Social Media and The Wine Industry: How Social Media Is Impacting Your Favorite Vineyards and Wineries

SOCIAL MEDIA
&THE WINE
INDUSTRY
HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IS
IMPACTING YOUR
FAVORITE VINEYARDS AND
WINERIES
SARA RENAE
Sara Renae, owner of Words Written
Well Sell, is a freelance writer
specializing in the wine industry. With
over ten years of freelance writing
experience , and working with social
networking, she can help you set up
and manage a successful social media
campaign.

Sara Renae can also help with any
other writing needs your company may
have, from weekly newsletters to
marketing brochures. You can see
samples of her work on her website:
http://wordswrittenwellsell.com/writers-
portfolio.html
Social Media & the Wine Industry 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
The Birth of Social Networking 4
Why Your Business Needs
Social Media
8
How to Run a Successful
Social Media Campaign
12
Facebook: The Social Media
Behemoth
19
Twitter: Social Medias Social
Butterfly
30
Blogging: The Daily Grind
Online
50
YouTube: The Cure for the
High-Speed Content J unky

64
CHAPTER 1:

THE BIRTH OF
SOCIAL
NETWORKING
Before deciding on a social media
campaign, it may be helpful to understand
the history of social networking.
Email
CBBS
IM
THE BIRTH OF SOCIAL
NETWORKING
In the early morning hours of February 5,
1971, Apollo 14 landed the third US
manned moon expedition. The same year
saw the birth of email: two computers
sitting side-by-side communicating for the
first time. This first email communication
may not have been as impressive a feat
as a manned moon expedition, but it
would prove to be a transformational one,
nonetheless!

THE BIRTH OF SOCIAL
NETWORKING
Some see this first email correspondence
as the birth of social networking, paving
the way for future advancements, such as
the Computerized Bulletin Board Systems
(CBBS) of the same generation, now
outdated and nearly forgotten, and the
instant messaging movement of two
decades later.

Others believe the CBBSs themselves
were the true social networking pioneers,
allowing their privileged users to exchange
data via phone lines.

Still, others view the arrival of MySpace in
the 90s as the true beginning of social
networking.

We could argue that any one of these
early advancements gave birth to the
social networking phenomenon of today:
Geocities in 1994 or the Globe one year
later, AOLs instant messaging in 1997 or
sixdegrees.com of the same year, or
Friendster, the first online connecting of
real-world friends, in 2002.

THE BIRTH OF SOCIAL
NETWORKING
Number What it means
1.82 Billion
Number of internet users
worldwide (Statista)
80
% of Americans who
belong to a social
networking site (The
Social Skinny)
66
% of online adults who
are connected to one or
more social media
platforms (The Social
Skinny)
Regardless of which platform you believe
to have given birth to modern social
networking, it is clear that social media is a
powerful influence on todays society, both
on the personal and professional front. To
bring this point home, consider the
following figures:
With this many people on the internet, can
you afford to miss out on the exposure that
social media provides? Not yet convinced?
Chapter 2 will discuss why businesses in
the wine industry need social media.
CHAPTER 2:

WHY YOUR
BUSINE$$ NEEDS
SOCIAL MEDIA
Brand
Awareness
Exposure
Image
Cultivate
How can vineyards and wineries reach
potential customers, while cultivating
relationships with their current clientele? It
all comes down to brand awareness, and
social media can help you promote your
companys image!
WHY YOUR BUSINE$$
NEEDS SOCIAL MEDIA
Before diving into the
vast sea of social
networking platforms,
we need to first
understand why
vineyards and wineries,
large and small, need
social media.
Social Media: innovative, informative,
and transformative. How exactly is
social media impacting our lives? Take a
look at these numbers before answering
that question:

50 percent of social media users say
they check in to their favorite networks
first thing in the morning (The Social
Skinny)
70 Billion pieces of information or
content shared monthly on Facebook
alone (according to Statistic Brain)
#1 social medias place on the web,
since overtaking porn as the #1 activity
on the internet (The Social Skinny).
Now thats impressive!

