Competition remains relatively friendly in craft brewing as breweries battle it out for room in fridges and bars everywhere. Drinking customers pick and choose based on taste, style and countless other factors, but there are some definable ways to understand what makes a person enjoy and buy a beer. These five tips will help you get the word out in the American craft beer industry:
1. Create an experience.
With the growing amount of high-quality craft breweries popping up, it is vital to create a unique, unrivaled experience for your customer. While catchy labels can grab eyes in stores, your home turf experience is what will guide your entire business. With an attractive and unmistakable tone worked into the fabric of your brewery’s existence, word will spread as people share their rare experience with your products.
2. Create an authentic aesthetic.
The most successful craft breweries have easily recognizable artwork, and even bottle shapes, that are synonymous with their name. With store space getting crowded, it is imperative to create an aesthetic that is not only attractive but also authentic and specific to your brew’s experience. With a collaborative effort in defining your beers and your brand as a whole, graphics can often tell a customer’s eyes the story that the beer will tell their tongues.
3. Believe in your product, and show it.
It might go without saying that you have to believe in and be excited about your product before anyone else will be, but with the craft brew train rolling fast, it can be easy to forget that brewing should be a labor of love. Creating beers from personal interest, or with the goal of pleasing others’ taste buds, is a great task, and one that demands total ownership for quality and flavor. Being rightfully excited and outgoing about your beers will undoubtedly lead to amazing brews and new friends.
4. Use social media.
With the rise of digital technology, every minute is a chance to engage with a new beer lover. Platforms like Instagram get the word out to people who can directly follow your page, and posting consistently keeps regulars informed about new releases and brewery happenings. These sites also offer targeted advertising by location, personal preferences and much more, which can be invaluable in reaching like-minded people. Your social media pages are an extension of your brewery’s experience and aesthetic, which makes them priceless tools for reaching people everywhere. Along the same lines, blogging can make you stand out in a sea of craft brewers by helping you gain a loyal following, build community and inform readers about upcoming events and releases. (Not convinced? Check out these 9 reasons why your brewery should be blogging.)
5. Be consistent.
When you have an experience that resonates with people and build a reputation for a niche of craft brews, live by it. Having a specialty, sticking with it and continuously working to improve it is often much more business-savvy in the long run than catering to trends.
What marketing and promotions initiative has your brewery had success with? What types of engagement has garnered the best response from your fans? Let us know!
Keep up with the latest on what’s hot in the Pennsylvania brewing scene: like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
The Brewers of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit trade association that brings together leaders of Pennsylvania-based breweries in order to promote and protect the brewing industry in the state. Established in 2011, the Brewers of Pennsylvania serves the consuming public of Pennsylvania by encouraging brand diversity in the market. We believe in the nobility of brewing and hold dear the great traditions and history of Pennsylvania brewing.
Photo credits, top to bottom: Nina Malone, Michael Stiglitz, Levante Brewing Company