With a market size measured at £1.4b, the craft beer industry is set to increase for years to come.
With the impact of both Brexit and the Coronavirus pandemic looming, independent stores risked being shut down, destroying the hard work of many.
However, creating a cult following enables more revenue and eliminates the fear of closing down.
But how do you create a cult brand for craft beer?
Trust, Loyalty and Community
Craft beer has become increasingly popular in recent years, with many craft beer fans seeking out unique and interesting flavours from small, independent breweries. In this highly competitive market, it is essential for craft beer brands to stand out and create a loyal and dedicated cult following.
One way to do this is by focusing on building trust, loyalty, and a sense of community among your customers.
To create a cult following for your craft beer brand, you must first establish yourself as a trustworthy and reliable source of high-quality brews.
This means consistently delivering on your promises and providing excellent customer service for your consumers. Not only producing consistent and delicious beer but also being reliable in the way you communicate and interact with your customers.
Once you have established trust with your customers, you can start to build a loyal fanbase and create a sense of community by engaging with your audience offline and on your social media platforms. This could involve hosting events, offering exclusive promotions or simply providing a welcoming and inclusive space for craft beer lovers and beer enthusiasts to gather and share their passion. As a result, the consumers become loyal to your business through trusting your brand and feeling a part of a group!
It is also important to engage with customers and address their concerns.
By focusing on trust, loyalty, and community, you can create a cult following for your craft beer brand and set yourself apart in a crowded and competitive market.
Transparency and Authenticity
Being transparent and honest in all communication is crucial to gain trust from your audience. Whether it’s about the ingredients in your beer or the way you conduct business, transparency and authenticity is key!
In a world where consumers are bombarded with choices; transparency and authenticity can help your brand stand out and create a dedicated community of fans.
When it comes to building a cult following, transparency and honesty are even more important. This is because a cult following is typically made up of highly-engaged and loyal customers who have a deep connection with your brand. By being transparent and honest in all of your communication, you can foster a sense of trust and credibility with your cult following and further strengthen their loyalty to your brand.
Being transparent humanises your business.
This has worked extremely well for companies such as Lush and Lucy and Yak who both have a strong cult following. By doing this, you can build a positive reputation and increase consumer trust through customer satisfaction and transparency.
Consistency
Being consistent is a key element of any social media platform. More so when creating a cult following.
Developing a clear and consistent brand message for your brewery is imperative in providing a good sense of trust between the consumers and the business.
A consistent brand means you should have the same look, tone and personality on all of your marketing materials and social media platforms. This is crucial for creating a following because your brand will be easily recognisable.
This is expertly done by Beavertown Brewery. Although their branding is incredibly creative, they are consistent with it and therefore it is intriguing and quickly distinguishable from other brands.
Creating a consistent brand for craft beer companies is important because it produces a united and connected aesthetic, product and service. Implementing this into your content can have a bigger impact on your consumers. This is because it can increase your engagement rate and establish trust and credibility.
Inspire your followers
To create a cult following for your beverage company, you must inspire your followers and provide them with a sense of connection, belonging and excitement. This means not only offering high-quality beer, but also providing your customers with a unique and engaging experience that they can’t get anywhere else.
One way to inspire your followers is by sharing the story behind your brand and your beers. This could involve highlighting the local ingredients you use, the unique brewing process you employ, or the inspiration behind your craft breweries.
By sharing your story and passion for craft beer, you can connect with your customers and create a sense of excitement and curiosity about your brand.
To further connect audiences with your brand, share what you care about!
If this is supporting a charitable cause or supporting local independent stores! Inspire your audience to connect with you. This will help build a strong and loyal fan base.
In addition, you can inspire your followers by providing them with exclusive and limited-edition beers, or by offering special promotions and events. For example, you could host a beer-tasting event where customers can sample rare and experimental brews, or offer a discount on a new release to loyal customers.
These exclusive experiences will not only inspire your followers, but also create a sense of exclusivity and community among your consumers. As a result, they will continue to want to buy your products and follow your craft beer business.
Utilise SEO and Increase your Discoverability
To create a cult following for your craft beer brand, you must be discoverable by potential customers. One way to increase your discoverability is by utilising search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques on your website and social media channels.
To improve your SEO, you should include relevant and popular keywords in your website content, bio and captions. Don’t forget to include hashtags as they make your content more searchable. Doing this will help search engines understand what your brand is about and make it easier for potential customers to find you and widen your audience.
You should use location tags in your posts and engage with other users, whether this is your location or a British beer festival. It will increase your visibility and reach on social media platforms.
Furthermore, it is important to engage with other users and craft beer drinkers!
Social media algorithms are built on a foundation of engagement. The more engaging your posts are, the more likely algorithms will push your content!
Additionally, by regularly producing high-quality content and engaging with your audience on social media, you can build trust and credibility, and foster a sense of community among your followers. SEO can help you to attract new customers and cultivate a loyal and dedicated following for your brand.
By utilising SEO techniques and making it easier for potential customers to find you, you can increase your discoverability and reach a wider audience. This will not only help you to attract new customers but also improve the visibility of your brand and create a cult following.
To Summarise
- Trust is imperative for building a cult following – this can be done by being transparent and honest with your consumers.
- Build a community off and online, people enjoy feeling a part of something bigger! You could even encourage this through members-only exclusives!
- Inspire and excite your consumers so they will always want to come back for more.
- Always be consistent with everything that you do.Be that communication, branding or how often you post content. Consistency is KEY!
- Engage, Engage, Engage! You should both encourage engagement on your posts and also interact and engage with your followers!
- Utilise SEO by making sure there are relevant and popular keywords within your content.
- Include hashtags in your posts to make your content more searchable.