WHY YOUR BUSINE$$
NEEDS SOCIAL MEDIA
We could let these numbers speak for
themselves, but lets analyze what they
mean for your winery:

If 50% of internet users check into their
preferred network first thing in the
morning, your presence on that particular
platform could leave a lasting impression.
As they go about their daily routine, they
may find themselves in the market for your
product or service and, having seen a post
or tweet that morning, your company will
be fresh in their minds.

Seventy-billion pieces of information are
shared on FB alone! So, how do you make
your content stand out? By strategically
publishing content, your company can
capitalize on greater exposure by knowing
the best day and time to post.

As the #1 activity on the internet, social
media offers a sure-fire way for you to
promote your business!

WHY YOUR BUSINE$$
NEEDS SOCIAL MEDIA
Imagine the exposure and awareness you
can bring to your vineyard or winery with a
carefully executed social media campaign!
Not to mention the connections you will
make, and the opportunities to cultivate
your companys brand awareness.

Because social media has enabled the
public to share their feelings and opinions
on a much more public platform,
businesses need to take proactive steps in
creating a positive brand awareness.

Through social media, customer
relationships are becoming more and more
reciprocal, prompting vineyards and
wineries to integrate their clientele directly
into their social media efforts.

Take, for example, Lynfred Winerys Where
in the World is Lynfred campaign, which
allows customers to post pictures of
Lyndreds wines being enjoyed around the
world! The more you can engage your
customers, the stronger, more positive your
brand awareness will become!

CHAPTER 3:

HOW TO RUN A
SUCCESSFUL
SOCIAL MEDIA
CAMPAIGN
1
Engaging Content
2
Conversations
3
Relationships
HOW TO RUN A
SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL
MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Now that you have decided to integrate
social media into your marketing
campaign, lets take a look at what social
media is and what it is not, so that you
can carve out a more informed plan. From
a business standpoint, a well-designed
marketing campaign is about the sale. In
social networking, however, it isnt about
the hard sale; its about massaging the
relationships that could become sales.
You dont jump onto a social networking
site with the intention of selling your
product or service. In a sense, you sell
yourself, your business image, the heart
of your company. In doing this, you build
brand awareness.

You sell yourself,
your business
image, the heart of
your company. In
doing this, you build
brand awareness.

HOW TO RUN A
SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL
MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Social media marketing is about
engaging in meaningful conversations
with your network. In this dialogue,
provide information that will be of value
to your target audience, as this will
establish your vineyard or winery as a
forward-thinking leader in the industry.
With the myriad of ways to run a social
media campaign, as well as the countless
options available within each platform,
the prospect of starting can be daunting.
However, if you first focus on the
following three steps, you will see a huge
response from your efforts:

HOW TO RUN A
SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL
MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Post interesting, relevant content that will
benefit your network, such as posts and
tweets that will help them solve a
problem or see their problem in a new
light. In todays world, we are inundated
with information, many of us
experiencing information overload. To
have your content stand out and be read,
you will want to create engaging
headlines and hook your audience with
the first five words of your post.
HOW TO RUN A
SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL
MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Share great content that your followers
and connections have posted; dont
make your social media campaign all
about you and your business, use your
platform to benefit others.

Then, stick around for the conversation;
come back to these posts and respond to
any comments, answer any questions, or
simply say hi to let them know you are
still there.

HOW TO RUN A
SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL
MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Build a network of potential and current
customers. The number of connections
you make doesnt matter nearly as much
as the quality of relationships you create.
Through meaningful conversations,
provide information that will be of value
to your network, as this will help
massage the relationships that could
potentially turn into sales.
HOW TO RUN A
SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL
MEDIA CAMPAIGN
While there are an insurmountable
number of social media sites on the
internet, with new ones popping up like
springtime dandelions, you can weed
through these platforms and determine
which ones will work best for your
business needs.

