Posts tagged as:

Web 2.0

Roadblocks to Internet Marketing

by Cheryl Wolhar - MyVineSpace on May 7, 2009

A major roadblock to internet marketing for wineries is a lack of understanding of all the new and effective, social media tools that are available.

The wineries that I talk to are so busy doing their day-to-day jobs that they just don’t have the time to learn about or keep up with all the new developments in internet marketing.

Many feel they just don’t have the time to fully educate themselves on the many applications and tools available that make Internet marketing easy and affordable.

Then there is fear caused from a lack of comfort level with web topics and technology and a fear that they might make a mistake, which they feel could be a disaster in such a public forum.

And then there’s denial, “if I don’t know about it, it doesn’t matter. “

In an earlier post I explained the importance of building a yearly marketing plan with specific strategies and tactics to use as a road map. Having a detailed plan, and doing regular, systematic analysis, will help you reach your goals. If you didn’t create a marketing plan at the beginning of 2009, now is a great time to do it. And it is critical to include a some aspects of internet marketing.

It’s important to assess your current internet presence. There are many tools available such as HubSpot’s Website Grader. While this is a great way to get started, it is a good idea to work with a professional that can help you get a full assessment and build an internet marketing plan that makes sense for you.

Here’s a great post from HubSpot on roadblocks to inbound marketing directed at Small Medium Business (SMB). Many wineries fall into this category and it is a relief to hear that they are not the only ones that have delayed entry into the Web Sales Channel. Interestingly enough it is for similar reasons:

Trying to do everything at once can overwhelm wineries; so I agree with HubSpot that it is best to crawl before you run. Find a professional to help you select those options that will provide the biggest bang for your buck and then add in more internet approaches as you go along.

Tagged as: @MyVineSpace, internet marketing, social media, social networking, Web 2.0, wine, wine brand loyalty, wine marketing

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Why you should start a branded online community for your Winery

by Cheryl Wolhar - MyVineSpace on February 18, 2009

Web 2.0 is a technology trend for information sharing and social networking that is an emerging innovation within the wine industry.
Many winery’s have started blogging but others are not sure where to begin. MyVineSpace recommends starting a simple branded community where you can manage your blog and online discussions, but most importantly you can build a social community where you can interact directly with your customers and wine club members.
Creating an online Social Networking Community allows you to attract and interact with your customers in a fashion that was not possible before.

Community Benefits for the Winery:
* Build an active, vibrant online community
* Cultivate and strengthen lifetime customer relationships
* Create a channel of trust through word of mouth interactions
* Build brand loyalty by communicating WITH customers instead of AT them
* Publish and manage effective winery blogs and forum discussions
* Augment your marketing efforts with targeted campaigns to your community
Community Benefits for your Consumers :
* Learn and enjoy wine within a like-minded community
* Interact directly with winery staff and wine making teams
* Customize your personal space and socialize with your friends
* Receive insider information on special offers, events and breaking news
* Participate in exciting on-line events such as video-casts and on-line wine [...]

Tagged as: @MyVineSpace, attract customers, branded community, community, enjoy wine, interact with customers, learn about wine, online, social media, social networking, Web 2.0, Wine Blog, wine brand loyalty, wine forum discussions, wine industry, wine marketing, winery, winery blogs, WineSpace

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Wineries, don’t start a blog… start a Community!

by Cheryl Wolhar - MyVineSpace on November 14, 2008

I read this post today where Paul Boutin says that blogs are dead and I agree, sort of…
<pIf you are considering starting a new blog now, the wrong thing to do would be to create one of those static boring blogs that everyone else has.
<pHe mentions sites like Flickr, Facebook and Twitter as better options. I say, YES use Flickr, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter by all means, but use them to drive people to the new community that you build on a Web 2.0 platform around your brand.
<pHere are two example of wineries <a href=”http://www.eaglesnestwinery.ning.com”>”Eagles Nest Winery”</a> and <a href=”http://winespace.donatifamilyvineyard.com”>Donati Family Vineyard”</a> that have taken up this community concept, truly internalized it and really made it their own. You can see each “natural voice” shines through.
<pHere are two example of wineries “Eagles Nest Winery” and “Donati Family Vineyard” that have taken up this community concept, truly internalized it and really made it their own. You can see that each “natural voice” shines through.
<pSome of the benefits are:

Build an active, vibrant online community
Cultivate and strengthen lifetime customer relationships
Create a channel of trust through word of mouth interactions
Expand your online digital brand
Build brand loyalty by communicating WITH customers instead of AT them
Publish [...]

Tagged as: @MyVineSpace, attract customers, branded community, cheryl wolhar, enjoy wine, interact with customers, learn about wine, social media, social networking, Web 2.0, Wine Blog, wine brand loyalty, wine industry, wine marketing, winery blogs

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Change the World or Go Home

by Cheryl Wolhar - MyVineSpace on November 14, 2008

I was struck by this post by Tim Elliott regarding the challenge wineries have in marketing their terrior story and making it unique. It really made me stop and think again about the best way to build a brand. He points to Stormhoek, who is best known for their success using social media. Instead of marketing terrior they are marketing the guiding principles of what their brand stands for:
* Love
* Being Passionate
* Dreaming Big
* Being Spontaneous
* Celebrating
* Changing The World
How about that “change the world or go home” as one of the guiding principles of your brand? That’s a powerful message and I agree with Tim that this type of aspirational positioning will really connect with consumers today. I’m totally getting it!

Tagged as: @MyVineSpace, branded community, Change the World, cheryl wolhar, enjoy wine, interact with customers, Passion, social media, social networking, terrior, Web 2.0, wine brand loyalty