Social Media SOP

Procedure#:HB SOP 67

Function:Employee Policies

Implementation: Date: 032724

Policy: Social media is a strategic way that the Hillman Beer culture is shared and promoted. It is a way that current guests are engaged with what is going on at Hillman Beer, and potential customers are reached. It is a place for both raving fans, and curious spectators. The objective is to be consistent, yet creative in our posts and responses on Facebook and Instagram, as well as responses to guest reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, and Yelp. All Hillman Beer social media accounts are managed by the Brand & Marketing Manager with the assistance of General Managers in regards to messaging and customer feedback. The Brand & Marketing Manager will plan posts according to current Hillman Beer marketing campaigns and goals. Posts are developed in consideration of Hillman Beer Branding Standards, Marketing Reports, HB’s target audience, and current trends.

Procedure: 

1. Access: Ownership, COO, Brand & Marketing Manager, Ops Manager, and General Managers will receive access to Facebook, Instagram, Google, Trip Advisor, and Yelp.
   • Brand & Marketing Manager (COO in absence of a B&M Manager) will grant access to Facebook & Instagram
   • TripAdvisor, Yelp and Google – GMs will have access through their work emails and may have to reset login by selecting “forgot password.”
   • Removing Social Media Access
     • In the event of a manager with social media access leaving Hillman Beer, the Brand & Marketing Manager (COO in absence of a B&M Manager) will remove their access to Facebook and Instagram accounts.
     • New Instagram passwords will be sent to: COO, Ops Manager, Assistant Ops Manager, and GMs of appropriate location.
2. Responsibilities:
   • The Brand & Marketing Manager:
     • Plan, create, and post all content on Facebook and Instagram for every Hillman Beer location. This includes, but is not limited to: weekly $3 beer, burger, and wing specials, seasonal food specials, beer releases, and other posts that advertise and promote the Hillman experience.
     • Research and implement relevant hashtags for HB to use in alignment with marketing strategies and HB partnerships (ex: #avlbrewers & #madewithriverbend)
     • Oversee and execute all photography and videography for social media content.
     • Track content performance and guest engagement
     • Will act as a failsafe in responding to messages, comments, and reviews if the GM/Ops Manager has not responded to someone in 48 hours.
     • Delegate customer engagement to GM & OM when appropriate.
   • General Managers and Operations Manager:
     • Provide timely responses to guest messages, comments, and reviews (48 hours or less).
     • Publish posts only when B&M Manager is unavailable. (Ex: Taproom has to close early on a Saturday due to water issues). In this event GM will pull images from approved images in Social Media Folder.
3. Social Media Behavior & Presence
   • Remember the Hillman difference and what sets us apart from other breweries. You represent Hillman Beer, not yourself.
     • Gracious Hospitality – Negative or derogatory comments and responses will not be tolerated. Go out of your way to turn a disappointed or upset guest into a raging fan.
     • Attention to detail – Make sure you have all the information before you post or respond and ensure there are no typos or misspellings.
     • Timeliness – Respond to all comments, messages and reviews within 24 hours.
     • Accountability – there are multiple Account Administrators for every social media account to ensure that the account can continue to thrive and be updated regularly, even if one of the existing administrators is not available, changes jobs, or leaves Hillman Beer. 
     • Communication – Plan ahead when making posts as much as possible. Communicate with team members about specials, events, and HB operations to ensure everyone is on the same page. If you are unsure how to respond to guest messages, comments or reviews, reach out to Brand & Marketing Manager and/or COO.
     • Consistency – Content should be easily recognizable as Hillman Beer. Content should comply with the following Brand Guidelines
4. Brand Guidelines
   • Remember HB’s Target Audience. We’re not trying to follow every trend or appeal to everyone.
     • 25-65 age range
     • Locals and tourists
     • Community Driven
     • Craft/Quality Appreciative
     • Outdoor enthusiasts
     • Non-hipster
   • Photo/Video Standards
     • Must be high quality, clear and not overly filtered. Preferably taken with a DSLR camera, but cell phone pictures can follow this standard as well
     • Hillman Beer logos and labels must be facing the same direction and centered when possible
     • Adjust camera angles and media type (static photo vs. video) to keep content fresh and relevant
     • Incorporate nature elements when possible (Ex: creeks, outdoor picnic tables, plants, etc)
     • Food, Taprooms, Team Member Uniforms/Appearance should appropriately demonstrate HB standards set in the Team Member Handbook and line build books.
   • Use of logos
     • The HB Badge and Horizontal logos are official representations of Hillman Beer. They both identify and define us. They should appear on all official company communications.
     • Hillman Beer logos must never be edited or altered in social media content. Logo colors should never be changed. Logos must be visible in all content. (Ex: glassware, signage, coasters, clothing/employee uniforms, or graphic design)
5. Partnerships, Vendors, Wholesale Clients & Hashtags
   • Partnerships/Vendors
     • Tag partners and vendors in relevant posts. 
     • Current ones we use often – Hickory Nut Gap, Riverbend Malt House, Asheville Brewers Alliance, NC Brewers Guild
     • Like or comment on all posts HB accounts are tagged in
     • Repost content HB accounts are tagged in on FB and Instagram stories if content quality meets HB standards and is relevant to HB audience
   • Wholesale Clients 
     • Like or comment on all posts HB accounts are tagged in
     • Repost content HB accounts are tagged in on FB and Instagram stories if content quality meets HB standards
     • If you go out and see HB products, ask if you can take a picture/video and send it to the Brand & Marketing Manager for potential content.
   • Hashtags – the use of hashtags are to reach new followers and customers. They must stay relevant.
     • Facebook posts should never use more than 5 hashtags as a lot of hashtags attract spam accounts. 2-5 is the ideal amount.
     • Instagram posts should never have more that 10 hashtags, with 3-6 being the ideal amount
     • Always include #hillmanbeer and #hillmanbeeroldfort for OFT accounts and #hillmanbeermorganton for MGN accounts
     • Always use these for posts about beer: #avlbrewers #ncbrewersguild and #madewithriverbend (if the beer was made with Riverbend Malt) #beerrelease and add the style of the beet in separate hashtag if it’s a new beer (ex: #beerrelease #festbier)
     • Choose from these additional hashtags as it relates to the post: #avlbeer #avlaletrail #ncbeer #asheville #drinklocal #craftbeer #avlbeercity #avlbeersccence #avleats #avlfoodie #avlfood #burgerspecial #hickorynutgap (for burger specials and other food specials using their products) #wingspecial #familyownedbusiness #beerrelease #oldfort #morganton #catwabaaletrail (for OFT & MGN only)
     • Can also add hashtags for holidays: #stpatricksday #valentines #newyears #superbowl #oktoberfest
6. Timing of Posts
   • $3 beer, wings, burger specials should be posted between 10:00-10:45 am
   • Blood Connection and Power in Pints, Paws & Pints 1-2 days before
   • Special events (follow Party Set Up SOPs) – usually starting to post 4 weeks before the event.
   • Merchandise – as new items arrive, items that apply to current season (Ex: beanies in the winter, hoodies in the fall, tank tops in the summer), and as items are discounted
7. Other online engagement
   • Tags
     • Like and comment on posts and stories that HB accounts are tagged in
     • If it is relevant to our audience and content is high quality you may repost it on Instagram and Facebook stories.
   • Reviews
     • 48 hour timeline for responses on Yelp, Trip Advisor & Google
     • Like/Thumbs up/Heart for FB & Instagram or reply with a “Thank you”
     • Bad Reviews/Reviews insinuating food poisoning- consult with Ops Manager, COO & B&M Manager first (1 or 2 star reviews)