In February, I spoke at the #USBevX wine conference and received a great compliment from an attendee. She said “I’ve never heard social media explained the way you did. It makes so much more sense now!”

The presentation, “How six brands target six different wine consumers,” wasn’t specifically about social media. Instead, it was a step by step view of how six brands target specific wine consumers with ALL their communications – logo, packaging, website, social media, photos, text, emails, etc.

Most presenters at conferences or in the latest marketing news, talk about the latest trends or tips when it comes to social media. But what my attendee picked up in my presentation is that social media should not just be about your sales or events. I remind my clients of this all the time.

We often advise our clients that  8 out of 10 posts should be about engaging with your customer and about brand awareness. Only  TWO posts should be “Buy our wine!” or “Attend our event.”


Why? Check out this Infographic: Actions that Make People Unfollow a Brand on Social Media. See the green bar at 46%? Too many promotional messages.

ActionsThatMakePeopleUnfollow

What type of posts do consumers like?

Let’s check out Sprout socials below graph on Consumer Sentiment on Brand Behaviors on Social. Notice how all the “cool” behaviors have nothing to do with promotional messages? Instead, it’s about including the consumer in the conversation, just like you would do in person. ConsumerBrandBehavior

Wine social media posts that work

Here are four types of posts that promote brand awareness and increase engagement for wine brands:

  1. Ask them questions (Engage): Which is their favorite wine? What did they do this weekend? What wine pairs best with a specific meal?
  2. Use content to reinforce your brand image (Brand Awareness). What does this mean? Each week post about your brand. Even better, create a video where you talk directly to the consumer. This helps build brand awareness and they’ll feel like they know you. Talk about why the owner created the brand, the inspiration for the label design, why you grow specific wine varietals, or the origin of the winery’s name.
  3. Posts about your wine consumer (Engage). What interest your wine consumer? Make the posts about them. For example, Mark West wines, targets their Millennials male wine consumer with styled photos and recipes focused on grilling and tailgating. Not sure who your wine consumer is? Check out this  list .
  4. Post about wine and food connections (Engage + Brand Awareness). Use social media to make industry partnerships or talk about the ones you already have. For example, Flavien Darius Pommier of Bordeaux’s  Chateau Darius posted photos of famous Executive Chefs in Paris he has met on Instagram. It helped his family wine brand make huge leaps in brand awareness. Their Instagram account now boasts 25.2k followers and has led to the support of the President of the Republic of France, Mr. Macron, and his wife. This will not only impress your current fans but also help grow your fan base. Read the full story here on   Forbes .

Free Discovery Call

Not sure how to create more engaging and brand specific posts? Schedule a FREE 30 minute discovery call with owner, Rebecca Ritz. Our recommended services are built around your sales goals and can include branding, packaging, custom website development, and digital marketing.