Digital marketing for the wine industry needs to be strong just like the wine as wine is more of an emotional commodity.
Like James Bond said in his movie Goldfinger, “There are some things that just aren’t done, such as drinking Dom Perignon ‘53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!”
Why Does the Wine Industry Need Digital Marketing?
Today, a strong online presence is the most important thing any business can hope for.
As per a report by eMarketer, global online retail revenues in 2017 reached around $2.3 trillion, a 24 percent raise over the previous year, and are projected to grow to $4.8 trillion by 2021.
Here’s why you should consider digital marketing:
1. Improved Audience Targeting
You can target the audience better with digital marketing. When you engage with your audience, you recognize their pattern of choices and their desires; this knowledge you can later use to market according to their needs.
Related: Digital Audience Targeting Strategy: A Comprehensive Guide
2. More Interactive Experience
The internet has become a huge part of life for everyone. We all like to shop online these days. Through interactive marketing strategies, you can provide a more personalized experience to your customers.
Related: What is Interactive Digital Advertising & What Makes It So Effective?
3. Get Wider Market Reach
The internet has a wider reach and through digital marketing, you can meet and interact even with your international customers.
For example, if you are a wine seller in the US, having customers in the US will be your main goal. But with proper digital marketing, you can even reach customers in France or Africa who would want a taste of your wine.
We know wine lovers are everywhere. They are always looking for the best wine brands to cater to their taste buds.
With digital marketing, you can access this extremely huge global wine lover audience with ease, joy, and glory.
Moreover, digital marketing further helps wine brands to directly communicate with their target customers at any time and at any place.
4. Less Expensive than Traditional marketing
Digital marketing is the most effective and affordable option for any business these days. Social media and search engines have made it so easy to mass advertise.
Earlier this was mainly restricted to businesses that had big budgets for TV advertising.
5. Closer Relationship with Customers
In old times, reaching customers was a very expensive and complicated task.
However, with technological advancement, it has become easy and convenient.
Digital marketing has made it possible for wine brands to develop a stronger bonding with their customers.
Which Digital Marketing Services Wine Industry Need
Making a bottle of good wine is the first part of the job but just promoting it is the main part. Here are some of the digital marketing services you should consider for your wine business:
1. Email Marketing Services for Wine Industry
Email marketing is a great method to keep your customers engaged. It also helps in building customer loyalty. For this, you need to draft emails that they cannot ignore and feel compelled to read.
In addition, emails can keep your customers updated. It allows you to enhance that degree of excitement and the knowledge of your brand, by remaining at the top of your customers’ minds. However, don’t spam them with a lot of emails. Otherwise, you can get unsubscribed.
Moreover, use good pictures of your wineries and your wines to attract new customers. Ensure that you always send welcome, thank you, and order confirmation emails. You can also show how and where the wine that they ordered is getting processed to instill a sense of surprise for them.
2. Content Marketing Services for Wine Industry
PC – Wine Folly
Producing innovative, attractive content is crucial if a brand wants to catch the interest of its target audience.
Content marketing is one of the most efficient ways to increase audience engagement, develop the presence of your brand, and drive more sales.
Customers start building confidence when they read the relelvant content shared by you. It also helps them in understanding your product more.
Related: The Best Content Marketing Strategy Advice You’re Looking For
3. SEO Services for Wine Industry
This is a great method for improving your searchability and visibility.
Search Engine Optimization always helps brands to reach out to their target audiences. 70% of marketers believe that SEO is more effective than PPC.
For example, if customers are searching for keywords such as best wine for formal dinner or best wineries, optimizing your website for those keywords can put your brand in front of your customers.
Furthermore, website optimization increases the efficiency of your brand as you optimize your content. This also provides a smooth and pleasant customer experience.
For wine brands two things are always very important- high market visibility and reputation management. So, if you want your wine brand to stand out from the crowd, you need to work on a highly strategic SEO plan for your product.
Remember, SEO is the most effective way to online market your wine brand. So, brainstorm words and phrases related to your winery. Be specific while thinking, this will help in getting defined ideas.
Also, don’t forget to work on your Google My Business profile to improve your local search results ranking.
4. Social Media Marketing Services for Wine Industry
Social media helps you to communicate directly with your customers, raise awareness of your brand, which in turn helps improve your sales.
That’s why your winery should make the most of social media.
Let’s look at a few social media channels that are beneficial for the wine industry:
Facebook is the top social networking site in the world and you should make the most of it. You will find clients of all generations for your brand here. Facebook has more than 2.6 billion users worldwide in 2020, as per a recent report by Statista.
