond your geographic footprint.
Craft breweries with consistent, engaging social content see 40–60% higher foot traffic than those posting sporadically. That's measurable business impact.
Set Up Your Profiles for Discovery
Instagram: Use your brewery name as your handle. Fill your bio with your address, phone, website link, and hours. Switch to a business account so you can use Insights to track which posts drive engagement. Add location tags to every post—this helps locals find you when they search brewery + your city name.
Facebook: Create a Business Page (not a personal profile). Pin your hours, location, and a post about signature beers. Enable the Call button so customers can ring you directly. Link your Instagram to auto-post to Facebook to save time, though custom captions for each platform perform better.
Both platforms favor fresh content. Post 3–5 times per week on Instagram Stories and feed combined; Facebook typically performs well with 2–3 posts weekly.
Content That Converts for Breweries
Post what your customers care about:
- Beer releases & new taps: Photo of the beer, name, ABV, flavor notes, and availability window. "New Hazy IPA on tap—only 20 kegs—this Friday" creates urgency.
- Behind-the-scenes: Brewing process, staff portraits, grain deliveries. People connect with people, not faceless brands.
- Events & tastings: Trivia nights, food truck partnerships, seasonal releases. Include date, time, RSVP link, and what to expect.
- User-generated content: Repost photos customers tag you in. This is free content and builds community.
- Educational posts: Explain your brewing style, hop varieties, or food pairings. Position yourself as the expert.
- Promotions: Happy hour specials, loyalty rewards, or limited-time merchandise. Use Stories for urgency (24-hour disappear effect).
Avoid generic motivational quotes or off-brand content. Every post should either entertain, educate, or drive an action (visit, buy, sign up).
Engagement & Community Building
Respond to comments within 24 hours. A craft brewery customer who comments deserves a reply—it signals you care and boosts algorithm visibility. Answer DMs, even if briefly. Many customers will ask about hours, gift cards, or private events via message.
Run polls in Stories: "IPA or Stout?" "Which new beer should we name?" People love voting, and you get free market research.
Partner with local food trucks, live music venues, or complementary businesses. Tag them in posts, share their content, and cross-promote. A brewery + pizzeria collab post reaches both audiences.
Budget Expectations & Ad Strategy
Organic reach alone won't cut it. Allocate $200–$500/month for paid ads if you have $2M–$5M annual revenue. Start with:
- Local awareness campaigns on Facebook ($50–100/week): Target users within 5–10 miles, ages 21+, interested in bars or beer. Goal: store visits.
- Event promotion ads ($30–50 per event): Boost your event post 5–7 days before. Include a link to an online RSVP or directions.
- Retargeting: Pixel visitors to your website and show them beer specials or upcoming events. This costs $200–400/month but converts best because the audience already knows you.
Test ad creative: try video of pours, staff introductions, or customer testimonials. Video ads on Facebook typically cost 20–30% less per result than static images.
Measuring What Works
Check Instagram Insights and Facebook Analytics monthly. Track:
- Which posts get the most saves (indicates high interest)
- When your audience is online (post at those times)
- Click-through rate on external links (promo codes perform best)
- Foot traffic on event days vs. non-event days
Listing your brewery on Mercoly ensures you're discoverable when customers search for your type of business, letting you showcase your full service menu, sell merchandise, and capture leads in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often should we post, and does posting at 9 AM vs. 6 PM really matter? Post consistently at least 3 times weekly on Instagram and 2 times on Facebook. Posting timing matters—check your Insights to see when your audience is active, but aim for early evening (5–7 PM) on weekdays and midday on weekends for breweries.
Q: Should we use influencers or hashtags to grow faster? Hashtags matter: use 20–30 brewery-relevant tags (#craftbeer, #localbrew, #yourtown) on each Instagram post. Micro-influencers (10K–50K followers) in your region cost $200–$800 per post and deliver better ROI than mega-influencers; vet them to ensure their audience matches your target customer.
Q: What's the best way to encourage check-ins and user-generated content? Create a branded hashtag (#DrinkAtOurBrewery), mention it on signage and your menu, and repost tagged photos weekly. Offer a small incentive: feature the best monthly photo on your Story or give the user a $5 tap credit—low cost, high engagement.
Start with one platform (Instagram is ideal for visual breweries), nail the fundamentals, then expand to Facebook and beyond.