We love food and wine, but from a marketing standpoint, the wine industry's perfect pairing may be social media. Here are just a few of the reasons:

• Wine is a social beverage
• Consumers of wine are always seeking advice and recommendations
• Consumers are sometimes intimidated when selecting a wine
• The market is saturated with brands (creating the intimidating "wall of wine")
• Traditional vehicles for promoting wine have been losing steam for a while now

Bottom line: Wineries need to cut through the noise, and connecting with consumers on a personal (social) level is an effective way to do this.

So, the other night we posed a simple question on Twitter:

When you chat with a winery on Twitter, are you curious to try their wines?

We asked, and consumers responded. The answers we received to our question were honest, and telling. Here are a few:

To summarize all the Tweets we received, consumers are interested in the winery's story, not just their product, fancy label, or sale price. When a winery's personality comes out, and they offer informative content instead of always hard selling, people respond.

Simple, friendly conversations help to create a positive brand perception.

Everyone knows wineries want to sell wine... we all get that... but the consumer should feel like they have a reason to make that wine purchase. This is where the personal connection comes into play. Here are a few simple ways to do just that:

• Tell a story - every winery is unique.
• Look for opportunities to offer tips or advice (e.g. "What wine goes with lasagna?").
• It's very important to try your hardest to respond to messages, and be personable.
• Thank someone for commenting on your product, and address negative comments with kindness and possible solutions.
• Do not just say "Hi" - When you initiate conversation, give people a look behind the curtain, they appreciate it. (I know I do.)

The responses we received clearly point out that these people have a strong desire to interact with wineries online, and try their wines based on the social relationship that has been created. Wineries can become a "must-visit" stop during a trip to wine country, or produce a "must-try" wine by simply putting a personal touch on their social interactions.

What about you? When you chat with a winery on Twitter, are you curious to try their wines? Please leave a comment below.

Cheers,

The Hello Vino Team

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