Last October, I wrote a blog post called “Hire Nice, and Teach Wine,” and last week, I saw this principle work beautifully in action. In a time when every single guest to your tasting room will either help make or break you, it’s even more important to hire nice, teach wine—AND teach hospitality!
In just a matter of weeks, the nature of the wine business in the US—and the world in general—has drastically changed. Restaurants and bars have been shut down, wineries have closed their tasting rooms, and wine retailers have had to rethink the way they do business. Some have closed altogether, at least for now.
Do you ever wonder why we spend so much money on getting new customers when retaining customers provides more value to our business? Think about the investment your winery is making in customer acquisition (advertising, PR, social media, email, and direct mail campaigns) vs. customer retention (providing an outstanding customer experience for guests in your tasting room, wine club members, and customers ordering wine online). Which direction are your scales tipping?
Ready for a happy, profitable new year? Forget reinventing the wheel and take a look at what is trending globally. Incorporate these trends into your local marketing strategies—and take it to the bank.
Most wineries are finding that direct-to-consumer sales are harder than ever to achieve—both in tasting rooms and through wine clubs. With unlikely competitors like The Wall Street Journal, Macy’s and NPR promoting their own wine clubs (really?!), wine purchasing options are never-ending.
This winter I received many solicitations to join wine clubs—from unusual places. The Wall Street Journal, Macy’s, NPR and Martha Stewart all launched wine clubs. I also received solicitations for wine clubs that offer “great” pricing by selling wine that belongs on the bottom shelf of a discount grocer (a.k.a. cheap bulk wine). All of these clubs are competing directly with the more than 90% of US wineries that have wine clubs.
By now, you’ve probably joined a wine club … or two … or three … or more! Most of my wine-loving friends are members of multiple clubs, as am I. When we get together over wine, the subject often comes up. “Which wineries are you members of? Why?” While Capiche has been studying trends and surveying current and past wine club members for specific wineries, the good, the bad and the ugly have emerged. We’re going to focus on the good.
“For a successful restaurant to flourish, there are many parts that must work together to create a positive experience and end result for the consumer.” The same goes for tasting rooms.
Southern Oregon is a little slice of heaven for wine aficionados, regularly earning accolades from esteemed writers at The New York Times, Wine Enthusiast, Sunset and Forbes. And while residents and visitors alike have grown accustomed to the seemingly endless stream of new wineries and tasting rooms opening throughout the Rogue, Applegate and Umpqua valleys, one winery’s tasting room with something new to the region opened in Jacksonville late last year.
