The craft beer industry stands at a crossroads. With nearly 9,300 breweries operating across the United States, competition for consumer attention has never been more intense. Production declined 4% in 2024, and distributor demand continues to contract, yet retail dollar value actually rose 3% to $28.9 billion. This tells us something important: focused, strategic breweries are capturing more value even as overall volume declines. Whether you run a neighborhood taproom or manage multiple regional locations, the right marketing approach can help your brewery stand out, attract new customers, and build lasting brand loyalty.
What Is the Current State of the Craft Beer Market and Why Does It Matter?
Understanding where the craft beer market stands today helps breweries make informed decisions about where to invest their marketing dollars. The numbers reveal both challenges and opportunities worth examining.
The U.S. craft beer market reached $28.9 billion in retail dollar value in 2024, with craft breweries maintaining a 13.3% share of total beer volume. The global craft beer market, valued at approximately $129 billion in 2025, is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.9% through 2035. North America specifically is expected to reach $96.76 billion by 2030, growing at 8.61% annually.
Current U.S. Craft Beer Market Snapshot
| Metric |
2024 Value |
Trend |
| Total Craft Breweries |
9,269 (as of June 2025) |
Down 1% year-over-year |
| Craft Beer Volume |
23.1 million barrels |
Down 4% from 2023 |
| Retail Dollar Value |
$28.9 billion |
Up 3% |
| Market Share (Volume) |
13.3% |
Stable |
| Non-Alcoholic Beer Growth |
33.7% on-premise |
Strong upward |
Several forces are reshaping the craft beer market right now. Consumer preferences are shifting toward premium experiences, health-conscious options, and authentic local connections. Non-alcoholic beer has seen 33.7% growth in on-premise settings, with non-alcoholic IPAs up over 170% and stouts up 130%. Younger consumers, particularly Gen Z, are spending less on alcohol overall while seeking authenticity, moderation, and flavors that go beyond traditional craft beer stereotypes.
California leads the nation with 1,571 craft breweries, followed by New York with 762 and Pennsylvania with 761. California’s craft breweries alone contributed approximately $8.8 billion to the state’s economy in 2022, supporting over 49,751 jobs. These numbers illustrate that craft breweries remain significant economic contributors to their communities.
“The craft beer market has shifted from growth at any cost to sustainable profitability. Breweries that understand their local market, focus on their strongest products, and build genuine community connections will outperform those still chasing novelty for its own sake.” — Strategy Team, Emulent Marketing
What Are the Biggest Marketing Challenges Facing Craft Beer Businesses Today?
Craft breweries face a unique set of marketing obstacles that require thoughtful solutions. Understanding these challenges helps you develop B2B marketing strategies and consumer-focused approaches that address real problems.
Primary Marketing Challenges for Craft Breweries
Market Saturation and Brand Differentiation: With over 9,000 craft breweries competing for attention, standing out has become increasingly difficult. Many consumers feel overwhelmed by choices, making it harder for individual breweries to capture mindshare. The proliferation of brands means that even excellent products can go unnoticed without strategic marketing support.
Distribution Constraints and Wholesaler Hesitation: The National Beer Wholesalers Association’s Beer Purchasers’ Index shows craft beer consistently scoring in the teens, well below the 50-point threshold that signals growth. Distributors are ordering less beer than last year and carrying at-risk inventory at elevated levels. Securing favorable placement in retail environments, whether liquor stores, grocery chains, or restaurants, requires marketing approaches specifically tailored to these intermediary customers.
Changing Consumer Preferences: Craft beer enthusiasts are known for their adventurous palates and constant search for new flavors and experiences. A 2022 survey found that 63% of craft beer consumers frequently choose new and different beers to try. This demand for novelty makes it challenging for breweries to maintain consumer interest in their core range of beers while constantly developing new offerings.
Regulatory Compliance: The alcohol industry faces heavy regulation that often extends to advertising and marketing. Craft breweries must follow strict guidelines about language, images, and platforms they can use to market their products. Non-compliance can lead to significant penalties and reputation damage, particularly in digital marketing where audience targeting across geographic boundaries creates compliance challenges.
