Create a Unique and Consistent Marketing Strategy
Be weird. Be bold. But, be consistent. Pick an angle and stick with it. Wendy’s has become well known on Twitter for its bold tweets and comments, often targeting direct competitors in “roast” format. Their Twitter strategy is unlike their marketing on other channels but because it’s executed boldly and consistently in ways no other large-scale brands would otherwise dare, they’ve gained a massive amount of followers and the brand loyalty that comes along with owning that position.
Sell Beverages + More with an Online E-Commerce Shop
Beverage brands can turn to e-commerce to help generate revenue when foot traffic is limited or in some cases, non-existent (thanks, Covid-19). Modern online shopping carts can integrate shipping carriers in minutes and handle different tax rates for each state and country with a plugin like TaxJar. There is no reason why brands shouldn’t be selling online.
But, remember selling online involves more than just your product. Sell your brand! Yes, your customers want to consume your product, but they also want to support your brand. Sell t-shirts, hoodies, beanies, or glassware. Here’s the kicker though–sell it at cost. Don’t put a heavy markup on them. The swag is meant to be an advertisement for your brand. Sure, you could sell $20-$30 t-shirts. But how many $8 t-shirts do you think people would buy? Multiply that by the number of people who will see that shirt being worn.
Connect with Influencers to Boost Your Online Presence
Beverage brands can leverage earned audiences by working with influencers and bloggers who already have large followings on Instagram or Facebook. Since growing an audience is time-consuming, tapping into an existing target audience is a fast way to attract more eyes and grow your own following with proper tagging.
It can be as simple as contacting an influencer with your pitch. Oftentimes, it’ll only cost sample products, but those with larger followings may require additional compensation. Remember to look at their following and the engagement on each of their posts.
For 2020, a rough estimate of cost is $10-$25 for every 1,000 followers for each channel.
Seek Out Listings on Directories and Online Publications
If you’ve been researching marketing, you’re sure to have come across the term “backlinks.” Backlinks are links on other websites which link back to your website. This helps not only for traffic to your website but helps with your website’s search engine ranking. Here are a few huge online directories specifically focused on beverage brands: Bevnet.com, BeverageMarketing.com, and BeverageTradeNetwork.com.
Highlight Your Team and Culture
People crave human connections. Yet, too many beverage brands tend to focus only on their product. It’s so easy to highlight the people that actually make the products possible but many choose not to. And the funny thing is, the “About” page on websites is often one of the most visited pages across all industries. Why? Because people want to see and learn about the people behind the product.
