Top 10 Reasons Why Social Networking Matters for Wineries Now

Wineries with a robust online marketing strategy…

1) ARE THEIR OWN BEST MEDIA.
How do you get people talking about your wine? Answer: incorporate online social networking into your traditional public relations strategy. This feeds the emotional connection customers have to your brand.

2) TALK DIRECTLY TO A HUGE AUDIENCE.
Approximately 64 million people in the United State use social networking websites. They’re baby boomers, they’re millennials. And they’re wine drinkers.

3) HAVE MORE EFFECTIVE PR AND MARKETING.
Social networking enhances and strengthens your current PR strategy by attracting real people who love to share their expertise and opinions about wine and wineries with others.

4) RANK HIGHER ON SEARCH ENGINES.
Google and other search engines are always looking for “new”—and that tweet you posted five minutes ago is the definition of new. That, plus your blog, plus your Facebook page, plus your media stories = top of the search results.

5) EXPAND THEIR REACH.
They get messages from a publication in Spain, from a wine bar in Dubai, and from a wine tasting event in Australia, places they probably would not (or could not) advertise.

6) BRING THEIR BRAND TO LIFE.
Your winery has a unique personality, one that will link you to your perfect customers. Help that customer find you by telling your winery story–in details, personally, with the wit and PASSION you and your team bring to the brand.

7) BUILD PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH CUSTOMERS.
Once a customer experiences that “aha!” moment, reinforce that connection with replies to their comments on your blog, responses by real people picking those grapes, testing that brix, designing those labels makes your customers feel connected to you.

8) NURTURE AND DELIGHT THEIR WINE CLUB COMMUNITY.
Social networking has proven to result in an average 150% upsell to loyal customers (like wine club members). So try multiplying your present member sales by 150%. Nice.

9) ARE GREENER.
Save trees, and keep that ink out of the environment, by printing fewer newsletters, postcards, etc. Those elusive millenial wine aficionados? They keep their cellar list on their computers (as do young sommeliers, and reporters). How thoughtful of you to send them an online newsletter about the wines in their shipment–right where they can use it to update their spreadsheets.

10) LET THEIR CUSTOMERS KNOW THEY CARE ABOUT THEM AND THEIR WORLD.
You contribute to community organizations, there’s no better way than a blog to make this known. It’s important information — consumers use it to make decisions. You get to decide how to talk about it, in a way that’s true to your brand.

This post was written in collaboration with the brilliant and very forward-thinking Maggie Zeman of The Barn Group.