Nobody can resist a good craft beer after a long day at work. A sip of its cool and crisp quality makes a day’s worth of work feel like it’s starting to pay off. You want your craft beer to be this to the people in your community.
Now the predicament is that of all the craft beer places in your town, how can you stand out and make loyal consumers out of the locals? Assuming that you have a head start on brand awareness already, it’s time to convert this into brand loyalty.
Become a Hometown Favorite
One of the determining factors of gaining repeat consumers is the location of your establishment. Repeat consumers are those who keep coming back to avail of what you have to offer. In short, they are your loyal consumers.
Set up shop in the heart of your town’s hustle and bustle. Preferably somewhere that’s accessible to both commuters and non-commuters alike. In that regard, have a designated parking space if you can. But aside from the physical aspect of things, it should also be a space for everybody regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and more. This is a place for the community, after all.
Create Flavors Everyone Will Want
The beauty in beer is that they come in various types, ultimately providing something for every preference. The primary elements of craft beer reinvented to appeal to a wide spectrum of consumers includes ingredients, alcohol concentration, the aging process, isotonic claims, and packaging. Being that the market is far from homogeneous in this sense, carve out your niche flavors and tastes to stand out.
Study and survey your town’s preferences, and from this, enhance or add flavors through trial and error. Play around with ingredients like strata hops, experiment with different brewing techniques, and everything in between. Create the flavors that be a big hit to the locals. This might even encourage tourists and people passing through town to have a look at your place.
Collaborate With Other Local Businesses and Groups
One way to bond with your community is by getting involved in community-centered activities. Check the town calendar for any events and holidays coming up, and contact a coordinator of a fundraising campaign, a non-profit organization, or an upcoming local event. By showing up, you are cementing yourself as a member instead of an other.
In a similar light, when it comes to making entrepreneurial decisions, factor in your community members. Your community affiliation is one of the things that fuel your business and serves as ammunition to contribute to the local economy. Your town’s expansion and economic growth can be one of your motivations, especially if your town is a good way from the mainstream economy. One evident approach to doing this is by providing jobs for the local population.
Give Out Exclusive Deals
Everybody loves to be in the in. Receiving exclusive deals is an attractive perk that many would want. Reward consumers with deals for their engagement. This not only encourages them to become regulars, but it also piques the interest of those who hear about it. This is too exciting for them not to share online. It’s also a fantastic method to raise brand awareness.
It encourages consumers to come for more since they are rewarded for choosing your product over others. Some deals they could appreciate are discounts, early access to new products, or offer free drinks on the house.
Host Fun Events
Sometimes you have to nudge your potential market in other ways to get them to discover your product. Hosting events is one way to do it. It doesn’t have to be big or fancy. These events can be as simple as karaoke night, stand-up comedy, or live band playing. Set up the buzz you need to get people curious and bring them in. Plus, hosting events is a low-key way of advertising your establishment to other groups and individuals looking for a place to host theirs. Through their events, new people can be introduced to your beer.
Go Online
Social media platforms are essentially free tools for marketing. People follow businesses they want to know more about and be kept in the loop. Take this to your advantage by posting behind the scenes, promos, and more. Being active on social media will be worth your efforts as the following may later translate to sales and online engagement into brand awareness.
Going online also acts as a way for you and your customers to communicate. Unlike the old days, businesses and their consumers finally have these online channels as a medium for two-way communication.
Getting people to notice your business is one thing; keeping them coming back for more is another. It is one of the objectives every business aims to achieve. But it’s not impossible to attain with a good recipe and excellent company.
