By Michael Palmrose
Did you know there are more than 7,000 breweries in the U.S. as of December 2018 (according to USA Today)? 1,000 more breweries are expected to open by the end of 2019. If you have your own brewery, this can make it difficult to maintain or gain market share. Here are some ways brewery owners can use a video team to shoot, edit and create various video packages from just one visit to your brewery. That’s right. Film once, get five videos. Get the most out of your video crew in one day.
1. The Origin Story Video
It’s time to toss out the “Who we are video” and start making “Here’s what makes us unique” videos. Although this is standard, this is the chance for you to promote what differentiates you from other breweries. Are you known for your types of beer? Your scenic view? Your unique heritage? No one has an origin story quite like yours. Take us on a journey of how you started your brewery. Think about what makes your brewery unique and make that the centerpiece of your overview video.
Don’t forget to humanize your video. Show the faces of the company - from the top tier management to the day-to-day brewer. This will help people connect with your story, your brand and your beer.
2. Demonstration video
Beer geeks love a good shot of hops going into a large, steel tank. Show off your brewing process. You don’t have to be a Bill Nye type to show off your brewing skills. Try Live streaming one of the most visually stunning parts of the brewing process, since the entire endeavor can take weeks or even months. Take us behind the scenes. Here are some ideas for the scenes to include in your live stream:
● Grains going into the mash
● Yeast being added into fermenter
● As a brewery owner you can also do a demo of an at-home recipe where viewers can make a small batch in their own home and describe how it would change if the brewery would do it
3. Product launch
If you’re doing a beer release, the best option for video is to live stream the event. A day or two before you release the new beer to the public, we recommend doing a live tasting of the beer in front of the camera. Live streaming a beer launch will help bottle or can sales, but it can also build awareness and drives traffic to the tasting rooms as well. A good sign that you should be live streaming your product launch is if you typically experience a steady line of people the day of a beer release in your warehouse.
Make them aware of the live stream by:
● Using a hashtag to promote the live stream
● Artwork reveal for the can or bottle
● If it’s a seasonal launch, what style is it going to be?
● Live pour and tasting. Here’s an example of a live launch of an Amstel beer from 2019
● Integrate it with your social channels seamlessly
● Use the recording as a promotional video afterwards
4. Collaborations
A recurring show is a great fit for collaborations. Start out by featuring a different guest every 3 months or so when the seasons are changing and consumers are looking forward to the next seasonal beer. Use a show platform to collaborate with another Brewery. You can discuss planning stages for the next beer, smelling or tasting various hops, and talk about what your ideas for a collaboration would be. Who would provide which ingredients? Who would take care of what part of the process? This would just be a brainstorm session without giving out too many of your recipe secrets. This is also a chance for viewers to see your personalities shine, so pick your most charismatic and outgoing guests to host the show. We want to get to know the makers of our favorite products. Remember: transparency always increases engagement.
5. Virtual tour video
It’s time to show where the magic happens! The beer magic, that is. While your video crew is on the property, see if it’s possible for them to leverage steady-cam equipment to do a walking, virtual tour of your property. Be sure to ask for shots that focus on the beer-making equipment, architectural accents of the buildings, the grounds and the most comfortable, laid back spots in the brewery where visitors can relax. This can be a simple video put to music with no narration, a guided tour by the owner or even a 3D viewing of the property. This is especially useful if your property houses events such as concerts, corporate meetings or weddings.
Ask for a Bundle Package
Ask your videographer if they can provide a bundled discount for all of the above if you choose to do all five options to promote your business. They could even capture all of the shots in one trip for each of the five types of videos. This will help lower the cost per video and give you five videos to promote on your website, social media and email blasts. Once you launch all five videos, see if your foot traffic and/or online presence increases by over 25%. If it does, try investing in a seasonal livestream, a quarterly TV show and an annual “Who We Are” video update to ensure you are leveraging the power of video to its full extent.