Whether it’s your in-house mug club, a bottle or can release mailing list, or whatever you do at your brewery, when it comes to connection via email, you want to send them content that makes those consumers feel exclusive.
“They signed up to be a member for a reason,” explained Amy Martin, Stormcloud Brewing’s Marketing Manager & Membership Coordinator. “They are your biggest supporters, people loyal to you, and you want to make them feel like they’re worth something to you.”
Some of the content that Stormcloud includes are coupons or discounts for members only. Also, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks of what’s happening, and beer education are some of the major pieces.
Martin shared these tips at the 2024 Ohio Craft Brewers Conference. Here’s a breakdown of how Stormcloud creates member-exclusive emails.
It Can Be Longer
For members actively seeking content from your brand, doing a long-form email works.
“I was a little nervous about this when I inherited Stormclouds email program, but it works,” she said.
“I like to write an intro that’s more like a letter from the editor. It feels more personal. It makes it feel like it’s not just from the company but that we want to relate to them on a more personal level.”
She will include what’s in the newsletter to start.
“If they just want to scan it, they can jump to the parts that are important to them,” she said. “I always include a link to a way to reach out.
“They could just hit reply, but having that access gives comfort.”
Keep it Personal
Martin says she always includes a photo of herself in the emails for a personal touch and another way to make a connection.
“I know that sounds funny, but the reason behind it is so that people recognize me when they’re in our pub or taproom and they can feel comfortable coming up and asking me questions or talking about the newsletter,” she said.
Content Ideas
One section that surprised Martin was that members loved the beer education section.
“It’s called ‘Beer on the Brain,’” she said. “They love our beer so they want to know everything they can about it.”
Usually, she will tie it into a current release around the time of the newsletter.
READ MORE: 3 Ideas to Better Your Email Marketing to Consumers
“For example, I wrote a primer on barrels, foeders, and wild yeast so people weren’t going into a release blind,” she said. “They felt like they had some special knowledge coming into the pub.”
Announcing events, even if it’s just a tad earlier than to the general public is a great way to endear yourself as well.
Other ideas include the return of a favorite beer, new equipment (“people were super stoked when we got our second foeder”), or distro information. Even saying you added a new county can be big news for some fans.
“People love news from the brewery, even if it’s so basic,” she said. “We talked about our new seasonal release just a couple of weeks before the rest of the world found out. They feel special, they feel in the know.”
Martin did set a reminder to not share things you actually want to remain secret.
“People will talk about it and that’s a good thing,” she noted. “That’s a great way to organically spread news of your brewery.”
Be the first to comment