Digital Engagement Requirements: Breweries now need to engage customers on multiple fronts simultaneously, including websites, social media, email, and more. Over 87% of consumers say they discover new brands or products via digital channels, making a compelling online presence critical. Many brewery teams lack the time, expertise, or resources to maintain consistent digital marketing efforts while running their core operations.
How Should Craft Beer Businesses Approach Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing has become non-negotiable for craft breweries seeking growth. About 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and over 72% of craft beer enthusiasts research brands online before visiting taprooms or making purchases. Your digital marketing services strategy should focus on channels that connect you with local customers while building brand awareness beyond your immediate area.
Recommended Digital Marketing Mix for Craft Breweries
| Channel |
Primary Purpose |
Budget Allocation |
| Local SEO |
Taproom discovery, Google Maps visibility |
20-25% |
| Social Media |
Community building, brand personality |
20-25% |
| Email Marketing |
Customer retention, event promotion |
15-20% |
| Website Optimization |
Information hub, conversion |
15-20% |
| Paid Advertising |
Event promotion, new releases |
15-20% |
| Content Marketing |
SEO support, authority building |
10-15% |
A common guideline suggests allocating 7-8% of gross revenue for marketing to maintain your current position. For aggressive growth or gaining market share, increase this to 10-20%. Resources matter too. Consider what you can manage in-house versus outsourcing, keeping in mind that in-house efforts may limit reach without specialized knowledge.
Digital Marketing Priorities by Brewery Type
Taproom-Focused Breweries: Concentrate on local SEO, Google Business Profile optimization, and social media engagement. Your goal is driving foot traffic and building a loyal local following. Email marketing keeps regulars informed about events and new releases.
Distribution-Focused Breweries: Balance local presence with broader brand awareness. Content marketing helps establish authority, while paid social campaigns can support retail placement and create consumer pull that distributors notice.
Regional Expansion: When growing beyond your immediate market, invest in targeted campaigns for new territories, location-specific landing pages, and partnerships with local influencers or establishments in your expansion areas.
How Can Craft Beer Businesses Dominate Local Search Results?
Local SEO is perhaps the most important digital marketing investment for craft breweries. Over 643,000 monthly searches occur for “brewery near me” and another 456,000 for “breweries near me.” When someone searches for craft beer options in your area, you want your brewery appearing prominently in those results.
Essential Google Business Profile Optimization Steps
Claim and Verify Your Listing: Go to Google Business Profile and complete verification. This puts you on Google Maps and in local search results. Without verification, you cannot control your listing information or respond to reviews.
Complete All Profile Information: Fill out every field including hours, address, phone number, website, and attributes. Verify your business has its official name listed correctly. Add your beer menu if possible, and keep holiday and weekend hours accurate.
Upload Quality Photos and Videos: Restaurants and bars with photos receive 42% more requests for directions on Google. Skip generic stock images and showcase your actual brewery, taproom atmosphere, beer offerings, and team members. Update photos regularly to show seasonal changes and new releases.
Craft a Compelling Description: Include descriptive keywords like your city name, “brewery,” and unique attributes. Highlight what sets you apart, such as award-winning beers, dog-friendly patios, or local ingredient sourcing.
Add Events and Posts: Google Business Profile allows you to promote events, new beer releases, and special offers directly in search results. Adding events helps optimize your local visibility and keeps your listing active.
Local Keywords Craft Beer Customers Search
Your customers use a variety of search terms when looking for craft beer options. Build these into your website content, meta descriptions, and Google Business Profile:
Location-Based Searches: “breweries in [city],” “craft beer [neighborhood],” “taproom near [landmark],” “best IPA in [city]”
Experience Searches: “dog-friendly brewery,” “brewery with outdoor seating,” “brewery tours near me,” “family-friendly taproom”
Style-Specific Searches: “best stout in [city],” “hazy IPA [location],” “sour beer brewery near me”
Event Searches: “trivia night brewery,” “live music brewery [city],” “beer release events”
Managing Online Reviews and Local Citations
Reviews significantly influence both search rankings and customer decisions. Respond to every review, good or bad. When someone compliments your porter, thank them warmly. When they complain about slow service, address their concerns professionally and invite them back. Google’s algorithms reward businesses that actively engage with reviewers.
