Liquor Store Marketing? Any help?!

27 replies
So I am helping a friend market his new Liquor Store. It is in a college town and he is now offering 5% off to students and military as well as 10% off if you buy 3 bottles of wine or more.

He advertises on radio, newspaper, and some events. Is there any creativity that could work on such a commidity? There are 10 other liquor stores in the area so he needs to stand out.

The only thing that I could think of would be to keep track of his customers, get their email addresses and stay in touch that way. Anyone have any other ideas?
#liquor #marketing #store
  • Profile picture of the author Scott Murdaugh
    I saw a funny banner somewhere.

    "Beer, it's cheaper than gas. Drink, don't drive."

    Put a big fat banner outside the store, I bet it'd grab attention.
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    • Profile picture of the author vbcannon
      Ha thats pretty funny! Unfortunately in where he is, you can't sell beer and liquor in the same store so he only sells liquor, wines, and wine coolers. I do agree with some sort of banner because it is hard to spot his liquor store.
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      • Profile picture of the author Dixiebelle
        Originally Posted by vbcannon View Post

        Ha thats pretty funny! Unfortunately in where he is, you can't sell beer and liquor in the same store so he only sells liquor, wines, and wine coolers. I do agree with some sort of banner because it is hard to spot his liquor store.
        I think you missed the point.

        Dixie
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    One thing he can do is segment his market and create promotions aimed at those segments. For example...

    > Travel in a bottle - drinks from around the world.

    > Wine classes for yuppie wannabes.

    > Cooking with wine (joint venture with gourmet market or local restaurant).

    > How about a continuity program - beer of the month, wine of the month, etc.

    > Ethnic promos - St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo, etc.

    All of these types of promotions lend themselves to registration (list building - include an opt-in in the terms and don't hide the opt-out).
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    • Profile picture of the author vbcannon
      Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

      One thing he can do is segment his market and create promotions aimed at those segments. For example...

      > Travel in a bottle - drinks from around the world.

      > Wine classes for yuppie wannabes.

      > Cooking with wine (joint venture with gourmet market or local restaurant).

      > How about a continuity program - beer of the month, wine of the month, etc.

      > Ethnic promos - St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo, etc.

      All of these types of promotions lend themselves to registration (list building - include an opt-in in the terms and don't hide the opt-out).
      Thanks John,

      Those are some really good ideas. I don't understand the travel in a bottle one though?? I like the registration promos. That would be a great way to build his list! I'll make sure I give you credit!
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by vbcannon View Post

        Thanks John,

        Those are some really good ideas. I don't understand the travel in a bottle one though?? I like the registration promos. That would be a great way to build his list! I'll make sure I give you credit!
        For each promotion, you pick a country with a distinct liquor or wine. For example:

        > Ireland - Irish whisky
        > Scotland - Scotch whiskey (yes, they spell it differently)
        > France - Champagne
        > Japan - Saki
        > Mexico - Tequila

        and so on...

        For each country, you put together a short giveaway report with some drink recipes featuring the highlighted beverage, maybe some food recipes, photos of sites to see, a little history maybe. Include a checklist for a theme party suggestions for music, etc. Some of these could even be affiliate links to help defray the cost of the promo.

        To get the report, and a time-limited discount on the featured beverage, prospects enter their name and email for your list.

        If you wanted to make it an event, you could partner with a travel agent to throw a travelogue party with videos or slides of the destination. You could then ask the local media to cover it.

        As you know, the whole idea is to drum up attention and get people into the store you are marketing over any of the others...
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        • Profile picture of the author Thomas
          Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

          > Ireland - Irish whisky
          > Scotland - Scotch whiskey (yes, they spell it differently)
          Yes, they do, but it's the other way 'round: Irish whiskey and Scotch shite.. er, whisky.

          Whiskey is correct... the Irish made it first, then the Scots just stole everything but the "e".

          I used to own a pub but, thankfully, got out of that business a few years ago. Alcohol is supremely easy to sell - provided you have a reasonably good location, you can get away with doing no marketing whatsoever.

          The legal restrictions, however, are a killer: The business has so much regulation and you can be shut down for such small violations that, sometimes, it hardly seemed worth continuing. Even discounted sales, like those suggested in the first post, have been banned here.
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          • Profile picture of the author writergirlk
            What about a facebook and/or myspace profile? Facebook might be easier. Find students in the town and add them to your friends list (if they are of age!). Start a group on facebook and post discounts and coupons. Start a blog perhaps with fun drink recipes and party tips and link it to the facebook profile. Come up with a fun logo and use that as branding on the website and facebook page.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason_V
    Build him a website, buy a plr drink recipe book or put together a drink recipe book and offer it as a give away on the site in exchange for an email address.

    Also, have online only coupons, that only people signed up to the email list can get.
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    • Profile picture of the author vbcannon
      Originally Posted by Jason_V View Post

      Build him a website, buy a plr drink recipe book or put together a drink recipe book and offer it as a give away on the site in exchange for an email address.

      Also, have online only coupons, that only people signed up to the email list can get.
      Very good advice! I can help with the website. and he can do something like this. Great practical creative advice! Thank you!
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Chris Lockwood View Post

      Where is beer cheaper than gas?
      For awhile here in Florida it was pretty close, depending on how picky you are about your beer...

      It seemed like every time a dark cloud formed in the Atlantic, gas prices spiked. They're oozing back down, now.
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  • Profile picture of the author Angela V. Edwards
    I don't know much about Liquor Store marketing, as the State of Washington runs all of the liquor stores here in our state. There are laws here about what can and can't be marketed and sold and when. We have "blue laws" here and the liquor stores are closed on Sundays.

