Wine Digital Marketing
These days, it’s no longer optional for a winery to have a strategic digital marketing plan. It’s, arguably, a requirement. Wine drinkers across the country and worldwide are turning to online and social media resources to discover new wine brands, selections, flavors, and more. Rather than sticking to tried-and-true lounge menus, lengthy reviews, and traditional ways of discovering vino, younger generations are searching and sampling based on what is made available from digital avenues. Wine digital marketing is pivotal to further reach targeted audiences no matter where the brand is located.
From a marketplace saturated with wine subscription boxes and wine-of-the-month clubs, plus independent blogs, featured imports in the grocery store, and an interest in small, independent wineries, millennials are searching outside of the box for their next red, white or sparkling wines. This is important for wineries to note because if their product is sampled (and liked) it can demonstrate the benefits of streamlining digital marketing. A strong web presence can yield new fans and, eventually, loyal customers! How can wine digital marketing change your brand, product, or services? Keep reading to discover the importance of having a digital footprint to compete in today’s wine-loving landscape.
Digital Marketing for Wineries
There’s absolutely no shortage of choice when it comes to wine. When competition is this fierce in an industry, that’s when brands matter, and successful wine digital marketing is extremely important to differentiate from the competition. The process in which people discover new wines has changed drastically with the rise of technology and no longer is simply having good quality enough to sell wine. From the branding on the bottle to the story of the vineyard to the winery’s website to the wine social media channels, there are many ways in which potential buyers interact with a wine brand and make purchase decisions.
There are rules and regulations concerning website specifications for wineries and it’s usually best to rely on trust professionals and experts to craft a custom digital marketing strategy that adheres to these standards.
Someone might see your bottle on the shelf of their local store, or hear about it from a sommelier at a restaurant, or get a recommendation from a friend, or simply see something pop up in their Instagram. There are countless ways for a person to first discover your wine, but the ultimate place they will end up to get more information is your website. Web design for wineries needs to reflect the same quality you have inside the bottle. If someone is considering trying your wine and visits the website first to get some more information, this is a great opportunity to convey the wine brand and quality to influence a purchase decision. No more than ever before, wine drinkers care about their wine having a professional website.
The Wine Industry: How to Compete
After being hit hard by the global pandemic, 2021 is showing growth for the wine industry and many are capitalizing on wine marketing through digital media to help offset losses. During the downward spiral of 2020, the wine industry was hit particularly hard. Damage to travel and tourism – both large staples in helping wine brands convert new customers – was hit incredibly hard, leaving brands to search for digital means to help with moving inventory.
COVID-19 has spurred an exponential increase in alcohol eCommerce and digital engagement. Digital media allows consumers to compare, review, and discover. Additionally, eCommerce is particularly well suited to the wine segment. Wine has a 14% value share of the total drinks market vs a 40% share online.
On the other hand, the closure of restaurants in many states fueled retail wine sales throughout the country. However, competing on the shelf proved to be much more difficult and different than the usual in-person events that wine vineyards had grown accustomed to. How do you stand out among the sea of bottles that decorate liquor shops and retail stores?
Importance of Branding
Wine digital marketing provides a unique component that is not offering through traditional marketing means. First, it offers ease and convenience and empowers buyers to discover, find, and share their most loved brands. However, it clearly outlines the need for establishing a brand that can offer authenticity and reliability factors for its potential viewers. Brand strategy is usually one of the first components in wine digital marketing and is crucial for setting the tone for newer, up-and-coming brands. Some things to be aware of include:
- Wine label design
- Developing clear brand strategies
Overall, winery marketing trends are shifting quickly and it’s paramount to understand how a brand is able to fit within the scope of customer needs through storytelling, social media, content, and more.
How Do People Discover New Wines Online?
As mentioned technology has forever influenced the way in which we research and make purchase decisions. Digital marketing has created a more competitive landscape, but it has also opened doors to reaching farther and wider. This is not limited to wine, nearly every industry has been turned upside down with the steep rise of the internet. Let’s take a look at some popular methods with which people discover new wine online, which helps demonstrate how vital wine digital marketing truly is.
Pinterest is a top way that both beginner vino fanatics and experienced connoisseurs look for new wine inspiration. There are millions of users on Pinterest, exploring their various passions! In other words, a whole market is on Pinterest, waiting to be exposed to your products! The top pin search categories under “wine” on Pinterest are:
- Wine Guide
- Wine Humor
- Wine Bottle
Well-placed pins, informative graphics and wine quotes published on Pinterest can drive traffic to your website. That’s why it’s doubly important to have a well-designed website!
Wine Blogs
For wine digital marketing having a solid content strategy is critical. Wine blogs and websites are rising in popularity among consumers trying to find new wine recommendations or reviews on their favorites. Sites like Wine Folly aim to educate visitors about different aspects of the wine production industry and even review new trends like subscription boxes.
Furthermore, consumers often look to user reviews and ratings on sites like Wine Spectator to decide on their next bottle of vino. Therefore, consumers searching for your bottle should be able to land on a nicely designed page to convince them of your quality.
However, the most effective method to expose your brand of vino to new and searching consumers is to create effective content that entices and educates. In your very own blog, you can publish relevant content that answers questions about wine, educate on tasting notes and pairing, and more. Making your brand a resource for all things wine with useful content will drive sales organically. This means extra time and care should be spent on web design for your winery.
Instagram is emerging as an engaging new way that consumers are finding and buying wine, too! A simple search of the hashtag #wine draws up enticing pictures of elegant wine bottles, recipes, and glasses of vino. Instagram is an easy, organic way for users to find peer recommendations for bottles of wine from wineries that may be off the beaten path.
As a winery with a presence on social media, you’ll want to position yourself to generate informative, helpful content and be easily taggable in user posts. Think of it this way. A visitor to your winery samples a glass of wine snaps a selfie and uploads it to Instagram. Other searchers see it, click through the tag, and are brought to your IG page. You can then guide them to your website by means of the link in your IG profile bio. Tada! Easy sales capture just by showcasing your winery in a positive light both on social media and in the details of your website.
Professional Digital Marketing for Wineries
If you’re looking to revamp your wineries web presence to capitalize on online sales, we cannot recommend strongly enough that you hire a professional developer or work with a wine branding agency.
The reason for this is that while using a free basic WordPress theme or GoDaddy’s site builder is user-friendly and fairly cheap, oftentimes that low price translates to your clients. Using a generic template with basic features may not impress or inspire visitors to your site the same way that a custom-built website specially designed to appear well on mobile and desktop. Users inherently expect a certain quality and originality to each website they visit, and it’s harder to impress with more basic features.
The Brandsmen, headquartered in Denver, notes the finer points of digital marketing and how it forges a new pathway for wineries across the nation and even around the globe. For expert lead marketing services, contact us for a consultation. We provide a wide array of bespoke marketing services for wineries and utilize tried & true methods to get in front of your ideal customer.
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