For local citations, make sure your business information appears consistently across online directories, review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor, and beer-specific platforms like Untappd. Inconsistent information confuses both customers and search engines.
“Your Google Business Profile is essentially your brewery’s digital front door. Most potential customers will encounter your listing before they ever see your website or walk through your actual door. Treating it as a secondary concern is a mistake too many breweries make.” — Strategy Team, Emulent Marketing
When and How Should Craft Beer Businesses Invest in National SEO?
While local SEO should be your foundation, enterprise SEO efforts make sense under certain circumstances. Understanding when to expand beyond local optimization helps you allocate resources wisely.
When National SEO Makes Sense
Distribution Beyond Your Region: If your beers are available in multiple states or through online retailers, national SEO helps customers find your products outside your immediate market.
Beer Tourism Potential: Some breweries become destination attractions. If people travel specifically to visit your location, optimizing for broader searches helps capture that interest.
Unique Product Positioning: Breweries specializing in rare styles, unusual ingredients, or notable award-winning beers can benefit from ranking for category-specific searches beyond their local area.
Content Topics and Keyword Approaches for National Reach
Educational Content: Write about brewing processes, beer styles, ingredient sourcing, and food pairings. These topics attract enthusiasts researching craft beer regardless of location.
Beer Style Guides: Create comprehensive guides to specific styles you specialize in. If your West Coast IPA wins awards, building content authority around that style captures relevant searches.
Industry Insights: Share perspectives on craft beer trends, sustainability practices, or brewing innovations. This positions your brewery as a knowledge leader.
Link Building Approaches That Work for Breweries
Local Media and Publications: Reach out to publications like local newspapers, regional magazines, and city guides. A newsworthy hook, like a new sustainable brewing method or community charity initiative, increases your chances of coverage.
Beer Industry Publications: Pitch stories to craft beer blogs, magazines like Good Beer Hunting, and trade publications. Coverage from these sources builds authority and often includes backlinks.
Partnership Opportunities: Collaborate with nearby food businesses, tourism organizations, and event planners. These partnerships often generate natural mentions and links from their websites.
How Can Craft Beer Businesses Use Video to Attract and Convert Customers?
Brand videography has become one of the most powerful marketing tools available to craft breweries. Video content drives significant engagement across social platforms, particularly Instagram and TikTok, and can showcase your brewery’s personality in ways that photos and text cannot match.
Video Types That Perform Well for Breweries
Behind-the-Scenes Brewing Content: People are naturally curious about how their favorite beers are made. Take viewers through your brewing process, highlight your equipment, and show the craftsmanship involved. Bell’s Brewery has seen strong engagement with photos and videos of their brewing process, with viewers appreciating the peek behind the curtain.
Meet the Team Videos: Introduce your brewers, taproom staff, and ownership. These human-interest pieces build emotional connections with customers. Share what drives your team’s passion and what makes working at your brewery unique.
New Release Announcements: Create short, visually compelling videos introducing new beer releases. Show the pour, capture the color and head, and communicate what makes each release special.
Event Highlights and Atmosphere: Capture the energy of trivia nights, live music, and special events. These videos help potential visitors understand the experience they can expect.
Educational Content: Tasting notes, food pairing suggestions, brewing technique explanations, and beer style education all perform well with craft beer audiences.
Where to Publish and Promote Video Content
Instagram Reels and Stories: Short-form video performs particularly well on Instagram. Use Stories for daily updates on events, new releases, and behind-the-scenes glimpses. Reels can reach new audiences beyond your current followers.
TikTok: The platform rewards creativity and authenticity over production value. Trend participation and behind-the-scenes content can expose your brewery to entirely new audiences.