Chapters 4 7 will discuss four of the top
five social networking platforms, how they
can benefit your company, as well as
highlight a vineyard or winery that
currently uses that platform for their
marketing needs.
CHAPTER 4:

FACEBOOK ~
THE SOCIAL MEDIA
BEHEMOTH
FB
Twitter
Blogging
YouTube
FACEBOOK
With almost one-and-a-half billion users,
Facebook (FB) sits atop the social media
pyramid. While it started out as a place
for distanced friends and acquaintances
to reconnect, it has quickly grown into a
great meeting place for businesses, both
large and small. It combines many of the
most effective social media functions into
one easy to use platform:

Post pictures

Share updates

Create business pages

Promote events

J oin like-minded groups

Of the more
than 1 billion
Facebook
users, 23%
check in more
than five times
a day

Not sold on Facebook? Here are some
noteworthy statistics to remember as you
consider whether or not Facebook is a
good fit for your vineyard or winery:
FACEBOOK
billion FB posts per
day (Statistic Brain)
1
billion active FB users
each month (The
Social Skinny)
1.28
billion FB users
(Statistic Brain)
1.4
billion active FB
users each month
(Statista)
1.28
REACHING OUT
THROUGH FACEBOOK:
HOW PELOTON CELLARS
USES FACEBOOK TO
KEEP IN TOUCH
Deciding if Facebook should be part of
your social media campaign might seem
like a roll of the dice, but seeing how
another winery uses Facebook to
successfully promote their business can
provide an insiders perspective and help
you make a more informed decision!
Heres how Peloton Cellars, a locally
owned and operated winery on
Californias Central Coast, uses
Facebook as the driving force behind
their social media campaign.

PELOTON CELLARS:
WHY THE NAME PELOTON?
French for group, how does a winery get
the name Peloton? Founded by four
friends who share a love of wine rivaled
only by their love of cycling, Peloton
Cellars marries the two worlds in creative
ways. Using the winerys tasting room as
a canvas, Peloton Cellars brings its love of
wine and cycling to the forefront of its
operation, providing dcor to please the
eye while the palette feasts upon its wine.
From the winery's name, French for a
close-knit pack of bicyclists, to the cycling
quotes found on each finely-crafted bottle
of wine, you are sure to appreciate
Pelotons passion for wine and cycling.

PELOTON CELLARS:
WHY THE NAME PELOTON?
Working together, like the close-knit pack
of bicyclists for which the winery is
named, the four founders of Peloton
Cellars complement one another in their
vast array of talents:

one uses his graphic arts skills to
promote the winery through a well-
designed website and compelling monthly
newsletters

another heads up the public relations
aspect of the winery, creating and
maintaining relationships with customers,
both in person at the winerys tasting
room and online through their myriad of
social media platforms

a third handles the behind-the-scenes
operation, keeping the winerys
paperwork organized and up-to-date

while the fourth, the winemaker, has the
distinct pleasure of crafting Pelotons
ever-growing selection of fine wines.

ACCOLADES AND AWARDS
ABOUND FOR PELOTON
Already recognized for its fine wines by
local patrons, Peloton Cellars has achieved
well-deserved accolades for a number of
their wines. At the 2011 San Francisco
Chronicle Wine Competition (one of the
more prestigious competitions for American
wines), Peloton Cellars received four
distinct and note-worthy acclaims:

2007 Old Vine Zinfandel boasted a Gold
Medal
Criterium red blend received the Silver
Medal in its class
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon earned a Silver
Medal, and was awarded 90 points by Wine
Enthusiast Magazine in December of 2009
2007 Laetitia Syrah took home a Bronze
Medal

Not to downplay Pelotons earlier
accolades, its worth mentioning that their
wines also earned acclaim at the 2009
California State Wine Competition. The
winerys 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and
2006 Old Vine Zinfandel both received
Silver Medals at this prestigious state-wide
competition.
HOW PELOTON
INCORPORATES FACEBOOK
INTO THEIR MARKETING
CAMPAIGN
Spending just 45-minutes a day managing
the winerys Facebook presence, posting,
responding, and creating events, Trish
believes Facebook is a key component to
their marketing campaign. Continuing the
conversation on the benefits of using
Facebook, Trish went on to say, I can
reach out to those who I don't see nor
communicate with on a regular basis. Email
gets caught up in spam but at least our
postings are getting to our Friends and not
delivered to their spam box, where they
may never receive notice of what we're
sending out.

