switchback brewing company marketing proposal
Crafted with the essence of Switchback Brewery's unique flavor and spirit, this campaign proposal aims to “tap” into new opportunities.
Within this proposal, I present a blend of innovative strategies designed to showcase Switchback’s mission and foster a loyal community of beer enthusiasts.
Cheers to unlocking the full potential of Switchback in the ever-evolving landscape of the brewing industry.
high level goals
one
Expand Switchback distribution within the Northeast. Specifically, developing two more distributors in each of the following states; VT (1 current distributor), RI (1 current distributor), CT (1 current distributor)
two
Aiming to develop distribution beyond the Northeast, at least two distributors in each of the following states; New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virgina
annual level goals
one
In order to increase revenue, emphasis should be put on applying more retailers with the product as well as increasing marketing effort
two
To increase employee retention, new benefits can be offered or new incentives can be created to keep employees satisfied.
three
To reduce complaints, actions can be made to lower production errors and receive more feedback from customers.
competitive analysis
Another local Vermont Brewery, The Alchemist, has been a competitor of Switchback for years. The $26 million-a-year operation is privately owned and run by John Kimmich, 47. The Alchemist current business model, with 52 employees, is small enough to be manageable, yet successful throughout its employees and the community.
Looking at the products, Alchemist is known for its world-famous “Heady Topper,” beer. For eight years Heady Topper was served exclusively on tap in Waterbury. A large part of the Heady Topper’s success is the exclusivity of it, there are only twenty-four buying locations. On their website, people interested in buying some “Heady” are directed to a where to buy page that includes the locations and days they receive their shipments.
Truthfully, Alchemist has a very low profile on social media. Their Instagram @alchemistbeer looks very unestablished and unprofessional (their last post from 2015). Alchemist Facebook page is a little livelier it includes weekly posts and customer comments. Based on the opinion of 1,798 customer comments their overall rating is 4.9 out of 5.
Overall, I would say the advantage Alchemist has over other Vermont breweries is the “exclusivity” and well-known recognition it holds. Other than that, it lacks professional development within the marketing aspect. It could certainly do a better job marketing the brand without even expanding larger. They could continue to hold that exclusivity while also branching out and market within the online sector and social media.
swot analysis
-
-uniqueness (100% employee owned)
-community support and backing
-local brand awareness
-
-ability to raise capital
-limited current distribution network
-
-regional expansion
-craft breweries are "trending"
-
-local competitors
-market could reach maturity (large influx of new breweries)
personas
-
Richard Smith
Compliance Attorney
A longtime Switchback fan. He claims that it is in the only beer he drinks. Richard currently works from his Apple and Dell (work) laptops. He works from home (all his technology is at home). Richard is somewhat tech-savy. He has a work phone and an every day phone (both Apple). Prefers to speak to people over the phone instead of texting.
-
Sophia Bass
College Student
A big fan of breweries and going on brewery tours. She is currently employed at Saint Michael's College in the Admissions Department and works at a catering company. She uses an Apple laptop and primarily uses her Iphone to access internet. Sophia prefers Google Chrome, is always on social media (Instagram, Snapchat, Imessage, Facetime, Pinterest, etc.).
-
Leah Stacer
Teacher
She first got interested in Switchback when her college friends in Vermont introduced it to her. She only uses the internet via smartphone. Leah is not tech-savy and does not have a lot of time to spend navigating the web. She has social media (Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, etc.).
customer journey
for richard smith
Scene 1: Richard is interested in finding out where Switchback distributes. Richard, being a big Facebook user, decided to pull out his Iphone 8 Plus, search on Facebook, "Switchback Brewing Company."
Scene 2: "Switchback Brewing" and "Switchback Brewing Company" are the first to appear in the recommended search so he clicks on "Switchback Brewing Company." This guides him to all Facebook posts, people, groups, photos, etc. related to Switchback Brewing Company.
Scene 3: He clicks on the Brewing Company's Facebook page and gets directed to their Facebook homepage. The homepage displays a cool video header of the beer-making process, the location of Switchback VT, a phone number, and how many people have checked in there (22,965). There is also a tab that says "learn more." Richard clicks it.
Scene 4: The "learn more" tab directs Richard t www.switchbackvt.com.
Scene 5: Richard clicks the white three line tab in the right corner of the page and shows and variety of tabs related to Switchback. Richard clicks "Find our Beer."
