Twitter for Wineries

Confused about how to use Twitter to promote your winery?  Here's a suggested plan of attack:

1. Sign up for a free Twitter account at www.twitter.com.  Choose a good name like acmewinery.
2. Invite your newsletter members to follow you on Twitter (they will need to sign up for their own Twitter accounts, of course).  You may want to direct them to the video below.
3. Invite other people to follow you on Twitter by mentioning your new Twitter account on your blog or Web site contact page.
4. In both cases (2 & 3), promise your "followers" a surprise in return for signing up.
5. Once a week, tweet (that is, send) a special promotional code to your followers for free shipping, an 10% discount, a limited availability wine, a rubber chicken, whatever...
6. See what happens.  If you like the results, do more of it.  If not, experiment a bit.  You cannot fail, only learn, my young Padawan.
7. Periodically remind people (e-mail, newsletter, blog, shipping inserts, ...) about your Twitter ID and the value of following you.
8. In between those weekly tweets (#5), take a moment to let people know what you're up to (sweeping the tasting room, doing a mailing, tasting a barrel, whatever).

The whole point is to get people to follow you. You do that by shamelessly pandering to their self-interest (i.e. special offers only available to Twitter followers) and by making interesting tweets.  Followers == fans.

Note that people you reach via Twitter are likely to be younger and more interested in the current cool technology.  This is not a bad thing for the longevity of your winery, but it may require some adjustment on your part.  Ideally, find a member of your winery who already uses Twitter to assist.

Want an easy introduction to the world of Twitter?  Check out the free explanatory video Twitter in Plain English from CommonCraft:

Comments

[Robert McIntosh]

I've followed this site for some time and in many cases I agree with what you say, but I wonder whether this one is a little off the mark?

The problem with following this advice as I see it is that, as with blogs, people who really use twitter want it to help build relationships and get to know the personality of the twit(terer).

If you are shamelessly using it to plug a business, and regularly send out "spam" (even if it is not regularly) then you will lose many of those who might have built a stronger relationship with your brand.

The ones you do keep will be those seeking deals, not a relationship, and therefore not your best customers.

I would suggest that you use Twitter to add insight into you, your wines and philosophy, and add to the discussions going on.

If, from time to time, you then offer your 'friends and followers' a deal, then even better.

[Robert McIntosh]

by the way, what is your twitter username? I'm thirstforwine if you want to follow me!

[Mike Duffy]

Robert - I think your comment is excellent, and expresses things better than I did. I wasn't implying that you should spam people via twitter. But you should provide some incentive to start your initial following.

Twitter is such a foreign thing for most people that my goal was just to get people to take a look at what it might offer a winery.

My personal twitter is "mikeduffy" - I should have one for The Winery Web Site Report (branding, you know), but I don't (yet).

[Robert McIntosh]

now following you - thanks

Ryan at Catavino did point out a clarification worth making above; the offers should be "in between" your regular posts. There is nothing above to say - "use it regularly, get to know the lay of the land, join in the conversation" ... THEN pop in an offer or two.

On that basis, why not offer your friends and followers something nice!?

Thanks for the thought provoking posts.

[el jefe]

An interesting problem. I have hesitated to do this because my current twitter account is loaded with personal and professional contacts - and some of those contacts have made it quite clear that they are not interested in commercial activity from twitter.

So... I could create a second account, but then I would be tweeting even more than I should be, and I would be duplicating content across both accounts if the goal was to make it personal. Sounds like a bit of a juggle.

Of course, this is the stuff I should be doing of Facebook etc. etc. etc. One wonders where it might ever end!