36 distiller
A
s more and more craft distillers start to jump on the virtual tasting bandwagon
amidst the global pandemic, there are two common themes. ose who take them
on with a temporary mindset and those who treat them as a potentially new, perma-
nent part of their marketing plan. Hands down, across all of the craft distillers I've talked to
and worked with on virtual tastings, the ones who are treating them as serious, permanent
marketing tactics are getting superior and even enviable results — results so good that they
would be crazy to stop putting effort into their virtual experiences even when the pandemic
is over.
For example, one maker has grown his mail-
ing list 30%, with a much higher percentage
of out-of-state sign-ups than they've previ-
ously seen. Another has had an astounding
90% success rate with virtual demos for retail
accounts, which is significantly higher than
their new account close rate when they've
done these in person in the past. Yet another
is scheduling four or more private barrel selec-
tion tastings per week with pre-confirmed
full barrel sales for every single one of them.
And then there are the more commonly seen
impressive results from many makers who
are investing in virtual tastings seriously: 20+
attendees per event, online sales revenue both
pre- and post-event, higher engagement with
existing fans and the acquisition of new fans
they likely wouldn't have reached without
this virtual effort.
Global pandemic or not, one thing is clear.
Virtual experiences have real, lasting value when done right (for a free tutorial on how to host
engaging virtual events yourself — from planning to promoting to technology and more —
visit bit.ly/FreeVTtutorial). Furthermore, because of their relative low cost, many makers
believe they are key to leveling the playing field between smaller, craft brands and larger ones
with deep pockets. If growing your brand is an objective, virtual experiences should be one
of your tactics. And the time is now to get those virtual experiences up, optimized and suc-
cessful while the consumer demand and interest is at its highest. Let's take a look at our top
five reasons why these initially temporary-seeming experiences should now be a permanent
tool in your marketing toolbox.
Five Reasons to Make Virtual Experiences
a Permanent Tool in Your Marketing Toolbox
by Suzanne
Henricksen
Hands down, across all of the craft distillers I've talked to and worked with
on virtual tastings, the ones who are treating them as serious, permanent
marketing tactics are getting superior and even enviable results.
