Leeann Froese
In a saturated market where traditional marketing techniques are commonplace and it seems like everything has been done, finding truly innovative ways to promote your winery or cidery can be a challenge.
However, by embracing emerging trends, you can captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression. Here are a few new marketing tactics and offer a few creative ideas to help your winery or cidery stand out from the crowd.
Virtual Reality (VR) Experiences: Transport your customers into the enchanting world of winemaking and cider production through immersive virtual reality experiences.
Creating virtual tours that allows visitors to explore your vineyards or orchards, witness the production process, and even participate in virtual tastings. VR experiences provide a novel way to engage with consumers.
Virtual Vineyard or Orchard Tours: Invite your customers on a virtual journey through your vineyards or orchards. Through VR headsets or even smartphone apps, they can explore landscapes, wander between rows of vines or trees, and admire breathtaking vistas. Incorporate interactive elements such as informational hotspots or guided narrations to provide educational insights about the terroir, varieties, or cultivation practices.
By virtually transporting the audience to the heart of your winery or cidery, you can create a sense of connection and intrigue.
Immersive Production Process: Take customers behind-the-scenes with a virtual tour of your production facilities. From the crushing and pressing of grapes or apples to the fermentation and aging processes, VR can showcase the work required and intricate details that go into making your wines or ciders.
Allow viewers to witness the steps required, the dedication of your team, and the state-of-the-art (or not) equipment that contributes to the quality of your products. By immersing customers in the production journey, you foster appreciation and trust in your brand.
Virtual Tastings:
Bring the tasting room experience directly to your customers’ homes through virtual tastings in VR. Allow them to participate in guided tastings led by knowledgeable experts, sharing tasting notes, pairing suggestions, and anecdotes about each wine or cider.
Implement interactive features that enable users to virtually interact with the bottles, rotate them for a closer look, and access additional information about the tasting profiles. By providing an engaging and interactive tasting experience, you can transcend geographical barriers and reach a wider audience.
Augmented Reality (AR) Labels: Revolutionize your bottle labels with augmented reality technology. By integrating AR elements into your labels, you can bring them to life with interactive content, such as 3D animations, educational videos, or tasting notes. This interactive approach adds a touch of magic to your products and enhances the overall consumer experience.
Gamification: Tap into the growing trend of gamification to engage and entertain your audience. Gamification is applying some elements of game playing (like point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service.
Develop a wine or cider-themed mobile app that includes quizzes, challenges, or virtual vineyard/orchard exploration games. Encourage users to compete, collect rewards, and share their progress on social media. Gamification not only enhances brand engagement, but also creates a sense of excitement and fun around your offerings.
Collaborative Limited Editions: Team up with other wineries or cideries to create collaborative limited-edition products. This can involve joint production, blending, or aging processes, resulting in unique and exclusive offerings that are only available for a limited time. Collaborations not only attract attention, but also foster a sense of community among wine and cider enthusiasts.
Pop-up Tasting Events: Surprise and delight your audience by coordinating pop-up tasting events in unexpected locations. Set up temporary tasting stations in bustling city centers, popular parks, or unique venues, attracting passersby with the allure of a spontaneous tasting experience. This innovative approach allows you to reach a broader audience and create buzz around your brand.
Bespoke Wine or Cider Experiences: Offer personalized, bespoke wine or cider experiences tailored to individual customers’ preferences. Allow people to create their own blends, participate in the winemaking process, or design custom labels for special occasions. By providing a one-of-a-kind experience, you not only create a loyal customer but also generate positive word-of-mouth referrals.
By embracing new technology, pop-up events, and personalized experiences, B.C. wineries and cideries can redefine the boundaries of traditional marketing and captivate their audience in fresh and exciting ways. Try the new tactics, unleash your creativity, and watch your brand flourish in this ever-evolving industry. Cheers to entering the future of winery and cidery marketing!