HOW PELOTON
CAMPAIGN
Not only does Trish use the platform to
create and share events, she also
cultivates relationships with established
customers.

Using her personal Facebook account to
post to the winerys group page, Trish
humanizes their company and puts a face
to the name Peloton. Daily engagement
with customers who have Friended the
winery, allows Trish to nurture customer
loyalty and build positive brand awareness.
She regularly replies to those who have
posted to the winerys group page.

HOW PELOTON
CAMPAIGN
Sharing upcoming events for wine lovers,
such as her post promoting SLO Vintners
Associations Roll Out the Barrels event
and Pelotons upcoming Wine Makers
Dinner, Trish uses Facebook to educate
and inform. To share the winerys unique
personality, she also shares their love of
cycling, like her picture post celebrating the
Peloton winemakers first place finish at a
recent bike race in Folsom, CA and her
whale-spotting experience off the Avila pier
on her way into the winerys tasting room!

Understanding the social aspect of online
networking, Trish does not inundate the
winerys group page with their latest
products and accolades; she shares news
and happenings from those in her social
networking circle. In one post, she shared
the lecture series held at Avilas Central
Coast Aquarium during the month of May
and, in another, she promoted the Fish and
Famers Market in Avila Beach, held every
Friday evening throughout the summer.

HOW PELOTON
CAMPAIGN
Using Facebook to develop relationships
with potential customers, Trish Kesselring
creates a positive online presence for
Peloton Cellars, and has a little fun doing it!

http://www.pelotoncellars.com/
CHAPTER 5:

TWITTER ~
SOCIAL MEDIAS
SOCIAL
BUTTERFLY
Twitter
Stream
140
Tweet

TWITTER
With its 140-character limit and high-
speed news stream, being on Twitter is
like attending a cocktail party or
participating in a speed dating event.

Its high-speed, attention-deficit format
makes it one of the more difficult social
media platforms to master. Dont give up
on it just yet, though! It might help to view
Twitter as a version of microblogging,
which allows its users to showcase what
makes their vineyard or winery unique.
Some of Twitters features include:

Post Tweets

Link outside content, such as
photographs, news articles, and blog
posts.

Personalize your profile

Follow or create your own #hashtag

Enabling users to follow others without
being granted permission, which has
appealed to celebrities and sports stars.

TWITTER
To help inform your decision to include
Twitter in your social media campaign
consider the following statistics:

In February 2012 Twitter had 500
million registered users: approximately
255 million of those are active users
(Statista)

190 million Tweets per day (Statistic
Brain)
1 million
accounts are
added to Twitter
every day (The
Social Skinny)

Twitter is
growing at a
rate of 11
accounts per
second (The
Social Skinny)

TWITTER & THE WINE
INDUSTRY: HOW FIX ST.
JAMES CRAFTS STORIES
FOR ITS TWITTER
COMMUNITY
As one of the more challenging social
media platforms to master, you may be
questioning whether or not you can keep
up with Twitter-stream rapids? Reading
the following case studies, showcasing
two very different wineries using Twitters
fast current to keep them on the forefront
of the wine industry, just might help.
SMALL ON SPACE, PACKED
WITH PERSONALITY
Located in the central business district of
Sydney, Australia, Fix St. J ames provides
its patrons with more than just wine.
Through its diverse selection of wine and
modest but modern ambience, this
intimate wine bistro offers a true wine
lovers experience. At Fix St. J ames, every
one of their 200-plus bottles of juice has
been carefully chosen to express the
bistros eclectic tastes. The owner of Fix
St. J ames, Stuart Knox, stocks his wall to
wall shelves with little known varietals
crafted by the hands-on makers, small
growers, crazies and fanatics.

