Wine Social Media Strategy
It’s so ever-present that if your brand doesn’t have a social media presence, then it might as well be invisible to many people. But it’s not enough to simply create a few accounts on the most popular sites. Today that’s the bare minimum, it’s expected. If you want your winery to succeed on social media, you need to have a strategy and what it takes to execute it.
When social media was new, you might have been able to make a splash simply by showing up but those times are long gone. Now there is intense competition for the attention of every user, and if you want your winery to stand out you must stand out from the crowd. Fortunately, we have what you need to craft an engaging wine social media strategy.
Define Your Wine’s Image
Every social media post you make will shape how people view your brand, for better or for worse. This may seem like a basic point, but many brands flounder online because they don’t think about the big picture. If you want people to view your wine a certain way, then you should keep that image in mind as you plan for the future and craft social media content.
Don’t be content with simply blending in with the crowd. Bland and basic may seem like the safe path to take, but it leads to obscurity. With so many wine brands out there you need to find a hook that will stand out. A pretty logo and fancy graphics aren’t enough; you need to find something that speaks to your audience on a human level. If you can craft a message using your wine social media strategy that resonates with customers on an emotional level, then you’ll build the sort of consumer base that stays with you for the long run.
Use Social Media To Tell A Story
Humanity is defined by the fact that we tell stories. It’s the reason that we love movies, TV shows, and books. It’s one of the reasons we’re active on social media, to tell our personal stories and to share in the stories of others. In a competitive commercial environment, the product with the better story is the one that will win out.
When you tell people about your wine you shouldn’t just be using dry facts, you should be telling a story. This doesn’t mean you need to make things up; it means that you have to think like a storyteller and focus in on the most dramatic and compelling elements of your wine branding strategy. The best place to start is at the beginning. Think about what inspired you to create your brand and what lead you to the particular types of wine that you are selling. Hopefully, you’re passionate about your wine. If you can find a way to convey your passion to other wine lovers, then you are going to win them over.
When people finish interacting with your social media content, they should have a good idea about what defines your wine and separates it from other brands. They should feel like it represents something more than just a drink, it’s a brand they can relate to and support.
Address Every Type of Customer
One trap that is easy to fall into is focusing all of your efforts on one kind of customer. If you’re looking to build a new business, you might use every post, tweet, and status update to try and reach out to new customers, while a more established brand might focus its energy on speaking to regular clients. It’s fine to have priorities, but you should still try and take steps to make sure that no segment of your audience is ignored.
New customers, regular customers, and lapsed customers should all be addressed in some way. Discounts and promotions are a great way to bring in new customers. Finding ways to engage with your most loyal customers helps to ensure they stay loyal. But if a customer does drift away for any reason, you can use remarketing ads to bring them back to your customer base.
Depending on where your business is you might want to focus on a particular type of customer, but that doesn’t mean that you should abandon the others. Investing all your resources into going after one customer type is like leaving money on the table. So be sure to spread the love with your wine social media strategy!
Stay On Brand
When using social media as a private individual you can post whatever happens to catch your fancy, but if you use this approach your company’s social media presence, you can run into trouble. Once you’ve crafted a brand, you need to try your hardest to stick to it.
Imagine a brand of wine that is aimed at serious and refined individuals. Their social media accounts are filled with black and white images and quotes from serious authors. Then one day the person running their social media page decides to share a funny video of someone getting drunk at a wedding and falling face-first into the cake. Such an action could really hurt the brand that had been carefully created over months of hard work.
There’s nothing wrong with posting a silly video on your account, as long as the video fits with your overall brand. Once you develop an image for your brand, then everything you post online should work together to promote that image. If you keep your audience and your brand in mind whenever you create social media content, you’ll be much more likely to make a lasting impact.
Social Media That Demands Attention
Social media users are constantly bombarded with new information. It’s why they keep coming back; social media feeds are steady and endless streams of content. Whether you’re using social media or not this is what you’re competing with. To succeed in this environment, you need to find a way to stand out.
Find a voice that speaks to your target audience. Give them something that none of your competitors can. Engage your customers on an emotional level. If you can do this while meeting their needs with your wine, then you can create a loyal customer base.
Social media can be a powerful promotional tool, but you have to use it with intention and forethought. It might take more time upfront to plan your strategy, but your efforts will be rewarded in the long run.
The Brandsmen help vineyards create and manage their wine social media strategy. Please contact a Brandsmen today if you need help with your wine brand online.