Are you having trouble getting people to attend your brewery events? Maybe you feel like you’re putting in all the effort but not seeing any results. If so, don’t worry, because you’re not alone.
Many breweries struggle with promoting their events effectively and enticing customers to come out and support them. But the truth is, promoting brewery events is crucial if you want to increase attendance and revenue.
Hosting events provides a unique opportunity for breweries to showcase their products, create lasting memories with customers, and build brand loyalty. However, without effective promotion, even the most exciting event will go unnoticed by potential attendees.
The Importance of Promoting Brewery Events
Hosting events can bring in a lot of revenue for breweries – from ticket sales to merchandise purchases and obviously drinks. But even more importantly than direct revenue is the ability of events to drive customer engagement and loyalty.
When customers have a great time at an event hosted by your brewery, they are more likely to return again and again for regular visits or future events. Hosting successful brewery events also creates positive word-of-mouth marketing that can lead to new customers discovering your business through friends or family members who attended and enjoyed themselves.
But again, none of this is possible without proper promotion – it’s like throwing a party but forgetting to invite guests! In the next few sections we will delve into specific strategies that breweries can use to promote their events effectively and boost attendance.
Understanding Your Audience
Identifying the Target Audience for Your Event
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when promoting a brewery event is failing to identify your target audience. Without a clear understanding of who your event is meant for, it becomes much harder to effectively market and reach potential attendees.
Start by looking at your existing customer base and identifying the demographics that are most likely to attend your events.
Are they predominantly young adults or older beer enthusiasts?
Do they prefer craft beer or more traditional brews?
Is there a common thread of other interests they share?
Once you have a sense of who your core audience is, consider expanding your reach by targeting related groups.
For example, if you’re hosting an Oktoberfest celebration, you might want to target local German-American organizations or college students looking for a fun way to celebrate the fall season. By taking the time to clearly define your target audience, you’ll be able to develop promotional materials and marketing strategies that resonate with them on a deeper level.
Understanding Their Interests and Preferences
Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s important to gain a deeper understanding of their interests and preferences. What types of events are they most likely to attend? Do they prefer live music or comedy shows?
Are they interested in learning about craft beer brewing techniques or simply looking for an opportunity to relax with friends over a cold pint? To gather this information, consider conducting surveys or focus groups with members of your target audience.
You might also want to visit other local breweries and observe what types of events draw in crowds similar to yours. Use this information as inspiration when planning future events- incorporating elements that align with your audience’s interests will increase the likelihood that they’ll attend and recommend future events to friends.
And at the end of the day, don’t be afraid to experiment. People vote with their feet (and their wallets). So try things out and see what gains traction. Don’t just repeat the same event over and over if it isn’t doing what you need it to for your brewery’s business.
Tailoring Your Promotions To Appeal To Them
Once you have a clear understanding of who your target audience is and what they’re looking for in an event, it’s time to start thinking about how you can tailor your promotions to appeal specifically to them. For example, if you’re targeting young professionals, consider highlighting the networking opportunities available at your event.
If you’re targeting families, emphasize the fun activities for kids such as face painting or carnival games. Additionally, make sure your promotional materials are visually appealing and use language that resonates with your target audience.
A lot comes back to the event idea itself. Promoting is one important part of the puzzle, but no amount of promotion will help an event stand out that isn’t exciting. Check out these 20 Proven Brewery Event Ideas if you need help.
Utilize social media to share photos and updates that showcase the unique aspects of your events and encourage attendees to do the same. By taking these steps to tailor your promotions, you’ll be able to increase attendance and drive more revenue from each event. More tips on how to do that coming right up.
Utilizing Social Media
Choosing the Right Platforms for Your Brewery
One of the most important steps in promoting your brewery’s events is selecting the right social media platforms to advertise them. While it can be tempting to try to utilize every platform available, it’s crucial to focus on those that are most likely to reach your target audience.
For a brewery, this typically means utilizing Facebook and Instagram, as they allow you to showcase your delicious brews and connect with potential attendees. When selecting which social media platforms to use, consider factors such as demographics (age, gender), interests (foodies, beer enthusiasts), and location.
If you’re targeting a younger demographic, you may want to consider using Snapchat or TikTok. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a more professional audience, LinkedIn may be worth considering.
And you want to consider your team’s capabilities too. If you have someone on your team that is hilarious (all the time, not just when everyone is sloshed), you might have an advantage on short-form video platforms like Instagram Reels or TikTok. On the other hand, if you have someone that can really dress up a beer and food shot to make it look mouth-watering, focusing on Instagram photos and Facebook are still an entirely valid way to go.
