Influencer marketing has helped a plethora of brands to see an immense amount of profitable success. In fact, it is estimated that brands will increase their influencer marketing budget to $4.62 billion per year, opening up a wealth of new opportunities. But how does this success impact products such as alcohol and are brands even allowed to promote the substance on social media? Luckily, Netinfluencer has everything you need to know about using influencer marketing as an alcohol brand. 

How Popular Is the Alcohol Industry?

The US alcohol industry amounts to around $261.10 billion and is expected to expand by 10.51% year-on-year. This statistic highlights the significance that alcohol has on our western society and also exemplifies the true competitiveness of the entire industry. 

The alcohol industry also saw an incredible boom during 2020, an effect that was said to be caused by the conditions of the pandemic. The Beverage Information Group notes that alcohol consumption increased by 45 million cases, helping to further understand how prevalent alcoholic beverages can be on the common consumer.

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Can Influencers Promote Alcohol on Social Media?

US-based influencers must adhere to a strict set of guidelines in order to successfully and safely promote alcoholic drinks on social media. These guidelines are also dependent upon the social media platform that is being used. 

Generally, influencers must not promote alcohol if more than 28.4% of their audience is under the age of 21. This is to ensure that minors are not being targeted by illegal and inappropriate advertisements. 

Examples of Effective Campaigns

Twisted Tea

First launched in 2001, Twisted Tea is best known for its popular range of alcoholic iced teas. In December 2020, the brand launched an influencer marketing campaign to help promote a virtual happy hour on Twitch. The campaign pulled upon Battle Royale player Cloakzy as well as a collection of other guests to help potential customers learn more about the product whilst they watch their favorite live streamers. 

Corona

As one of the world’s most iconic beer brands, Corona did not struggle to see success in its influencer marketing campaign. This project relied on the work of multiple Instagram influencers to promote the idyllic nature of a sunset and a beer. The campaign gained an engagement rate of 2.66% and reached a combined follower base of 1,434,615 people. 

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Kahlua

Alongside acclaimed content creator Daniel Schiffer, Kahlua worked to build a mouth-watering commercial. Schiffer is well known for his premium food content, producing a wealth of cinematic B-rolls for his 2.24 million subscribers. This commercial saw him use a variety of transitions and lighting effects to depict his morning routine. The video was posted to the Merit Concept Academy YouTube channel where it earned nearly 1,400 views. The behind-the-scenes content gained over 1 million views on Schiffer’s personal channel. 

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Best Practices for Promoting Alcohol With Influencers

1. Ensure They Are of Legal Age

It may seem obvious but it is paramount that brands work alongside influencers who are of legal drinking age in the country they are promoting the product. This ensures that your business is obeying the laws of the land and will not suffer negative backlash from any authorities. Try using creator marketplaces and platforms to seek out appropriate influencers and learn more about the content that they have promoted previously. 

2. Do Not Promote Any Distasteful Activity

Your influencer marketing campaign should highlight the most attractive selling points of your product without referring to any type of alcohol abuse. This means not showing influencers to be intoxicated or violent. Instead, ensure that your influencer is describing how the drink tastes and showcasing safe and healthy alcohol consumption. 

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3. Use a Variety of Mediums and Platforms

Each social media platform refers to a different set of rules when it comes to promoting alcohol online. For example, TikTok does not allow users to buy, sell, or trade alcohol in any capacity. However, Snapchat allows alcohol to be shown as long as the creator implements a variety of appropriate warning labels. Therefore, businesses must check to see if their campaign is within the guidelines posed by each individual platform. In addition, creators can benefit from using a variety of different mediums such as video, still images, and carousels, to help better show off the product and further diversity their content.

4. Make Use of a CTA

A CTA, also known as a Call To Action, is a short phrase that can help inspire a customer to purchase a product. Influencers can use this tactic to inform their audience base of where they can buy your product as well as any discount codes that are affiliated with them. In turn, this can push more customers to actually complete a purchase rather than just engage with an influencer’s content in a superficial fashion. 

5. Pay the Influencer Accordingly

Many influencers can be compensated via payment or product, giving brands a plethora of payment methods to best suit their budget. Although sending a product can be a great way for an influencer to promote your brand for free, longer and more detailed campaigns usually require financial compensation. If this is the case, make sure that you are rewarding your influencer in accordance with their pay rate to help create a secure and respectful relationship between your brand and the creator. 

The relationship between alcohol and influencer marketing may seem like a gray area for many brands but when carried out successfully, it can offer an exceptional ROI and can help your business tap into a collection of lucrative markets.