3 Ways to Boost Summer Wine Sales with Social Media

How can you sell more using Facebook & Instagram?

By now we all know that making great wine is not enough to sell great wine. In this digital age you have to beat the jungle drums and get the world excited about your product. You also have to beat those drums in person, in store and online. Take note of our strategies below to make this summer shine for sales!

In 2017 one the best ways to connect with your customers and make your product top of mind is with social media. Here is the equation I like to work by:

Online presence + customer engagement = loyal customers + sales

Sounds good, but where to start? Keep reading to learn my top 3 tips.

1. Content, content, content.

A marketer's best friend is a library of product photos, videos, user-generated content... the more, the merrier! Facebook posts with images see 2.3X more engagement than those without.

Here's a simple way to look at where these may be coming from:

The sweet spot is right in the middle!

Ask yourself:

• Am I compromising the quality of my brand because of my tight deadline?
• Would dedicating more dollars to my marketing assets lead to more sales?
• Is delegating the work to myself really the best use of my time and skill set?

Those questions are worth answering, even though it may be slightly uncomfortable! Fret not, there are always new efficient and cost-effective ways to re-boot your approach to content creation. Check out a previous post here on why investing in your wine images will help you sell more wine.

2. Refine + repeat your message!

Once you’ve defined your brand’s story you need to finalize your images. I would suggest for the summer season to focus on: special occasions or events, customers' experience at the tasting room, behind-the-scenes with the team, summer recipes to pair with your libations... the list goes on! Let's use some examples to make it more concrete.

Summer = sun, beach, waves, sunglasses, taking it slow

Macari Vineyards Instagram post to announce their new release perfect for summer.

Summer = fireworks, fun, Canada Day/Independence Day, late nights

Mouton Noir Wines Instagram post to promote their iconic Other People's Pinot Gris.

Summer = bbq, picnic, outdoor life, friends

Bonny Doon Vineyard leveraging Instagram to promote the wines of the season.

Here’s the catch: for every post you share on Facebook or Instagram, chances are only a quarter of your followers will see it on their feed (!).

The solution? Repeat your message. I find that pre-built templates are perfect to tweak a key visual without having to reinvent the wheel each time. It keeps the feed looking fresh while reinforcing the message without looking spammy.

Don’t go posting everything at once! Facebook and Instagram’s algorithms will penalize you for it. I recommend taking at least 4 hours in-between postings, or, try schedule a post at the same time everyday for two weeks. You’ll train your followers to expect a post from you, then you may even find they go searching for it!

3. Schedule + engage

Every good marketer knows the value in scheduling content. There are a lot of options out there: Hootsuite, Later or a simple Google Doc. The goal is to save you time and ensure your content is going out at the right time. You want to build hype and share your story more than once!

My top tips:

• Share your blog content at least twice a week on social. Keep the interest high by pulling out different quotes and alternating leading images.
• Test posting times. It can mean at transit times when people are idle and keen to scroll their feed on their phones. It can also be later in the evening if you're located in a densely populated location, making you stand out!
• Reply to comments and questions right away. There’s no better way to engage with someone than when direct one-on-one messaging… so don’t miss out!
• Turn on your social notifications (or at least make sure one team member does)
• Seek unique events for the month ahead. Celebrate wine occasions (#NationalRoseDay anyone?) and your local community events.
• Announcing your summer hours for your tasting room. Attract visitors with sneak peeks of the space, menu items, wine being poured and people enjoying themselves.

You now have the tactical knowledge. It’s time to put it into practice and start beating your own drums! Boost your summer season, sell more wine and don’t forget to have fun along the way. Consumers pick up on that!

Finally, you’re never alone: if you have any questions reach out via email or engage with me on social @Outshinery

I look forward to hearing your success stories!

Want to put your learning into practise?

Make it a whole lot easier on yourself, use the free social media resource kit the team at Outshinery put together. Download your free copy via the form.