Social media influencers are not new to the wine landscape, but they are sticking around—and wine businesses are putting marketing dollars behind them. Over the last several years, influencers have proven to be an essential part of a brand’s marketing plan as consumers spend more time browsing and buying products on social media.
According to an Ogilvy study, 75 percent of marketers now actively engage in influencer marketing, with 93 percent of them planning to amplify their influencer campaigns. Kristen Reitzell, the senior VP of communications and digital marketing at Jackson Family Wines, estimates that they work with influencers across two-thirds of their 40 wineries worldwide.
At Colangelo and Partners, their client La Crema engaged in an influencer partnership with Erin Berrebi, who has 103,000 Instagram followers. The campaign secured an earned media value (a metric used to calculate the value of a promotional effort by a third party) of $9,797.83 based on a partnership cost of $2,500, over 34,000 impressions, and a 2.84 percent engagement rate—a success by several measures.
It can sometimes be difficult to see the value of using influencers, but for the wine brands that have committed to these collaborations, the benefits are clear. Here, marketing experts share what makes influencers an important part of any marketing strategy.
The value of wine influencers
Consumers use social media to aid in buying decisions, regardless of their age. According to data from CGA by NIQ, 83 percent of Gen Z consumers say they have purchased food or drink because they saw it on social media platforms. And according to data from CRM Essentials, 46 percent of baby boomers have purchased products in direct response to social media content.
Social media marketing is effective in part because influencers excel at leveraging specific niches and reaching hyper-targeted audiences with cross interests. In contrast, traditional marketing and advertising makes sense for brands with significant budgets to reach broad audiences.
“Over the years, we’ve evolved from dipping our toes in the influencer waters, to it becoming an integral part of our marketing strategies,” says Reitzell. “Consumers are still looking at multiple touchpoints to find, discover, and engage with brands. Influencers don’t replace any aspect of traditional media or online media.” The key is to strike the right balance between several marketing channels—including social media.
Successful influencers build their followings authentically and have the benefit of being a third party in the conversation, adding credibility and trust to back up a brand’s message. “Influencers have a diverse audience reach, and they have the ability to reach target audiences that perhaps brands themselves are not able to,” says Alisha Zaveri, an account director for digital at Colangelo and Partners.
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