Gaining global recognition for your alcohol eCommerce brand may feel like a pipe dream. But the ability to sell alcohol online has opened a global market to alcohol brands of all sizes, levelling the playing field for small brands with big dreams. And it doesn't take a strategic insights manager to see that "the world" is a tempting market for drinks industry dreamers.
Online alcohol sales are growing remarkably, and as more beverage brands become available online, consumers become comfortable purchasing alcohol online. They also become more adventurous in exploring up-and-coming alcoholic beverages rather than sticking with the safer, traditional beverage choices.
IWSR Drinks Market Analysis reports that beverage alcohol eCommerce is set to grow significantly over the next five years, even amid global economic downturns, as shoppers turn to shop online to find a more cost-effective way of finding exciting alcohol options without a boutique price tag.
But these burgeoning alcohol eCommerce trends and changing consumer shopping behaviour also mean the market is growing more crowded. Alcohol brands that want to compete in an eCommerce world need to reach global markets as well as local ones. And they need to establish themselves as both reputable and innovative, all at the same time.
Below we'll explore how alcohol brands - even small ones! - can kick-start a news campaign that garners global reach and encourages global eCommerce alcohol sales.
1. Start with a local buzz
Yep, this is a blog about creating global excitement around your eCommerce alcohol brand. But your efforts should start locally. The trick is applying that "local" feeling to your target markets.
Scheduling tasting events in your target markets makes your alcohol product a tangible reality for consumers. Your product becomes more than a slick ad campaign or an ignored banner ad. It's real, it's tasty, and it's ready to mingle.
You can work with event organisers in your target audiences to tailor each tasting to local preferences. Your unique brand identity can (and should!) resonate loud and clear with each audience, but adding local touches to your events helps your product integrate with the local culture. Event organisers who understand that culture will be able to guide your event details so that it's a success.
And don't forget your hometown fans. Every positive online mention of your alcoholic beverage product has the potential to go global via your customers' social media profiles, so schedule a tasting event on your home turf as well as further afield.
2. Work with a brand ambassador
Friendly words from a drinks influencer with a sizable following can do wonders for your brand's global reach (and online sales). Social media influencers are famous in their sphere of influence for their expertise and ability to engage fans. If you find the right influencer to support your product, you'll gain a built-in set of potential customers to boost your online alcohol sales.
Social media influencers work in a couple of ways: some are happy to receive your product for free and give an honest appraisal to their fans, while others expect a fee for their public endorsement of your product. But social media influencers have a wide range of fan bases (and price points), so even if you're promoting a small alcohol brand, you can find an influencer that fits your budget.
For a global campaign, you should work with influencers in your target markets. However, influencers usually have international fan bases, so an endorsement has the potential for global reach. The main element to research when choosing an online influencer is the average age of their audience to ensure they are of legal drinking age.
3. Find a newsworthy angle to your alcohol brand story
You can boost your alcohol eCommerce sales by finding a newsworthy angle to your brand's story. You may be hyperlocal, curating ingredients from farmers or growers in the surrounding area. Or maybe you're embracing sustainability, social justice, or social activism in an inspiring or unique way.
Whatever your angle, you can pitch your brand story to local journalists in a way that showcases how genuinely unique your product is. Or, you can connect with your growers or farmers to showcase the collaboration between your two companies as innovative and beneficial to the local economy. Find a way to spin a newsworthy angle into your brand's narrative, and you'll generate grassroots press for your brand that has the potential to gain a global audience.
4. Don't forget traditional journalism
In the age of digital marketing, it's easy to forget traditional journalism as an avenue for creating excitement around your product. But journalists want to find the next scoop, even in the more sedate corners of the profession like the dining critic.
Targeting dining or drinks critics in the local news outlet of your target markets is a great way to get a well-respected set of eyes on your alcohol product. A nod of approval from the restaurant critic can encourage consumers in your target markets to try your product. As dining critiques are usually published online, you can share those mentions on your social channels.
5. Leverage every piece of coverage
Each tactic above will generate tons of online mentions for your brand. Treat every mention of the brand as a piece of valuable digital content that you share through social media and email marketing campaigns. You can expand on them to create blog posts or ebooks. You can even use them to offer discounts (where alcohol sales rules allow) on your products: anyone who shares your tasting event invitation gets a 10% discount!
Mention the real people involved in your news campaign as often as possible, like journalists, influencers, and event coordinators. Not only will they likely share your digital marketing content with their own followers, but connecting with the real people behind your product's success makes your company a more personable, relatable brand.
Next steps for your news campaign
If you’re ready to get started on a news campaign for your alcohol brand, here are the action items we suggest:
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Identify six hyper-local target markets in which you’d like to host tasting events, and contact events organisers in those localities to start planning.
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Identify one drinks influencer (or more if your budget allows) with a following that’s a demographic match to your target audience. Reach out to them to explore how you can collaborate on promoting your products.
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Find a newsworthy angle for your product in each of your hyper-local target markets and identify news outlets in each locality. Draft a press release that reads like a feature story - not like a promotion - and submit it to local press outlets.
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Pitch your unique news angle to local dining or food critics. Offer the inside scoop and behind-the-scenes info on what makes your product unique.
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Make a marketing plan that spins every mention of your product into a piece of content. Create a marketing calendar to keep track of what’s been written, pitched, and published.
Sell your alcohol product to a global market without alcohol tax surprises
You can ride the wave of the growing alcohol eCommerce trends without an alcohol tax wipeout. When you work with us, you avoid the unpleasant alcohol tax surprises that can threaten your dreams of global alcohol industry domination. From customs clearance to pick-and-pack, we make selling alcohol online direct to consumers easy.
At Tipple, we facilitate seamless alcohol eCommerce, allowing you to grow online sales to the European market no matter where you're located. We handle each country's customs and tax requirements, so you are totally protected against tax complications. And we're an experienced logistics partner, giving you local on demand delivery for your direct-to-consumer shipments. Sign up for a call today to get started.
5 Ways To Kickstart A News Campaign For Your Ecommerce Alcohol Brand
2023 has proven to be a year of captivating shifts and noteworthy trends for D2C alcohol. Here at Tipple, we've observed it all firsthand, thanks to our unique vantage point. Our close ties with brands in the industry have allowed us to compile data from across Europe to learn more about the key trends that have shaped this year.
