It’s time to get your hands dirty. In the age of social media marketing, virtual sales calls, and Zoom meetings with your wholesaler, we are all doing business a little differently than 5 years ago. Honestly, we’re all doing business differently than just 2 weeks ago. The following situations don’t apply anymore to our modern market conditions: “we make innovative craft beer (or insert other craft beverage here) with the freshest ingredients” as your value proposition or brand differentiator, closing a sale with an On or Off Premise account just because you showed up in person and chatted with the buyer for a bit, or putting your sales into autopilot because you just signed a distributor contract. A bit harsh, but so is the modern market landscape. It’s time to rethink how you approach sales, marketing, and distribution overall to ensure the longevity of your craft brand.

Brands that want to continue expanding their reach, increase sales, and improve their profitability need to take on the mantra of “you have to give what you want to get.” I learned this philosophy in my marketing training years ago, and I think it’s a great fit for how craft breweries should be conducting business today. You’ve got to put in the work, if you want the rewards.

Need more brand awareness or reach? You need a solid, strategic marketing plan. Want to increase sales? You need to know what your sales funnel looks like, how to nurture your existing customer base, and how to acquire new customers for the long term. Want to keep your brand top of mind with your distributor? You need proof of sales for your entire portfolio, and you better be out in the field yourself trying to boost sales, otherwise your distributor sales team won’t give you the time of day.

It’s not 2015 anymore. We’re also in the midst of a global health crisis with an unpredictable future. You need to be putting in extra work to see the payoffs for the business side of your organization. If you’re not even paying attention to the business side of your organization yet, this is your official wake up call.

If you’re struggling with marketing, you should be focusing on social media, your website, and adding email marketing to your plans. Why? These are all digital tactics, and with social distancing concerns, business as we know it is shifting towards almost all digital at this point. You can create strong connection points with your target audience through digital channels, just like you would in your taproom or production facility, you just need to learn how to optimize your strategies and understand consumer purchase behavior. You should be engaging with your audience daily on all your social media channels. Your website should clearly display your current operational days and hours, and should be focused on boosting online sales. And email is one of the most cost effective, and personal ways that you can build relationships with your fans that will lead to incremental sales and more referrals.

If you’re wondering how to increase sales, you need to focus on innovation and diversified income streams. You know how to get creative with your recipes, now is the time to apply that same effort to your sales plans. I’ve seen breweries turn their parking lots into drive-in movie theaters and farmers markets. I’ve seen barrels broken down, chopped up and sold as barbecue smoking chips. Don’t be afraid to sell everything you’ve got. You also need to pay more attention to your existing customer base, whether that’s direct consumers or in the retail channel. There’s an old business saying that it's always easier and cheaper to secure more sales from your current customers, than it is to acquire new ones. Start paying attention to who’s buying your products and do whatever you can to create repeat purchases. The best way to do this is to get clear on what your various sales funnels look like and know what it takes to acquire new customers. Then recreate that success as often as you can.

If you want more mindshare for your brand with your wholesaler, you’ve got to use your actions to speak louder than words. You’re not the only brand that your distributor sells, just like in an On and Off Premise account, so what makes you think you don’t have to “sell” your brand to your distributor partner? You need to treat your wholesale partner just like an outside sales account. That relationship needs to be nurtured and requires hard work. Make a solid sales plan with your management teams, set regular meetings with key distributor personnel, keep them informed about your product updates and inventory levels, provide them with ample sales and marketing materials, and stay active in the market on your own to prove that you’re committed to growing your brand.

Gone are the days of high-fiving your fellow industry friends and rejoicing in the fact that consumers will flock to your establishment just because you make “local craft” beverages. Now is the time to get serious about putting in the work that will keep your lights on and your tanks full well into the future.