May was Michigan Wine Month and in May 2020 the Michigan Wine Collaborative partnered with BevFluence in
order to expand beyond that month and promote Michigan wines throughout the summer. The Michigan Wine
Collaborative (MWC) is a non-profit organization formed to enhance the sustainability and profitability of the
Michigan wine industry by supporting wineries, growers, related businesses, and individuals connected to the
industry – today and for future generations. BevFluence is an organization created by beverage content creators for
content creators and is a place to share ideas, enrich current relationships, and forge new connections that will
increase professional opportunities.
There are approximately 150 wineries in the Great Lakes State, with the majority clustered around southwest Michigan in the Lake Michigan Shore AVA and in the northeast with the Old Mission Peninsula AVA and Leelanau Peninsula AVA. The BevFluence campaign initially focused on three wineries, each representing one of these regions, then expanded to a final winery as the summer concluded.
Seven BevFluence community members participated in the campaign, sharing their thoughts on these wines through various social media and provider platforms. Through several years of participating in online tastings and media excursions, the BevFluence team has developed a methodology to share and amplify content across multiple platforms. The participants utilized this methodology throughout the campaign which was kicked off with a video interview of Emily Dockery on the BevFluence YouTube Channel. In this interview, she described the unique characteristics of the Michigan wine industry and the challenges brought about by the COVID lockdowns.
The Michigan Wine Collaborative – BevFluence campaign unofficially concluded with a Twitter Wine Blogger Workshop where BevFluence, the Michigan Wine Collaborative, and winemakers discussed the campaign’s implementation. This discussion included the benefits of the BevFluence methodology, as well as suggestions on how wineries can better enable and support future influencer campaigns.
On social media, Instagram was the most popular platform, receiving widespread engagement from all influencers. In total, this campaign’s Instagram reach extended to 25,000 accounts with 7,000 unique views. The BevFluence members also posted frequently on Facebook in some instances replicating the content from Instagram. These posts reached 8,000 views. Several other platforms were also utilized, such as YouTube, blogs, and Twitter where this campaign unofficially concluded with a Wine Blogger Workshop where BevFluence, the Michigan Wine Collaborative, and winemakers discussed the campaign’s implementation, engagement, and reach. And one influencer was invited to a local news program to promote the campaign.
“Hi Justin! I wanted to reach out to thank you for involving Michigan wine in your latest campaign. I really enjoyed
the variety of social media and digital marketing approaches and seeing the interactions with those posts grow. It is
valuable that you guys have people of varying media backgrounds to tackle projects, and keep things fresh! Thank
you for running a Collaborative and successful program featuring Michigan wines! Hope to work together again
soon. Cheers!” – Emily Dockery Executive Director Michigan Wine Collaborative
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