Weekend Special: Wine and Social Media

IF ONLY

There’s probably only one thing that my partner and I love more than coffee (and more than food) and that is wine. We visited a few cellar doors in the Grampians region earlier this week including a couple of notable brands in Seppelt and Bests. Both from the small town of Great Western and both started in the 1800s, one by Henry Best and the other by his brother Joseph Best.

Now, obviously the guys are gone and a few things have changed since then..bottled water, mobile phones and social media, etc. Seppelt is currently owned by Fosters (for now) and Best’s is privately owned. Seppelt has clearly pumped a heap of money into its cellar door for the tourists (Great tour by the way). Bests on the other hand is a little more humble in its cellar door and from what I can see is not deliberately trying to attract the tourists.

It’s a really different approach that is highlighted by their forays into Social Media. Seppelt appears to have only recently started a Facebook page and has 111 ‘Likes’, I can’t find a Twitter profile and there is no mention of Social Media on their website or any of their marketing material. Bests on the other hand has a Facebook page with almost 2,000 ‘Likes’, they’re posting videos and have an engaging community. They also have a Twitter profile with more than 2,000 followers. This isn’t a ‘I’ve got more than you’ thing, it’s just that one is making the most of what is on offer and engaging with its customers, the other is managed by a big corporate that just doesn’t get it.

So my advice to Seppelt (and Fosters) and other wineries looking to follow in Bests footsteps and create an online community….

• If you haven’t already, get on Facebook (Page not Group) and upload images, upload videos, post regularly ( once a day or every two days), ask questions, share info, run polls and have some fun by providing exclusive deals. Promote it in your printed material, on your website, in your cellar door, and train your staff to let visitors know. Just a couple of other small things, use every bit of the 180 x 540 pixels for your profile picture and when you get to 25 ‘Likes’ claim your user name so you can easily promote facebook.com/yourwinery
• Twitter is going to be fantastic for you to connect with other regional producers, fans of your wine and generally increase online conversations around your brand. Again promote it heavily in all of your marketing (as noted above). A hashtag for a local region can be a great promotional tool, for example the Yarra Valley in Victoria has a heap of wineries, a few dairies, microbreweries and restaurants, when each of them tweet they can use a #yarravalley hashtag to help further promote the region. Tweet regularly (a few times a day) with all sort of insight for people wanting to follow you.
• Foursquare is a location-based activity that encourages people to check-in to your venue. What a great way for a cellar door to promote itself across the social networks. Claim your Foursquare venue, add specials such as a discount on particular bottles of wine if a visitor checks in (Don’t skimp). By checking in, the visitor has the choice to let all of their Facebook friends and Twitter followers exactly where they are and tell them about their experience.
• Youtube is the world’s second largest search engine and a great way for people to come across your wines and they can be of particular interest for your biggest fans. Film occasional chats with your winemaker, do a tour through the operations, film visitor testimonials and again have some fun. Create your own Youtube channel and promote it as heavily as you do the above. Embed some of the videos into your website.
• Blogging is really powerful and one thing that I would read from a winery. Tell the world about this years vintages, tell us what you’re expecting from your wines and let us know what varietals to expect to be popular.

If you want to follow or like Bests Wines please visit facebook.com/bestswines or twitter.com/bestswines. Wine marketing, what a gig!

INFOGRAPHIC OF THE WEEK

Here’s one from Twiends.com that illustrates how to use Twitter…It’s not bad, at least for someone new to Twitter. Check it out.

HANDY LINKS/TOOLS

Get around this one, it’s great ..Verifyapp.com provides you with a service to test your new website or simply update it to optimise conversions. Basically sign up and then have people view your website through the service to get feedback on what works and what doesn’t. It’s really cheap from $9 per month and they offer a 30-day free trial offer.

A POST WORTH READING

1. ’11 Best SEO Blogs To Follow in 2011′ - via Kaiserthe Sage
2. ’13 Hot Facebook Tips from the Pros’ - via Social Media Examiner
3. ‘Getting the Most out of LinkedIn for B2B’ - via Marketing Profs

DID YOU KNOW

…That 22% of UK Grandparents use a social network and of these 34% are on Twitter..Thanks for the RT Nan!! All this and more in ‘50 Social Media Stats that will blow your Mind’

All the best for the weekend….

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