Okay, so you like your beer. It might even be said that you love it so much that you think of opening up your bar and seriously studying bartending and stuff. Plus, you’re thinking of hosting your loyal drinking buddies in your bar. Maybe even make your own ‘specialty beers’ while you’re at it. But hold up, wait a minute. Do you know where to start? How about getting to know the industry you want to jump into, the world of microbrewery?
What is a Microbrewery?
There are two kinds of breweries in the alcohol industry, the giants that belong to the Microbrewery category and the small-scale connoisseurs of Microbrewery. Who then belongs to the world of microbrewery? Well, these are the small-scale breweries that often produce more or less about 15,000 barrels of their ‘specialty beer’. These so-called ‘specialty beers’ are often flavors and varieties of beer specially developed by these microbreweries themselves.
In general, people can take tours that bring them to these microbreweries and learn about how they were established and the story behind their success. These tours usually end in a mini taste testing of their own ‘specialty beers’ to keep the people interested and coming back for more since it’s only in these microbreweries that they’ll get a chance to taste these ‘specialty beers’ and nowhere else.
Setting Up Your Own Microbrewery
If you’re really into beer and at the same time in awe of the microbrewery industry, then you just might want to set up your own microbrewery business. But what do you need to make this a reality? Here are some things you should consider.
- Do in-depth research about the microbrewery industry to know just what you are getting yourself into.
- Draw up a business plan which also includes the necessary permits you need to secure before operating your business. Every business-minded person will always start with a gut feeling and a good business plan.
- Calculate the cost of putting up your own business, from the materials to buying up or renting a piece of land for your own microbrewery.
- Look for a good location. Location is crucial for any business. You need to look for a location that can bring in a continuous stream of customers and keep your business going.
- Know your beers. Study up on beer making and what will make your specialty beer or craft beer stand out from the rest.
- Hire people you can fully trust. Doing business alone might be tough so hire people whom you can trust fully.
The Art and Business of Advertising
Advertising has been the art of effectively persuading audiences to take some action, such as purchasing a product or subscribing to a form of service through the use of advertisements. Advertisements are either in the form of television and video commercials for streaming platforms or print found in magazines, newspapers, billboards, and other print media available.
Types of Advertisements
There are officially seven kinds of advertisements out there for different purposes and different kinds of audiences.
The first kinds are Broadcast Advertising; Out-of-Home Advertising; Print Advertising; Mobile Advertising, and Direct Mail Advertising which seem to be the first kinds of advertisements that were done before the dawn of the age of the Internet and Social Media.
The latter kinds of advertising came about as a way to address the ever-growing and broadening scope of the world wide web, such as Social Media Advertising and Paid Search Advertising.
How Much Can Advertisements Cost?
Since there are so many businesses that offer the same kind of products and services, advertising is a way to get ahead of the pack. The more people see your brand and what you sell, the more likely they will buy from you. Most small businesses spend an average of around $2,500 – $12,000 a month on online advertising since most of their target markets have mobile phones, have internet, and are most of the time online.
For the more traditional approach, a print advertisement would cost between $250-$400, depending on the placement of the ad and the scope of the circulation. An Out-of-Home advertisement like a billboard would cost around $250-$15,000, depending on the location and size of the billboard.
Of course, getting attention from potential customers is crucial, especially in a very saturated market such as today. Standing out from the competition is very important. But for a microbrewery, what sort of advertising would work?
Advertising and Microbreweries
In consideration of the type of business, such as a small-scale brewery or a microbrewery, there are a lot of options on how to advertise. For this type of business where food and beverages are involved, it would be important to let the community know that there is some world-class ‘specialty beer’ in their backyard.
One approach could be sending out samples of the beer in areas that are heavily populated, like parks and such. It won’t be advisable to set up in a mall or grocery since you would be competing with what they are already selling.
This could set you back a couple of $100-$200 on samples and fliers. Adding to this strategy is to set up free visits for the influencers in your community on the site and give a few free taste tests for them. The use of people who are likely influencers in the community or those who know a lot of people and are well admired for their good taste and good opinion and not the influencers in social media only but the real people who live around the area of your business.
This approach solidifies your business’s standing with the community, and it will only set you back a few $100 for the visit and the taste test. You are relying on word of mouth to travel within the community.
Conclusion
Now if you already have a good foundation in the community and already a loyal following from the people in town, the next step would be to get on social media if you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on online advertising and hiring online influencers to talk about your microbrewery.
You can set up your own business social media account and post different photos and testimonials from your loyal following and it will probably just cost you a few drinks and dinners to treat your loyal customers from the community. You can even do some of the trends on social media platforms to boost your chances of getting noticed. Now that’s a smart way to do business.
I am a passionate beer connoisseur with a deep appreciation for the art and science of brewing. With years of experience tasting and evaluating various beers, I love to share my opinions and insights with others and I am always eager to engage in lively discussions about my favorite beverage.