Creating Engaging Content That Showcases Your Event
Once you’ve selected your social media platforms of choice, it’s time to start creating content that showcases your event in an engaging way. This could include graphics and videos showcasing the venue and atmosphere of past events or photos of mouth-watering food items or specialty brews that will be available at the upcoming event.
To ensure maximum engagement with your content, make sure it is visually appealing and provides value to potential attendees. For example, create a video recap of a previous event highlighting all the fun activities and great beer on offer – this will give people an idea of what they can expect at your upcoming events.
Utilizing Social Media Advertising To Reach A Wider Audience
While creating engaging content is important in promoting brewery events on social media platforms organically (i.e., without spending any money), utilizing advertising options can help reach a wider audience than relying solely on organic reach. Getting the word out into your local community with community event calendars and paid advertising through Facebook or on local publications can ensure there is buzz around your event.
By doing so, your brewery events can be seen by people who are most likely to attend them. Additionally, some platforms offer retargeting options which can help you reach people who have previously engaged with your content or website but did not purchase tickets or attend the event.
Collaborating with Local Businesses
Building relationships with neighboring businesses
One of the most effective ways to promote your brewery’s events is by collaborating with other local businesses in your community. By building relationships and partnerships with neighboring businesses, you can leverage their customer base and increase visibility for your events.
Start by identifying businesses that share similar values or have a target audience that aligns with yours. It could be a local food truck, coffee shop, or even a bookstore.
Once you’ve identified potential collaborators, reach out to them and introduce yourself and your business. Invite them to visit your brewery and try some of your beers.
If they’re interested in collaborating on an event, brainstorm ideas together and discuss how you can cross-promote each other’s business to attract more customers. For example, if you’re hosting a beer tasting event at your brewery, you could partner with a nearby food truck to offer food pairings or collaborate with a local band to provide live music.
Co-promoting events to increase visibility and attendance
Co-promoting events is another great way to boost attendance and visibility for both your brewery and local businesses in your community. By working together, you can pool resources such as marketing materials, social media channels, email lists, and advertising budgets.
When co-promoting an event, it’s important to establish clear expectations upfront about who will handle what tasks related to planning and execution. Make sure each partner has an equal say in the decision-making process while also respecting each other’s goals.
Consider creating joint promotional materials that feature all participating businesses’ logos or branding prominently displayed so that customers recognize the collaboration between these different companies when attending the event. Overall, partnering up with like-minded businesses in your area is an excellent way to tap into new audiences who may not know about your brewery yet but are interested in trying craft beer from local establishments.
Hosting Unique Events
Brainstorming creative ideas for events that stand out from the competition
One of the best ways to increase attendance at your brewery’s events is by offering unique experiences that can’t be found anywhere else. Think about what sets your brewery apart from others in the area and how you can leverage that in your event planning.
For example, if you have a particular brewing process or a unique ingredient that you use, consider hosting an event centered around it. You could offer tastings of different beers made with that ingredient or even give guests a behind-the-scenes tour of your brewing facilities.
Another great way to set yourself apart is by incorporating unusual themes into your events. For example, instead of hosting a typical Oktoberfest celebration, why not shake things up and host a “Rocktoberfest” with live music from local bands? Or consider hosting a beer and cheese pairing event with locally sourced cheeses. The more creative and unique you can make your events, the more likely attendees will be to choose yours over another brewery’s.
Incorporating themes, live music, or other interactive elements
Incorporating themes is just one way to make your events stand out – you can also add live music or other interactive elements to create a truly memorable experience for attendees. Live music is especially effective at drawing crowds and creating an energetic atmosphere – consider booking local bands or musicians who align with your brand values and target audience. Other interactive elements could include activities such as games or contests related to beer brewing or tasting.
You could also consider partnering with local food trucks or restaurants for food pairings alongside your beer offerings. By incorporating these kinds of offerings into your events, attendees will be more likely to stay longer and enjoy themselves in ways they couldn’t at just any other brewery event in town.
Leveraging Email Marketing
Email marketing is ranked side-by-side with social media as the number one channel for selling tickets by most event organizers. It can be a highly effective tool for promoting your brewery’s events and driving ticket sales. It allows you to connect with a targeted audience who have already expressed interest in your brewery and events. Here are some tips for leveraging email marketing to boost attendance at your next event.
Building an email list of interested customers and subscribers
Before you can start sending emails, you need to build an email list of interested customers and subscribers. There are several ways to do this, including having an opt-in form on your website, collecting email addresses at events, or even partnering with other businesses to cross-promote each other’s newsletters.