You can directly communicate with your customers through Facebook advertising and organic posts.
The best way of letting your customers know about your products is to share visual content. Use all the pictures and videos and show your customers how beautiful your winery and wines are.
Everyone loves to watch an eye-soothing video. For instance, you can invite customers to your wineries for wine tasting events and post pictures of people visiting your winery. Show how the wine is made and stored.
Be transparent when posting content.
You can also use Pinterest like Instagram but this is an only image-driven place.
It allows your brand to get in front of buyers who are searching for similar products, and Pinners to see products that fit their distinctive style.
You can tell your buyers how to make better use of your wines by sharing useful tips and tricks. Advertise on Pinterest as well as it offers a variety of ad forms that can help in attracting new customers.
Related: Pinterest Advertising Guide
5. Online Advertising Services for Wine Industry
Since most of your audience is online these days, you need to be there as well.
Online advertising will bring you to the forefront where your audience can see you, develop an interest in you, and then choose you.
7 Failproof Digital Marketing Tips for the Wine Industry
1. Know Your Customers
Before you start with your marketing, always research who you want your brand to cater to, the latest trends, and consumer preference patterns. Once you know them, build strategies, and make goals that you want to achieve and aim for it.
Your strategies should be able to deliver your brand message and let customers know what you stand for. Know your customers just like you know your wine.
2. Be Very Transparent
Always be as transparent as you can about your product. Let them know what all you use to make your wine. Tell them that your products are of the finest quality if they really are.
Only when you are transparent about your brands, customers will start building trust with your brand.
Do live videos showing how your wines are prepared. Indulge in Q/A sessions. The more you answer your customers’ queries, the more they will trust you.
3. Apply Personalized Method
Always treat your customers like your second family. Ask them what they need and then actually listen to them. Create events where you can customize various flavors of wines for them.
Let them know that you are unconventional and like to try all methods. People like brands that are sometimes creative and unique.
4. Tell Your Brand Story
Everyone loves to hear stories. But when it’s a story combined with beautiful pictures and videos, it gets even better.
Tell your brand story to your target audience, how you started, what kind of manures you use to grow the base product, when do you harvest, show your workers, tell interesting stories about your team, and so on. There are millions of stories that you can bring forward to your audience.
Let your audience know about your vintage collections too. After all, who doesn’t love vintage stuff? This is a great way of advertising your brand. Ensure that you add a little bit of emotional aspect to it, this helps in creating a deep relationship with your customers.
5. Get More Reviews/ Feedbacks
This is another way of promoting your brand and generating brand awareness. Ask your customers for reviews and feedback for your wines.
We all like to first look at the customer reviews and then decide if we want to buy a bottle of wine or not.
Hence, when customers review and give you feedback ensure that you give them a reply in the most appropriate way and make necessary changes in the product if needed.
6. Info-taining contents
Nowadays, people like to gain as much information as possible about the product and the brand they are interested in.
So, ensure that when you decide to do content marketing, you share all the information that your potential customers are looking for. Even a piece of small information that you feel is not important can help someone to know if they would want to buy your wine or not.
7. Use Google My Business
When you use Google My Business, your brand will show in front of your local target audience. It is one of the most successful ways to improve your online exposure and local search optimization of your business.
Your winery location will start to show up for local searches simply by creating a Google My Business listing and completing the verification steps.
Weekends are the times when most people would love to go for a wine tasting or a winery trip, therefore ensure that you regularly update GMB with relevant information about your business.
Key Takeaway: Digital Marketing for the Wine Industry
Just like your wines sparkle, with accurate digital marketing strategies, your brand will also sparkle in the digital world. It will help your business to grow and reach higher levels.
Be creative, be different. Opt for marketing strategies that set your brand apart from all your competitions.
Don’t know where to start?
Some FAQs
Why Will My Wine Brand Need Digital Advertising When I am Already Making Good Local Sale?
A good wine sells itself. However, a good wine brand is the one that makes its presence felt. If your wine brand is doing great without digital advertising, just think how amazing it will do with it.
Will Digital Advertising Always be a Trend?
The digital marketing and advertising world are very dynamic. The trends keep changing faster than the speed of light. However, it is an undeniable fact that digital advertising is here to stay for now.
Where do I Begin with Digital Advertising for My Wine Brand?
You can start with research. Researching about the industry you are operating in and your competitors is very important. This will help you shape your digital marketing and advertising plan of action. That’s where you should begin.