Scene 6: Richard is directed to a new page. Three tabs pop up; "Beer Finder," "Distributors," and "Event Calendar." Richard clicks on "Beer Finder."
Scene 7: The page directs Richard to a page with a search form that requires you to fill the information. Richard fills in his personal information.
Scene 8: Richard submits the information and the page reloads with a map of all the nearby locations that offer Switchback in store.
Scene 9: Richard clicks on the #1, which means it is a mile from the submitted area code. This location was called - Botton Line Wine & Spirits in Trumbull, CT.
brand analysis
employee owned
-as of 2017, Switchback is 100% employee-owned (first VT brewery to operate under this structure)
-owned via an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) and will remain locally-owned/operated forever
-it’s collaborative management style assures Switchback will always be made locally by real brewers and not high-production operations
local following
-hosts a large number of tap room events
-Music Fridays” with local artists
-large number of consumers are local (VT/Northeast)
-local-appeal
unique flavor and product process
-the beer is left unfiltered and is carbonated 100% naturally in a special process using yeast
-Switchback lineup has grown to include 20+ beers as year-round offerings, rotating specials, and limited releases
social media improvement
-strong following on social media but could definitely improve
Instagram: 18.7K followers
Facebook: 29K followers
Twitter: 6K followers
distribution channels
-
craftbeer.com, vermontbrewers.com, and yelp.com
-
Seven Days (Local Newspaper), Burlington Free Press (Local Newspaper), WEZF-92.9 (Radio Station), 95 Triple X (Radio Station), WCAX (TV), WFFF Fox 44 (TV)
-
x, snapchat, facebook, tiktok, instagram, and pinterest
seo strategy
page titles
“Switchback Brewing Company”
“Switchback Brewing Co Store”
“The Beer - Switchback Brewing Company”
“About Us - Switchback Brewing Company”
“Visit - Switchback Brewing Company”
“Events - Switchback Brewing Company”
“News - Switchback Brewing Company”
“Shop - Switchback Brewing Company”
“Find Our Beer - Switchback Brewing Company”
“FAQS - Switchback Brewing Company”
“Contact Us - Switchback Brewing Company”
keywords
Brewery Burlington Vermont
Brewing Company Burlington VT
Vermont Beer
Brewery Vermont
Vermont Local Beer
Best Vermont Brewery
Best Vermont Beer
Vermont Craft Beer
Vermont Brewery Near Me
Seasonal Beers Vermont
Best Beers Near Me
Top Brewery Near Me
Beer Events Near Me
negative keywords
“Seasonal Vermont”
“Vermont”
“Vermont Local”
“Best Beer”
“Best Brewery”
“Seasonal Beers”
“Craft”
“Vermont Craft”
“Events Near Me”
“Tour Vermont”
key performance indicators
customer engagement
-Reach out to 100 former customers per month to receive feedback
-Get over a 50% response rate from customers who have been reached out to
-Obtain 250+ new unique visitors on the website per month
customer time spent on website
-Have an average time spent on website > 3 minutes
-Increase the total number of hours the site has been viewed by 20% from last year
-At the end of the month, have the website’s product’s page be the most-viewed out of all possible pages
social media
-Increase instagram followers by 500 per quarter (2,000 by end of year)
-Increase impressions on X by 10% from last year’s results.
-Increase the number of times #SwitchbackVT is used on instagram and X to 50 times per month
conversions to track
1.organic traffic on social media/website
2. organic conversations
online purchases made, phone calls made, tours booked online, email signups, form submissions submitted
3. keyword ranking
4. local visibility
ensuring that the organic traffic is coming from a local audience
5. landing page metrics
analyzing the most valuable pages
6. engagement metrics
observing bounce rate, average time spent on site, pages per visit
Switchback takes pride in its quality craftsmanship and local history. Switchback’s transition to be 100% employee-owned has distinguished itself from other Vermont craft breweries. Switchback is the first Vermont brewery to operate under this structure. It’s collaborative management style assures Switchback will always be made locally by real brewers and not high-production operations.
The three most effective goals for Switchback to buy into are its marketing efforts and expansion of retailers, continued emphasis on employee satisfaction, and customer satisfaction.
Switchback’s social media presence could use improvement; however, a strong foot-hold is there. The website definitely needs to adhere to a more professional and developed appearance.
Due to the fact Switchback is locally-owned, marketing to a local community will be extremely beneficial. As mentioned earlier, be sure to take advantage of the available local distribution channels; “vermontbrewers.com,” “Seven Days,” and “95 Triple X.'“