Make sure you’re clear about what subscribers can expect from your emails and how often they’ll receive them. This will help set expectations from the outset and ensure that subscribers don’t feel overwhelmed or bombarded with too many messages.
If you’re starting from scratch or want some additional reach, we have access to a massive list of curated email contacts that have opted-in to receive emails about local events in their area.
Schedule a time with us to learn more.
Crafting compelling emails that drive ticket sales and attendance
Once you have a solid email list, it’s time to craft compelling messages that will encourage recipients to attend your event. Start by creating eye-catching subject lines that grab attention and entice recipients to open the message.
From there, tailor the content of the email specifically to the event you’re promoting. Include all relevant details such as date, time, location, featured beers or activities, and any special promotions or discounts.
Consider using visuals such as photos or videos in your emails as well – this can help create excitement around the event and give recipients a taste of what they can expect. Make sure there is a clear call-to-action (CTA) in each email encouraging recipients to purchase tickets or RSVP as soon as possible.
This could include including a prominent “buy tickets now” button or simply directing readers back to your website where they can purchase tickets directly. By building an engaged email list and crafting compelling messages, you can leverage email marketing to drive ticket sales and boost attendance at your brewery’s events.
Checkout this other post on Best Practices For Effective Event Email Marketing for more tips.
Partnering with Influencers
Identifying Local Influencers
Influencers play a crucial role in promoting events on social media platforms. They have a significant number of followers who trust their opinions and recommendations.
Therefore, partnering with local influencers is an effective way to reach a wider audience and increase attendance at your brewery events. To identify influencers, start by searching for individuals or accounts that align with your brand values and target audience.
Look for accounts that share content about craft beer or the food industry in general, as these accounts are more likely to be interested in collaborating with your brewery. Be sure to also look out for those who have a large following within your local community.
The key is finding influencers who genuinely enjoy beer and are excited about attending and spreading the word about the event you’re promoting. Targeting those whose interests align not only guarantees higher engagement but also authentic exposure of your event to an audience that’s likely already interested in what you offer.
Collaborating on Sponsored Posts or Hosting Influencer-led Events
Once you’ve identified potential partners, it’s time to collaborate on sponsored posts or even host influencer-led events. When it comes to sponsored posts, work together to create content that showcases your brewery’s unique offerings while also highlighting the influencer’s personal brand voice and style. And if you’re looking to host an influencer-led event – invite them over for some private tastings, tours around the brewery, exclusive discounts, or they could even lead tasting sessions themselves!
Influencer-led events can be especially impactful since they allow followers of those particular influencer(s) direct interaction with them while enjoying what your brewery has to offer – some may have wanted to try out one of your beers but never had enough motivation! This could potentially lead them down the path of becoming regular customers.
Overall, partnering with local influencers can be a highly effective way to increase attendance at your brewery events. When done right, such collaborations can amplify the reach of your message and communicate it in an authentic way to the influencer’s audience while also building long-term customer relationships for your brewery.
Conclusion
Key strategies for promoting brewery events
Promoting your brewery’s events is crucial to increasing attendance and revenue. To do this, it is important to understand your audience, utilize social media, collaborate with local businesses, host unique events, leverage email marketing and partner with influencers.
By doing so, you can ensure that your event stands out from the competition and attracts a wider audience.
Firstly, understanding your target audience is essential. By identifying their interests and preferences you can tailor your promotions to appeal to them specifically.
Secondly, social media provides a powerful platform for advertising and showcasing your event. By choosing the right platforms for your brewery and creating engaging content that highlights the event’s unique features you can reach a wider audience.
Collaborating with local businesses is similarly beneficial in building relationships within the community that supports you while expanding outreach.
Hosting unique events that stand out from the competition grabs attention of new customers while retaining existing ones who appreciate something different than what they may have seen before at other breweries in the area. Leveraging email marketing offers targeting options which are not available on other marketing channels while partnering with influencers whose values aligns with yours promotes positive brand image among potential customers.
Impact on attendance and revenue
Effective promotion of brewery events can bring long-term benefits in terms of increased customer loyalty, word-of-mouth referrals and overall growth in revenue generation. A successful event overall positively impacts local business as it positions brewery as a venue worthy of people’s time & money spent which would attract more people over time leading to an increase in sales of beer/cider/etc..
By understanding what works best for your target demographic and taking advantage of all available opportunities like social media or collaborations with nearby establishments through co-promotions or even hosting joint-events together- these promotional strategies will bring visibility even outside regular customers and build brand loyalty over time. The potential of increased attendance and revenue should be motivation enough to invest in promotional efforts.
