Lessons for B2B Marketers From the Booming Craft Brewing Scene

Editor's note: This guest post was written by Nick Nelson, Senior Content Marketing Manager at TopRank Marketing.

Even if you’re not a craft beer aficionado like myself, you’ve probably noticed the big boom experienced by this industry over the past 15 years. The number of microbreweries and regional craft breweries across the country has exploded, leading to an astonishing expansion of options in the liquor store cooler.

As someone who likes to dabble in new things, it’s been awesome to see this growth play out before my eyes, with new varieties appearing each time I visit the store. And as a B2B marketer, it’s been fascinating to watch the companies behind these beers battle for share of mind (and mouth) amid thickening competition.

The Craft of B2B Marketing: 5 Key Lessons from the Microbrew Movement

Here are five lessons I’ve taken away from the craft brewery business landscape that are very relevant to today’s B2B marketers:

1. From macro-targeting to micro-targeting

As a beer enthusiast entering the liquor store, I feel a little bit like a B2B professional logging onto LinkedIn. It’s a big place that is all somewhat oriented toward me, but the deeper I explore, the more I find exactly what I’m looking for personally.

Most everyone who enters the liquor store is shopping for alcoholic beverages. Beer drinkers will gravitate toward their particular section. Craft beer drinkers will further zero in on the coolers full of microbrews. From there you can further narrow your gaze based on price, style, region, and more.

The folks behind craft breweries know their audience – because they are their audience. This shines through in packaging that speaks exactly to their target buyer: IPAs boasting unique hop combinations, stouts with extensive barrel-aging details, and so on.

B2B Takeaway: Growth-minded brands create content that speaks broadly to their category, while also appealing directly to their most valuable customer profile within.

2. The power of eye-catching creative

Even the highest-quality beer will go untouched if no one notices it on a crowded shelf. This led to one of the coolest aspects of the craft brewing movement, in my opinion: can label design. Sure, it’s hard to knock the iconic red crown of Budweiser or the silver mountains of Coors, but Big Beer can’t contend with the aesthetic experience of the craft beer aisle.

Peering through the refrigerated glass, I’m struck by the brilliant artwork, the vivid colors, and the clever wordplay. These breweries know the importance of standing out and catching the eye of a perusing shopper. It’s not so different from a brand trying to capture attention on a social media feed. 

B2B Takeaway: Before being truly considered, your brand has to get noticed. Great creative holds the key.

3. Speaking to your audience more deeply (and strategically)

Purpose matters a lot to emerging generations, and this is reflected in the craft beer space, which is driven so significantly by millennials. According to DSM Food & Beverage, “More than 45% of 18-to-30-year olds we surveyed agreed strongly that the beer they drink says a lot about them.” With so many options, shoppers are looking for beer brands they identify with.

It is uncanny to me (pun intended) how much the labels and packaging are clearly designed with this in mind. So often, the beer names and artwork will make playful references to childhood nostalgia and recognizable pop culture themes.  

B2B buyers might be making decisions under very different parameters than beer shoppers, but they’re still human beings who like to laugh and feel seen. 

B2B Takeaway: Go beyond a basic business value prop to connect with your audience and make a lasting impression.

4: Charging more for a better experience

As I wrote in a recent post for the TopRank Marketing blog, “One of the biggest ways an outstanding brand can add value, aside from attracting and retaining customers, is by enhancing perceived value and enabling you to charge more for goods and services.” 

For microbreweries that lack the operational scale and efficiencies of Big Beer, charging more is a necessity. Generally speaking, I buy craft beers knowing I’ll be paying a higher price – in some cases a price I would’ve once considered exorbitant – but I’m fine with that. 

Part of this is the quality of the beer itself, of course, but branding plays a big role too. I go out of my way to buy from those breweries that consistently dazzle me with their artwork, or make me chuckle with funny stories on the labels, or inspire me with their commitment to sustainable practices.

B2B Takeaway: Highly effective branding helps create premium experiences.

5: Overcoming unique challenges

Despite all the growth, sailing isn’t all smooth for the craft beer industry. This one, like many others, faces challenges and pain points exacerbated by the pandemic.

As Hudson Lindenberger wrote at Forbes earlier this year: “Supply chain issues are pinching tight bottom lines, government programs that helped many brewers weather the most challenging parts of the shutdowns have ended, and the alcohol market is becoming ever more complex with new competitors vying for consumers' attention.” Indeed, the craft beer industry was struck especially hard by COVID-19, posting its first-ever drop in volume in 2020 (-9%).

But as Lindenberger points out, the industry rebounded and surged back in 2021, growing volume by 7.9% and outpacing the American beer industry as a whole. It reminds me of the way B2B marketers resiliently returned to growth after 2020’s tribulations, adapting their strategies to the new reality and marching on. 

We face our own set of challenges on the path ahead, but as long as we stay agile and focused on our customers, we’ll be ready to keep on chugging. (Again: pun definitely intended.)

B2B Takeaway: What Chumbawamba said.