What began as a thesis project for UH alumnus Ryan Soroka has grown into one of Houston’s most popular breweries, and now 8th Wonder Brewery’s ultimate goal is to revitalize East Downtown while instilling a sense of community.
According to an article in Forbes Magazine, social media can make a big difference for small businesses at low marketing costs. Akin to journalists, social media for small businesses creates promotion and a brand identity by building name recognition.
8th Wonder Brewery is a local craft brewery that takes inspiration from all things Houston. The name 8th Wonder is a homage to the Astrodome, which was dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” when it was first opened in 1965. The brewery itself is housed in a dome-like warehouse in East Downtown Houston. 8th Wonder regularly uses social media to attract customers and announce events.
Through its use of social media and the growing popularity for craft beers, 8th Wonder’s aspirations include one day growing into international markets. Many Houstonians already feel 8th Wonder’s impact. With their daily posts and promotions of local eateries, businesses and events, 8th Wonder Brewery is steadily building a deep candid connection to the community. Every year, 8th Wonder hosts “Celebr8ion block party,” an anniversary party featuring local music and food. Currently, 8th Wonder distributes to more than 100 establishments in the Houston area, and has just recently begun tapping into markets in Austin.
Its primary competitors in Houston are the Saint Arnold and Karbach. On Twitter, Karbach has 26,000 followers while Saint Arnold has 52,700 followers. On Instagram, both companies range in followers from 13,000 to 14,000. While 8th Wonder and Karbach’s primary distributions are in Texas, Saint Arnold distributes to Louisiana and as far as Florida. On social media, all three companies utilize social media for promotion, branding and integration with the community. They all promote local businesses, interact with their followers, and keep their sites active.
Two University of Houston alumni, Aaron Corsi and Ryan Soroka, both received degrees in beer/alcohol science before starting the brewery in 2010. The pair teamed up with Alex Vassilakidis, who handles the finances. As Houston natives, they designed everything about the brewery to reflect the culture and history of the city they love. The decor of the 8th Wonder features throwback Astros and Rockets logos, with original Astrodome stadium seats around tables. The names of the beers themselves often reference Houston. They have a “Texas IPA” called Hopston, and a customer favorite, Rocket Fuel, which is a Vietnamese Porter. Rocket Fuel was created out of collaboration with a local coffee company, Greenway Coffee Company. 8th Wonder often teams up with other local businesses and bars, hosting events featuring various food trucks, yoga companies and concerts. They utilize Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to announce these events
The 8th Wonder Brewery has a large social media influence even though it is solely based in Houston. Since the brewery is hidden, it isn’t the easiest place to find, but with the help of customers they were able to make a larger impression on clients.
She also mentioned “Kai Meyer who works for CW, and we would be on the news every once in awhile.” They rely on word-of-mouth to promote the brewery.
The types of content they post on there SNS are about local events, supporting other eating establishments, promoting their signature brews, and photos of nearby events, further promoting themselves in the process. Social media is pivotal to further advertise their brewery and is the primary source to reach customers not just in Houston, but in other parts of Texas as well.
On their Instagram, they have 10.9 thousand followers, and are following 865 accounts. On their Facebook they have 12,678 likes and have had 16,956 “check-ins.” On Twitter they have 13.7 thousand followers and are following 1,915 users. Users post on their pages and 8th Wonder brewery responds to tweets and supports their fellow eating establishments that are nearby.
The 8th Wonder Brewery allows people to bring outside food and are constantly supporting the food trucks that are outside of the Brewery. The Eatsie Boys is a food truck that is sometimes behind the Brewery, and they both utilize their social media presence to cause intrigue in both places. They use this relationship to further their goals in attracting attention and new customers. The brew compliments the food truck and likewise.
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