For breweries ยท Marketing planning
A marketing plan for breweries.
Taproom, releases, events, distribution, merch, private parties. A brewery can market a dozen things at once. The plan picks the two that matter this season.
Or text (508) 546-9942
Slide it
You vs. Joe Blow Brewing.
Left is your website today. Right is the one Joe Blow Brewing has. Drag the line, then hit the button.
Crickets on the left. That is the problem.
Welcome To Our Web Site
Visitors: 000417
Copyright 2014 · call 508-555-0123 · best viewed in a browser
Illustration. Joe is made up. Your competitor is not.
What you are paying for
Marketing planning.
Before anybody designs anything, I figure out what you are selling, to whom, and what has to happen every week.
- A written position: what you sell, to whom, and why you over the alternative
- The offer, defined tightly enough to put a price on
- Which channels get effort and which get ignored
- A weekly rhythm somebody can actually keep
- What gets measured, and the threshold that triggers a decision
Next step
Book thirty minutes and I will tell you exactly what it would take.
What I would build
For a brewery.
A written position: what kind of taproom you are and for whom. A spot for beer nerds chasing releases, a family patio, a neighborhood hangout. Decide which one leads and say it.
The offer, defined tightly enough to put a price on: a weekday event, a private party package, a mug club. Something specific to fill the quiet days instead of hoping.
Which channels get effort and which get ignored, partners included. A recurring food truck lineup and a few community nights can do more than another social platform.
What gets measured, like weekday visits, event turnout and private bookings, and the threshold that triggers a decision. A slow trivia night gets reworked or dropped.
The brewery version
Why it matters.
Breweries end up marketing everything because everything is happening. A release this week, trivia every Tuesday, a food truck rotation, a collab, merch, private bookings and a push to get into more stores. Spread across all of it, nothing gets enough attention to work. A plan names the priority, like weekday taproom traffic or private events, and lets the rest run on routine.
Partnerships deserve a line in the plan too. Food trucks, local bands, run clubs and nonprofits bring their own audiences. Treated as a schedule rather than favors, they become a steady source of new faces in the taproom, and their followers learn your name.
The mistake I see
Promoting releases and nothing else
Release days get the energy and the posts, and the crowd shows up. Then the rest of the week stays flat because nobody was given a reason to come. Releases are great for beer fans. Regular programming, like events, food and a reason to bring friends, is what fills a Wednesday.
How it goes
For a brewery, step by step.
→ Keep scrolling. It moves sideways.
One long conversation
Your numbers, your best customers, the jobs you wish you had more of.
Narrow it
Most plans fail from doing six things badly. I pick two.
Write it down
One page. If it needs ten, it will not survive a busy month.
Set the review
A date to look at it honestly and change it.
Step five is you.
The free Receipt shows what your brewery should fix first. Free, no card.
Print my Receipt →
Questions
What breweries ask.
Should we focus on the taproom or distribution?
That depends on your margins and capacity, and it is the first question the planning call answers. For a small brewery, the taproom is where the relationship with customers gets built. Distribution needs different marketing, aimed at stores and bars. The plan picks a primary and supports the other.
Is a mug club worth promoting?
If the perks are real and the numbers work, it is a strong way to turn regulars into steady visitors. The plan defines the price, the perks and how renewals work. Then it becomes a simple, recurring thing to promote instead of a sign taped by the register.
How far ahead should we plan releases and events?
A season ahead for the big ones, so the marketing can start before people make plans. Weekly programming can run on a set rhythm. The plan sets a review date each season to look at what drew people in and what quietly did not.
What comes after
Pairs well with.
Brewery followers are checking for three things: what is new on tap, what is happening this week, and what food is there tonight.
Usually nextWebsites for breweries.A brewery site answers the same questions every day: what is pouring, what is happening, is there food, can I bring the dog.
Same service
Marketing planning for other businesses.
Where I work
Southeastern MA, Worcester County, Cape Cod, RI and NH.
Start here
See what your customers see.
The Receipt looks your brewery up the way a customer would and itemizes what is costing you calls. It is free. Or skip it and book fifteen minutes with me.
Or text (508) 546-9942