| If you are a small winery, where should you be | | | | through Gen Y buyers, you need to offer a |
| spending your money? | | | | smooth Web experience and flawless buying |
| Spend your marketing and promotion money on | | | | experience. You don't need fancy FLASH pictures, |
| the 3 Keys of Direct To Consumer Wine Sales | | | | you need solid content that shows your |
| Success. | | | | personality and articulates what makes you |
| | | | different than the pack. If someone wants to buy |
| 1. Tasting Room - | | | | online, it has to be easy and smooth. |
| 2. Website - | | | | Every month or so, you need to buy a bottle of |
| 3. Tasting Events - | | | | your own wine online just to see how the |
| Yes, there are a ton of other elements that are | | | | process works. Example, I went to a Website to |
| important, but these 3 are key. | | | | buy a bottle of wine that was suggested to me. I |
| Let me describe why. | | | | selected the wine (okay), then I went to enter |
| Wine vintages change from year to year, bottles | | | | my credit card details and the site wouldn't accept |
| look the same and even most wine looks the | | | | my 2012 card expiration date. It wouldn't go |
| same in the bottle. You can make a case for | | | | higher than 2010. So, I didn't buy their wine. |
| labels but people have to see them first. | | | | What isn't working on your site? |
| So I think anything that gets you, your message | | | | Tasting events are key to developing new |
| and your wine in front of people is a big deal. | | | | customers, new visitors, getting your brand out |
| If you are fortunate to have a tasting room - | | | | and exposing more people to your wine. And it |
| some wineries don't - this is an incredible | | | | isn't just about pouring wine, remember, you are |
| opportunity to get your special message across | | | | there with a ton of other wine makers, so what |
| to visitors on why you are different, why your | | | | separates you from everyone else? |
| wines are different and what makes you special. | | | | This is all about creating an experience that is |
| Remember, you aren't just selling wine, you are | | | | positive and memorable. Again, it is all about selling |
| selling sizzle. You are selling the experience and | | | | the sizzle with style and personality. Beyond the |
| your tasting room has to capture, record and | | | | tasting itself, develop ways to capture your |
| pass that along to your visitors. When they visit | | | | visitors contact information. Have a registration |
| your tasting room they need to be welcomed, | | | | book, have a sweepstakes drawing for wine, |
| coddled, made to feel special and involved in | | | | hand out discount coupons when they register |
| participating in the wine country experience | | | | that give a discount if they visit your tasting |
| (where ever your wine country is). If you do this | | | | room. |
| well, they will leave with wine and tell their friends. | | | | Figure out ways for them to taste your wine, |
| If you screw this up or are indifferent, arrogant, | | | | make it easy to buy from you and make it |
| snobbish, they won't buy wine and will also tell | | | | positively memorable so they will share with |
| their friends not to bother going to see you. | | | | friends. These three keys are so important, that's |
| Why do I assign this much importance to your | | | | why I call them the 3 Keys of Direct To |
| Website? Simple, more and more people search | | | | Consumer Wine Sales. |
| and evaluate products online. From Baby Boomers | | | | |