YouTube: Develop longer-form content such as brewery tours, detailed tasting sessions, and brewer interviews. YouTube allows for in-depth storytelling and can help cultivate a dedicated following interested in your brewery’s story and craft.
Facebook: Native video uploads get more visibility than shared links. Use Facebook for event promotion and content that appeals to a slightly older demographic.
Professional Production vs. DIY Approaches
Not every video requires professional production. Day-to-day content for social media works well when shot on smartphones, provided lighting is decent and audio is clear. This authentic, unpolished style often resonates well with audiences.
Professional video production makes sense for brand films that tell your brewery’s story, content that will run as paid advertising, and cornerstone pieces that will be used repeatedly over months or years. A professionally produced 90-second brand video can be repurposed dozens of times across multiple platforms and use cases.
What Makes an Effective Website for a Craft Beer Business?
Your website design is often the first point of contact potential customers have with your brand. Over 60% of consumers visit a brewery’s website before deciding where to drink, making first impressions matter significantly.
Pages and Features Every Brewery Website Needs
Beer Menu/Tap List: Display your current offerings with descriptions, ABV, style information, and tasting notes. Keep this updated, as nothing frustrates visitors more than arriving to find a different selection than expected.
Location and Hours: Make this information prominent and easy to find. Include an embedded map, parking information, and any accessibility notes. Update hours for holidays and special occasions.
Events Calendar: Showcase upcoming trivia nights, live music, special releases, and private events. Allow visitors to easily add events to their calendars.
About/Story Page: Share your founding story, brewing philosophy, and what makes your brewery unique. People connect with stories, not just products.
Contact Information: Phone number, email, and a contact form. Make it easy for customers, potential partners, and media to reach you.
Food Menu (if applicable): If you serve food or partner with food trucks, communicate those options clearly.
User Experience Priorities
Mobile Responsiveness: Nearly 70% of local searches happen on mobile devices. A site that loads slowly or displays poorly on phones sends potential customers to competitors. Test your site on multiple devices and screen sizes.
Speed: A 2-second loading delay increases bounce rates by 87%. Compress images, enable browser caching, and choose reliable hosting. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can identify specific issues.
Clear Navigation: Visitors should find what they need in seconds, not minutes. Group information logically and limit the number of main navigation items.
Visual Quality: Invest in professional photography that showcases your taproom, beers, and atmosphere. Generic stock images undermine authenticity and fail to represent what makes your brewery special.
Calls-to-Action and Conversion Tools
Online Reservations: If you take reservations, integrate a booking system that works without phone calls.
Email Signup: Capture visitor emails with a clear value proposition, such as early access to new releases, exclusive discounts, or event announcements.
Direction Requests: Make it simple to get directions to your location with one click.
Event RSVPs: Allow visitors to indicate interest in events, helping you plan appropriately and stay in touch.
How Should Craft Beer Businesses Build a Memorable Brand?
Brand strategy and development goes beyond logos and color palettes. Your brand is the complete identity and personality built around your products, values, and story. In a market with thousands of options, strong branding differentiates your brewery and creates the emotional connections that drive loyalty.
Elements of a Strong Craft Beer Brand Identity
Authentic Story: Share why you started brewing, what drives your passion, and what makes your approach unique. Craft beer enthusiasts want to know the people and philosophy behind the beers they drink. Storytelling creates emotional connections that product features alone cannot achieve.
Clear Positioning: Define what you do, who you do it for, and how you differ from competitors. This might be a specific beer style you specialize in, a local connection, a sustainability commitment, or an unusual brewing technique.
Visual Identity: Colors, typography, logo design, and packaging should work together to create instant recognition. Your visual identity should appear consistently across labels, taproom signage, merchandise, website, and social media.
Brand Voice: How does your brewery “sound” when communicating? Playful and irreverent? Serious and craft-focused? Friendly and community-oriented? This voice should remain consistent across all channels.
