How to Promote Wine
Posted on Fri 6th Mar 2015 at 13:38
Marketing is, on the face of it, pretty easy nowadays. Print off some flyers through a cheap online company, create a Facebook page or even create your own website through simple easy software and bang: you've started marketing. Yet it's easy to start off on the wrong foot and it's not because of your marketing methods: instead it's because you haven't done any research on your potential customer base.Without understanding your target market, even the best marketing campaigns could be ineffective. It's not as simple as just saying 'my customers are people who like wine', either, but we hav
Marketing is, on the face of it, pretty easy nowadays. Print off some flyers through a cheap online company, create a Facebook page or even create your own website through simple easy software and bang: you've started marketing. Yet it's easy to start off on the wrong foot and it's not because of your marketing methods: instead it's because you haven't done any research on your potential customer base. Without understanding your target market, even the best marketing campaigns could be ineffective. It's not as simple as just saying 'my customers are people who like wine', either, but we have listed some tips below to help you start mapping out your potential customer base.
1. Where are you? Are your customers going to be committed locals, or casual passers by who hardly ever return? Knowing this will help you plan not only your marketing but also your store displays and the events you hold. It will also help you know how affluent your potential customers are, and where any rivals (particularly supermarkets) might be located.
2. What are the likely shopping habits of your customers? This depends on everything from their average age and income to whether or not you're in a commuter town. Once you have identified their shopping habits you can plan your activities accordingly.
3. Would they prefer to shop online?Investing in a website can be a serious undertaking, but if half your potential customers would find it easier to order bottles online, then it's something you need to do. If, however, your customers find entering your shop and getting your recommendations or tasting the wine to be an integral part of the experience, then you can defer your e-store expenses until you have the spare cash.
4. What kind of wines do they like? Think laterally - this isn't just grapes and vintages but also what kind of bottle labels attract the eye. Different demographics, and in particular people at different income levels, go for markedly different things, so knowing this information is vital when you're looking to boost sales.
5. What's their priority? Once you know their demographic details you can better answer this question. Are your customers students looking for cut price offers, serious collectors looking for the next addition to the cellar, or couples looking for an interesting and affordable dinner party wine? If you stock wines according to what your customers want, rather than what you think they should want, then you should see success.
A final tip.....make sure you are featured on our stockists page!