106 days into 2020 and what an unimaginable and absolutely crazy year it has been within the Australian craft beer industry this year.
First the devastation of the summer bush fires and now the way the world has been flipped on its head by COVID19. It’s been an incredibly tough time for many Australian’s and small businesses out there but as I work within this industry I’ve also seen first hand how stressful, challenging and frustrating it has been for independent craft breweries (and all the associated people along the supply chain) throughout Australia.
However if it’s one thing that this industry and community of good beer fans do well, it’s pulling together and working together to support each other. From the relentless back-breaking work that organizations like the IBA, Oz Brews News, Froth Mag and Crafty Pint do for this industry to all the craft beer fans out there who have all gone to great lengths over the past few months to buy local and get behind their community craft breweries, well it’s just so bloody lovely to see. What an outstanding community of people! It just makes you feel so damn proud of how Australian’s come together to support each other in times of crisis.
Anyway, seeing as I have lost work like many others within the industry and because I now have some extra time on my hands and just can’t sit still, I have put together another handy infographic of fan engagement ideas that will come in useful to a host of businesses, breweries, and venues within our industry.
Featured below is a new fan engagement infographic that has been created from collating ideas and initiatives from what over 300 Australian craft breweries have been doing to engage their fans and local communities. I have also included all of the ideas within a bullet point list with images added below as well as including some of my own ideas. If an idea does not make sense then please feel free to reach out and I will assist.
Earlier this week I also released an infographic for the sports business titled ‘200+ Fan Engagement Ideas to Entertain, Educate and Connect Sports Fans during COVID19‘ which aims to help local grassroots and community clubs throughout the globe with ideas to engage their communities at this time. Previously I have created these resources below as well. These have been useful for the sports business but many of the ideas are interchangeable, cost-effective and simple and have also helped small businesses with the ideas presented here being quite adaptable to many businesses.
I have also previously created this resource ‘100+ Fan Engagement Ideas For Craft Breweries’ which has been a simple and effective guide for craft breweries across Australia and may come in handy down the track for other breweries to acquire new fans and drive further revenue opportunities.
If IBA members also have access to the new IBA forum and website sections then my fan engagement presentation and panel from last year’s BREWCON conference might also be a beneficial watch.
All in all this has just been something to do to stay active during this time so I hope that it comes in handy for anyone within the independent craft beer industry.
My final piece of advice is to get out there and support your local indie brewery and buy local from local indie bottle shops and venues doing take aways where you can as this will help these businesses at a time when they all need it the most.
Thanks for reading.
150+ FAN ENGAGEMENT IDEAS FOR CRAFT BREWERIES: SOLUTIONS TO ENTERTAIN AND EDUCATE, DRIVE REVENUE AND CONNECT BEER FANS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES DURING COVID19
150+ Fan Engagement Ideas For Craft Breweries: Solutions To Entertain And Educate, Drive Revenue And Connect Beer Fans And Local Communities During COVID19
- Bottle shop/venue and staff shout outs to promote local indie stockists
- Trivia
- Merch incentives/giveaways (even just free stickers) with minimum spend beer orders
- Online happy hour
- Art series featuring and promoting breweries local community/artists
- Supporters send in your pictures with the brewery beers
- Competitions- win a years supply etc
- Promote beer finder maps/stockists
- BrewChats online shows
- Healthcare worker discounts
- Posting takeaway food menus
- Isolation beer festival/tastings
- Creative sample boxes (core range cartons to mixed cubes)
- Hand sanitser for sale
- Live stream bands at home
- Mega variety packs
- ISO Games
- Pop quizzes for discounts/deals
- Virtual masterclasses
- Beer cocktail recipes
- Craft beer baking efforts
- Midweek madness sales
- Pics/shout outs/promote/thank the brew crew
- Letter/email of the day
- Drive Thru Specials
- Access to exclusive content
- Buy a case, get a free….crowler/incentive etc
- At Home menu’s- bring the taproom to your house
- Local area bar/venue Monopoly board game shout out
- Beer/food delivery order apps
- Promote take away meal/beer packs
- Brewery supporter quotes
- Donate a carton/4pack/beer to a health care worker
- Promote your merch especially female range of gear
- Win the first case off the canning line
- Food and beer variety packs
- Local craft beer collaboration packs featuring various breweries beers
- Creative specials and daily deals on takeaway food and beers
- Creative colourful drive thru set ups and instructions
- Check in on elderly brewery supporters
- Word searches
- Caption This
- Bingo cards
- Spot the tinnie/beer
- Colourjng in sheets/Tattoo design sheets
- Drawing challenges
- Throw back pictures/moments/memories
- Nominate a brewery supporter
- Challenges
- Zoom wallpapers of the brewery/SKUs
- Podcasts
- Hand washing techniques/instructions
- Deliver care packages to supporters
- YouTube/Video shows/recaps and rewinds
- Hero of the brewery (emergency services fan shout outs)
- Feel good moments/pics/videos
- Art competitions
- Countdowns and votes and polls
- Connect 4 brewery challenges
- Photo of the day
- Supporter Nominations
- Q&A’s with the brewer
- On This Day
- Fitness/work out/training tips
- Craft beer YOGA
- GIF challenges
- Share your brewery supporter story- fan sourced
- Utilising fan generated content
- Instagram/FB Live with brewer/team member
- Beat the clock online jigsaw puzzle challenges
- Emergency/Health services branded merch
- #FromTheArchives
- Choose your ultimate brewery team lineups
- Mental Health Messages and Tips
- What Self-Iso Personality Are You?
