We officially made it to 2022!

With the influx of  “new year, new me” content, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with all the new goals we have:

  • Exercise more
  • Save (or invest) more money
  • Drink less wine — okay, maybe not that last one

But you get it. Even though the only thing that’s really changed is the calendar year, we’re full of hope in the possibilities the new year brings us. 

As a business owner or marketing director, this time of year is the perfect time to check in with your current brand strategy (assuming you even have one!).

During the chaos of the year (especially amidst a global pandemic and constantly changing trends), it can be easy to let brand strategy move to the back burner. 

Sometimes we’ve “pivoted” so many times, we don’t even know where we are anymore

We encourage you to use this time of planning and inspiration to investigate your brand. New or old. 

Here are 6 tips to make sure your wine business is on track for success in 2022. 

1. Define your target market

Define your ideal customer.

You’ve probably heard this a thousand times. You may have brushed it under the rug, assuring yourself that “all wine drinkers” are your ideal customer. You don’t want to leave anyone out

But this is a mistake

By trying to appeal to everyone, you’re more likely to get overlooked than increase revenue.

We know your wine is special. You spent years meticulously figuring out which grapes to use, how to refine your process to get the perfect aroma, and picking a label that looked beautiful. 

The problem? Every other winemaker in the country has the same story. And consumers passing a shelf of 100s of wines – or Googling “best vineyard in X town” have no way of knowing “this is the wine for me” versus those others. At that point, they’ll make a purchase based on price point or rating. Maybe even the bottle they saw the nicely dressed woman swiping off the shelf a few moments ago. 

The point: it’s crucial to define your ideal client and pick out your target market, so you know who you’re selling to. This guides you to pick out effective labeling, colors, promotions, wording, etc. 

Need more help narrowing down the type of person you’re targeting? Learn about the 6 different types of wine consumers here

Not sure who your target market is? Bauerhaus helps customers figure this out with the Bauerhaus Brand map.

Create a brand story

2. Create a brand story

You need to consider who your wine is for. When it’s best enjoyed: are you a “perfect light wine for a giggly girls night” “or “paired best with smoked cheese and intelligent conversation” kind of wine?

This focus on creating an image for your customers doubles as a way to tell your customer a story (what you’re all about) and intrigues them to try your wine.

Your brand story can also include points like:

  • How you got started
  • What sets your wine business apart (grapes, process, bottle/cork type, etc.)
  • Where you see yourself (and the business) going
  • Events or volunteer work you do for the community

Take time to reflect on why your business exists, who you’re helping, and the problems you solve

Create a story that reflects these values and directly speaks to your ideal customer. You can use this story to create strategic content your customers actually want.  

At Bauerhaus, we work with our clients to write the perfect strategic headlines and brand stories that resonate with your target audience.

Design for your audience

3. Design for your audience

It’s not enough to design a pretty background and slap your name on it.

And no matter how meaningful your background story for your logo may be, it won’t translate to sales if it’s not strategically designed

Consumers have hundreds, if not thousands of choices, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the huge selection. This is especially a concern for you if you’re going after new or casual wine drinkers.

Our senses take in around 11 million bits of information every second which inform our opinions about how good or bad something will be. Design is about more than looking beautiful, it has to effectively sway your potential customers to connect with your brand. And believe your product is the solution to their problem or fulfills their desire. 

Our approach at Bauerhaus Design is to fully understand what makes your wine business unique, who you sell to, and capture why picking up your bottle will change their life. 

Perceived value is real

4. Perceived value is real

Think about it: if you’re new to a product like gluten-free serving crackers, you will quickly be overwhelmed by the selection of 15 different kinds in Whole Foods. You may be swayed by bright colors, price point, or a simple aesthetic, but overall you’re making a choice on what sits right with you

Maybe you compare the ingredients, but at the end of the day, you want something with a good texture and flavor.

Subconsciously, all those factors influence what you believe about each cracker without having tasted them.

These assumptions may or may not be true, but they definitely affect your bottom line.  

Your customer will be motivated by different factors (brand awareness, price point, advertisement of awards, etc.) depending on the type of wine drinker they are. You have to anticipate what those will be.

 This is another reason you must have your target audience nailed down and design created with them (and their pain points) in mind. ​​

Be Consistent

5. Be consistent 

Perhaps the most important part of branding is consistency

Not just in regularly refreshed content, but in the story you tell and the types of customers you’re trying to attract. 

You want to create an experience for your customers that is immediately recognizable and reliable

Make sure the tone of your brand (and what you’re trying to accomplish) is the same across your labeling, website, social media, and physical location. 

Are you trying to appeal to a younger crowd and increase the number of bachelorette parties you host? Don’t make your website full of wine industry jargon and have a bunch of pictures of elderly couples soaking in the sunset.

Your copy, photos, colors, designs, promotions, and events should have the same feel to them. This will help your target audience know this is right for them and will help you actually stand apart from the rest

Create a brand strategy

6. Create a brand strategy

There’s a lot of moving parts to run a successful business. Especially with marketing. 

There’s only so much money and time to make an impression on potential customers. You don’t want to haphazardly “try a bunch of things and see what sticks”. That’s a quick way to lose profit.

Instead, you need to create a cohesive brand strategy that captures your values, purpose, story, and know who you’re trying to help. 

We use the Bauerhaus Brand Map. A proven strategy for wineries looking to improve their brand identity and attract more customers.

To learn more, or get started, we offer FREE discovery calls with our owner and branding expert, Rebecca. 

Rebecca is the owner of Bauerhaus Design, which specializes in building brands for wineries. Take our free 7 week wine marketing class to learn how to sell more wine with a powerful brand, social media and online tools at /sell-more-wine/