Most of you know that the best way to generate consistent revenue for your winery is to get wine sales and wine club sign ups in your tasting room. Great. But, how do you get consumers into your tasting room in the first place? How do you drive awareness for your winery?
With 3,626 emerging wineries (1,000 to 4,999 annual case production) in the United States in 2015, you're competing against just a few others. If you're in Napa or Sonoma you have the luxury of being in the go-to region but the burden of bigger winery competition and well, a densely populated area of wineries.
How do you stand out and drive awareness to YOUR winery?
Here are a few ideas:
- Make clear road signage. This is one you probably have all already done. Especially if you're in Napa or Sonoma, making your winery easy to find is a necessity, because it's too easy for consumers to just drive on by and stop in the next one.
- Have a simple website. Your website should clearly defines the types of wine you serve and where you can be located. Maps are great but also naming other wineries that you're close to could help. While this may seem counter intuitive, if someone is already going to a winery that's right next door, why not say out BTW we're right here, too!
- Implement an SEO strategy. Search engine optimization does not have to be a scary thing. It's quite basic actually. Think about key search terms that people would be typing into Google to find wineries. Sure they'll probably start with "Sonoma wineries" but what sets you apart that might be something specific someone is searching for? I.e. "Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir." Create landing pages that highlight these unique search terms.
- Produce content. In conjuncture with an SEO strategy, produce blog content. Not only will this offer those who find your website more insights to the atmosphere and style of your winery and wine, it'll also help with your overall rankings and help people find you in the first place.
- Offer discount codes. Email pop-ups on your website are simple to install. Use an email collecting pop up to gather email address in exchange for a discounted tasting. This is a great way not only to get people into your tasting room but to also get their email address to continue to market to them later on.
- Optimize your Yelp and Trip Advisor pages. It's hard to be on page 1 for "Sonoma winery." It's a bit easier to compete on Yelp and Trip Advisor. While there's not a whole lot you can do to control your pages on these sites, you can subtly let people know that you are on those sites in the first place. People are always on their phones- next time you see someone pull out their iPhone at a tasting, why not work Trip Advisor into the conversation? Additionally, make sure you are monitoring and responding to reviews on these sites.
- Do grassroots PR. Reaching out to journalists and bloggers who frequently talk about good vineyards to visit are worth starting a relationship with. Reach out to them on social media, send them an email. Start a relationship with them before you pitch them on an event or an idea about why your winery is great.
- Maintain your social media accounts. Okay, if we're being honest, your Facebook and Instagram accounts on their own are not going to drive a ton of new visitors. HOWEVER, having social accounts that your visitors tag when they post their photos, will get viewed. Make sure you are putting up a good image there so that if a friend of a friend happens to go scrolling through your Insta pictures, they like what they see.
- Industry referrals. Make friends with your neighbors. (You've probably already done this.) Offer your industry friends and your neighbors 2 for 1 tasting referral cards. One of the most common questions at the end of a tasting is, "What other nearby wineries do you recommend?"
These are just a few of the ideas you can deep-dive into to really drive awareness for your winery. There are plenty others out there. If interested in talking more about any of these ideas with us click the link below.