The wine industry is as nuanced as a glass of merlot. Business owners know that driving sales extends well beyond simply producing quality wines. Today, in the digital age, creating a robust and vibrant wine marketing online strategy has become a must. A fancy label alone won’t make the cut!
The explosion of digital channels and platforms means that wine marketing companies must continuously find creative ways to reach a new generation of consumers. Enter influencers—the key players who can bridge the gap between the age-old tradition of wine-making tradition and modern trends. Their job? To tell compelling stories about the world of wines to targeted, engaged audiences.
Understanding the role of digital marketing for wineries
When you think “digital,” wine may not be the first industry that comes to mind. Yet, wine marketing has been significantly influenced by digitization. The transformation has been profound—both challenging and beneficial for wine marketing companies.
Digital marketing empowers wineries with modern tools and resources, including but not limited to SEO, content marketing, email marketing, social media advertising, and influencer marketing. Making robust digital strategies a part of your wine marketing practices can help you compete effectively and attract new customers.
Influencer marketing: the new age wine marketing strategy
Influencer marketing isn’t just for the fashion or technology industry; wineries can also harvest its potential. It’s all about utilizing well-known personalities with considerable sway over your target audience.
Influencers can add a personal touch to your marketing campaigns and organically drive conversations around your brand. Whether it’s exclusives about your latest collection or behind-the-scenes tours of your vineyards, influencers can present your stories to audiences in a relatable manner.
For example, take Gary Vaynerchuk—a well-known wine critic who used social media to share his love for wines and amassed a large following. His videos reviewing different wines attracted numerous viewers. He even launched Wine Library TV, a big hit in the online wine world!
Best wine marketing campaigns using influencers
The fusion of influencers with wine marketing has led to some commendable campaigns. Here are a few worth mentioning:
1. Last Bottle’s panic frenzy
Last Bottle, an innovative online wine retailer, hosts a yearly online sale called “Marathon Madness.” Promoted by influential wine connoisseurs with a large social following, this sale has famously been termed “a cross between the running of the bulls and a massive Napa Valley wine tasting.” Its promotion through influencers helps drive a surge in web traffic and sparks a wine-buying frenzy among enthusiasts.
2. Wine Folly’s educational approach
Wine Folly, a blog designed to “de-mystify” wine for its readers, utilized the influence and credibility of its founder, Madeline Puckette. As a certified sommelier, Madeline helps her audience learn about the complexities of wine in simple terms. The brand has grown significantly due to her authentic and organic influence, even launching a best-selling book.
Aligning influencer marketing with your strategy
Engaging with influencers to promote your brand isn’t merely about signing a contract. It needs to be a part of a well-thought-out strategy. Here are some ways your brand can do it:
1. Identify your target audience
Recognize who you are trying to reach. Are your wines crafted for the sophisticated connoisseur or the budget-conscious enthusiast? Once you know your buyers, you can select influencers who resonate with them. The more sophisticated your target audience identification is, the more effective your strategy will be.
2. Choose authentic influencers
Don’t just go for influencers with the highest follower count. Instead, look for those who display an affinity toward wine, can genuinely appreciate your product, and whose followers engage well with their content. This step is fundamental since the relationship with the creator relies on them truly believing in your product.
3. Track campaign performance
Use your selected influencers effectively by monitoring how their posts are performing. Are they attracting new customers? Boosting sales? Constant observation and adjustment will help align the campaign with your marketing objectives—just like any old marketing tactic! We’re always going back to basics.
GRIN’s Creator Management platform can help you streamline influencer marketing, from finding the right influencer to measuring campaign effectiveness. Integrating such a platform into your strategy will widen your marketing scope and help you remain competitive.
Remember that influencer marketing isn’t a magic bullet—it’s an ongoing process that needs time and nurturing to pay off.
Amplifying your wine marketing efforts
Let’s recap what we’ve learned and explore how you can further boost your digital marketing efforts for your winery.
Engage your audience on social media
Many wine lovers appreciate the story behind the bottle. Share tales about your winery, your team, and the wine-making process on your branded social media accounts and encourage your creators to do the same. Think of it this way: You’d rather learn about history by watching a fun and interesting documentary rather than sitting through a boring lecture right? Take the same approach to sharing your brand story.
Use email marketing to stay connected
Regular emails to subscribers can foster loyalty and keep them informed about new offerings, events, and promotions. Whoever said email marketing is dead is clearly not an expert: it’s crucial for loyalty programs, re-marketing efforts, and audience segmentation.
Collaborate with other brands
Partner with fellow producers, restaurants, or wine clubs to create unique customer experiences that showcase your wines and the other brand’s offerings. This will make your brand expand into a universe—a WCU if you will—where consumers can create their own experiences and pick their fave aspects that relate the most to their identities.
Host exclusive events
Organize virtual or in-person wine tastings, tours, or themed parties. Influencers can promote them, increasing sign-ups and generating buzz around your brand. Again, this is critical to creating an aspirational universe for your winery.
Foster connection with online communities
Connecting with online wine communities on forums and social media groups allows you to establish your presence, gain credibility, and engage with potential customers. This can be done primarily—but not exclusively—by creators and influencers. Where certain corporate or heavily branded interventions may fail, creators will find a way to slide your product into the convo.
Optimize your website and content
Online visitors should have a seamless experience when browsing your web pages, with easy access to purchasing wines, booking tastings, or reading about your story. Optimize your content for search engines to attract organic search traffic. If this part is not streamlined, your influencer marketing efforts will be hindered by a failed UX.
Final thoughts
Implementing digital strategies like influencer marketing is necessary for wineries in the increasingly competitive landscape. Align your campaigns with authentic influencers who understand the wine world and can help craft genuine connections with your audience.By taking advantage of GRIN’s Creator Management platform, you can enjoy a more streamlined and manageable influencer marketing experience, increasing engagement and driving sales.
Embrace the future of wine marketing, and watch your winery take over social media like a thunderstorm.
