TapHunter is a new web app that allows users to search for their favorite craft beers on tap at local breweries and bars. The craft brewing industry in the US has grown significantly in recent years. However, finding information about which bars serve specific beers has been a challenge due to many disjointed information sources. TapHunter aims to solve this problem by centralizing beer and tap location information. The company used Twitter extensively during development and launch to build awareness, educate followers, and reward super fans, which helped lead to a successful initial launch.

1. Using Twitter To Launch A New Web App
TapHunter.com
@taphunter

2. The Industry
• Craft Brewing in the US in 2008
– 446 Micro Breweries
– 990 Brewpubs
– 1501 Total Craft Breweries
– 5.75 million barrels, +12.5% from 2007
– Growth of the craft brewing industry in 2008
was 5.9% by volume and 10.1% by dollars.
– Total U.S. craft brewing industry ann dollar
volume is $6.3 billion.

3. The Challenge
• Where to find your favorite beer?
– Too many Blogs & RSS feeds
– Individual Brew Pub Sites
– Multiple Email Newsletters
– Information Overload & Nothing Centralized
• San Diego Beer Community?
– Only Industry Sites
– No Social Community or enthusiast Sites

4. The Solution
• TapHunter
– Locate where your favorite beer is on tap
– Locate where your favorite brewery has beer
– Latest news on Beer Events
– Videos and Photos from SD Beer Events
– Beer Reviews

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7. Our Mission
• TapHunter.com lets you search for your favorite craft
beer on tap at area breweries, brew pubs and local
hideouts.
• Once you belly up to your local hideout, you can even
notify us that your favorite beer on tap is empty.
• Search by bar, beer or location...even from your
iPhone or Blackberry. You can also track your favorite
beer through RSS or Twitter. We’ll notify you when it’s
on tap in your area.

8. THE SITE

9. Twitter
• Early Days
– We had a fan base of friends
– Transparent and engaged in early
conversation
• Launch day
– Current fan base appeared
– New fan base appeared
– Responded to ‘everyone’
– Listened and thanked them

10. Twitter
• Objective
– Build Awareness
– Educate our fans
– Reward our super fans
• Outcome
– Fans stepped up, pro-bono iPhone app
– Launched 9/9/09
– Experiment and fail fast

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12. Twitter
• Accelerated Learning’s
– Takes the guess work out
– Finding local enthusiasts to support the model
– Find users to play off of - KingofHappyHr
• Tools Used
– Tweetdeck, Twellow
– Mobile apps
– Pushing to Facebook

13. Twitter
• Flow of Information
– Site integrates with Twitter so there is always
content v.s. the site being static
– Automated dynamic web copy to auto update
Twitter acct = tons RT
– Still engage personally vs. 100% relying on
one way push of info

14. Twitter
• Result
– Successful launch into other major craft brew
markets – Seattle, Denver, San Francisco,
Portland…
– Momentum