It’s taken a lot of hard work, but you finally have your own liquor store. Or maybe you have two. Or five! Either way, you’ve done the research, stocked the shelves, and now you’re ready to get selling.
But regardless of all the preparations you’ve made, you won’t get far without a little good-old-fashioned advertising. When you were fantasizing about owning your own business, you likely weren’t thinking about all of the advertising you would have to do, but it’s an incredibly important part of any good business plan.
If you’re unsure of how to start your advertising push in the digital age, take a look at the Cheers POS social media marketing tips for liquor stores.
Why Social Media?
Not everyone has an online presence, and those that don’t are probably feeling a little hesitant right now. Is it really important to develop and maintain a social media page for a liquor store of all things? And the answer is an unequivocal “yes!”
Consumers—especially consumers of a younger generation—feel that a social media presence is a great way to gauge the personality of a brand.
As we unpack our social media marketing tips for liquor stores, ask yourself, “What do I want my personality to be?” Do you want to seem fun, professional, old-fashioned, trendy, or something else altogether? It’s up to you!
Cheers POS
Before we dive into these tips, let us explain a little more about what we do and why we do it. We’re Cheers POS, and we offer an all-in-one software specifically designed for liquor store owners.
Our system can help you with inventory, invoicing, reward programs, and more. And even though Cheers POS can do a lot of things, it’s never confusing or complicated. We wanted the entire system to feel intuitive and obvious. It’s a software that will help you run your business your way.
You won’t have to spend anymore time worrying about minutia, tracking down old receipts, and inventory logs. It’s all in one convenient place.
By Owners, For Owners
You might be wondering, “Why liquor store management software?” It’s simple: Cheers POS was founded by liquor store owners!
We understand what it’s like to stand behind the counter, pulling our hair out, thinking that there must be a better way to manage inventory and automate purchase orders. So we decided to do it ourselves.
When you sign up for our software, we’ll send a member of our team to come install the software for you. You won’t have to struggle with a confusing owner’s manual.
And if you still find yourself scratching your head, then give us a call. We have a dedicated support line to help customers like you. More than anyone, we understand how complicated owning a liquor store can be. Let us make it easy.
Helpful Tips
We’re glad you took the time to get to know us a little better. Now, let’s dig into the social media marketing tips for liquor stores. These tips are designed to help you do two important things.
One, we want to help you understand some of the rules and regulations that liquor stores must abide by on social media.
And two, we want to help you build a following that understands your brand identity. We can help you cultivate a personality that is easily recognizable to your viewers, and how you can interact with them to facilitate a relationship. So let’s get started!
1. Follow the Regulations
We’ll get the serious stuff out of the way first. Advertisements—especially advertisements for liquor stores—must follow specific guidelines on social media platforms.
But first, a short disclaimer: we are not lawyers! Before you start advertising your liquor store on social media, be sure to check the rules and regulations in your area.
You can’t just post whatever you want. Not only will that harm the brand, but it could actually get you into a bit of trouble as well.
For instance, you can only advertise liquor and alcohol on platforms where 71.6 % of the user base is above the age of 21. Fortunately, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube all fit this criteria.
Additionally, you won’t be allowed to respond to comments without verifying that said audience member meets the legal drinking age. These rules may seem exhaustive to some, but they ensure that everyone is behaving safely and responsibly.
2. Don’t Be Afraid of the Product
When you’re posting on social media, don’t be afraid to highlight the reason people are coming to the store in the first place: the product! Now, it won’t be enough to just take a quick photo of the beer fridge and call it a day.
Think about which products you want to highlight for specific times of the year. Before New Years’ Eve, show a nice bottle of champagne. Valentine’s Day may call for a wine feature.
And if you can afford it, a high-quality camera wouldn’t hurt. But if that’s not in the budget, there are plenty of free online editing tools that can help you enhance any photos you want to feature on your page.
3. Show Off the Location
Another important thing to consider is your store itself. You no doubt put a lot of consideration into the overall look, layout, and design of your storefront, so don’t be afraid to show it off.
The more you show off your location, the more familiar it will seem to your audience members, and the more comfortable they will feel in the store itself.
You want people to stay awhile, so the more comfortable they feel browsing your inventory, the more likely they’ll be to find a product they’re interested in buying.
4. Highlight Exclusive Specials
You want to give your customers a material reason to follow your account; a physical, tangible benefit for staying up-to-date on your page. So why not develop some specials that reward a consistent following?
You can do this by posting special offers that can only be found on your pages. For instance, you could offer a 10% discount for anyone who brings in proof that they’re following your page. You could also do a buy-one-get-one-free deal for anyone who shows you a screenshot of your post.
This way, people will be incentivized to stay up-to-date on all the going-ons of your page.
5. Be Consistent
This is another important tenet of social media marketing tips for liquor stores. It can be a lot of work to create, edit, format, and publish even a single social media post. But that doesn’t mean your work is complete. You want to post often so you stay relevant in the minds of your followers.
On the flip side of that coin, however—you don’t want to post too often either. Be present on your followers’ timelines, but not invasive.
6. Be Specific
Unless you’re a national chain of liquor stores, it’s probably a good idea to call out specific local events and traditions. If you’re located in a college town, develop a special for game days. Maybe your town has a yearly festival. Be sure to show support on your page. Invest in your community, and they’ll invest right back!
7. Introduce Yourselves
Don’t be afraid to introduce the world to yourself and your employees. A larger brand might see value in remaining faceless, but if you’re in the beginning stages of growing your business, a personal touch is never a bad idea.
Post pictures of you and your team getting ready for a big event. Shout out your cashier for their birthday! When you get a new employee, feel free to post an employee bio, with their permission.
Building a social media presence is all about building a community, and if you want to do this effectively, you need to be active in that community.
8. Highlight Your Personality
As you read through our social media marketing tips for liquor stores, we hope you were considering your own online personality. Whether you’re interested in being relaxed, informative, serious, or bubbly, these tips can help you cultivate your desired brand identity.
But before you post a single thing, you need to decide what that identity will be in the first place. Once you know how you want to represent yourself, you can begin creating posts that will aid in said representation. So take the time to figure out who you want to be, and social media can help it become a reality.
Get Started With Us Today
We hope you enjoyed our social media marketing tips for liquor stores. If you’re looking for another resource for liquor store management advice, take a look at our industry insights. We’ve personally curated a series of blogs filled with liquor store marketing and management tips for the discerning liquor store owner.
And if you’re interested in streamlining your management process, why not get a quote? It’s commitment-free, and it will give you a good idea of how much it will take to transform your liquor store for the better. Give it a try today!