Craft spirits brands face a unique challenge. While direct-to-consumer awareness and tasting room visits are essential, scaling your brand requires forging relationships with bars, restaurants, distributors, and retailers. In a crowded spirits market, generating qualified wholesale leads takes more than just a great product — it takes a focused digital marketing strategy that reaches decision-makers and drives inquiries.
Here’s how to structure a digital strategy that helps craft spirits brands attract wholesale leads, nurture industry relationships, and accelerate distribution growth.
Optimize Your Website for Wholesale Lead Generation
Your website should serve two distinct audiences: consumers and trade buyers. Ensure your site has a dedicated wholesale-focused section that speaks directly to bars, restaurants, distributors, and retailers.
Best practices:
- Dedicated Wholesale Page: Highlight your distribution footprint, product specs, and trade benefits (e.g., exclusivity, shelf appeal, marketing support).
- Clear CTAs: Use prominent “Request a Sample,” “Speak to Sales,” or “Wholesale Inquiry” buttons.
- Downloadable Sell Sheets or Product Catalogs: Gate behind a simple lead form to collect contact details.
- Trade Testimonials and Success Stories: Showcase accounts that have successfully introduced your brand to their customers.
Use SEO to Target Trade and Wholesale Buyer Searches
While consumers may search for “best gin cocktail,” your trade audience is searching for “craft spirits distributor Florida” or “unique rum brands for cocktail bars.”
SEO strategies:
- Optimize your wholesale landing page for keywords like:
- “Wholesale craft spirits Florida”
- “Independent spirit brands for bars”
- “Boutique gin suppliers for restaurants”
- Publish trade-focused blog content, such as:
- “How to Differentiate Your Bar’s Cocktail Menu With Craft Spirits”
- “5 Trends Craft Distillers Are Bringing to the On-Premise Scene”
- Include location-specific pages if targeting key markets.
Leverage LinkedIn for B2B Outreach and Visibility
LinkedIn remains the best channel for reaching beverage managers, purchasing directors, and distributor reps.
LinkedIn strategies:
- Create company page posts highlighting wholesale success stories, new product launches, and partnership spotlights.
- Use LinkedIn Ads to target food & beverage industry professionals in your key regions.
- Encourage your founders, sales team, and brand ambassadors to engage in relevant industry conversations and share trade-focused content.
Build an Email List of Trade Prospects and Nurture Them
Email is still one of the most effective B2B lead nurturing tools.
Steps:
- Capture trade contacts through your wholesale page, tasting events, or virtual trade shows.
- Send segmented email campaigns offering:
- Product education and tasting notes
- Seasonal cocktail recipe kits using your spirits
- Case studies on how other venues increased sales by featuring your brand
- Limited-time wholesale promotions or incentives
Ensure your email content focuses on profitability, differentiation, and customer experience — the things that matter to trade buyers.
Showcase Your Brand at Industry Events — and Use Digital to Extend Impact
While in-person tastings, festivals, and trade shows are key, amplify them digitally.
Ideas:
- Create pre-event email and LinkedIn campaigns to set appointments.
- Use geo-targeted ads leading up to the event to drive booth traffic.
- Capture contacts at your booth and enroll them into your wholesale nurture funnel.
- Post post-event recaps and highlight new partnerships to create social proof.
Use Retargeting Ads to Stay Visible After Initial Contact
Wholesale leads often require multiple touchpoints before converting. Retarget visitors who engaged with your wholesale page or filled out a sample request but haven’t yet followed up.
Retargeting tactics:
- Serve display or social ads showcasing your latest awards or brand story.
- Promote case studies from on-premise partners or retailers.
- Offer “Meet Our Founder” videos that humanize your brand and story.
For craft spirits brands looking to scale distribution, lead generation needs to be intentional, targeted, and trade-focused. By combining SEO, LinkedIn outreach, email nurturing, and retargeting — all backed by a conversion-ready website — your brand can create a steady pipeline of wholesale inquiries that lead to more placements, partnerships, and growth.
Need help building a digital marketing strategy that drives wholesale leads for your craft spirits brand?
We help emerging beverage brands develop trade-focused funnels, campaigns, and assets that attract the right buyers and turn curiosity into case orders.
