12 Terrific Wine Marketing Strategies

Wine is a beverage that has mirrored the development of humanity over the ages. In some vineyards, timeless tradition leads to a quality wine that is enjoyed generation after generation. In others, innovation has led to exciting new marketing opportunities to open up the wine industry to new customers. Wine is gaining in the alcoholic beverage market share, so the time is right to begin implementing marketing strategies to gain a better personal market share.

It is important to remember that selling your wine is much different than marketing your wine. The quality of your product is what will sell it and develop repetitive customers. What you’ve got to do is make the product be mentally and visually enticing so that people are going to want to sample it when they have the opportunity to do so.

Wine Marketing Strategies That Work

1. Research Always Comes First
Before entering any new market with your wine, you must know if your wine will be accepted by that market. The only way to really do that is through research. By finding out what the average consumer in your market is likely to purchase, what their budget happens to be, and what your costs to deliver wine to that consumer will be, you’ll be able to balance a price point that will make your marketing strategies be effective with the most people possible.

2. Segment Your Market
Your wine is not going to please everyone, nor should you attempt to make it do so. What you can do, however, is segment your markets to understand what personal tastes exist. Once you have this information, you can develop a unique marketing strategy that will convey the right information to the right target audience so that your marketing strategy will have a lot of value.

3. Throw In Some Swagger
Your attitude about your wine says a lot about what the final product will be. Do you consider your wine to be a sophisticated bouquet? The perfect bottle for a family dinner every night? Or maybe a drink that would be served at a social gathering? Your marketing strategy must convey the right attitude in order to be successful. A low-income family who purchases one bottle of wine per year that’s under $15 is going to want a lot of impact in that bottle. Your swagger will show value and then its up to the wine to provide proof of that value.

4. Value Is Seen In Price First
The first level of value that people see is the pricing in your bottle of wine. There is more value seen in a top shelf bottle of Champagne, for example, then in a box of wine that can be grabbed from the grocery store. Now the consumer may find more personal value in the box of wine, but if all things were equal, the higher priced wine would almost always be selected first. By focusing on your value ratio, your marketing strategies will succeed.

5. Reputation Counts
The reputation of a wine maker is important, but so is the reputation of the growing region where the wine originates. If you say that the wine you’re drinking comes from Napa Valley, for example, that will generated a higher level of value in a person’s mind then if you say your wine came from Palisade for the average consumer. Use both the wine and the location as a stress point, but only if it makes sense to do so.

6. Develop Relationships
Modern business revolves around the development of relationships. Every marketing effort that you take on is a chance to develop or hinder a relationship that your brand has with an individual. If you develop the relationship, then what you’re developing is really brand value. If you hinder this development, even inadvertently, then you’re telling that individual that their kind isn’t welcome to enjoy your wine and that’s negativity that will spill over to a lot of people.

7. What Makes You Different?
If you were given six words or less, could you sum up what makes your wine better? Every marketing strategy must include a key point of difference that makes you stand out.

8. Have More Than One Idea
There isn’t just one big idea that you’ve got to find to solve your problems. Your marketing strategy must be multifaceted in order for it to succeed. Don’t be afraid to try something new every day in order to reach someone new. It’s a lot of hard work and there will be a lot of sweat equity involved, but the results will be worth the effort.

9. Cost Is Relative
How much is your time really worth? Although it seems like it may be cheaper to keep everything in-house, the time that is spent on the development of a marketing strategy may reduce the value of your content and the wine itself. If you need to delegate, act early to do so instead of at the last second.

10. High Scores Are Just a Portion of the Process
Having judges love your wine is a great place to start with your marketing, but it can’t be the only thing you use. What happens if your wine gets a lower score the next time it is judged? Use a high score to describe the experience someone will have when they enjoy your wine. Does it have notes of apricot and apple? Be descriptive and your sales will be better.

11. Stop Talking
Everything you need for your next marketing strategy comes from your current customer base. Instead of talking to them about how great you are, let them tell you what makes your wine great. New customers will listen more to your current customer base every time when compared to the marketing literature that you’re producing.

13. Make Your Story Memorable
You need to make your customers love your wine. The best way to do that is to tell an authentic story to which they can relate. If you can do that consistently, then you’ll have consistent sales.