10 Sip-Worthy Marketing Strategies for Spirit Brands

What if you made the tastiest spirits, but nobody ever took a sip?

For successful spirit brands, creating an awesome drink is only the first step. Next, they need to market that drink in a way that really brings new customers to the brand.

Some marketing strategies are more effective than others. To help you succeed, we rounded up the most effective strategies to help you turbo-charge your liquor marketing!

1. Local Events

Most spirit brands began marketing locally. For your own alcohol marketing, consider partnering up with local businesses and taking part in different local events.

These events might include sports competitions, trivia contests, music festivals, and more. As long as you show locals a good time, they will associate the fun they had with the spirits that you sell.

2. Social Media Engagement

Hopefully, you already have a social media presence. While there are some really complex social media marketing ideas out there, your best strategy is to focus on social media engagement.

For example, when people post questions (such as questions about great cocktail ideas), you need to answer. And when people go out of their way to praise your brand, make sure to thank them for the kind words.

Done well, social media engagement turns your biggest fans into brand ambassadors. And this approach is more organic and budget-friendly than teaming up with online influencers.

We recommend outsourcing social media management to experts that understand your industry. Taxing one of your team with the added duty will never put the focus on it that it needs.

3. Give Behind-the-Scenes Info

If your brand is relatively new, most people won't know much about that. To help them learn, your marketing strategies should include giving people behind-the-scenes information and access.

This might include video testimonials from workers, walkthroughs of your facilities, footage of how you make spirits, and so on. This helps you build a loyal following while also making more people curious about what you have to sell.

4. Tell Your Brand's Story

Every consumer has a favorite brand. And all of the best brands have something in common: a great story.

You need to share your own brand's story as part of your alcohol marketing strategies. When people know how much this business means to its founders and what you have had to overcome, they will want to engage with you. To them, each sip is another step they are taking in your brand's ongoing story.

5. Post Videos of Special Events Online

Earlier, we discussed the importance of attending local events. Whether those events are local, national, or international, it's important that you post videos of these special events online.

These videos serve two purposes. First, for those who attended the event, the videos are a great way to relive the fun they had, and this keeps your brand alive in their minds.

Second, for those who didn't attend, these videos create a sense of FOMO that will make them want to attend the next one. Speaking of FOMO, consider posting live videos of some of the events that will make onlookers wish they could be there with you!

6. Make Sure Users Don't Have To Click Away

Chances are that your digital marketing strategy includes multiple platforms. For example, you might market your liquor via your website, social media, emails, and more.

To really make that marketing effective, though, make sure that users don't have to "click away" too often. For example, when someone is checking out one of your brand's posts or videos on Instagram, it can be jarring when they must then click to go to your website to see more content.

Try to keep all the relevant content for a post in one place to build engagement and make it easier for users to share what you post.

7. Create Killer Content

While video content remains very important, the heart and soul of your digital marketing remains your website content. In order to help your brand stand out, your marketing strategies must focus on creating the content that users want.

To do this, focus on the kind of content that a spirit lover would enjoy. For example, post some great summer cocktail ideas ahead of Memorial Day weekend or some festival cocktail ideas ahead of the holiday season.

By turning your website into a kind of "one-stop-shop" for those who love drinking spirits, you maximize the odds that they'll soon by buying your brand.

8. Awesome Retail Displays

It can be difficult for spirit brands to succeed because there is so much competition. Unlike most retail products, you must contend with the fact that almost every product in a liquor store represents your competition!

To sell more spirits, you need to develop really awesome retail displays. This may include fun cardboard cutouts, eye-catching endcaps, colorful banners, and even dynamic floor graphics.

Ultimately, most of your competition is doing very little to stand out. And your displays can go a long way towards more people taking a sip of your spirits.

9. Go To Competitions for Spirit Brands

Speaking of the competition, one of the best ways for your brand to stand out is by going to special competitions. For instance, if you compete in the SIP Awards, your brand will compete with other brands in a blind taste test.

While attending any competitions can be good marketing for your brand, the SIP Awards are important because they are so popular and well-publicized. Plus, the taste-testing is done by actual consumers, and they can be easier to win over than jaded spirits experts.

10. Promotional Products and Marketing Strategies

You don't have to reinvent the wheel when marketing spirit brands. For example, any good liquor marketing strategy should include making and giving away promotional products.

While all promotional products offer great ROI, we recommend making things drinkers would benefit from. This includes coozies, coasters, shot glasses, bottle openers, and so on.

You can give these products away at events or as special prizes. Either way, every time someone looks at your logo on these products, they'll think about taking a sip of your tasty spirits! If you need assistance in creating the graphics for any products with your branding, we're happy to help.

Take Your Spirits Marketing To the Next Level

Now you know some of the best ways to market spirit brands. But do you know who can help you develop the best marketing strategies?

Here at Twist & Tailor, we specialize in marketing spirits just like yours. To see how we can take your brand to the next level, reach out for a free consultation today!