Marketing & Craft Beer: What Marketers Can Learn

Few experiences are more satisfying than the first sip of a good, craft beer. Many people even proudly consider themselves craft beer enthusiasts.

Unfortunately, without the time or expertise to tell their own stories, too many craft brewers can be missed by potential fans. Drinkers finish the bottle and move on to the next label. Instead of marketing, these brewers hone in on special techniques that make brewing an amazing mixture of art and skill.

Though marketers can help breweries grow brand loyalty, it is only by using similar techniques. Like brewing, marketing is both a craft and a science. Marketers can learn from brewers who have mastered their craft and also help them craft their own story.

The Craft

Craft brewing is about carving a niche and making a special beer that will appeal to only particular palates. Craft brewers know the importance of respecting their audience, just like marketers. They aren’t brewing for every single drinker on the planet; they’re making an honest product that, for some tasters, will hit the spot like nothing else.
Some breweries have used successful marketing campaigns to tell their story. Dogfish Head Brewery, listed in The Daily Meal as the #1 craft brewer in 2015, has developed an entire brand around an artistic sense of adventure that calls drinkers to come have fun.

The Science

Experienced brewers know they have to bring a level of skill to their work. They may experiment with different tastes and colors, but they also develop a method that becomes the scientific basis for everything they create. This is another essential way in which craft brewers, like marketers, know the importance of their audience; they find the basic recipe for success, and build on that to create their products.

Ballast Point Brewing Company, another popular American brewery, incorporates precision into their marketing. By sharing brewer’s notes and suggestions for food pairings, audiences get the message that these brewers take their skill seriously while also giving their brand an identity.

What Marketers & Craft Brewers Have In Common

In the end, successful craft brewers may have similarities and differences, but the most important thing they all have in common is a passion for brewing great beer.

Strong marketers know each company is unique. Their job is to create your brand identity to tell your story while you focus on the important part: brewing. With a good mixture of craft and science, a good marketing team can make your promotions be the taste before the first sip – a taste that will be memorable long after the bottle’s empty.