- Quizzes
- Polls
- Brewery Spotify music playlists
- What are the breweries up to updates
- CEO messages/emails to supporters
- Brewery video messages to supporters
- Twitter/FB/Insty take overs
- Send letters to the brewery
- Dogs of the brewery and fans pets etc
- RSA/ABAC appropriate kids activity worksheets on agriculture/sustainability/hops etc
- Memes
- Pixelated pick the beer
- My ‘brewery Story
- Random Acts of Kindness
- Virtual brewery tour
- 60 seconds Qs with the brewery team
- Brewery/supporter/bottle shop people profiles
- TikToks
- Tattoo profiles of the brewery staff
- Live Q&A
- Fun and quirky facts
- Merch offers and incentives
- Merchandise daily deals
- Virtual Meet Ups
- Online Quizzes Ex. Kahootz
- Free access to exclusive content
- Cooking and recipe shows and plans
- Educational virtual video sessions
- Virtual tastings
- Mini documentaries
- Exclusive special one off merch lines
- Good News Stories
- Stay Home Messages
- Send us your crazy graphic design requests
- Guess the brewery from the emoji’s
- Bracket challenges
- Merch giveaways
- Your brewery memory
- Personalised brewery wallpapers
- CRIBS- brewery home lockdown version
- #OpenDoorChallenge
- Fan Art Fridays
- #GetYourKitOn- shout outs with supporters in their craft beer tees
- Donate a beer or gift card
- Gift cards!
- Stat attacks
- Stories behind the moments
- Surprise fans with calls/videos
- Name The beer
- Show and Tell (Show Us Your beer cave/memorabilia)
- Arts & Crafts
- Community hero of the week
- Fan discounts for brewery sponsors- support local businesses
- Thank You Messages to supporters
- Your Birth Month and First Letter of your name = Your Career/Name etc.
- Word Challenges: Brewery scattergories
- Spot The Difference
- Share favourite beer merch items
- Mental Health/Fitness webinars
- Fan video messages of support for the brewery
- Brewery profiles
- Fan of the week
- Animated GIFs
- Cartoons
- This Week: Run a schedule of what’s on for supporters
- Inspirational quotes
- Virtual Happy Hour’s knock off beers/drinks with team/fans
- Build the ultimate beer meal
- Thank you shout outs to health care workers
- Maze challenges
- Fans/Brewery nominate a local business that deserves recognition
- What’s in the brewers/fans fridge?
- Beer baking challenges
- Sudoku worksheets
- One on one video chat with the brewer
- ‘I Stay Home For….’ Cards
- Community Support Roster- show who the brewery supports
- Brewery printable cut outs
- Virtual Vacations frames for fans
- Where’s the brewery/beer (where’s wally etc.)
- Fan/Supporter hall of fame
- Find the BEER
- Fan call from the CEO
- Printable posters/assets
- Supporter/beer caricatures
- Brewery DJ doing a set live on social
- Fans merch lucky dip live
- Memory games
- Fan wall at the brewery
- Promote fans loyalty i.e. 1, 5, 10 years memberships
- Harness, use and showcase fan generated content
- Fan appreciation day/week