Differentiation Approaches That Work
Geographic Identity: Connect your brand to your specific location through ingredients, imagery, naming, and local partnerships. This “neolocalism” appeals strongly to consumers who value authenticity and community support.
Style Specialization: Becoming known for excellence in a specific beer style creates a clear position in consumers’ minds. You might be the go-to brewery for hazy IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, or refreshing lagers.
Experience Focus: Some breweries differentiate through the experience they offer rather than just the beer. This might mean exceptional hospitality, unique events, beautiful spaces, or memorable taproom atmosphere.
Values Alignment: Sustainability, community support, inclusivity, and other values can differentiate your brand when authentically communicated and practiced.
Maintaining Brand Consistency
Style Guide Development: Create a document that defines logo usage, color codes, typography, photography style, and voice guidelines. Share this with anyone creating content on your behalf.
Template Systems: Develop templates for social media posts, email newsletters, and promotional materials that maintain consistent visual identity while allowing flexibility for different content.
Regular Audits: Periodically review all customer touchpoints, from your website to your taproom signage to your social media presence, to identify inconsistencies that may have crept in.
Which Social Media Platforms and Approaches Work Best for Craft Beer?
Social media provides craft breweries with powerful, cost-effective ways to connect with customers. With 74% of people using social media to help make purchasing decisions, these platforms cannot be an afterthought.
Platform Selection Guide for Craft Breweries
| Platform |
Strengths |
Best Content Types |
| Instagram |
Visual storytelling, younger demographics, high engagement |
Beer photography, behind-the-scenes, Reels, Stories |
| Facebook |
Broadest reach, events, older demographics |
Event promotion, community updates, longer posts |
| TikTok |
Viral potential, younger audiences, creativity |
Trend participation, quick tours, personality content |
| YouTube |
Long-form content, search visibility, education |
Brewery tours, tastings, brewer interviews |
Content That Engages Craft Beer Audiences
Behind-the-Scenes Content: Show brewing processes, ingredient arrivals, team celebrations, and day-to-day operations. This content satisfies curiosity and builds authentic connections.
New Release Announcements: Build anticipation for new beers with teasers, reveal posts, and launch day content. Create urgency for limited releases.
User-Generated Content: Encourage customers to share photos using a branded hashtag. Repost their content (with permission) to build community and social proof. User-generated content is powerful because it feels authentic and turns loyal customers into marketing advocates.
Team Spotlights: Introduce staff members, share their stories, and highlight what they bring to your brewery. People connect with people.
Interactive Content: Polls about potential new releases, quizzes about beer styles, questions that invite comments. Engagement signals to algorithms that your content deserves broader reach.
Posting Frequency and Engagement Practices
Aim to post at least once daily on your primary platforms. Consistency builds visibility and keeps your brewery top-of-mind when followers decide where to grab a beer. Plan content in advance using an editorial calendar, but leave room for timely, spontaneous posts.
Treat social media as a two-way conversation, not a broadcast channel. Respond to comments and messages promptly. Ask questions. Thank people who share your content. This engagement builds community and shows followers you value their participation.
“Social media works best when you stop thinking about it as marketing and start thinking about it as hospitality. The same welcoming, genuine energy that makes your taproom special should come through in every post, comment, and message.” — Strategy Team, Emulent Marketing
How Can Craft Beer Businesses Keep Customers Coming Back?
Customer retention often delivers better returns than acquisition. Email marketing, in particular, offers one of the highest returns on investment in the hospitality industry, with some studies suggesting up to $36 returned for every $1 spent.
Retention Approaches That Work for Breweries
Membership and Loyalty Programs: Recent data reveals that 84% of craft beer drinkers are interested in buying beer directly from breweries via subscription. The global alcohol subscription market is expected to quadruple by 2030. Tiered membership programs offer escalating benefits for your most loyal fans, from basic tasting kits to VIP packages with early access to festivals, brew days, and seasonal drops.
Email Marketing Campaigns: Build an email list and maintain regular communication about new releases, events, and special offers. Structure your email strategy around specific goals: welcome sequences for new subscribers, product announcements for releases, event invitations, and loyalty rewards. Personalize content based on customer preferences when possible.
