Our business is flanked by two microbreweries, literally.
When we walk out our front door there’s Dovetail Brewery, and out our back door is Begyle Brewing. Both are great establishments offering some of the best beers in Chicago.
Yesterday, we learned that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker ordered that all bars and restaurants in Illinois must close their doors to dine-in customers from the end of business Monday, March 15 through March 30, due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
The first thing we thought was selfish, as in… “There goes 15 happy hours.”
But then we began to wonder about the microbrewery businesses. Can they survive being shuttered for 15 days? What happens if the Governor’s order is extended beyond 15 days?
In other words, how does a microbrewery survive social distancing?
That got us thinking…
Because of COVID-19, many things are changing, and businesses may need to adjust their marketing in order to survive the days ahead.
So, with people not coming out of their homes to hang out in a microbrewery and buy beer, the brewery owner needs a different way to connect with their customers, and still sell beer.
Here’s one idea:
They could create a “Home Beer Tasting” offer, email their best clients and offer to send them bottles of beer. Then they can do a live stream tasting of the different beers, just as they would do when people come to the brewery.
They could simply use a video conferencing service like ‘Live Webinar’ or ‘Zoom’ with their many integrated features.
And who knows… perhaps there are whole groups of potential new customers that prefer not to hang out at the brewery under any circumstances.
That’s just one idea for one type of business.
What ideas do you have for businesses that may be struggling to survive social distancing?
Leave your comment below.
