There is both promise and peril in online engagement. Successful users share what works.
By Kathleen Willcox
The other day, in front of several people of various generations — and in the humiliating fashion that only tweens are capable of — a 12-year-old girl informed their mother that the phrase “cringe” is totally cringe now. After she (okay … I) used it, trying to sound hip to what the kids today are saying. Cringe!
Broadly though, that dressing down reveals the promise and perils of any brand or human attempting to sell their cultural relevance to people who are definitely younger than they are and, inherently, more fluent in meme-speak than they are.
Promise, because 41% of U.S. consumers would like brands to participate in meme culture and social media trends, according to a new study from M Booth.
It should be noted that just 25% want those brands to use trending phrases and slang — which brings us back to the peril. The risk of looking like an out-of-touch geezer in the process of posting referential is high.
In the end, it may not be a choice though.
For many wine brands, social media means increasingly big bucks. About 40% of U.S. wine enthusiasts trust social media for wine information and recommendations, and that number goes up as the demographic gets younger and (we’re assuming) more fluent with meme culture, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis. About 44% of millennials and 52% of Gen Z report being influenced by social media to make a wine buy.
Getting the tone right is essential. Here’s how to not make everyone cringe.
Identify Cultural Moments for Engagement
There are major holidays and phenomena in our culture that bring people together, regardless of their lifestyle choices or political paradigms. These moments can turn into social media gold if brands play them the right way.
“When identifying cultural moments to engage with, we stay true to our ethos of positivity by aligning with uplifting, lighthearted trends and events,” says Heidi Scheid, executive vice president of Scheid Family Wines, which has the low-alcohol, low-calorie social media-friendly Sunny With a Chance of Flowers under its umbrella.
Seeking to balance timely engagement with content that reflects the brand’s core values has been a winning strategy for Sunny, Scheid says.
One example was a light-hearted Oscars clip that garnered 287,000 organic views, 5,000 engagements and a 26.9% engagement rate. More to the point, 98% of the views came from non-followers, which helped them reel in new fans. (Sunny currently has 18.6K followers).
Create Hashtags to Leverage Shareability
Going viral is every social media marketing manager’s goal, but the constantly changing algorithms and the mercurial moods of followers makes attempting to be seen and liked widely feel more like a military operation than a fun exercise in creativity.
That said, you can use tried-and-true techniques to at least increase the chances of being impactful. Mario Perez, founder and president of House of Wine, Beer and Spirits in West Palm Beach, Fla., notes that hashtags such as #WineNot, and reminders for followers to reshare posts with the hashtag can spike engagement.
“One campaign we worked on generated a 250% increase in social media engagement, and the organic sharing led to a 15% increase in online wine sales during the campaign period,” Perez says.
User-generated content can be a particularly potent tool.
“One winery we work with encourages customers to post photos with their wines using a branded hashtag,” Perez says. “They run a contest where the best photo wins a private tasting experience.”
The initiative resulted in a 300% increase in user-generated posts featuring the wine, and the winery experienced a 25% boost in direct online sales.
Create Seasonal FOMO
Every season brings new opportunities to capitalize on trending moments with brand-focused posts.
Scheid reports that during the summer, they found success with the trending Spritz Season and Open Can Cocktail trend, garnering 3.897% and 5.3% engagement and impressions rates apiece.
Perez notes that underlining a brand’s limited seasonal releases also creates FOMO sales.
“One brand we work with launched a Summer Sips campaign with limited-edition wines that pair well with outdoor barbecues and picnics,” Perez says. “It led to a doubling of website traffic during the summer, and sales of the limited edition wine were up 35% year-over-year, significantly boosting the brand’s overall revenue during that time period.”
Be Authentic and Analytical
The most important thing to remember amid all of the professional posing is probably the most difficult to execute with grace. Yep, we’re talking authenticity, coupled with analytics.
There are billions of active social media users every day on a variety of platforms. There are tens of thousands of brands competing for their eyeballs.
“Social media provides an avenue to connect with your audience that no other marketing medium can,” says Amanda Garner, director of social media at brand strategist The Brand Leader. “It’s a direct, two-way communication that builds long-term brand awareness and nurtures relationships, while also creating a lasting sense of community.”
To reach the right people and nurture a real community, Garner advises using targeted advertisements that go to your desired demographic. And make sure you review analytics to see how the ads land.
“Real time analytics can provide valuable insights to not only how your ads are working, but also how your audience is interacting with them,” Garner says. “It’s better to skip a meme or moment rather than force it if it doesn’t quite fit the right tone of voice. Authenticity is key to making your meme content.”
Garner notes that one recent campaign with a new brand, using analytics, targeted outreach, posts and reels that focused on culturally relevant topics, snagged a post engagement rate of 14% and a 3.4% follower growth.
Pairing authenticity with memes while measuring and assessing the way they’re being shared, consumed and liked with analytics is as hard as it sounds. But it’s also essential in an increasingly fragmented and competitive market.
More and more wine enthusiasts — of all ages — aren’t just being swayed to purchase a certain brand through social media, they’re actually clicking on through and doing it. A study from WHY Group shows that 75% of Gen Z, 76% of millennials and 61% of Gen X are comfortable clicking and buying on social media.
Social is where young people’s eyeballs and, increasingly, their wallets live. Your brand should head over to the party.
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Kathleen Willcox
Kathleen Willcox writes about wine, food and culture from her home in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. She is keenly interested in sustainability issues, and the business of making ethical drinks and food. Her work appears regularly in Wine Searcher, Wine Enthusiast, Liquor.com and many other publications. Kathleen also co-authored a book called Hudson Valley Wine: A History of Taste & Terroir, which was published in 2017. Follow her wine explorations on Instagram at @kathleenwillcox
