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Brewery marketing is an important part of the process of how to open up a brewery and how a brewery works. Your brewery marketing plan should be built into your brewery business plan, and cover branding and marketing for your business. The cost to open a brewery often covers the marketing cost as well. It’s something you should prepare for before you open the doors, and while you learn about beer expiration.
In this BinWise blog post, we’ll take a look at the goals of brewery marketing. We’ll also walk you through 15 tips for marketing your brewery business. Read on, keep learning, and market your brewery into the business you’re aiming to build.
Brewery Marketing Goals
Brewery marketing goals revolve around the need to spread awareness about your brewery business and turn customers into repeat customers. Those are the goals of business branding and marketing across the board. For breweries, which are often in a crowded competitor market, your marketing goals become even more important in helping you stand out.
15 Brewery Marketing Tips
These 15 brewery marketing tips are applicable for any brewery, of any size, in any location. They cover the particulars of marketing in a saturated space and the general needs that come with a marketing campaign. If you’re looking for marketing tips to get you started, any or all of these options will help.
15. Jaw-Dropping Architectural Features
Jaw-dropping architectural features can mean something different depending on the location you’re working with. Updating your architecture features could include great lighting, or even a mural on your building. It can make your physical space a marketing feature for your brand.
14. Pop-Up Tasting Events
Pop-ups are a great marketing tool for any business. Pop-up tasting events give you the chance to showcase your brews and connect with your community. You can even share information on how to work at a brewery at an event, to draw in customers and engage with them.
13. Local Partnerships
Local partnerships are always a good marketing plan. Partnering with local restaurants and food carts, or specialty shops featuring your products, will get your products in front of a local customer base.
12. Community-Generated Content
Getting community-generated content gets you more than just content–it gets you public reviews from customers. This content can come from a photo space at your brewery, or contests online. Whatever you choose, content from your community and customers will boost your brand.
11. Branded Email Marketing
Email marketing is a tried and true marketing tool, and it’s something you should engage with from day one of your marketing plan. Branded email marketing that shows–from the moment someone opens the email–what your business is all about, will get you better results.
10. Promotional Giveaways
Promotional giveaways are something you need to be careful with as a business that sells alcohol. For the most part you cannot include beer in giveaways, but you can build them around other merchandise.
9. Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs are one of the best ways to turn one-time customers into repeat and lifelong customers. Your loyalty program can include coupons, special offers, and insider information.
8. Brew-Related Content
Brew-related content is something you can do that is unique to your brewery business. This can come in the form of information and content around the brewery, and information you share at local events.
7. Branded Merchandise
Branded merchandise is a classic marketing tool for a reason: it’s something everyone can enjoy. From shirts to beer koozies to pens, there are so many options for merchandise you can brand and sell or give away.
6. Social Media Educational Content
The best social media content is educational and delightful. Since you’re selling a product people enjoy learning about as much as drinking it, you’re well positioned to create social media educational content. Something along the lines of a fact post each week is a good place to start.
5. Packaging Designs
Your packaging designs are a subtle place where you can include your brand aesthetic. From the design of individual cans and bottles to the artwork on cases of beer, make sure to keep your brand in mind.
4. Private Event Hosting
When it comes to marketing your space to unique customers, private event hosting is one of the best things you can offer. With a beer garden or a large indoor event space, you can rent out the brewery for special events.
3. Use SEO
Using SEO is specifically related to your content marketing and web content. SEO, or search engine optimization, is a critical component of using the full potential of your online marketing. It’s a way of creating content that will rank well on Google and other search engines. You need it, there’s no doubt about it.
2. Follow Up On Feedback
Following up on customer feedback is a quiet part of your marketing strategy. It’s less about straightforward marketing and more about the work that goes into making sure your marketing and business plan is working. When you receive feedback, listen to it and implement changes when they make sense for your business.
1. Discover Your Buyer Persona
Discovering your buyer persona is one of the most important things you can do for your marketing plan. Your buyer persona is the ideal person you’re selling and marketing toward. Creating your buyer persona and marketing to that person will help guide your marketing.
"Key Takeaway: Brewery marketing goals revolve around the need to spread awareness about your brewery business and turn customers into repeat customers."
Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing for Breweries
Brewery marketing, like any marketing, is a multifaceted process. It takes time, marketing knowledge, business expertise, and passion. It also takes a lot of information. Our answers to these frequently asked questions will give you further insight into brewery marketing, how it works, and some examples.
How Do I Advertise My Brewery?
To advertise your brewery, you want to get the word out about your business in several channels, and ultimately in the right channels. Social media marketing, local collaborations, branded deals, and a focus on customer satisfaction will help you along.
How Much Do Breweries Spend On Marketing?
Most breweries spend between 3% and 6% of their revenue on marketing. That may seem like a small number, but keep in mind how much of your revenue goes toward operations and payroll. Your marketing budget covers a lot of ground, but when you implement the best strategies you can stretch that budget.
How Do I Grow My Brewery?
To grow your brewery business, maintain your marketing campaigns, even when you’ve reached the point where you are successful. Business growth comes from continuing forward with strategies that are working, and implementing new strategies when the time is right.
What Beer Company Spends the Most On Advertising?
Constellation Brands are often noted as the beer and liquor company that spends the most on their advertising. They advertise for a range of beer brands. In 2021, they reported spending of around $388 million on advertising for the brands they represent.
Marketing for Breweries: Build Up Your Brews
Brewery marketing is something you’ll invest countless hours and a good chunk of your budget in. Everyone, from your brewery manager to brewery staff, will be involved in some way in your marketing plan. You’ll likely even have brewery management software that plays a role.
As you’re getting started on your brewery marketing plan, reach out to BinWise and BlueCart. The BinWise Pro platform, paired with the BinScan mobile app, will ease your inventory program. BlueCart’s order management system gives you peace of mind when it comes to your reorder point.