Social media tips for Wineries/Cellar Doors (and any small biz really)

Social media for wine producers – some ideas! 

Last week I was invited to crash a Orange Cellar Door committee meeting and talk a little about social media marketing.

And because I’m well aware just how many wonderful producers we have here in O-town (come and visit and try them yourself, lots of great itineraries can be found and followed via Visit Orange), and was also well aware that they all bring a good drop or two to these meetings, I went along gladly and ran through this list of 15 tips and pointers for telling your story and connecting with customers through social media.

Thought it might be of interest to you too so am sharing here as well!

1. Harness the power! The average Australian spends almost 6 hours a week or around 48 minutes a day scrolling through social media. And around 70% of this time is spent on mobile devices. So if people are reading your posts, newsletters, anythings, they are probably reading on their mobiles and probably in ‘micro-moments’ so keep it short and sweet and WORK hard to grab their attention and stop the scroll.
2. Be clear about why you are on social media in the first place – what are you bringing to the table and why should people care?
3. Invest time in setting up your profile properly –  ensure you have a good profile photo, a well-written bio, all the links going to the right place and contact details all present and correct.
4. Know who you are talking to and what problems you can solve for them. Your social media feed isn’t actually about you, it’s about what you can do for your audience, as Simon Sinek says, ‘sell the problem you solved not the product’. So when you are posting about what a great harvest you’re having, remember to do it in a way that clearly shows why this will benefit your readers. 
5. Don’t just post about your own business – be a go-to source of information about your region; share information, advice, recommendations that will be of value to your audience. Share information that will benefit your audience and they will love you for it. Link and tag everyone you share. Also, share your expertise! How to choose a great wine in a restaurant, how to store wine, how to match food and wine, how to visit a cellar door and not be annoying!
6. Be consistent with the way you post. Schedule it. Set aside 30 minutes every Monday, or whenever you can, and plan your week’s posts. Also remember consistency breeds trust and trust breeds business so be consistent also in the tone of voice you use, the way you edit your photos and the style of images you post.
7. And on that note – POST ONLY GOOD PHOTOS. You wouldn’t chuck up a blurry, dark image on your bottle labels would you? Well your social media feeds are also part of your marketing story so make sure the images you populate them with don’t let it down.
8. Provide mostly value on your social media feeds. Employ the 80/20 rule (80% of your posts should provide value/inspiration/useful advice, and only 20% should be selling a product or service).
9. Show your personality (profile photo!); sense of humour, what gets you out of bed in the morning. Give people a reason to relate to you. 
10. Use video (Instagram live, Facebook Live, IGTV…) – mornings in the winery, cellar door action, vineyards, harvest. Interview your team, share early mornings in the vineyard, interview customers as they leave the cellar door, case in hand…
11. Introduce your team – every month or Friday snap a profile pic of your team, share five things you didn’t know about them (favourite wine and food match, time of the year in orange, movie, cafe, whatever).
12. Edit your photos and words before posting so they are the best possible representation of your brand. Check for typos!
13. Remember, the clue is in the name – it’s called social media for a reason. Be social! You wouldn’t walk into a networking event, stand in the middle of the room and talk about yourself all night – it’s the same on social media. Think of it as one big networking event, where you chat, circulate, listen, ask questions and share stories. Spend lots of time on other people’s accounts, peers/potential customers/media/complementary businesses – comment and have conversations in comment threads.
14. Put the time in! This isn’t a quick fix. It’s a long term game but it’s absolutely worth it. 
15. Social media is just one part of the sales and marketing equation. People do business with people they know like and trust, so when used with your mailing list and other marketing activities it is a powerful tool to keep you front of mind and help establish that sense of connection and trust.

For more…the final My Open Kitchen ecourse for 2018 kicks off on October 15. This is a self-paced 6 week course covering everything from figuring out what you are saying and who you are saying it to, to giving you the skills and inspiration to figure out how to say it in the most engaging way possible.