Exclusive Experiences: Offer members-only events, early access to limited releases, reserved seating, and behind-the-scenes opportunities. These exclusives create belonging and reward loyal customers.
Trivia and Regular Events: Weekly events like trivia nights turn occasional visitors into regulars who return week after week. Offer the winning team a gift card that must be used at a later date to encourage return visits.
Email Campaign Types for Breweries
| Campaign Type |
Purpose |
Frequency |
| Welcome Series |
Introduce new subscribers to your brewery |
Automated, 2-3 emails |
| New Releases |
Announce new beers and limited editions |
As needed |
| Monthly Newsletter |
General updates, events, happenings |
Monthly |
| Event Invitations |
Promote specific events |
As needed |
| Loyalty Rewards |
Recognize and reward repeat customers |
Quarterly |
Referral Incentives: Encourage existing customers to bring friends by offering rewards for referrals. Points programs that provide benefits for referring friends and family turn satisfied customers into active promoters.
How Do You Build a Marketing Plan for a Craft Beer Business?
A marketing plan transforms good intentions into measurable actions. Without a documented plan, marketing efforts tend to be reactive and inconsistent.
Goal Setting for Brewery Marketing
Awareness Goals: Increase brand recognition in your target market. Metrics might include website traffic, social media reach, and new customer acquisition.
Engagement Goals: Build deeper connections with existing customers. Track social media engagement rates, email open and click rates, and event attendance.
Revenue Goals: Tie marketing to business outcomes. Monitor taproom sales, merchandise revenue, event ticket sales, and distribution growth.
Retention Goals: Keep customers coming back. Measure repeat visit rates, membership program enrollment, and customer lifetime value.
Sample Marketing Budget Allocation
| Category |
Maintenance (7-8%) |
Growth (10-20%) |
| Digital Marketing |
40% |
45% |
| Events and Activations |
25% |
20% |
| Content Creation |
15% |
15% |
| Traditional Marketing |
10% |
10% |
| Tools and Technology |
10% |
10% |
Timeline and Milestones
Monthly: Review key metrics, assess campaign performance, adjust tactics as needed, plan next month’s content.
Quarterly: Evaluate progress toward annual goals, review budget allocation, identify winning approaches to expand and underperforming efforts to modify or discontinue.
Annually: Conduct comprehensive review of marketing performance, set goals for the coming year, refresh strategy based on market changes and lessons learned.
Key Performance Indicators to Track
Website Metrics: Traffic, time on site, page views, direction requests, menu views.
Social Media Metrics: Follower growth, engagement rate, reach, clicks to website.
Email Metrics: Open rate, click-through rate, unsubscribe rate, conversion rate.
Business Metrics: Taproom revenue, average check size, new vs. returning customers, event attendance.
Local SEO Metrics: Google Business Profile views, direction requests, phone calls, review quantity and rating.
What Seasonal Campaigns Should Craft Beer Businesses Run Throughout the Year?
Seasonal marketing aligns your promotions with natural consumer behavior patterns and creates urgency that drives action.
Spring Opportunities
Patio Season Launch: When weather warms, promote outdoor seating areas and lighter, refreshing beer styles. Run a patio opening celebration event.
St. Patrick’s Day: One of the biggest beer-focused holidays. Plan special releases, themed events, and promotional campaigns well in advance.
March Madness: Basketball tournaments bring groups looking for places to watch games together. Promote viewing parties and game-day specials.
Spring Cleaning Beer Releases: Introduce seasonal styles like wheat beers, session ales, and fruit-forward options that appeal to warming weather.
Summer Opportunities
Festival Season: Participate in local beer festivals, food truck events, and community gatherings. These events expand your reach beyond regular customers.
Fourth of July: Plan patriotic promotions, limited releases, and events around the holiday weekend.
Summer Beer Styles: Promote session beers, gose, radlers, and other refreshing options suited to hot weather.
