Social Media Monitoring Part 2

Introduction:

     In the first part of this project, I supplied a brief background regarding craft breweries in the United States, and did both qualitative and quantitative research on one brand in particular, Trillium 
Brewing Company. To be brief, Trillium is a Boston Based company, who aim to bring high quality, innovative beers to a rapidly growing market. They are very active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, primarily using them to announce new products, as well as keeping their followers informed regarding how many remain from a particular batch.

Updates:

     To be honest, since the last time we looked at their social media activity, not much has really changed in regards to their content. Their Facebook, while informative, lacks any real interaction with the groundswell. Their Instagram remains the most "hip", with some very aesthetically pleasing photos, and their Twitter finds a solid ground where they are able to be informative, while simultaneously answering questions, and communicating with the groundswell.

(These Facebook posts from a recent release  mimic those from the Pow Pow release)

In terms of numbers, over the past month they have gained around 400, 3,000, and 700 followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, respectively. This makes sense because as previously mentioned, their main audience is most active on Instagram, and that page has consistently been their most successful/ had the largest reach. Despite the increase in followers, their engagement numbers have seemed to stay pretty much the same since the last time we checked, excluding a few more popular posts.

(This Instagram post from March 8th appears to be their second most popular post of all time)

Now that we have a bit of an update about what Trillium is doing online, we can look at how they are doing. Using Google Trends, we are able to look at how frequently people are searching the company since the last time we checked, and this time it is not as easy to interpret. 

While February 20th was the highest peak in our last analysis(coinciding with the Pow Pow release) , the highest peak this time is March 10th. What is interesting about this is the fact that it comes two days after the release of their heavily sought after Tiramisu. Unlike the last time it is difficult to attribute this influx of searches to anything the company has been doing. 

When using Social Mention the numbers do not deviate much from the first time we looked. 

Although strength and reach have slightly decreased, passion has gone up, and they are receiving more positive sentiments than they previously were.

S.W.O.T Analysis:

Strengths- For their size, Trillium has established themselves as one of the highest quality micro breweries in the United States, gaining a respectable social media following in the process. They remain active on their three social media platforms, keeping their customers informed, and interact with them, albeit mostly on Twitter. They update their website daily, with their current beer selection.

Weaknesses- Trillium does not publicly interact much with their followers on their Facebook and Instagram accounts, leaving questions unanswered. The comment section on their Instagram posts are often times cluttered with people looking to buy/sell various beers, which can turn people away. Due to the size of their operation, Trillium can only produce a small a amount of beer(hence the term microbrewery) which can discourage potential customers who do not think they will be able to obtain a limited release. 

Opportunities-  With more and more collaborative efforts with other breweries, Trillium will continue to get their name out there and reach customers who may not be able to make the trip to Boston/Canton. As craft beers continue to grow , they will be able to continue to establish themselves at the top of the list, showing those new to the scene what they are known for. While microbreweries are still on the rise in the US, there is still a pretty much untapped market overseas. Trillium could lead the way as one of the innovators bringing these beers to different countries. 

Threats- Trillium's biggest threats are their competitors. Although microbreweries are not as competitive as more mass produced beers, the competition still exists. When companies create similar beers, they must think of ways to differentiate themselves from others. Why should someone choose a Trillium American IPA over Alchemist's?  

Reading Response #3

In chapter 9 of their book, Li and Bernoff go into detail regarding how to embrace the groundswell. Once energized, it is imperative that you do not forget about your customers, and continue  to have a relationship with them, or as the authors say, keep them in the "loop". By keeping this connection, companies are able to work with the groundswell in order to fix problems, and even come up with new, innovative ideas. Just as energizing the groundswell may come across as a means of free promotion, embracing the groundswell can supply free research and development. Although this this could be looked down on by some people, the groundswell get the satisfaction of knowing they are making an actual difference in their favorite companies. Do you think it is unethical for companies to do this? Or, do you believe that being able to give input into your favorite company is a reward in itself?

Just as Li and Bernoff discuss the importance of energizing the groundswell in order to gain feedback, they mention the necessity of companies supplying their own feedback online. By being responsive you are able to retain the trust of the customer, and continue the discussion. The authors state that the key to embracing the groundswell comes from a combination of both skill, and humility. The skill is self explanatory, while the humility looks like companies not putting themselves on a pedestal when it comes to feedback. With a level, more personal playing field, the customer will be more likely to continue the aforementioned discussion, which in turn will lead to more feedback, and innovation on their end.

While the majority of the book goes over how important it is to connect with your customers, chapter 12 emphasizes how you should be doing the same with your employees by connecting internally. Just like with the customer, a company should follow the same five steps in regards to their own workers:listening, talking, energizing, supporting, and embracing. When done correctly, this can make your organization feel more like a community, as opposed to strictly a place of business, creating a sense of organizational culture that will help you function as optimally as possible. 

Injury Reserve: Following Without the Followers

This past weekend I went to one of the best concert experiences I have been a part of in the past few years. Have you ever been to a show and can't stop thinking/talking about it for the next few days? Because that is exactly what has happened to me. The concert was put on by Arizona based hip-hop trio, Injury Reserve, consisting of rappers Steppa J. Groggs, and Ritchie With a T, along with producer Parker Corey. Experimenting with a multitude of different musical styles the group has found their own sound, demonstrating their ability to effortlessly switch it up throughout their three projects, garnering critical acclaim in the process. I mean just listen to the juxtaposition between these back to back tracks on their latest EP, Drive it Like Its Stolen(Just a warning, these songs contain explicit lyrics).

Currently on their first headlining tour, which they refer to as a "traveling party, and art installation", the group brings their patented experimentation, and energy to cities across the country. and soon to be over seas. As more and more shows are selling out(the Cambridge MA show even had to be moved to larger venue)the group is garnering a huge amount of buzz for their innovative, and passionate shows. What is crazy about all this, is the fact that the group does not have that large of a social media following, not even topping 15k followers on neither Twitter, nor Instagram, and on these platforms they are not necessarily the most active. So, that raises the question:How does an experimental, underground hip-hop trio fill concert venues throughout the United States, and garner this much hype in the process?

To partly answer that question, they let their devoted following do the talking for them. A great amount of their success can probably be attributed to various cosigns from Youtuber, Anthony Fantano, also known as "The Needledrop", or "The internet's busiest music nerd". With 1.3 million subscribers, Fantano is one of the most well known music critics, and is famous for his often funny, and harsh reviews of various musical projects. Some people see his videos as the gospel, while others simply view it as pretentious nonsense. Regardless of your opinion on his reviews, it is impossible to ignore the man's impact on modern day music journalism, and his ability to bring new artists to the spotlight, with Injury Reserve being no exception. The group has received an 8/10, 8/10, and a 7/10 on their three projects, and from Fantano, that is phenomenal.

Injury Reserve also seems to receive consistent praise from various users on Reddit, particularly on the hiphopheads subreddit. Whenever someone posts about the group, it receives a huge number of "upvotes" whether it be a new single, project, or even tour. These numbers rival those of much more mainstream artists, who have major label backing, move millions of records, and easily fill the seats of full size stadiums.

When the group does the talking themselves, they pick their spots well. Instead of flooding their followers with useless posts, they supply them with actual good content(relatively speaking for the most part). When fans ask questions, they tend to answer, they keep them up to date with information regarding shows/projects, and they even give shout outs to their devoted following. For example, after the Saturday show, producer Parker Corey tweeted how he broke his hand while punching a monitor, and fans demanded video evidence...they delivered.

What is the discussion like regarding your favorite musical artists online? Do they rely on promoting themselves, or do they let their fans do the promoting for them?