It’s been three months since we launched our pre-sales feature with Monday Night’s Tear of My Enemies release and we’ve learned some interesting “truth nuggets” over that time. Here are the top 5 take-aways we’ve gathered from conversations with our partners and consumers:
SELLING OUT PRESALES DRIVES SERIOUS DEMAND FOR WALK-UP SALES
The team at Pontoon Brewing have a good thing going with the launch of their Serious Series. But what really caught my attention, was the way consumers reacted to a simple “sold out” post about presales. The post sent out a virtual bat signal to the market saying “if you want to have any chance at getting this beer, you better get off your ass and get in line early for walk-up sales.” Sure enough, Pontoon had a line down the street on release day.
LET THE LINK DO THE WORK
As a marketer by trade, I’ve always been impressed with the creativity and artistry of social media in the brewing world. Unfortunately, while an amazing shot of your beer will drive brand awareness, it won’t necessarily result in a sale. Until now… Keep creating amazing content and simply add a link to start driving presale revenues. Let the link do the work.
CONSUMERS ARE WILLING TO GO THE DISTANCE
How far are your consumers willing to travel for your product? Apparently pretty damn far! On multiple occasions I have talked with someone in person or on reddit who have driven from Athens or Chattanooga to Atlanta to pick up their presale reservation. Each time I ask them the same question: Would you have driven all that way if you hadn’t pre-bought your beer? The answer: Probably not. This doesn’t just apply to cities outside Atlanta. Hell, driving from Alpharetta to the West End can be a haul depending on the day of the week.
LEVERAGE ANTICIPATION TO CAPTURE SUBSCRIBERS
Would Monday Night have sold out of their award winning scotch and bourbon barrel-aged Tears of My Enemies release without CraftCellr? Without a doubt! But technology is all about the application. Monday Night’s strategy is to leverage their more anticipated releases to drive up their subscriber count, which in turn gives them a broader audience to email and text for all future releases. Simple but brilliant.
GIVING CONSUMERS CHOICE IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING
I have to take my kids to soccer practice. I’ll be out of town that weekend. I was hungover and forgot to go…. Life is hectic. Your consumers see your amazing social posts all day long and thirst for your products. But not everyone has the flexibility to be able to attend a release. The solution is simple. Remove the obstacles for them. Presales allow people to engage immediately with your marketing and pick up on their own terms. Empower your consumers with choice and they’ll thank you with their wallets.
If you have your own anecdotes, we’d love to hear them! If you’re a craft brewery, cidery, or distillery and you haven’t signed up for your 14 day free trial yet… what are you waiting for? We can have you set up and making money in less than 24 hours.
