A step by step guide for marketing craft beer
Let’s start by simplifying marketing…
Step 1. Find a problem
Step 2. Offer a solution
To create a successful marketing strategy for your brewery you must know who your customer is. Getting to know your customer will allow you to find their “pain points” so that you can offer them a solution.
Is your customer craving a well crafted pastry stout, milkshake sour or other specialty beers?
Or maybe they just want to relax after a long day at work? do you provide them with a comfortable environment? maybe live music?
To create a successful marketing campaign you need to get clear on who your customer is so that you can create a good offer for them…
If you hear yourself saying anything along the lines of “we want everyone to visit our brewery”, then it’s time to narrow your focus to find a segment of the market you can serve.
Some breweries have a kitchen so they use their food as a marketing tool to bring people in…
Other breweries don’t have a kitchen, but they may partner up with food trucks or are able to offer unique dog friendly spaces…
Every brewery has unique opportunities to grow their customer base and creating a customer avatar is how you do this…
It’s important to take time to define your customer avatar because every piece of marketing you put out will either attract your ideal customer (or repel them).
That’s why they say that in business “whoever knows their customer best, wins”
How to create a craft beer customer avatar
A customer avatar is a fictional character that represents a group of people that you would define as your ideal customer.
Who frequents your brewery the most?
… better question, who would you like to attract to your brewery?
Who is your target audience?
Age?
Gender?
Home neighborhood?
What hobbies and interests do they have?
What is their socioeconomic status?
When do they come to your taproom?
What do they like most about breweries? (events? dog-friendly patio? specialty beer? food? merchandise?)
What do they dislike most about breweries? (poor service? lack of community? beer that’s meh? food that’s meh?)
Going through this exercise will help you come up with different marketing strategies…
Suppose you are in an area where there are other breweries nearby…
You may be competing for best beer…
This is where your marketing strategy kicks in…
“Best beer” is a broad category…
A good marketing strategy is to narrow down to a specific beer style… by doing so you can design a marketing campaign around the beer…
Beer Promotion Ideas
Best sour beers
Best German lagers
Best pastry stouts
Best Belgian ales
etc.
What if your brewery is off the beaten path?
Your marketing strategy will be different because you have to drive foot traffic into the brewery…
Bruz Beers Brewery in Denver, CO is a perfect example of this…
Hop passport is a great marketing tool that allows you to reach a community of craft beer & travel lovers… it’s a great way to give your beers exposure as people post their pictures on social media when they visit breweries…
Good beer alone isn’t what makes breweries successful…
Hosting events to build community is a great way to grow your brewery’s customer base…
One of my favorite questions I hear Matt ask brewery owners when talking about marketing ideas and growth strategies is…
What’s the difference between a bar and a brewery?
Community!
Building community is the key to customer retention.
After all, people who frequent your brewery the most will do so because they feel connected to the community…
We wrote an entire blog post on brewery event ideas…
Brewery social media promotion ideas
Social media is a huge part of a brewery marketing strategy… it’s where you get to tell your unique story…
Are you in a unique location?
Showcase the area around… what are some things to do in the area?
Is there a national park? hiking? mountain biking?
One of my favorite breweries I’ve visited is Lilly Pad Hop Yard Brewing in Tennessee… known for rock climbing nearby…
Many breweries are using social media to show what’s happening besides the scenes… use stories and reels to show us your:
- brew day
- Beer tastings
- Events happening
- New beer release
- Can artwork
- Feature customer pictures
- A good ole selfie with a nice caption about community
- Upcoming beer teasers
Leave us a comment below and let us know what your biggest marketing challenge is
Want your brewery to be featured in the Hop Passport?
There is no cost to join and your brewery will gain exposure to over 20,000 craft beer lovers!
