The wine industry has traditionally been slow to adopt new marketing channels. It’s partly due to regulations but also because of the industry’s culture. While larger wineries are better equipped to use the internet as a way to build their brands, smaller family wineries are still struggling.
What can a small winery with no dedicated marketing team do?
These are three ways to use the internet to help grow your small winery business.
1. Establish Relationships
Although most people don’t see it that way, the internet can be a very personal experience. Our computers and smartphones allow us to interact with one another. A small winery, especially one that makes wine, must do an excellent job of developing relationships with customers in a genuine and personal manner.
Make a compelling offer to get people to connect with your brand. If they sign up for your email list, you will give them access to something that they may not be able to get elsewhere. Then, keep your word. How? Continue reading…
2. Tell Great Stories
This is the part that most wineries miss. What is the hook that will attract people to your wine? How will it differentiate your wine from others? What sets you apart from the rest? It won’t help to tell people that your fruit is top-quality and has been grown in complex soils with great exposure.
If you are willing to take the time and invite your fans, subscribers, friends, and visitors behind the scenes, you will have an advantage. Tell them your story. What is the story behind the winery? What is most important for your brand? What is your purpose? What are your secrets? Your audience will be more open to you sharing more about yourself (as a winery).
You must also be consistent with your storytelling. Your audience shouldn’t be allowed to forget who they are. Communicate regularly. One month is fine. Once a week or every other week is better.
3. Get your fans to take action
This is a common area in which many businesses fail across all industries. They don’t ask for sales. They don’t ask for the sale.
The thing is, many people want to purchase something from you. However, it can be so challenging to move from discussing wine in a tasting room (or cellar) to discussing the purchase of wine that many wineries ignore the call to action. This is a mistake.
It doesn’t matter whether the consumer is in your tasting room, reading your email or visiting your blog. You are losing the opportunity to sell more if you don’t include a call-to-action (“join our wine club” or “grab our limited edition wines while you still can”). It doesn’t need to be aggressive; it just has to be there to help the customer transition as smooth as possible.
All this into practice:
Are you interested in learning how to increase leads, trust and authority in your niche and create passive income streams for your business? Get instant access to David Baer’s video on the 3 Marketing Essentials that you need to know.
You can also download the free report, 7 Mistakes Local Businesses Make with Their Advertising, to find out what you should do.
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