By: Jake Ahles, Founder + Creative Director: Morel Creative
The Misconception: Focusing content on the consumer. Most craft beverage brands make the same marketing mistake: They create content for consumers, but forget their biggest repeat customers—distributors, retailers, and bar managers. If your content isn’t making it easier for these buyers to say “yes,” it’s not working hard enough.
Here’s the Truth: Great visuals on their own don’t sell craft beverages. A compelling brand story does. More specifically, a brand story that doesn’t just target consumers but also speaks directly to distributors, retailers, and trade buyers. Too many brands focus all their content efforts on consumer-facing marketing while completely overlooking the decision-makers who control shelf space, menu placements, and distribution deals. If your content strategy isn’t making it easier for your buyers to say “yes” and stay top-of-mind, you’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle.
The Real Issue: Content That Doesn’t Convert Beyond Consumers. Craft beverage producers often assume that consumer engagement equals success. They prioritize likes, shares, and comments but fail to ask:
• Does our content make it easier for distributors to pitch our product?
• Are we giving retailers a reason to prioritize our brand over competitors?
• Do bars, restaurants, and shops see the upside of featuring us?
When brands focus only on consumer-facing visuals without providing clear trade-focused messaging, they face major challenges:
• Strong online presence but limited shelf placements.
• Engaged followers, but inconsistent distribution.
• Beautiful visuals but no clear reason for retailers to invest.
Craft beverage marketing isn’t just about looking good—it’s about making your product easier to sell at every level of the supply chain.
The Mindset Shift: From “Content” to “Conversion”, instead of only thinking:
• “How does this look to our customers?”
• “How can we get more engagement?”
Start thinking:
• “How does this content help our sellers stay on message and top-of-mind to our buyers and sell our product?”
• “What do distributors need to make our brand stand out in a crowded portfolio?”
• “How does this convince retailers that we’re worth premium shelf space?”
A Case Study: A brand that gets B2B2C storytelling right.
Example 1: A brewery that shifted its focus to retailer-focused content. A mid-sized craft brewery found that despite a loyal consumer base, their retail sales weren’t growing. Their Instagram was full of lifestyle beer shots, but distributors weren’t pushing their product, and stores weren’t restocking as expected. The Fix:
• Instead of just promoting what they brewed, they started telling the story of why retailers should care.
• Create content highlighting their beer’s profitability, shelf appeal, and how it drove foot traffic to stores.
• Provide sell sheets and video content for distributor sales teams to use in pitching accounts, aligning the sales team with a cohesive content ecosystem that keeps messaging consistent.
• Build up a media library for follow-up, ensuring that distributors and retailers always had access to consumer-facing assets that reinforce the brand story while also serving as sales tools.
• Structure their content in a way that not only educated distributors and retailers but also engaged consumers, creating a seamless narrative from supply chain to end-user.
The Result? More placements, stronger distributor support, and increased reorders.
Example 2: A distillery that optimized its trade content. A craft distillery known for its small-batch whiskey was struggling to break into bars and high-end cocktail programs. The Fix:
• Develope bartender-focused content, showing how their whiskey fit into high-margin cocktail menus.
• Create a “Perfect Serve” guide with unique cocktail recipes using their spirits, making it easy for bars to feature them.
• Produce video testimonials from top bartenders explaining why they loved working with the brand.
• Produce the content in a consumer-friendly way that resonated with both foodservice professionals and consumers, encouraging bartenders to feature their product in cocktail menus while also inspiring at-home enthusiasts to purchase and experiment with it.
• Ensure all content was stored in a centralized media library, providing their sales team with easy-to-access tools to follow up with trade buyers and reinforce the brand story.
The Result? Increased on-premise placements, stronger distributor buy-in, and a new revenue stream from cocktail-forward partnerships.
Build a B2B2C Content Strategy (And Avoid Common Pitfalls)
Crafting an effective content strategy isn’t just about engaging consumers—it’s about aligning marketing, sales, and distribution teams so that everyone along the supply chain is equipped with the right tools to sell your product. Here’s how to build a strong B2B2C content ecosystem while avoiding common pitfalls:
Craft a Sell-In Story for Buyers: Go beyond taste and branding—highlight profitability, sales velocity, and market differentiation to help trade buyers justify carrying your product.
Create Retailer-Focused Visuals: Show how your product stands out on the shelf. Use side-by-side comparisons, packaging breakdowns, and in-store display mockups to prove its retail value.
Align Content with Sales & Trade Education: Too many brands focus only on consumer education but fail to equip distributors, retail buyers, and bartenders with content that helps them sell.
Develop B2B materials: Such as profitability breakdowns, cocktail guides, and video case studies, to make trade partners more confident in promoting your brand.
Centralize Content in a Media Library:
Sales reps and distributors should never struggle to find up-to-date content. A centralized content hub with easy access to key materials—sell sheets, video assets, and promotional materials—ensures consistency across all channels.
Balance Consumer & Trade-Focused Messaging: A well-rounded strategy speaks to both audiences. Consumer excitement fuels demand, but trade relationships secure placements. Ensure that your messaging works in harmony across both sectors.
Support Emerging Brands Without Established Profitability: New brands trying to land their first key accounts or distributors face an uphill battle without established sales velocity or profitability.
Instead of focusing solely on financial metrics, position your brand as a must-have by highlighting differentiation, unique storytelling, and consumer demand potential. Develop compelling proof-of-concept content—such as early adopter testimonials, brand collaborations, and market trend reports—to give distributors and retailers confidence in taking a chance on your brand.
Leverage exclusive partnerships, limited-run promotions, or unique launch activations to entice key accounts before traditional sales metrics are in place.
By following these steps, craft beverage brands can maximize both sell-in (distribution & retail adoption) and sell-through (consumer demand & sales) while ensuring that content works as a unified strategy rather than fragmented efforts.
The Brands That Win
The craft beverage industry is more competitive than ever. The brands that rely solely on consumer-facing visuals will struggle to scale. The ones that win will be those that:
• Build demand at both the consumer AND trade level.
• Make it easy for distributors and retailers to sell their product.
• Use content as a tool to drive sell-in AND sell-through.
So, next time you plan content, don’t just ask: “Does this look good to consumers?” Ask: “Does this help our buyers sell more of our product?”
Final Thoughts
The craft beverage market is growing, but so is the competition. A solid content strategy is no longer just about attracting consumers—it’s about ensuring that everyone along your supply chain is equipped to champion your brand.
By making your content work for distributors, retailers, and trade buyers, you’re not just creating a beautiful brand—you’re building a business that scales.
Are you creating content that sells your product beyond TikTok? If not, it’s time to rethink your approach.
