We’re up to number 24 in our series. Seem like a lot? One primary reason is that women and their relationship with beer has not been properly explored starting with her first. Hence a lot of ground to cover.

Today #24 is social responsibility of your beer business. 

Is your beer business socially responsible? Do you share that with your market and use it to attract potential new market share in women?

As long as:

• You’re authentically socially active and responsible
• You’re not exercising self aggrandizement for the sheer sake of marketing
• This factor is actually adding value to your communities

Then utilize and advertise this part of your business model.

If you’re only doing it because you think it’s what ‘you should do‘ and it’s really just a ploy, don’t do it. Women can smell a phony campaign a mile away and the damage done in falseness herein is foolish and relatively permanent.

Authenticity and transparency here is critical to women.

Doing the socially responsible right thing and sharing it with your market share – especially women, is good for all.

31 Facets of Women & Beer Series starts here

Per yesterdays start on What I’ve Learned About Women and Beer (Lately), allow me to keep expounding.

I’ve learned – or it’s finally sunk in – that many many women like to hang out with other women only at times. The support that is the ‘female group’ is powerful. This is not news to many – but it is newer for me and I find it flat out remarkable.

I’ll not attempt to explain why because I’m still new to it. Suffice it to say, it’s got a dynamic all its own and I can see how the businesses that authentically pursue female only groups and organizations will most definitely see success.

Do you see how important proper marketing of beer to women is?

I have also found that it’s a very empathetic group to vent to and with. Within that venting, there is an overwhelming amount of support and ideation to assist the women in the center of it all.  Women selflessly give of themselves and want to genuinely help another woman, seemingly almost without exception. While I already know women can give of themselves in a really large way, it’s simply a new dynamic to me to be surrounding by an entire group of women only and be totally unjudged and the one they all want to rally around to help.

I’ll wrap up with this thought: Women, in support and in friendship with other women, enjoy beer. At one of the gatherings I hosted last week I felt moved to finally open a delicious bottle of Imperial Stout from good friend and colleague, Steven Pauwels of Boulevard Brewing. The group of 12 were blown away by this beer. Especially since I whipped up (literally) a fresh lush chocolate cake with which it was offered.

Moments of silence followed…until everyone was so enamoured…I even witnessed a good female friend whom I’ve NEVER seen drink much less enjoy a beer, proclaim it was downright tasty and she’d drink it again.

Proof positive that the power of women and beer is not only already here, it’s ready to take off. Talk to women, listen to them, cater to them (with respect), and they’ll reward you ten-fold.

As for me, I’ll repeat the impromptu inviting of female friends over for beer, cheese and cake. I suggest you do the same.

Little can be generalized in our world. Everyone has different goals, tastes and methods. That said, there are generalities for marketing beer to women that you need to consider.

Generalities based on WEB’s ongoing market research of women and their relationship with beer:

• “Women want to feel good about their drinking”(actual quote) – make every effort to do just that authentically
• Be authentic [your brand and the people involved in it]
• Be transparent [same as above]
• Be genuine in your enthusiasm to capture them as patrons
• Relevancy to their lives is very important
• Pay attention to details (real cream vs. creamer for example)
• Encourage females to become interested in home brewing

Generalities can serve a purpose when the vast majority of one market segment agrees. In this case, the above fits that bill.

Make sure that if you see the enormous value of authentically and transparently attracting women to your beer brand/s, your generalities are aligned with what they want.

Always remember: it’s about women beer consumers, not you.

Tomorrow – Part 4: No Pink

Part 2: Know our Market

Part 1: Three Universal Truths

• Who’s your target market?
• Who’s your primary buyer?
• Are they one in the same?
• Do you seek new market share?

WEB started small...now we're up to 24+ at each monthly meeting

If you’re a brewery, brewer or brewpub and are searching for ways to get more beer in more glasses of educated consumers, look at the mighty oak idea.

Joel Salatin puts it this way in his book Holy Cows and Hog Heaven.

