Building Connections

Offering a great product at a perceived value, even if that value is $80, will help sell your wines. But, having strong connections and relationships with your customers will ensure you’ll continue to sell more wine.

Why? Humans love connections, even more so now with our pandemic isolation. Connecting with those who buy and enjoy your wine should be easier than ever. But building a relationship takes focused and consistent effort. A regular social media post and an occasional email are a start, but you should do more if you really want to retain your buyer’s loyalty to your brand.

Try Something Different

• Send personalized emails occasionally, not just email blasts. Write as if you are talking with them, not at them.
• Make sure your social media posts are about more than your wine, vineyards or what is happening in the cellar. Since folks can’t come to you, show them the changing seasons, the animals you share the property with, or an empty picnic table or tasting bar, and let them know how much you miss them.
• Call your customers—especially those you value—just to say hello and ask to update their contact information, especially their email address and preferred phone number. If during the call they want to buy some wine, great, but don’t make it the reason for the call.
• Don’t make every email about selling your wine. What is your news—even if it’s that you’re still closed for tasting, but are offering shipping and curbside pickup? Maybe write about what your staff is doing since you can’t host visitors. Make the copy more personal and friendly.
• Find ways to have more virtual tastings, especially one-on-one tastings as if the customers were actually visiting the tasting room.
• Use this time to remind fans and followers about your roots, your mission, your values. All those folks who were too busy to read now have more time on their hands. Letting them know more about your winery’s background will help build your connection with them.
• Start a blog. It can be about anything your readers might be interested in reading.
• Ask customers for their favorite pairings with your wines so you can share them on your website, social media, or via emails.
• Think outside the box for how you can form stronger connections with your customers.

Invest Now

Taking the time to invest in your future now will help you when you can reopen for business as usual. There are so many investments made every year when running a winery — from the vineyards to the cellar to marketing and sales, yet I don’t often see marketing strategies that invest in communications to build relationships.

The Takeway

Take the time to communicate and build the connections now so when folks can come back to see you, they will.