More on e-Marketing and Small Wineries

Small wineries certainly can't market their product the way the big companies do, and they shouldn't! The appeal of small wineries is that they are special. They make a product that is given extra attention throughout the wine making process. Full page ads in national lifestyle rags do not say "This is a special wine". Because of this, I don't see small wineries competing for, "a slice of the marketing pie" with the big operations. It's just not the same pie.

Small wineries need to be savvy with their marketing budget. They need to be acutely aware of who their customer is and target that market ferociously. Straying outside their demo is just a waste of money unless there is clear and measurable plan to win a new market. The "carpet bomb" approach is clearly unsustainable for a winery with a limited budget! Knowing exactly who your customers are will allow you to focus those marketing dollars accurately and get your message in front of the right eyes.

For the money, there is no better medium to reach your specific audience than the internet. Every demographic is represented with thousands of sites where advertising is relatively cheap on a click-through basis and social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace have hundreds of thousands of members. Small wineries can make their own "groups" and invite people to join them. Soon a community will form and your brand is getting noticed. This e-Marketing approach is not for everyone. It's far less expensive than print, but It takes time and dedication. Like the vine, your on-line community needs to be tended to if you want it to grow. If you think you can plant a few seeds and then sit back to watch you’re going to be less than amazed at the results. But with the right effort your e-Marketing will begin to bear fruit.

Wineries and e-marketing

So you made it through harvest and crush and your wine humming along nicely. Everything is coming together and you’re on target to have 10,000 cases ready to bottle by mid-Summer. Problem is, your distributor still has 3,000 cases unsold and sitting in their warehouse.

With 6,000 brands all competing for shelf space there’s no way you’re going to get repeat customers without a constant give and take of relevant information between you and your customers. They may pick your label out of the sea of labels once or twice, but it’s not likely. With so many choices, why would they? Who wants to go on the same vacation over and over?

These days it’s essential to have an online presence. The internet is a powerful tool. It can reach millions of potential customers with a minimal amount of investment of either time or money. The number of wineries that don’t use this medium to its fullest extent just amazes me. Okay, pretty much everybody has a web page or site that has a pretty picture of the winery and maybe a shot or two of the cellar. Usually there is an “About Us” page that tells the story of the owners and the unique way the winemaker plies his craft. Some have on-line ordering through PayPal or an 800 number to call to order. This is good. It’s a great start. But it’s by no means the end of the story!

You need an e-marketing strategy.

The beauty of e-marketing is that you can custom fit the medium to your specific needs. And the most important aspect of the medium is that you can track the campaign in real time to see if you’re going in the right direction! You can communicate with your target audience instantly and you may even find an audience you didn’t think you had.

So what’s the trick to getting the most out of your e-marketing budget? The answer is different for everyone. You have to figure out what your reason for being online is in the first place. Are you trying to make a buzz in the community to attract walk-ins? Are you looking for a way to take your brand national? Are you trying to make your brand appeal to a younger audience?

Once you’ve answered this question, you can begin to build an online strategy that works for you.

Good luck, and get online!