Hi. We're a meadery (winery focusing on alcohol made from honey) and are looking for ways to get our name and what we do out there. Most everyone knows what a brewery, winery, and a distillery are but when you say meadery they ask what kind of meat.
We have been around for 13 years but still don't have the luck of being an alcoholic beverage everyone knows. We get lots of people that try our mead and think it's fantastic and are shocked to know we've been at our current location for 5 years... "I never knew you were here" or "I drive past here daily" is what we hear a lot.
We do local events and we've tried radio and that netted a few people there. Primarily social media and Google are our advertising methods but I know we're not reaching as many people as we could.
Does anyone have any advice on reaching more people with a business that is unknown to most people?
Thanks.
Edit: We are not hurting, we are doing quite well. We are looking for ways to bring in more local people. We get so many people that say they drive by every day and never knew we were here.
Edit 2-11-23: I'm finding so much good information with the responses! I'm trying to reply when I can. I wish I could have posted all of the pertinent information to help with what we are doing, what we have done, what we saw that worked, and what didn't.
Edit 2-13-23: I'm trying to keep up with all of this - you are all awesome!! I appreciate all of the ideas, suggestions, connections, and willingness to help. This is an amazing community!
Edit 2-14-23: Honestly you are all amazing. SO many people wanting to help. I'm still responding as I can!!
Comments (1-10)
First of all, you've already done some great things. Here's a few suggestions that could help you reach more people with your meadery:
Partner with local businesses: Look for businesses that complement your meadery and partner with them to reach their customer base. This could be a local restaurant, food truck, or even a gift shop.
Host tastings and events: Organize regular tastings and events at your meadery or at local venues to attract new customers and build brand awareness. This will give people a chance to try your meads and learn more about your business.
Utilize Influencer Marketing: Partner with local bloggers, food and drink enthusiasts, or influencers to help promote your meadery. Influencer marketing can be a highly effective way to reach a large and engaged audience.
Participate in local festivals and events: Attend local food, drink and community events to showcase your meads and meet potential customers.
Utilize Community Outreach: Get involved in your local community by donating to local charities or sponsoring local events. This will not only help raise your profile, but it will also create good will in your community.
Enhance your Online Presence: Make sure your website is up-to-date, easy to navigate and provides all the information people need to find and visit your meadery. Utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Box Optimization (SBO) techniques to improve your search engine rankings to reach more people online.
Create a Referral Program: Encourage your existing customers to spread the word about your meadery by offering them a discount or other incentive for referring new customers.
As you are well aware, building a strong brand takes time and effort, but with persistence and the right strategies, you will reach more people and grow your business.
Wishing you all the best in your business endeavors.
-August
Excellent advice by August Clark!
Looking at your website, the first thing that jumps out is that you are under-utilizing the power or organic search engine optimization. Your blog section is more of a journal than the educational tool it could be.
I also recommend using video to educate your audience. Doing a quick search on YouTube, the content is thin on the topic and I only found one channel. You have an opportunity. 1 minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. That’s powerful communicating if done right.
I learned about something new today and hope to visit.
I found your site on Google Business Profile and zoomed in to see your storefront and the first thing I saw or should I say didn't see was any substantial type of signage. In fact, your sign is lost in the cedar shake shingles on the building.
The two overhead doors look like the building is a fire station and not a business at all. I would hire an artist to use a faux finish to match the brick on the outside of the doors. Then construct a new sign with a white background and add your logo and lettering to it.
You see the problem is the white of the doors is pulling your drive-by traffic to the doors and away from your signage. Thus thinking that the building is just another fire station.
Secondly, as a website developer, your website has no messaging and there is nothing there to convert traffic to what you want people to do when they get there.
Your website is your billboard to the internet and since you already have a local presence with Google Business Profile These would be the two biggest areas I would focus on.
Unless you are hard on selling what's not popular, piggyback on what is. I looked at your website get some of the beer you sell on tap, advertise the beer tasting and more, make people come for the beer and introduce them to more (mead). People know what beer and wine is. You can also have a wine tasting too and include mead. That's how I was introduced to mead. We do a lot group advertising, like commingling a bunch local businesses. You'll be surprised how 2 pizza joints advertising next to one another and both doing well.
I am not suggesting bait and switch, you still have the bait and you can make money selling it too, at least until you can stand on your own. Just do what works.
I am intimately familiar with what a meadery is. One way to get your name out is to reach out and set up a booth at all of the local Celtic faires, Highland games and renaissance/medieval faires that happen at a reasonable distance from your location.
At all of those, you are guaranteed to get noticed as there are few places that exclusively provide mead. And the common saying at those venues is "a friend with mead is a friend indeed.".
Once you show up at any one of those, word starts to get around, and you can pretty much guarantee repeat business as well, since you get advertisement at the websites for those events as well.
Have you tried Network groups in your area? Offered space for groups to meet or have a party at your Meadery? Had a tasting at your Meadery? Are you a member of your local and any Satellite Chambers of Commerce? Have you let people know that you are the New Brew? Even though you've been around a while. Have you told people that honey isn't just for their biscuits? Have you told people that royalty may have enjoyed Mead in _ _ _ _ century(ies), but it can be thoroughly enjoyed by everyone of drinking age in this century?
Have you tried the Wedding Market? Or the Valentines Day Market. Or the "Honey"Moon market. If you sold bottle to 1.10th of the brides in the US you would sell close to a half million brides. I can assist
You could try geo-fencing to target places your likely customers may go. Wine bars, restaurants, breweries, etc. can be specifically targeted, and people visiting those locations can be served a digital ad for your business. Events as well - fairs, etc. Happy to share more if you are interested. I do a lot of this for my customers.
Having helped in the promotion of a meadery in Prince Edward County, I would like to suggest a couple of routes that might prove to be helpful. First, find out if there are tourism partners that you can team up with to market your meadery. Work with local hotels to give guests the opportunity to visit and tour your facility in order to educate visitors on the delights of mead. You could give out visitor tickets that enable visitors to enjoy three free taste samples of your mead or give a discount on a purchase of mead when they take a tour. Yes, it's more work but sometimes the payoff can be substantial once word of mouth via social media kicks in. You can write off the sampling as a promotional expense.
I would also suggest looking into local and state tourism partners' publications or internet platforms that you can take advantage in participating since many people access regional tourism information before planning a visit to your area.
Secondly, if you have any friends in the media or know of magazines, both print and on-line, who might do an "Interest" story on your meadery as it a very unique operation. Try even seeing your regional news station has an "interest" or "discover" segment to their show. Play into the history of mead. Did you know that many visitors to various regions love the historical aspects of where they're visiting. Use a slogan, such as Taste the Refreshing Difference of Mead, or Discover Our Ambrosia, Nectar of the Gods! and even play on the Greek mythology into modern times. You could have a lot of fun getting the word out which may intrigue people to find out more about your mead. Give them an experience that will have them talking.
These are just some ideas that might work for you.
I would do more Instagram Reels and utilize your social media to show the behind the scenes of what you do and how you make your product. People are always so interested for a peek behind the curtain. :) I'd also show how it is served: ideas to pair it with meals, how it to serve it at parties, as a refreshment in the summer, etc. Reels where you are talking to the camera (smartphone) talking about how you got started, how you make your product and of your team. People really love getting to know the face behind the product.