Baby Boomers and Generation X are currently the largest wine consumer group. However, this is set to change in a few years’ time, with Millennials being projected to become the largest group of wine drinkers.
The average wine consumer will change drastically in the next few years. Most Baby Boomers are hitting retirement, and they are being replaced by a large number of financially disadvantaged retirees. Although this trade-off is not good, it doesn’t mean wineries will suffer. It implies that marketing tactics will need to evolve as well.
Baby Boomers and Generation X grew up with advertisements from traditional media, such as radio, TV, and billboards. There was little interaction between consumers and brands. Millennials expect personalized experiences and interactions, and prefer to spend their money on an event or an experience and not just a product. They like to collaborate with brands and other people, and are socially conscious. This is why social media is very important to millennials. They prefer to communicate via text or other messaging apps, and their buying decisions are heavily influenced by recommendations, reviews, and social media.
Seeing as traditional advertising methods are less effective with millennials, how do you attempt to target them? Read on to learn more.
- Engage them on social media
If you want to succeed at marketing to millennials, you have to establish a social media presence. This generation is more enthusiastic about learning and consuming wine than most people would think. To educate and engage with millennials on social media:
- Share tasting guides and pairing tips on Facebook
- Engage them on Twitter by tweeting about wine
- Show them wine-making process videos on YouTube
- Post beautiful photos on Instagram
- Make use of hashtags
For more information, here’s a marketing guide for winery suppliers on how to target specific groups.
- Create experiences
Millennials love life-enriching events. Most of them are willing to try out events such as:
- Social events like date nights, networking nights for professionals, and reunions
- Outdoor adventures
- Drink tastings with new flavor combinations, such as wine with fruit juice
- Email marketing
If someone has visited your tasting room, purchased from your winery, or shown interest in your brand online, add them to your mailing list. You can ask winery visitors in person, encourage your social media followers to subscribe to your mailing list, and add contact forms on your site to build your mailing list.
- Wine club
Wine clubs are not just for older folks. While a traditional wine club may not be attractive to millennials, try getting them to sign up digitally. Offering a digital subscription wine club can help to turn a one-time customer into a repeat customer and brand advocate.
- Be authentic
This generation has been marketed to far more than Baby Boomers and Generation X. They are often described as cynical, and with good cause; Millennials tend to see through any dishonest attempts to connect with them. This is why you should be authentic with your marketing messages.
Endnote
Millennials don’t want to just be talked at. They want to have a conversation with your brand online. Your winery brand should consider the journey of the online customer across the web and social media.
