In an insightful article in the latest issue of Wines & Vines, Dixie Lee Huey presents a pop quiz designed to help wineries grade their current marketing efforts. The lessons of the quiz apply not just to wineries, but to any business seeking to take its brand image to the next level.
What really caught our eye was the part about “Brand USPs,” or unique selling points. Here are some excerpts:
1. We don’t have a story. (Mark this if yours is “making wine with passion in a vineyard” or some version of this statement.”)
2. We have a story…But we’re not telling it consistently.
3. We know what differentiates our wine brand, and this is clearly and consistently communicated.
Since brand storytelling is one of our core services at Mooncatcher, we are in the business of helping clients make sure that their answer to this quiz is the third one.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. It always takes work to develop and deploy a compelling brand message, and sometimes a business must first be convinced that the work needs to be done in the first place.
Indeed, there are a lot of wineries who think that “making wine with a passion in a vineyard” is a sufficiently unique and compelling story. Of course, it’s not–unless your brand strategy is to blend in instead of stand out.
Also, a strong message will have a difficult time gaining traction if it’s not consistently conveyed at all points of public contact. For example, if your web site communicates a strong message, but if that message isn’t strategically reinforced on your back labels, sell sheets, social media outlets or other marketing venues (including via the spoken word in the tasting room or on sales calls), your brand image will remain unclear to the consumer.
A lot of people get so caught up in the operational aspects of their marketing recipe that they overlook some of the key ingredients. It’s not always where you’re telling your story, it’s how you’re telling it. A winning story will succeed on old-fashioned paper and in new-fangled social media.
It boils down to a two step process. First, you have to take an honest look at how you are telling your story and take action if your story needs improvement. Next, you should carefully deploy that story across all points of public contact.
The bottom line is that if you have a winning story that is consistently communicated, you have taken a big step toward marketing success.