Outdoor Events: Leverage your outdoor space for live music, yard games tournaments, or movie nights.
Fall Opportunities
Oktoberfest: The biggest craft beer celebration of the year. Plan themed events, release festbiers and marzen-style lagers, and create German-inspired experiences.
Football Season: Promote viewing parties for college and professional football games.
Pumpkin and Fall Releases: Launch seasonal favorites like pumpkin ales, harvest beers, and fall-spiced options.
Anniversary Celebrations: If your brewery opened in fall, plan milestone celebrations that bring loyal customers together.
Winter and Holiday Opportunities
Holiday Gift Packages: Create merchandise bundles, gift cards, and beer packages for holiday gift-giving.
Winter Warmers: Promote hearty stouts, porters, barleywines, and spiced ales suited to cold weather.
New Year’s Events: Host celebrations and promote resolution-friendly options like non-alcoholic beers or session styles.
Valentine’s Day: Offer couples packages, chocolate-beer pairings, or special date night events.
What Unique or Creative Marketing Ideas Can Set a Craft Beer Business Apart?
The breweries that capture attention often do so through creative approaches that larger competitors cannot easily replicate.
Unconventional Tactics That Work
Collaboration Releases: Partner with local coffee roasters, bakeries, farms, or other breweries for unique co-branded releases. You sell the beer; they promote to their audience. Both parties cross-pollinate their customer bases.
Artist Partnerships: Work with local artists on label designs, taproom murals, or limited-edition merchandise. These collaborations generate buzz and create collectible products.
Cause Marketing: Align with causes your community cares about. Donate portions of specific beer sales to local charities, sponsor community events, or organize cleanup days. Authenticity matters here, so choose causes that genuinely connect to your values.
Educational Programming: Host brewing classes, beer education sessions, or food pairing workshops. These experiences create value beyond just selling beer and position you as experts in your craft.
Partnership and Community Opportunities
Food Truck Partnerships: Regular food truck rotations solve the food question for breweries without kitchens while creating variety that encourages repeat visits.
Local Business Cross-Promotions: Partner with nearby restaurants, retailers, or service providers for mutual promotion. Customers from complementary businesses often become your customers.
Community Group Hosting: Offer your space for book clubs, running groups, knitting circles, or other community gatherings. These groups become regular customers and ambassadors.
Charity Events: Host trivia nights or tap takeovers that benefit local nonprofits. Community goodwill translates into customer loyalty.
Emerging Trends to Consider
Non-Alcoholic Options: The non-alcoholic beer segment shows the strongest growth trajectory in the industry. Adding quality NA options appeals to health-conscious consumers and designated drivers.
Direct-to-Consumer E-Commerce: Shipping beer directly to customers where legally permitted opens new revenue streams and builds relationships beyond your geographic area.
Subscription Programs: Monthly beer clubs modeled after wine clubs create recurring revenue and deepen customer relationships through exclusive access and convenience.
What Is a Quick-Reference Digital Marketing Cheat Sheet for Craft Beer?
Immediate Action Items for Every Brewery
1. Claim and Complete Your Google Business Profile: This single action impacts local visibility more than almost anything else you can do.
2. Post Consistently on Social Media: Choose two platforms and commit to daily posting. Quality and consistency matter more than being everywhere.
3. Start an Email List: Capture customer emails from day one. Even a simple monthly newsletter maintains connections between visits.
4. Ensure Mobile-Friendly Website: Test your site on phones and tablets. Fix any issues that make information hard to find or pages slow to load.
5. Respond to All Reviews: Every review, positive or negative, deserves a thoughtful response.
6. Update Business Information Everywhere: Verify hours, address, and contact information are accurate across all platforms and directories.
7. Take Quality Photos: Good photography of your space, beers, and team makes every marketing channel more effective.
8. Create a Branded Hashtag: Encourage customers to use it when posting about your brewery. This organizes user-generated content and makes it easy to find and share.
9. Plan One Event Per Month: Whether trivia, live music, or special releases, regular events give customers reasons to return and content to promote.