“Giant oak trees do not propagate themselves by dropping 20 ft. babies out of their tops. They propagate tiny acorns, because that is the smallest viable structure of the parent….Its size is its strength.”

To paraphrase for WEB purposes and beer, you have to start entering a market with tiny efforts. The efforts take water, light, food and attention to grow.

• If you think marketing to women is a novelty or ‘small’ market share, think again. Think big.
• If you think by starting small, where economy of efforts isn’t where you think you want it to be (read – it may be more of an investment than you think you want to afford), know that it will payoff. Period.

Women make up the majority of the entire human population. Hmmm. Isn’t that worth courting?

When you court a market share authentically and accurately, you WILL grow some mighty oaks. Mighty can be pockets of fans, groups far or near of enthusiasts that continue to sneeze and every kind and size of group in between.

Start small. Every idea starts that way no matter how lofty the goal may be.

This may seem like stating the over obvious. However I wouldn’t be specializing in marketing beer to women if there weren’t a need.

Knowing the market you are after, BEFORE you introduce your product to market, is a true basic of marketing. Like the word (marketing ) or not, it’s what you are doing – trying to sell something to the market that will buy your goods.

• Did you spend time on the front end, prior to opening your brewery, in deciding and identifying your market?
• If so, what is that market share?
• Do you pursue them accurately and authentically?

If you answered yes, please continue to read for enjoyment and reinforcement.

If you said no to any one of these inquiries, keep reading. You must know your market – it cannot be incidental – to survive and thrive. To make beer just because you love beer  – if you are hoping to make it a successful business – is foolish (unless you’re independently wealthy).

Women tell me over and over in focus groups they feel like (most) beer companies aren’t even trying to reach them. T & A of days past, too young ‘girl’ type females, and all the surrounding traditional advertising is not applicable. Why should a segment (women) listen when they aren’t even trying to be accurately reached?

Be passionate by all means. Be smart about knowing your market. Market research is pretty straight forward stuff. Hire the right person to help you develop and address it properly. it

Know Thy Market.

Since my speciality is authentically and accurately marketing beer to women, I get

Minneapolis Focus Group, May 2009

asked over and over “What do women want?”.

While I am unable to answer that question on the big scale, I am able to offer some insight on the female consumer beer front.

• Well, here’s one thing.
• Here’s another.
• And here’s yet another.

So far, I’ve identified over 30 categories, specifically (and growing) that women are talking about in relation to beer. Everything from health & beer (needs a ton of enlightenment) to where women drink to flavor & taste issues.

Get in touch when you want to find out how to better reach the 50.9% of the population that happens to be female.

There’s potential coming out your mash tun.

Said another way, how open are you? What are you open to? What are you not open to?

This is not an “Hours of Operation” question. It’s an inquiry and examination of what you’re open to. And more specifically what you are open to in accurately and authentically earning female market share.

• Are you asking?
• Are you listening?
• Are you responding?
• Are you learning?
• Are you changing?
• Are you developing?
• Are you then growing?

How open are you? Closed doors yield traffic turned away, business missed.

And marketing accurately and authentically is about a business opportunity. Grab it.

Marketing to Women.

Marketing to Men.

Marketing to Martians.

Good heavens – if you can’t figure out that you first have to KNOW YOUR MARKET, then you shouldn’t be pursuing the share in the first place.

When you don’t know your market, of course, your efforts may be clumsy, off the mark, inaccurate, insulting. So – back to point A. KNOW YOUR MARKET (KYM).

Any market segment is no harder than another when you know the KYM rule first.

Booze News take note. (here are a few good ideas…not all applicable)

The answer is no because the industry has traditionally, not entirely though, seen marketing to women through a male lens. Of course that won’t work. Duh.

Stupidity is insulting.

Start with Marti Barletta‘s Book, Marketing to Women. That will start anyone wanting to authentically capture womens’ market share a good start.