OnTap Magazine

When it comes to craft breweries, cooperation is everything. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons being a craft brewer is so much more satisfying than working at the cubicle farm: craft brewers are helpful folks. When last did you hear of two corporate denizens helping each other out when one was in a bind? Maybe, like, never? Yet, in the craft beer community, it’s reasonably common for so-called competitors to help when your glycol pump goes belly-up, or throwing a few bags of malt your way because the pesky rats got hold of your last lot of crystal malt. Cooperation is the backbone of the craft movement. So, be nice and don’t spoil it. Also: use it. Collaborate with your fellow brewers. Craft beer fans love collaboration beers. They really, really love them. Of course, there are other ways you can collaborate if you don’t have the time or space for a brew. Why not organise a mini beer festival with a few of your newfound brewer buddies? Host cooperative tastings, do tap takeovers at each other’s taprooms or brewpubs, you get the idea ... All brewers benefit from the marketing heat that collaboration generates. So go out there and make some (beer) friends. If you don’t know it already, you need to get wise to the fact that beer is a tremendously food-friendly beverage. If you don’t believe me, pick up that book from that guy who just happened to have graced the cover of a previous edition of a certain magazine you just happen to be holding in your hands right now... (It’s Garrett Oliver. I’m talking about Garrett Oliver). Does that mean you’ve got to start a restaurant? Well, not necessarily. Sure, if you’ve got a brew pub then having a restaurant is part of the deal. But for production breweries, food doesn’t have to be off the menu. So, get in touch with food truck owners and caterers. These fellow crafters are as passionate about their burgers/waffles/weird cuisine as you are about your beer. It’s a perfect match. When you run an event at your brewery (see strategy 3), food trucks can serve as a convenient mobile restaurant for your guests. The neat thing is that food trucks also have their own followers, who will probably come to your event - again, everybody wins. Of course, that’s assuming you’re not greedy and intent on asking additional fees for food trucks to park next to your brewery. Don’t be that brewer. Even if you’re a production brewery and even if you’re brewery isn’t exactly picturesque, you should seriously consider hosting an event at your brewery. Make that regular events. What type of event will depend on your own unique brand recipe. For instance, many craft brewers align strongly with certain genres of music. Well, then the obvious match would be to host a concert with a favorite local band. Again, they will bring their followers along, some of whom will become fans of your beer. Try to avoid the generic “dude with a guitar and drum machine” variety of entertainment. There really are no shortage of talented, kick-ass musicians in your hometown, believe me. You just have to go find them. Another one to put in your recurring calendar: brewery tours. They’re a staple of craft breweries for a reason – they work. It’s a wonderful opportunity for brewers and fans to interact without the noise and distraction of the typical festival. It’s also a handy way to educate your consumer: a critical task in the craft beer movement. Apart from the immediate benefit of selling more beer and gaining fans, events are fantastic sources of marketing content, like videos and photography. Now you’ll have images for that next social media post and a video to upload to your YouTube channel (just remember to ask permission from your guests before doing so). You’ve got a YouTube channel, right? So it’s come to that. You’ve started a craft brewery, made some excellent beer and heck, even worked on a half-decent social media presence. Now what? Here’s now what. You’ve got to take your craft marketing to the next level. And I’m going to lay it out for you: here are five super-simple strategies you can employ that will get more people walking up to the bartender and saying: “Hey! I need more of that brewery’s beer!” Avoid the generic “dude with a guitar and drummachine” Being a craft brewer is so much more satisfying than working at the cubicle farm S T R A T E G Y MARKE T I NG 01 S T R A T E G Y MARKE T I NG 02 S T R A T E G Y MARKE T I NG 03 MAKE FRIENDS DON'T FORGET THE FOOD HAVE A PARTY Beer is a tremendously food-friendly beverage ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2019 | 41