Customers love the instant gratification of being able to reach you immediately, and that’s why texting works so well for breweries. When you’re available for your customers, they’ll be more likely to buy your drinks and merch, leave you reviews, and support your business.
Send instant updates on things like new beer releases and ongoing promotions, and increase loyalty program signups.
First, you’ll need to enable texting for your business number by finding a business texting software. Once you’ve got that set up, customers can continue calling you as well as text you.
Stay ahead of the competition by integrating texting into your brewery communications with these five use cases below.
Promote new beers and releases
Increase your brand awareness and generate hype around your products by texting out promotions. Offer exclusive discounts for those who sign up for your SMS subscriber list, driving more people to opt in. Let customers know when you release a seasonal beer or a new collaboration, and if there’s an exclusive deal available.
Texting is a great way to get your drinks in front of customers. They’ll be more inclined to buy something they’ve read about and seen, plus they can ask questions with two-way messaging about things like pricing, flavor profiles, and available sizes such as cans, growlers, and kegs. You can even advertise t-shirts, hats, and koozies so customers know what merch you have in stock.
Before customers start texting with you, they’ll need to opt in to receive promotional texts. Get the word out by advertising on in-store signage, social media, or in your newsletter.
Tell them to text a keyword to your business number, such as BEER to [Your Number] to receive the latest tap rotations from your brewery. Keywords are a specific word or phrase that tells customers what to expect from you — plus, they’re easy to remember.
Increase awareness of events and specials
Draw more customers to your brewery events by announcing them via text.
Once customers have opted in to receive your texts, send invites to events that your brewery is hosting, such as brewery tours, live music performances, beer tastings, trivia night, and seasonal festivals (Oktoberfest, anyone?).
In the text, include details that customers will want to know, like:
- Time and date
- Who’s performing
- Beer specials
- Trivia theme/topics
- Ticket pricing
Be sure to include a link to purchase tickets, if applicable.
Go the extra mile during events by asking people to text you photos of themselves or their groups at the event. You pick the best ones to post on social media, and tag them in it. Or, turn the photo contest into a giveaway.
Watch attendance go up when you text. Your events will be livelier with a bigger crowd, and your brewery will gain a lot of positive attention. You’ll also get more products in front of customers, increasing your revenue with each event you host.
Sell more excess products
Instead of letting excess products sit around, tell customers what’s available. Text customers about a brew you have too much of, and offer a discount on it.
For example, your brewery might have produced too much of a seasonal beer. Send out a text that looks like this:
“Happy Fall! Enjoy a night by the campfire with our pumpkin spice ale. We’re offering 40% off on all cans, until supplies run out. Come by the taproom to pick up a case!”
Texting is a good way to push excess product, as well as shine light on overlooked beers. After all, 95% of texts are opened within three minutes, and customers will be more inclined to see and respond to a promotion that comes straight to them on their phones.
Boost loyalty program signups
Loyalty programs are great for building a community around your brewery, and texting helps drive more customers to sign up.
The mug club is a popular loyalty program that many breweries have tried and tested. If you’ve got a mug club, text photos of what your mug looks like to your SMS subscribers.
Or, you could have a point system that tracks customers’ purchases, which they can build up and cash in. Texting helps remind them of how many points they’ve collected, and what they can be redeemed for.
Share text promotions highlighting your loyalty program and the benefits customers can expect from it. These benefits could include:
- Extra pour of beer when you use your mug
- Birthday perks — free beer and food
- Discount on merch and food
- Member appreciation nights with additional discounts
- Taste new beers first
- Chance to win free beers and merch
Loyalty club members can always text you questions about the program.
Gain positive online reviews
A large amount of high-quality online reviews help your brewery rise to the top of search results and “best breweries” lists, and texting is a way to get them quickly. Reviews tell potential customers how reputable your brewery is, and how your beer ranks within your community.
Texting a review link after a customer’s visit speeds up the review process. Ask how their experience was, and thank them for their business.
Customers are more likely to give you feedback when you make it easy for them with a direct review link. To get even more reviews, offer a discount on their next purchase — it’ll encourage them even more to write you a review and come back.
Want to start texting for your brewery? Find a business texting solution that’s right for you and bring customer engagement to the next level.
Jessica Ayre is a content marketing specialist at Text Request, a business texting solution. If you want to start texting with customers from your brewery, Text Request can give you all the tools and resources you need to create a safe and successful text messaging strategy.
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