Holiday Marketing Strategies for Wineries

The holiday season has begun! You can take advantage of this time to boost your wine sales. Get ready for the shopping spirit to increase drastically, as the holiday season is the peak time for wine sales. Keep in mind that mobile phones have dominated the shopper experience, so your marketing efforts must align with mobile strategies. Since more people shop online these days, there are more last-minute shoppers for holiday sales. Are you prepared to stay up on brand awareness and offer products that continue to drive sales? Here are some holiday marketing tips for wineries.

The Power of Sales

Having a promotion can significantly increase sales, but you must be very cautious about executing this. There should only be certain products that are at a reduced price. In the US market, you are expected to be prepared for Black Friday and Cyber Monday for online sales. Now, even Black Friday is one of the busiest digital shopping days of the season. This could be a great opportunity for you to lower the prices of some wines on the special days of the season and draw more people in. 

Shipping Deals 

For online sales, it is opportune to provide either free or reduced shipping costs. High shipping costs are known to deter people from making a purchase. More and more companies are offering this perk on their customer’s orders, especially during the holidays, so it is wise to remain competitive. Free shipping is so enticing for online shoppers that they may be more open to shopping earlier so that their order can be eligible for free shipping (a slower shipment will be more cost-effective for you).

Gift Sets and Ideas

Wine is one of the most popular gifts year-round because it’s something that most people enjoy and can be purchased at the last minute or when you don't know what to get someone. You can sell more wine by offering your customers gift sets with your wines. You can add wine-related items such as a corkscrew or wine glasses and wrap them in festive paper. 

Gift-wrapping Options 

You can substitute making gift sets for offering gift wraps or wine bags that can be purchased with your wine. Simplify things for your customers with pre-wrapped duos and trios available from the shelf. For instance, you could offer a sparkling wine duo or a Christmas dinner wine trio with notes on what wines pair with what foods.

Offer Gift Cards

It is important to offer gift cards for those who are gifting others who have everything or are extremely picky. Also, sometimes people are in a rush and do not want to worry about the perfect gift. Writing a personalized message next to a gift card is a nice touch to consider. 

Website and Social Media 

Your website and social media profiles should have a holiday spirit. This will allow you to showcase your special holiday offerings. Most online holiday purchases will most likely be done on mobile devices, so you must adjust your web page to be mobile-friendly. 

Create a Video

Make a video to be distributed on your website and social media channels. This is a great cost-effective marketing strategy for wineries. It can be as simple as silly as singing a holiday song with the crew or recording Christmas spirit in your winery. This will encourage people to visit and be part of the joy. A video is also helpful to boost top-of-mind awareness as it will stick in the minds of your audience much more than what is presented in text form.

Host or Join Events

The holiday season is a great time to host an event in your winery. People may be looking for something fun to do with friends and family, such as doing a winery tour, or want to hold their end-of-the-year business party at your winery. If you are not equipped with this space for specific events, you can consider joining a local Christmas market to promote your wines. 

Give Advice

Most customers will very much appreciate getting advice for food and wine pairings. This can even be done through videos and social media platforms. Think about providing an e-book with famous holiday dishes and your wine pairings or vice versa, showcasing your wines, and then sharing the dish recipes that can be paired. Allow customer input so they can speak on their favorite dishes, and you can guide them in the right direction. 

Festive Email Campaign

Create a personalized email marketing campaign. You can match up your customer's preferences with your products. Since they will most likely already be bombarded with email over the holidays, you may be able to grab their attention by ensuring that your winery newsletter has interesting content and enticing offerings. The design could either make it or break it as well. Think out of the box and use what you know about your target audience to tailor it to them. 

Fun Social Media Tactics 

Social media platforms can be used to promote your winery and sales during the holidays. Those who are managing the pages must be very active on each platform to keep your audience engaged. Your following should also be encouraged to share your content, especially with seasonal deals. Consider doing a giveaway for a wine package or a special wine tasting offering for one lucky winner who likes, shares, and comments on the content. This will certainly increase buzz about your winery. When things do not go as planned, do not deliver as promised, or you have an unhappy customer, it is important that you have secured winery insurance to protect your assets. 

About David G. Sayles Insurance Services

At David G. Sayles Insurance Services, we help our clients decide which of these options is best for them based on their current situation and risk factors.  Contact us at 1-855-977-1842 or insureme@dsayles.mysites.io for a consultation!