Spreading the word about your brewery or pub isn’t easy. There’s no shortage of competition in these growing industries, meaning that your marketing efforts need to be smart and creative if you want to set your brand apart and bring in new patrons.
At Grey Fox Pottery, we take pride in helping businesses of all sizes across the country to succeed through cost-effective marketing tactics and unrivaled stoneware merchandise. Today, we’ll be discussing five marketing strategies you can use to boost the number of customers your pub or brewery attracts.
1. Leverage Partnerships
One of the biggest mistakes that brewery and brew pub owners make is not utilizing the connections they’ve made with other local brands. Cool events like brewery tours and game nights are a great way to engage with your audience and compel new potential customers to visit, but you have to remember that almost all of your competitors are using similar tactics.
By partnering with another organization that offers food, entertainment or another type of service that supplements your location’s delicious beverages and atmosphere, you can transform your events and activities from bland, samey endeavors into completely unique experiences, especially if you’re willing to think outside the box.
Partnerships with food trucks and trivia providers are solid routes to success, but they’ve been done already. When we say original partnership events, we’re talking about punk rock karaoke nights, improv comedy extravaganzas and dance-off nights hosted by local DJs.
The possibilities are endless. Just work on developing original ideas (that match the tone and feel of your brand) and using relationships with other businesses to fill them with awesome activities, themes and people. And once your brewery or pub cements itself as an organization that provides unique and exciting adventures for its patrons, you’ll be drowning in new customers who are eager to join in on the fun.
2. Find and Connect With a Specific Audience
One of the reasons why pubs and breweries have to fight tooth and nail with others for customers is because a vast majority of them are targeting the same two or three general audiences. If you’re exclusively reaching out to “young locals” and “hipsters,” then you should consider getting more specific. Are you passionate about supporting a local sports team? Then host a trivia night focused on that team’s history and athletes.
Are you obsessed with ink? Then put together a tattoo competition where attendees drink beer, listen to great tunes and vote on their favorite pieces of body artwork. At first glance, these events might seem too narrowly targeted to be effective, but the key to creating and maintaining a solid foundation of loyal customers is to make it apparent that your brand understands and appreciates what they stand for.
Put simply, no one is particularly loyal to “perfect for everyone” brands and establishments because they never take a stance on who they are or what they value in fear of alienating potential consumers.
By embracing and celebrating your brand’s unique personality and identity with related events, you can attract and endear yourself to like-minded patrons, building affinity and keeping them with you for years to come.
3. Take Full Advantage of Social Media
Social media is one of the primary tools that your audience uses to discover and discuss new breweries, restaurants and pubs. Consequently, maintaining a strong social media presence plays a major role in pulling in new prospective customers. It’s also worth noting that you can use social media channels to deepen engagement and brand loyalty with current fans, resulting in more repeat customers and the creation of “brand zealots.”
Fortunately, running a successful social media account doesn’t have to be a full-time job either. All you have to do is create original and compelling content about your brand a few times a week and respond to questions from followers when you can. This content can take many forms.
You could film a virtual tour for your Facebook page or blow your Instagram followers away with images of your latest and greatest alcoholic offerings. As long as it fits with the look and voice of your brand, you can be as creative as you want. And who knows, your followers might even surprise you with a few fantastic pieces of fan artwork or inspirational haikus about your best beers. Be bold, have fun and don’t be afraid to look around online for a few social media tips and tricks if you need help.
4. Support Local Events You Care About
Attending (and possibly donating a few kegs of beer to) a local event is an excellent way to introduce your brand to new customers. You could even consider supporting a local fundraiser to make it abundantly clear that your brand stands behind good causes.
Sure, brewery and pub lovers enjoy tasty new beverages, awesome food and an enthralling atmosphere, but they also care about supporting brands that are playing an active role in improving their communities.
Steps like these might seem insignificant at first, but they’re absolutely essential if you want to gain a favorable reputation among your prospective customers. Believe us, if you establish your brewery or pub as a high-quality establishment that’s generous and sincere, then people will be more than willing to reward that kindness and selflessness with their loyalty and patronage.
5. Reward Your Customers With Unique, High-Quality Merchandise
One of the best ways to advertise your brand to new customers while rewarding your current ones is by ordering and giving out high-quality branded merchandise.
That’s why hundreds upon hundreds of bars, pubs and breweries are already employing this tactic through beer glasses, mugs, shirts, stickers and more. Luckily, by investing in merchandise that deviates from the usual items that your competitors offer, you have the opportunity to rise above the crowd and turn heads. For example, handmade beer steins are gorgeous stoneware pottery pieces that can be used to serve beer, soda or any other type of beverage.
Moreover, they’re a welcome breath of fresh air compared to the boring and mass-produced pint glasses that most breweries and pubs give away.
Remember, people tend to cherish things that are made with pride, love and care, which is why creating and handing out custom beer steins will help you to stand out from the competition and make a terrific impression.
hese attractive and unique pottery pieces bring style and utility to the lives of your fans while proudly displaying your brand’s signature logo and colors, effectively exposing your organization to new potential customers every time your fans use their stein around friends, family and coworkers. Essentially, setting your visitors up with quality branded merchandise turns your biggest supporters into your most consistent marketers, growing your list of customers while boosting brand loyalty and recognition.
Get a Quote From Grey Fox Pottery Today
If you’re interested in ordering a line of branded stoneware mugs or handmade steins for your pub or brewery, then be sure to reach out to us for a quote. You can also shoot us a message if you have any questions about our services or want more advice on how to increase the number of customers your establishment pulls in each week. We’d be happy to provide you with any additional resources or support your business needs to thrive.