Winery Blogging: 10 Myths

Actually, they're 10 small-business blogging myths, but since most wineries are small businesses by whatever metric you choose, here they are:

1. Blogs are for teenagers, not [wineries]
2. My [winery] doesn't need a blog
3. Blogging takes too much time
4. Creating a blog is hard
5. Writing a blog is hard
6. No one is going to read my blog
7. Blogs get companies into trouble
8. Negative comments will ruin my reputation
9. A blog informs my competitors
10. Blogs are a fad

Read all the details (especially about 2 and 3) at Pajama Market Small Business Blog of the Day.

Do I talk about winery blogs too much?  Let me know in the comments.  After all, this blog is about winery Web sites, not just their blogs.  Feel free to ask questions, and offer opinions.

Comments

[Paul Mabray]

Mike, you've long know my outspoken opinion of wineries and blogs. However, you and Tom are key experts in regards to blogs. I would love to see you write some entries on how wineries should plan and structure their interaction with wine bloggers and how they integrate that into their marketing strategy. I think it is 100% more impactful than them blogging themselves.

PS - you don't blog too much about blogs - your insight is always welcome by us and I'm sure by the whole wine community.

[rick gregory]

OK, you asked...

Yes, a bit. The thing is, a winery blog has a lot of advantages, but it's a tactic, not a strategy. The question is, what are good marketing strategies for wineries, how do websites fit into those, where does a blog fit into that...

Don't get me wrong - I like your posts... but I'd also like to see some more discussion about how web sites affect the business of wineries, innovative ideas for taking that to new places, etc. Some specific thoughts:

customer interaction/Social web... much is made of the social dimension of the web - should this be brought into a winery's site? How? Comments on blog posts? Forums? Other?

Product info - What are the impacts of having more detailed information about wines available... notes, reviews, technical data, etc.?

Selling from the site - good or bad? I'm not just talking mailing lists (esp not allocated lists). But what are the experiences of wineries that started to sell from their sites? Good and bad. And what are the "wish I'd known" points?

[Mike Duffy]

Paul - thanks for the encouragement and suggestions. I tend to agree with your assessment that it's not the blogging per se, but the authentic contact with people who become fans (Seth Godin's "Flipping the Funnel" argument).

Rick - thank you for being honest, and pointing out some topics that I hadn't thought of addressing. You can expect to see some more about my take on winery marketing (it's just with people like Paul and Tom reading, I always feel like I'm the n00b.