    Originally Posted by vbcannon View Post

    So I am helping a friend market his new Liquor Store. It is in a college town and he is now offering 5% off to students and military as well as 10% off if you buy 3 bottles of wine or more.

    He advertises on radio, newspaper, and some events. Is there any creativity that could work on such a commidity? There are 10 other liquor stores in the area so he needs to stand out.

    The only thing that I could think of would be to keep track of his customers, get their email addresses and stay in touch that way. Anyone have any other ideas?
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  • Profile picture of the author Sleaklight
    Do you have local high traffic venues like mini mall, movie theater, etc?
    If so you could ask permission from management / owner of the place to hold a comical skit of two drunks. Then you and your friend can be the ones in the play and use to promote, through a humorous manner, responsible drinking. With of course at the end of your ski state" So So liquor store practices safe, proper and legal liquor sales." etc and distribute mini flyer of the place with featured products and the 5% coupon attached. Tie it off like that and you'll see a high impact. People like those kind of skits and you will see a big impact. I was in charge of the local marketing for a liquor store in my city and I did everything from asking the places permission to hold the skits, to writing them and sometimes I was the actor in some. Needlessto say business went from a crawl to needng to buying 2 more cashiers and hire 4 more people, 2 cashiers and 2 additional stockers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kate Carpenter
    What about those punch (or whatever they're called) cards like the pizza places have. Every time you buy a bottle of wine or liquor, the card gets punched. After so many, you get a free bottle-or something else.
    Could also maybe workout an exchange with a food or grocery store, so the freebie is from them and vis-a-versa.
    Just a couple of thoughts.
    Kate
    P.S.-Oh, another thought...start a membership program, either free or small monthly, then give additional discount (can increase discount as purchase volume/mo increases) and/or "by membership only" monthly wine tasting, cooking or some other event. Get email addresses, and through list emails give something else to them (like the drink recipes, party ideas, recipes, hang over cures, contact to DUI attorney -just kidding).
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    • Profile picture of the author vbcannon
      Very nice! Thank you! Way to think extremely out of the box! Especially on the skit promotion. If anyone else has anything I would like to thank you in advance!
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      • Profile picture of the author vbcannon
        Can anyone think of any other ways to help a liquor store that is competing with 11 others in a 5 mile radius in a 30,000 person town?
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  • Profile picture of the author RichardDean
    Hello,

    I use to own a liquor store so i can tell you this, the best thing is
    word of mouth. Sure put banners out side that grab attention also.

    What I did was give stuff away for free, check with your state law
    first if you can give it away free, say that you will pick up the bill.

    Also the most important thing is to tell them to tell their friends
    where they got free liquor... every so many will be free.

    Make sure you do give some away for free pick select people who you can feel out that person is a popular one back at college, you said a college town right.

    If you need to know more I typed this fast, just let me know.

    Richard
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  • Profile picture of the author mookinman
    I did a little bit of work for a 24-hour "off-license" (UK name for a liquor store) in London a few months back. Customers could order cases of beer/bottles of spirits & wine online and pay via card.

    All I did for them was install an opt-in form on their website, so they could send their "joke of the week" or funny story every week to their list.... just to remind everybody that they existed really... I haven't heard from them for a while but they loved the idea when I suggest it to them. I'll have to contact them and ask how they're doing with it.
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    • Profile picture of the author vbcannon
      Thank you very much! Any other ideas would be amazing! I love everyones points of views!
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      • Profile picture of the author TimCastleman
        VB -

        If I were your guy I'd setup a monthly thing with a local restaurant and a cigar shop. Basically once a month have people from your business and theirs come out for a liquor tasting along with a cigar tasting or a liquor tasting along with a local restaurant menu. Have people sign up for free gift certificates to both places, get their info so you can mail them a postcard reminder for specials, events, etc.

        Also, maybe get a ton of those mini bottle of booze and throw one in for every customer. That way you get your customers talking about you and the extra stuff your store did for them.

        Finally I don't know if you guys have vets coming back from the war but you could host a welcome home party at the store for them.

        The same goes for any local hero's etc.

        Take photos of every event and post them on the website and send them to the customers to print out, etc.

        Hold a holiday, thanks giving, New Years parties, etc

        Maybe put together packages for Father's Day, New Years, and other mainly guy holidays.

        Invite social groups out to have their event at the store and sample the fine drinks, etc.

        Sampling is huge. Get them in the door and then get them back in as soon as possible.

        Offer a deal so good to be true just to get them in the door. Then in order for them to get the deal they have to give up their contact info. After they get their deal send them a handwritten thank you note with a coupon for X% off their next visit within 14 days. Do that over and over and I bet that will get the word out. Who ever gets a handwritten thank you note after visiting a store - especially a liquor store.

        More to follow.

        Tim Castleman
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  • Profile picture of the author jayden.fellze
    Your friend could try advertising in theaters and shopping places about his shop. He can even try points system, i.e., when buying a drink from the shop, the buyer gets some points and goes on adding on that, and after reaching a particular point, he can get some drink free, something like that. Also, some catchy phrases at the shop, college premises, and emails could help. He can even try to collect the phone numbers and try some telemarketing!!! (if all these are permitted in his locality).
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    • Profile picture of the author vbcannon
      I am hearing that they can't give away free liquor. They also can't advertise discounts. So this will make it very hard to market. They also can't market outside of their town because the rest of the county is a "dry" county. Can anyone think of anything else?
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