The craft of brewing to ferment beer is widely regarded as the oldest known recipe in the world. Ancient Egyptians were the first to document the brewing process on papyrus scrolls. But what exactly is craft brewing?
Specifically, it refers to a brewery that focuses on producing a few quality beers rather than mass-producing a large number of assorted beers. Many craft brewers in the US do indeed produce large volumes of their beer for consumers, just with limited selection.
Understanding The Craft Of Brewing
The physical process of craft brewing first requires converting grain starches to sugar. The next step is to extract the sugar with water, and then ferment it with yeast. It is this step of extraction and fermentation that produces the alcohol present in beer.
Beyond the physical process of craft brewing, it’s important to understand that the industry is tight-knit and community-oriented.
The Brewers Association, an American trade group consisting of more than 5,400 breweries nationwide is dedicated to the promotion and protection of small and independent brewers. The group seeks to advance the interest of craft brewing and its enthusiasts across the country. For example, in 2017, the Brewers Association helped negotiate legislation lowering the federal excise tax for breweries for a period of two years. This ruling was later extended by Congress through the end of 2020.
The Consumer Craze Over Craft Brewing
Taste is the primary concern of beer consumers, according to multiple surveys. Because craft beer provides consumers with a plethora of choice as compared to mega-breweries, it has developed a strong following.
Additionally, craft beer drinkers tend to be fiercely loyal and care about where their beer is sourced from and how it is made. Since craft beer is typically produced locally, it is even more attractive because it can help stimulate a regional economy. The less corporate nature of craft breweries is thus, often appealing.
Furthermore, craft beer can even provide small health benefits in comparison with mass-produced beer such as the inclusion of antioxidants and an increase in lipoprotein levels which helps lower cholesterol. Finally, craft beer tends to be comparatively cheaper and can be consumed while burning less of a hole in consumer’s wallets.
Marketing Your Craft Brewery
Now that you understanding the love consumers have for craft breweries, the key is to figure out how to make your brewery stand out. These are some good first steps:
Engage with your customers on social media
Interacting with consumers is the first step towards building a loyal following of beer drinkers. Social media platforms are the greatest, most cost-effective way to build a relationship with customers.
The best approach to relationship-building on social media requires a detailed content schedule and strategy. Determining when and where to post, what type of content to release, and how to engage with people interested in the industry is key. It’s common for breweries to post and discuss new beer releases or community events, or even detail brewing processes.
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again, craft beer drinkers tend to be fiercely loyal. Engaging them on social media is a great way to develop faithful followers that will continue to buy beer and spread word about the brewery.
Website Strategy And SEO
Just as craft beer drinkers tend to be fiercely loyal, they also tend to be passionate followers of the breweries they purchase from.
Provide them opportunities to explore behind-the-scenes and learn more about the culture of your brewery. It is a great way to continue to build a devoted following.
The best, most efficient way to provide this type of access is often by creating an interactive website. There you can post more written content, in addition to the visual content that plays well on social media.
Furthermore, you can use SEO techniques to ensure your brewery attracts interested beer drinkers seeking craft beer in your area. Finally, breweries can utilize Google Ads to target traffic in a specific locale to create a buzz in a particular area.
Email Marketing Strategy
Email marketing is an incredibly cost-effective way to market your brewery. It can be used in two distinct, but very important ways. Utilize email marketing to provide interesting stories and insights, but also to understand what topics your subscribers are most interested in.
People subscribing to a mailing list clearly have some level of interest in the product. You can use this to your advantage by surveying what would make them most likely to enter your brewery. For example, when developing a new flavor of beer, a brewery can poll a number of choices to see which most interests its subscribers. It’s like a free focus group!
Developing Your Own Craft Brewing Brand
If you’re starting your own craft brewery, the aforementioned strategies will provide a strong basis to begin developing your brand. You can learn even more about brewery branding in our in-depth article on the topic here.
If you’re interested in learning how to develop a strong brand and robust online presence that stands out in the brewery industry, DataDay Design can help you. We specialize in web design and digital marketing. Whether you need help with strategy or developing content, DataDay is your one-stop-shop for branding and digital marketing!
