A Focus on Hospitality, Experiences and Quality
By: Earl E. Sullivan
In an era marked by bad economic news, changing consumer preferences, and health-conscious trends like “Dry January,” wineries face the challenge of surviving and thriving. The key to success in any competitive landscape revolves around pivoting strategies towards enhancing consumer experiences, leveraging the allure of hospitality, and emphasizing the quality of products.
This article explores how our winery has taken steps to attract individual consumers through targeted marketing strategies focusing on the warmth of hospitality and experiences and new approaches to wine education, mainly focusing on increasing foot traffic and club enhancements rather than solely relying on corporate sales.
Embracing the Essence of Hospitality
Wineries are uniquely positioned to offer more than just a product; they provide an experience, a memory. The first step in marketing and winning in this challenging environment is to transform the winery into a destination of choice for those seeking memorable experiences.
• Personalized Guest Experience: Customize visits based on guests’ preferences. Leverage data from booking systems or social media interactions to tailor wine tastings, tours, or educational sessions. Data can help personalize these encounters, suggesting wines based on previous choices or anticipated preferences. The more memorable the experience, the more likely the customer is to share it with others, prompting them to come and visit. In addition to the customary greeting with a smile, use someone’s name as often as possible, and always say thank you.
• Storytelling: Every winery has a story—from the conception of the business to the soils of the grapes to the glass of the final product. Stories are memorable and aid in connecting consumers with the winery. Use this narrative in marketing materials, tours, and tasting sessions to connect with visitors on an emotional level. Storytelling through social media, blogs, and in-person visits can transform a simple wine tasting into a cultural experience. Creating a special storytelling event for select groups of customers can also help with customer retention.
• Exceeding Expectations: Provide more than just a wine tasting and history of the winery. Does a guest mention a recent trip to Argentina? Bring an extra taste of your current release, Malbec. Is a couple celebrating a wedding anniversary? A quick handwritten note congratulating them is an inexpensive and thoughtful way to create a memory and create a bond. Did the customer make a more significant purchase? A handwritten thank you note sent to their house the next day will do wonders for keeping those sales coming during more challenging times.
• Small, Intimate Event Hosting: Small, themed events like harvest festivals, wine blending workshops, or seasonal celebrations can create buzz. These events should focus on the sensory journey of wine, offering unique experiences like vineyard yoga, painting with wine, or culinary pairings with local chefs.
Highlighting Quality Products
In a market where consumers are more discerning than ever, quality is not just a selling point but a necessity.
• Quality Assurance: Regularly communicate the methods behind your winemaking, from sustainable vineyard practices to the nuances of aging processes. Transparency in production can build trust and loyalty.
• Limited Editions and Small Batches: Create excitement by offering limited-run wines. These wines can command a premium and instill a sense of exclusivity and urgency among consumers to visit and purchase.
• Awards and Recognition: Use any accolades or ratings from wine competitions prominently in marketing materials. External validations of quality often sway consumers.
Driving Foot Traffic
To get people through the door, wineries must employ innovative marketing strategies beyond traditional advertising.
• Loyalty Programs: Implement programs that reward repeat visits with benefits like discounts, exclusive tastings, or members-only events. These can foster a community around the brand.
• Collaborations with Local Businesses: Partner with local artisans, food producers, or tourism boards to cross-promote. These partnerships increase visibility and embed the winery into the local culture and economy.
• Social Media Engagement: Use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest to showcase the winery’s lifestyle, from behind-the-scenes vineyard work to luxurious tasting room setups. Engage with followers through contests, live sessions, or user-generated content campaigns.
• Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with micro-influencers in the food and travel space who can authentically share their experiences at the winery, reaching niche audiences with genuine endorsements.
• Build Community: Host socials of different club levels or other segments of your wine club. Allow members to build and foster friendships within your winery.
Handling Dry January
Dry January presents a unique challenge, yet it’s an opportunity for wineries to showcase versatility and social responsibility.
• Non-Alcoholic Offerings: Introduce or highlight non-alcoholic wines, wine-based mocktails, or gourmet non-alcoholic beverages. This can cater to those participating in Dry January and attract health-conscious consumers throughout the year.
• Educational Workshops: Instead of focusing solely on consumption, offer workshops on wine appreciation without the need for tasting, such as wine history, grape varieties, or the art of wine and food pairing theory.
• Promote the Culture: Use this month to promote the broader culture of wine. Host book clubs, art exhibitions, or music nights in the winery setting, emphasizing the venue’s ambiance rather than the alcohol.
• Responsible Marketing: Ensure all communications during Dry January support the initiative by highlighting responsible drinking, the benefits of a break from alcohol, and the winery’s commitment to health and wellness. This can enhance the winery’s reputation for social responsibility.
• Special Events for Post-January: Create anticipation by announcing special events for February or a “Welcome Back” wine tasting for those who participated in Dry January, celebrating their return with a special touch or discount.
In Summary:
Marketing to individual consumers in the current wine market necessitates a blend of traditional hospitality with modern marketing techniques. By focusing on creating memorable experiences, underlining the quality of wines, and actively engaging with the community through various touchpoints, wineries can attract more visitors and build a loyal customer base. Rather than being seen as a downturn, the approach to Dry January can be an innovative period to broaden appeal and demonstrate social responsibility. In this way, wineries can navigate market challenges not just by selling wine but by selling an experience, a story, and a lifestyle, ensuring they remain vibrant and inviting destinations all year round.
You can contact the writer Earl Sillivan at earl@telayawine.com
