Ballywho News

At Ballywho we occasionally take advantage of the opportunity to mix business and pleasure. We are happy to have the chance to discuss two of our favorite things; social media and wine.

First we should discuss how the two areas of interest pair naturally. What is more social than a having a conversation while enjoying your favorite cabernet or sauvignon blanc? Wine enthusiasts have so much affinity for wine culture in general that 700,000 people watch wine related videos online every month. A quick trip to Google’s keyword tracker shows that in any given month, enthusiasts search Google using the word “wine” 55.6 million times worldwide. That’s a whole lot of enthusiasm which social media can help turn into a whole lot of revenue. So why not bring the two together? You have a naturally engaged market that loves to communicate. Not using social media to join and then lead the conversation would be detrimental and put you behind those who have already discovered the benefits.

7 tips to help you use social media with your wine club

1. Get Involved- If you are not already using social media, you need to start now. Waiting any longer will put you that much farther behind the eight ball. Wine clubs are already thriving online, you should thrive with them. Use traditional forms of communication to integrate. If you need help, hey that’s what we do at Ballywho Interactive, give us a call or shoot us an email.

2. Gather Feedback- Customers will let you know what they love and hate if you give them the opportunity and let them know that you are listening. Social media by nature is an engaging set of platforms. Use this engaging aspect to find out what people think. Maybe you aren’t selling a particular wine in a particular region. Find out if your wine club would like to start buying that from you by asking them directly. People love to share their opinion and they love to spend time on social media. Use this to your advantage.

3. Promote Events- Social media is virtual word of mouth. What better way is there to let people know about a promotional event that you are hosting. It’s a great way to inform your wine club and jumpstart attendance. We all know the benefit of getting people out so you can see them face to face and show them what you are doing. Social media can help you get the audience you want at your next tasting or host a virtual tasting.

4. Promote Your Wine Club and Brand- Blogs can serve as a newsletter to your loyalists. Facebook and Twitter let you interact directly with your club and platforms like Foursquare let you plug your partners that distribute your product. Social media has people’s attention and that’s what every marketer is looking for. People who join wine clubs are even more engaged, they want to hear from you. Your wine club members will share your thoughts with others if you know how to present yourself. Use social media as a way to build your wine fan base and ultimately increase awareness.

5. Show Your Personality- Remember when you took Marketing 101 in college? At some point a professor told you that when you got into the marketing field, you would have to find a way to make your product stick out from the pack. Social media can facilitate this by communicating with your wine club. The wording you use, the way that you structure your tastings and the way you engage your core customers (i.e. your wine club) will allow you to present yourself as you want to be seen. Social media platforms can be updated regularly allowing you to constantly tell your club why you are different than one of the dozens of other labels that they see at wine shops.

6. Show Diversity- Of course you want to talk about yourself, let’s face it you want to promote your product. Remember though, social media provides an ongoing conversation with people. People don’t like someone only talks about themselves and eventually they tune them out. Take some time to talk about your industry in general. Discuss new trends or dedicate some posts to a forgotten favorite, maybe a series of posts on pairing dessert wines. This will keep your wine club coming back because they will know that you have information to offer.

7. Don’t Over Do It- It’s beneficial to take advantage of the fact that people love communicating via social media. Keep in mind that they are using the platforms to pay attention to their friends, as well as the businesses that they like. Be creative, be engaging but don’t be a pest. Being too pushy or posting information that they don’t want too often will drive them away. Not heeding this warning will be a good way to watch your wine club dwindle.