We’ll begin this newsletter with the next in our series of social media tips, then we will segue to some thoughts about improving winery websites.
Building Relationships
Social media work better as marketing than as advertising. That’s why “We’re bottling on Wednesday,” is a better message than “$5 off 2008 Chardonnay.” Use social media to develop customer affinity and to enhance your winery’s image.
· Give people a peek at what’s happening in the vineyards.
· Post a picture of the crush, or of bottling.
· Was it a crazy weekend at the tasting room? Pass it on.
· Make your followers feel like insiders, part of the family.
· Develop an ongoing story line.
But be careful with the cozy, personal approach—you can go too far. More on that in our next issue. For now, remember that social media are much more effective as marketing than as advertising—think of them as relationship builders.
Winery Websites
Over the last few years we’ve developed websites while wearing various hats. Generally we tend toward complex corporate-grade sites, but we’ve done our share of small-business sites, too. One of the origins of Smart Wine Media was our realization that wineries need the mix of advanced features that complex sites boast, but most of them need to fit within small-business budgets. That’s a challenge.
Clunky
Adding an out-of-the-box e-commerce solution, such as Yahoo Stores, to an existing website yields incongruities in design and workflow. Linking a WordPress blog to a typical website creates a slapdash feel. At least one Texas winery has elected to discard their original website and go with a simple (and not very attractive) blog, slashing the information offered visitors and losing image-building potential in the process.
Solutions
There are better approaches. You know that. You see sites every day that do a smooth job of integrating a suite of features—sites with articles, blogs, polls, newsletters, e-mails, wine clubs, wine sales, event calendars, and event signups all wrapped up in one consistent package. And on the back end, where the winery collects and uses its information, it's all one integrated, seamless database. But your site probably isn't like that. We can help.
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