Marketing Guidelines for Wine Brands

These guidelines offer practical advice for wine producers and sellers to build a strong brand identity, develop cohesive marketing strategies and engage meaningfully with customers, with actionable steps to help maximise your brand’s impact and reach.

BRANDING BASICS

Tone of Voice

Be approachable and relatable

Avoid jargon unless it’s explained. Simplify technical terms to ensure accessibility for your audience. Authenticity builds trust and connection.

Know your audience

Adapt your language to your target customer, whether they are casual wine drinkers or seasoned enthusiasts. Speak to their interests and level of expertise.

Balance personality and professionalism

Showcasing your brand’s unique character helps build emotional connections, but maintain clarity and professionalism to ensure credibility.

Visual Identity

Consistency across platforms

Use the same fonts, colours and logos on all marketing channels to create a recognisable brand presence.

High-quality imagery

Professional, consistent images are critical for online and offline marketing. Incl. bottle shots, lifestyle visuals + event imagery.

Polished design

Ensure all marketing materials, from your website to your cellar door collateral, reflect a clean and cohesive design that best represents your brand.

STORYTELLING

  • Introduce your team

    Personal profiles of your winemakers, growers and sellers humanise your brand and promote an emotional connection.

  • Share your origins

    Stories about your brand’s history, fruit sourcing and winemaking passion resonate with customers.

  • Demystify winemaking

    Present your process in a way that’s engaging and easy to understand. Highlight what sets your techniques or philosophy apart.

  • Promote your accolades

    Showcase awards, reviews and recognitions to enhance your brand’s credibility and appeal, particularly for export markets.

MARKETING ESSENTIALS

User-friendly website

Ensure your site is intuitive to navigate, visually appealing and designed to convert visitors into buyers.

Streamlined purchase options

Make purchasing as simple as possible by offering direct links, a functional e-commerce system and retailer details. Ensure all content includes a clear call to action that specifies the desired outcome, such as purchasing wine or booking event tickets.

Lead times

Begin campaign planning well in advance to maximise awareness and reach. Consider preparation time for supplier engagement, content creation and e-commerce set-up. Advanced communication builds anticipation, engagement and ultimately, conversion.

Collaborative promotion and engagement

Include mentions, tags and web links when cross-promoting a brand, product or person to credit their work, enable them to reshare for a broader reach and direct your audience to take action (eg. purchase, follow, visit).

BRAND POSITIONING + DIFFERENTION

How to remain relevant and top of mind in a competitive industry

Stand out

Identify your unique qualities – whether it’s innovative winemaking, a strong regional connection or a specific varietal focus – and highlight them consistently.

Learn from competitors

Understand what others are doing well and find ways to distinguish your brand.

Stay consistent

A clear tone, cohesive visuals and engaging storytelling will help you maintain visibility and build loyalty in a crowded market.

Be adaptable

A strong marketing strategy is dynamic and responsive. Regularly assess feedback, sales and trends to adjust campaigns and messaging, ensuring alignment with customer expectations and performance.

STRATEGIC APPROACH

Invest in professionals

Engaging professionals is critical to achieving a polished and impactful brand presence:

  • Graphic designers: To craft a visually appealing and cohesive brand identity.

  • Marketers: To develop and execute a well-rounded strategy.

  • Web designers: To create an intuitive and engaging digital presence.

  • Photographers/videographers: To produce high-quality imagery and videos that showcase your wines and brand personality.

Provide clear briefs to ensure service providers understand your goals. Set realistic timelines and remain open to expert recommendations for best results.

Cohesive marketing strategy

A successful brand uses multiple touchpoints to engage customers:

  • Social media: Tell your story, promote your wines and interact with followers using content that educates, entertains and inspires.

  • Email + SMS: Keep your audience informed of releases, events and special offers.

  • Website + e-commerce: Provide a seamless shopping experience with a clear and appealing layout.

  • Events + Tastings: Use in-person experiences to build relationships and loyalty.

  • Retail + Cellar door: Create a welcoming environment and enjoyable experience that encourages sales and repeat visits.

Performance Measurement

Tracking and analysing your marketing efforts is essential for measuring success and improving future campaigns. Use analytics tools to monitor website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates and sales data. These insights help refine strategies, optimise campaigns and allocate resources effectively to maximise ROI. Regularly review performance, update live campaigns, and report results to ensure continuous improvement.

Your brand is more than just wine; it’s an experience and a story that connects with your audience.
Focusing on quality, consistency and thoughtful communication helps create a presence that resonates, builds trust and drives awareness and conversion.

Let’s discuss how Splash can help turn these guidelines into action - complete the contact form below!