 Some of our favourite ladies in craft beer from Shelter Brewing Company, High Key Brewing Co. and Black Bridge Brewing. In 2020 we were approached by the Saskatchewan Craft Brewers Association to document the incredible things happening in our province within the craft beer industry. We could not have been more excited to dig into this delicious industry as avid craft beer lovers. So this is the story of some of our year in beer.  Behind the scenes at the annual Collaboration Brew in Regina, SK at Pile O' Bones Brewing Company. A Saskatchewan StoryWhen we sat down with SCBA to talk about their goals, a few key messages kept floating to the top. The biggest one was the superfan culture built around the industry and how to tell that story. The second was the way their narrative so deeply meshed with that of the local agricultural scene. We wanted to create compelling photos and videos that would inspire people to try different kinds of locally crafted beers because there truly is something for everyone.  Filming an interview just outside North Battleford in a local producer's field. The Night the Taps Turned OffOnly a few months into our work with the SCBA, the world as we knew it was about to come crashing down with some severe restrictions and new ways of doing business. The perseverance of the brewers we worked with through the association was truly inspiring. From shifts to delivery and pick up to other incredible pivots, it was amazing to watch the community come together, especially to support the smaller businesses within the group.  Filming with the entire SCBA at their 2020 Annual General Meeting in Regina, SK. Blood, Sweat and BeersAs things began to thaw, we went back on the road to visit one of our favourite breweries in North Battleford, Armoury Brewing Co. We talked about the building's history and the brewmaster's approach to beer recipes that incorporated many local ingredients. It once again reminded us how deeply connected to the province the craft beer industry truly is. Chatting with Brennan from Armoury Brewing Co. in North Battleford, SK. Craft beer is an art. It finds its voice in the community that it serves, allowing that dialogue to help guide its unique flavour profiles. Seeing the return of the taprooms and capturing the connection people share over this beverage was the best part of our year. It was an immense delight for us to be able to tell the story of this fantastic community, if only for a year!  Interviewing the 2020 Board President of the SCBA and the owner of Rebellion Brewing Company, Mark Heise. For more stories about the SCBA, follow them on social media or any of their members. Support local and drink local craft beer!
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 If there is something Tyler and I can get behind it's poutine. But seriously when Brady put out a call for Social Media Ambassadors for YXE Poutine Week in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters Saskatoon we jumped at the chance. A big part of what we do at T Squared Social is support our community and we felt this was a place we could really make a difference.  After meeting the team we quickly realized that YXE Poutine Week needed a plan for their Social Media. So we developed a strategy to make the most of the assets they had, build community and reduce the work load by inspiring user generated content.  Creating a few videos using some volunteers from the Mentor Program was not only super fun but gave us pre-launch content to help announce the main contest. Attaching a Like / Share contest to good content is critical to help it spread. It sounds basic, but if you want people to share something make it shareable. We built up a bank of images that Brady could use leading up to the event to mix into his already hilarious library of memes. We did photography at Hometown Diner, which was one of the participating restaurants, to strengthen the local vibe of the campaign. Stock photos can often times be swiped over, so we wanted to make sure the visuals were Saskatoon specific.  Meeting with the volunteer team to figure out who could handle what, we had to stop for a selfie. Let's get serious. A big concern the team had was last year the event started to lose momentum mid-week. Part of the plan to keep the party going this year was to do daily live videos on Facebook and to announce winners for the contest daily.  In the videos we made to explain the main photo contest we incorporated elements of the BBBS using an actual Mentor / Mentee. Real people make a real difference in producing content for Social Media. The more relatable it is the better it performs. Although no one can guarantee a viral video, that wasn't our focus. Having an intentional and well executed plan is a much smarter goal. Creating motivation and providing opportunities for engagement is where you really connect with people on Social Media. Plus it never hurts to make it fun and did we mention poutine yet?
A big challenge of running an event that spans several days with no specific location is making people feel included. Announcing winners daily was a critical part of motivating user generated content and also rewarding people in a timely manner. In addition having people post their own photos helped to reduce the amount of content creation we were responsible for as a committee. Less work, more engagement. Perfect. The Facebook Live video series was a place where we could control the conversation. In these segments we reminded people of key information, engaged with restaurants, congratulated winners and ate a tonne of poutine. It also helped to give a face to the event with many of the primary committee members joining us for their eloquent descriptions of the chef inspired poutines.
As a wrap to the event we were thrilled to see huge increases in engagement on all social platforms and most importantly more than double the total amount of funds raised over the previous year. For more info on YXE Poutine Week check the links below. Big THANK YOU to the all star YXE Poutine Week committee, all the participating restaurants and everyone who came out to eat guilt free poutine in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon. See you next year. Author Welcome to the wonderful world of Floating where 1000 pounds of Epsom salt can solve a lot of life’s problems. We met the owners at Float Now right after the new year. We quickly learned the basics of floating and got flipped upside down with a dose of authentic f*cking mindfulness. One of the awesome challenges we had with their service is that it’s done completely naked in total darkness. How do you promote something that can’t be lit or shown on social media because of rules around nudity? We started the conversation with some basic cues on what the process looked like. Helping to break down the barriers to entry regarding the physical space, lighting, mood and experience.  One of the core values of the company is floating as a practice. The analogy of working out at the gym was a great starting point for us and something they used in the Float Center to explain to clients about the benefits of a float practice. We enlisted the help of a Float Now Ambassador to speak on a more personal level about her experience with floating. Having Ash speak about the process and capturing strong visuals on the entrance to the Float Center helped us to create more familiarity. Since the service is highly personal and requires lots of education, we always make it a priority to showcase the physical space. Float Now makes it easy for clients to float often by having a float membership. Although this is a primary service we didn’t want to create content that felt like an advertisement. We made the choice to focus on floating as a lifestyle. Through videos and photos, we shared the owner’s experiences around stress, mindfulness and the benefits of floating.  One of the great things that we love doing with clients is collaboration videos. Float Now teamed up with Those Girls at the Market to create a special Kava chocolate bar, which has beneficial relaxation qualities and greatly enhances the float practice. Being involved in the community is always a great choice, making sure it’s well documented is an even better one.  Beyond the experience in the float tank we always look for ways to illustrate the entire experience. The before and after rituals of floating are just as important as the float itself. When they brought in Kombucha on tap, we had to give that some love.  As we grew with Float Now, they went through a rebrand to move to the next level. Helping to create visuals online and thoughtful messaging was important during this time of transition to keep clients informed.  One of the main questions we still wrestle with is how to visually represent a service that happens in total darkness. On many occasions, we chose to show floating as it “feels” not as it appears. We have played with inanimate objects, like the duck, to represent the experience in the tank. The biggest thing we have learned about working with Float Now on their incredible product is that it’s less about what happens inside the tank and more about how it affects you in the rest of your life. Being mindful, being present and being in the NOW is really what it’s all about.  Written by Tyler B.
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