How To Use Facebook For Wine Marketing
As much as the wine industry relies on old traditions, sometimes it's necessary to update tactics! Here are some ideas on how to combine the age-old art of winemaking with that most modern of technologies: Facebook. It turns out there's an art to everything, including status updates, and we'll share these secrets with you.
Why is Facebook good for my wine business?
There are many different kinds of social media marketing, but generally their applications break down into two categories: finding new clients and retaining old ones. Facebook is generally better for the latter goal of retaining old clients and helping turn them from casual buyers to loyal customers. This isn't to say that you can't get increased visibility (which might help attract new clients) via Facebook, but we'll get to that later. For now, think of Facebook as a very effective tool to help you ensure brand loyalty.
How does Facebook keep customers loyal?
The adage "out of sight, out of mind" is especially true in the business world, perhaps even more so with wine businesses than others. Few people visit wineries weekly, or register for more than one wine of the month club. Even people who are wine aficionados are apt to view a trip to a winery or a wine club subscription as an indulgence. Because of this it's far too easy for your clients to visit your winery, genuinely enjoy your product and their experience, and then return to their daily lives, rarely giving your a second thought except to think "That was fun, maybe we should do something like that next year". Obviously, this is not ideal, and that's where Facebook comes in.
When you use Facebook, you are never out of sight and never out of mind. By interacting with your clients through social media on a consistent basis, you stay in their thoughts. This connection can have a huge impact on your customer life cycle. For example, instead of maintaining their wine of the month club membership for one year, they're more likely to renew it because your connection with them feels personal. That personal connection is what you need to turn casual purchasers into loyal followers.
When you use Facebook, you allow your customers to showcase their passion for wine. It's no secret that people love wine. That's why your business exists in the first place. But people don't just love the product itself; they love the culture and sophistication of it. They want to be associated with that, and with you, because it's their passion. By maintaining a connection with your clients, you give them the chance to be "in the know" about the wine world and provide them information they can share with friends and family.
How much of a time investment does connecting with fans via Facebook require?
The beauty of maintaining your connection to your fans via Facebook is that it's quick and easy. You can reap all the benefits of this powerful tool in just 20 minutes a week. True, it requires a little planning on your part, but once you've invested that 20 minutes of your life, you'll begin to see a huge return.
Your Fool-Proof 20 Minute Plan
1. Create a schedule and pledge to write different kinds of posts three or four times a week (or more, but never more than once a day). Some good posting ideas include:
- Funny or thought-provoking photos
- Questions for fans
- Tasting notes
- Links to interesting wine news and articles (preferably related back to your company and product)
2. Write all your posts for the week at once, then schedule them in Facebook so you don't have to worry about it for the rest of the week! To schedule in Facebook:
- Go to your page and write a status in the status box as usual
- Instead of choosing "post", choose the icon that looks like a little clock
- Clicking the clock will provide you with a dropdown menus to choose the date and time you want your post sent
- Choose your date and time and click "schedule"
- Wait for the confirmation message
And that's it! Just do that for every post you've written, scheduling them a day apart (or less if you want to post daily). It's quick and easy… Literally "set it and forget it". Yet you'll be amazed at the kind of reaction you'll get in response to your few minutes of weekly effort. By reminding your clients why they love wine in general and YOUR wine specifically, you'll have them as fans for years to come.