In the ever-evolving world of social networks and marketing, every brewery needs to be vigilant. Whether it is a start-up company or a top brewery, no one can succeed without marketing. Establishing and maintaining a strong and consistent brand is the foundation of the brewery’s marketing strategy and plays a key role in the brewery’s success. A good marketing strategy can promote awareness, trust, and brand loyalty. In addition, your brewery marketing strategy should focus on building brand equity, which can help your brewery achieve long-term sustainable success.
As a craft brewer, marketing will be one of the biggest challenges you face. Almost all craft brewers do not enter this industry because they are passionate about marketing. The reason they enter this industry is that they hope to brew the most delicious beer on the planet. Many craft brewers have excellent products, but because they don’t know how to market effectively, it is difficult to succeed in their business.
Traditional “big brand” marketing is very expensive and requires large-scale promotion, otherwise, the return is not obvious or very good. For most craft brewers, there is no way to bear this kind of cost. The marketing plan of a successful craft beer brand is planned and designed based on its actual situation. The following are some tips that can help you determine your marketing plan, I hope they can help you.
Create a unique experience
With the emergence of more and more high-quality craft breweries, providing your customers with a unique and unparalleled experience becomes essential. First of all, you need to know the difference between you and other breweries, and then use this advantage. Although other breweries may have eye-catching labels that can attract attention in the store, the unique experience you provide will guide your entire business.
You need to remember that your customers are human beings, and they want to find a brand that reflects their values and will be connected with your special features. When they know what makes you different, they will pay attention to it and recommend it to their friends. If you don’t have obvious characteristics to help you stand out, then you’d better focus on finding one. Because it will be your secret weapon for the success of your brewery.
Brew a delicious beer
Compared with industrial beer, the most prominent feature of craft beer is the quality of the product itself, which is also the basis for the rapid development of the craft beer market. Most beer lovers are fed up with the light taste of industrial beer, and delicious craft beer has become their hobby. Whether it is the unique quality control process you apply, the special ingredients you use in the brewing process, or the freshness of the beer while drinking, these will make customers feel that they are worth the money. Although brewing beer with the goal of personal interest or pleasing others is a difficult task, it can help you get amazing beer and new friends.
Create real beauty
Most successful breweries have recognizable artwork, especially the shape of the bottle. Now, the shape of beer bottles has also begun to be part of the strategic marketing of the brewery. As store spaces become more and more crowded, you must create an aesthetic that is not only attractive, authentic, but specific to your beer experience. You can define your beer and your brand through the logo to attract more customers to buy beer.
Have a good brand story
As a craft brewer, one of the main marketing advantages you have is your passion for the brewery. In order to bring your love for the brewery to the brewery and let customers realize your love, you may need to have a good brand story. For craft breweries, truly conveying your fascinating story about beer will not only sell more beer but also find valued customers and brand advocates.
A good brand story helps to create interest and try faster and helps the brand lay a good foundation to accelerate the success of the brewery business. The power of the story has helped many high-quality products and customers to establish contact, while also bringing focus to the business.
Content marketing
Content marketing is one of the best ways for craft breweries to build brand awareness, attract new consumers, and strengthen brand loyalty to existing consumers. Content marketing can help you build interaction and trust with your audience, and provide them with valuable things.
Blog post
As one of the easiest and most common ways to provide branded content, blogs also have the added benefit of providing a storytelling platform, bringing more traffic to your website, and improving SEO rankings. You can write about topics related to your business, such as discussing your product, some of the challenges that lock-in brings, and how it will develop in the future. Website blogs are a great way to add educational content to your website and can be easily shared on social media platforms and email marketing campaigns.
Write operation guide
Brewing delicious craft beer is a professional skill that can provide opportunities to share beer knowledge with potential customers and existing ones. Creating free operating guides and product information materials is a great way to build brand loyalty.
You can write a guide on how to serve and taste a certain style of beer for full enjoyment. Of course, you can also recommend matching different beers with different foods for better spiritual enjoyment.
Video
Video is currently one of the most popular marketing tools, and its performance on multiple marketing platforms is always due to any other form of media. Brand-centric video appetite is a great way to connect with target audiences.
Don’t let the video scare you, it doesn’t necessarily need to be fancy or professionally edited. You can take some videos of the brewing, bottling, or labeling process to facilitate customers to understand your brewery more quickly. The advantage of video is that it can be used on your website, social media platforms, and even embedded in marketing emails.
Motivate participation
Strategic incentives will incentivize loyal customers who have actively interacted with your brand to share experiences and deliver messages. Whether your fan base is physical or online, you can create a positive tangible experience for your devotees. For example:
- Provide loyal customers with early access or exclusive invitation to participate in private events
- Free drinks or food in your beer bar
- Offer online sales discounts or free shipping
Directly to consumers
Because of the impact of COVID-19, lockdowns and ongoing uncertainty have prompted many brewers to sell products directly to consumers. In order for your online store to reap the rewards, you need to have the right brewery software to manage your products and manufacturing processes. When orders follow one another, make sure that your order fulfillment process is in place, otherwise, you will quickly lose customers to competitors who do so. Also, please don’t forget that contactless delivery is the new normal for online shopping and home delivery.
Conscious marketing initiatives
In recent years, the demand for more environmentally, socially and ethically sourcing products has changed. The growth of the craft beer industry is a perfect example of consumers looking for beer produced with high-quality local ingredients. According to NPR, consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable beer.
Now, some breweries are using renewable energy for brewing and production. Conscious marketing is the way forward for interacting with conscious consumers. Find ways to engage your brewery in conscious sustainable development, such as how to recycle waste grain to provide local farmers with animal feed and compost.
Takeovers and cooperation
Tap takeovers acquisitions are usually part of the marketing strategy. You can temporarily take over more taps than the bar offers, allowing craft breweries to display more types of beer. The takeover is very popular among craft beer lovers because it gives them the opportunity to taste more types of craft beer. As restrictions ease and hospitality venues reopen to larger numbers, tap takeovers are a smart way to engage with socially thirsty punters new and old.
Of course, you can also seek cooperation with another brewery and use their fan base to sell more beer. Sometimes, other breweries don’t even need to get cooperation.
Promote seasonal and short-term beer
Seasonal and short-term batches are very popular with craft beer lovers, creating a natural form of scarce marketing. Seasonal beer offers something new and generates a certain level of expectation.
Examples of seasonal beer include collaborations with other brewers, which are considered a one-off or short-term popular strategy. Of course, you can also use a beer that is traditionally brewed once a year to attract consumers to buy it.
As you can see, marketing can be a daunting mountain and valley, and you will need the smartest social compass to navigate. Of course, you also need to be patient, dig deeper and make unremitting efforts. We believe that you will be able to see the scenery that other people can’t see.