10. Track Basic Metrics: Know your website traffic, social engagement, and email performance. You cannot improve what you do not measure.
Recommended Tools and Platforms
| Function |
Tool Options |
| Email Marketing |
Mailchimp, Audienceful, Constant Contact |
| Social Media Management |
Later, Hootsuite, Buffer |
| Website Analytics |
Google Analytics, Google Search Console |
| Reservation Systems |
Toast, Tripleseat, Resy |
| Review Monitoring |
Google Alerts, Mention, Untappd |
| Graphic Design |
Canva, Adobe Express |
How Can Emulent Digital Marketing Help Your Craft Beer Business Grow?
At Emulent, we understand the unique challenges craft breweries face in a competitive market. Our team brings specialized experience in beverage marketing, combining deep industry knowledge with proven digital strategies that deliver results.
Our approach starts with understanding your brewery’s specific situation, goals, and challenges. We develop customized strategies rather than applying one-size-fits-all solutions. Whether you need help with local SEO to drive taproom traffic, content creation that builds authority, or website development that converts visitors into customers, we have the expertise to help.
What sets Emulent apart is our commitment to measurable results and transparent communication. We track the metrics that matter to your business and provide clear reporting so you always know how your marketing investments are performing.
Ready to discuss your brewery’s marketing needs? Contact the Emulent team to schedule a consultation and learn how we can help you stand out in the craft beer market.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a craft brewery spend on marketing?
A common guideline recommends 7-8% of gross revenue for maintaining your current position. For aggressive growth or gaining market share, increase this to 10-20%. Consider what you can manage in-house versus outsourcing, keeping in mind that professional expertise often delivers better results than limited in-house efforts.
Which social media platform is best for breweries?
Instagram tends to deliver the strongest engagement for craft breweries due to its visual nature and appeal to younger demographics. Facebook provides the broadest reach and works well for event promotion. The best approach is focusing on two platforms where your target customers spend time rather than spreading too thin across all platforms.
How long does it take to see results from brewery SEO?
Most breweries see noticeable improvements in search rankings, Google Maps visibility, and website traffic within 3-6 months of consistent SEO work. Local SEO often shows faster results than national SEO. Quick wins like Google Business Profile optimization can impact visibility within weeks.
What types of content work best for craft beer marketing?
Behind-the-scenes brewing content, new release announcements, team spotlights, and user-generated content consistently perform well. Educational content about beer styles and brewing processes builds authority. Video content drives particularly strong engagement across platforms.
How do I measure if my brewery’s marketing is working?
Track a combination of digital metrics and business outcomes. Monitor website traffic, social media engagement, email performance, Google Business Profile views, and direction requests. Connect these to business results like taproom revenue, event attendance, and new customer acquisition.
Should craft breweries invest in paid advertising?
Paid advertising can accelerate results, particularly for event promotion, new release launches, and reaching new audiences. Geo-targeted ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to reach local customers efficiently. Start with a modest budget, test different approaches, and scale what works.
How important are online reviews for breweries?
Online reviews significantly impact both search rankings and customer decisions. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews, and respond thoughtfully to every review. Negative reviews handled well can actually build trust by showing you care about customer experience.
What makes a good brewery loyalty program?
Effective brewery loyalty programs offer genuine value through discounted pours, exclusive access to limited releases, members-only events, and merchandise discounts. Tiered programs that provide escalating benefits for increasing engagement levels tend to drive the strongest loyalty and lifetime value.
How can small breweries compete with larger craft brands?
Small breweries have advantages that larger brands cannot easily replicate: authentic local connections, agility to respond to trends, personalized customer relationships, and unique community positioning. Focus on these strengths rather than trying to outspend larger competitors.
What is the most important marketing investment for a new brewery?
Local SEO and Google Business Profile optimization typically deliver the highest immediate impact for new breweries. When people search for places to drink nearby, you want to appear prominently in those results. Combine this with consistent social media presence and email list building from day one.
