In this edition of ‘The Startup Dialogues,’ I talked with Steve from Pateros Creek Brewing – a new brewery opening in Fort Collins, Colorado. Steve and I talked about how new breweries can utilize social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter.

1. You obtained your brewery name through ‘crowdsourcing.’ Can you provide a little background on the process behind this?

We had an unintentional conflict with a local business in town with the original name we

had picked for the brewery (Horsetooth Brewing Company). Because of this we needed

to change our name but we didn’t want to change our brand image. We started

brainstorming local names that would be good for the new brewery name but couldn’t

decide on what to use. My wife Cathy who has experience with social media,

marketing, and PR, suggested we get the community involved and hold a contest to see

if we could get some better name suggestions. So we wrote up some official rules and

posted them on our website, but in order to get people to notice the contest, we needed

to spread the word. We posted on Facebook.com and Twitter.com that we were holding

a contest for our new name. The local paper caught wind and they also wrote a story

about the contest. We would get feedback from Twitter followers and Facebook fans

during the process and it helped us realize that the community was really getting excited

about the prospect that they could rename a local brewery. Social media helped us to

attract the right audience and get instant feedback from fans.

2. Which social media applications do you utilize for Pateros Creek Brewing?

At this point we are only using Facebook and Twitter

3. When you started your brewery, how did social media fit into your marketing and promotions strategies?

Any time there is a new thing (big or small) happening with the brewery, we are able to

tell our fans immediately. Whether it is to tell them of a beer tasting event or just that we

are brewing a new batch of beer, it helps the fans be “in the know” of Pateros Creek

Brewing Company. So, as new events come to be, we will be using social media to get

the word out to the fans of PCBC.

4. What strategies have you used to increase the number of relevant fans (read: fans who actually pay attention) of Facebook? How does Facebook fit into your strategy?

We had made up some T-shirts and tried to get people to post pictures of them wearing

their shirts in different parts of the world. Sort of a Flat Stanley type of promotion to see if we could get more people wearing the shirts out in public and come to the Facebook fan page more often.

5. What strategies have you used to increase the number of relevant followers (read: followers who actually pay attention) on Twitter? How does Twitter fit into your strategy?

Twitter is a different beast than Facebook as it is not so much personal interaction but

more of a micro-blogging tool. Because of this, we follow other breweries, beer bloggers, and beer related business to re-tweet their findings and get on tweeple’s lists.

6. Have you been able to measure the effectiveness of social media? Have you been able to convert social media marketing efforts into tangible results?

Because we are so new, not much can be measured. The name contest, people wanting to buy T-shirts, and people wanting to try the beer (sending emails as well as posting online) has been the only real results achieved from our efforts so far.

7. Have you looked at how any other breweries handle social media as an example? If so, which ones, and what do you admire about their online presence?

We like to follow the local breweries and see what they are up to since many of their

customers are the same as ours. One brewery in town did a Twitter contest to have

people submit names for their newest beer coming out and then they voted on the best

name. Other breweries use a lot of pictures of them pouring beer or brewing, making

fans thirsty and putting their products to the front of people’s minds.

8. Why is social media important to a brewery?

Especially with our brewery, where we are trying to be a part of the identity of the local

community, it is important that we connect with our customers. Beer is a social beverage

that sparks conversation and brings friends together. Using social media helps us to

bring the customer closer and discuss the beer and the brewery to make it more of a

friendly setting.

9. What are the components of your social media marketing strategy leading up to the opening of the brewery (high level view)?

We would like to get more fans and followers as we head toward the opening of the

brewery. If the buzz is high, then we should be able to introduce people immediately to

our offerings. The hardest part about starting a new business is letting people know you

exist. This is where social media will play a large part for us.

10. How do you see your social media strategy changing (if at all) after the brewery opens and as you continue to grow?

As technology changes, so will social media. Blogging used to be the main way to

interact with people on line but social media has opened a whole new door. As the

brewery grows, so will our efforts to connect with the fans. To do this, we will be posting

more pictures of our operations and events that will show our passion for beer and invite

other people to join in. Beer is a wonderful part of life, and we think everyone should be

part of the fun!

Thanks again to Steve from Pateros Creek Brewing!