SMALL ON SPACE, PACKED
WITH PERSONALITY
Why would an establishment choose
wines from unknown producers?
Because, Fix St. J ames believes every
bottle has a story to tell, be it about the
place, the grape, or the winemaker. And,
it is Stuart Knoxs desire to tell these
stories.

Stocking his winery with wines that truly
challenge everything you thought you
knew about wine pays homage to these
wonderfully unknown vintages. So, if you
are looking for a wine experience like no
other, find your way to this intimate wine
bistro on Sydneys upper Westside and let
them pour you a story.

FIX ST. JAMES IMPRESSIVE
TWITTER PRESENCE
In the five years since he has been
tweeting under the @fixstjames
username, Stuart Knox has built up a
network of over 7,000 followers, creating
a community of industry contacts as
unique and eclectic as the wines that line
his shelves.

Understanding that relationships are at
the heart of a successful Twitter
campaign, Knox cultivates these
relationships by engaging in daily
dialogue with his followers.

When asked how he uses his industry
contacts to promote his business on
Twitter, Knox replied, Generally its a
word of mouth thing, not a direct
marketing promo vehicle. Having said
that, if youre willing to help others
promote their business, usually you will
get a reciprocal effect.

TWITTER PRESENCE
In addition to his impressive cache of
Twitter followers, Stuart Knox has
accumulated Tweets upwards of 40,000,
establishing himself and his wine bistro
as a formidable presence on Twitter.

At one point, Stuart Knox was posting, on
average, 100 Tweets per day!

When asked how he came up with the
content to post 100 Tweets in a day, he
shared, I think my average is back to
about 30 per day. Sometimes itll rack up
due to long discussions with a group of
people. Generally I just post things that
are interesting to me or I think would be
of interest to those that follow me.

Thirty Tweets a day still creates quite an
impressive Twitter presence!

TWITTER PRESENCE
As one of Fix St. J ames Twitter followers,
I often find myself seeking out Stuarts
Tweets because of the variety and humor
he offers.

In one such Tweet, Stuart shares a little
wine pairing insight, the Yarrabank 2007
is just screaming for a bit of aged
Reggiano. In another Tweet, Stuart
thanks a fellow wine fanatic, owner of
Bonny Doon Vineyard, for coming in to
his bistro, @RandallGraham thanks for
coming down. Was great to meet you and
try across your wines. Hope to make it
your way one day.

And, to support what he said about
promoting others via his Twitter stream,
Stuart is a regular Retweeter, sharing
insights and information from his Twitter
community. In one Retweet, he shared a
link to an article, Knives Are Out for
No-Show Diners, supporting the
restaurant industrys efforts to discourage
last minute cancellations or no-shows.

TWITTER PRESENCE

One might even consider Fix St. J ames to
be the Twitter of the wine industry, as
both are compact but pack quite a punch!

Delivering
meaningful
content through
his magnetic
and eclectic
personality, it is
obvious that
Stuart Knox
uses his Twitter
presence to its
fullest by
engaging and
entertaining his
Twitter
community on a
daily basis.

TWITTER AND THE BC
WINE INDUSTRY: TUCKED
AWAY IN THE ROLLING
HILLS OF BRITISH
COLUMBIA, TINHORN
CREEK STAYS
MAINSTREAM
THROUGH TWITTER-
STREAM
DESERT VINEYARDS
PROVIDE A UNIQUE
TERROIR FOR TINHORNS
WINES
One wouldnt expect to see regal
grapevines mingling with desert-dwelling
sagebrush, but at Tinhorn Creek
Vineyards, the two flourish side-by-side
like old friends.

Set atop a hillside in the middle of British
Columbias famed Golden Mile wine-
growing district, Tinhorn Creek Vineyard
and Winery crafts quality wines from
grapes harvested from their 150-acre
vineyards.

Planted on two distinct benches, the
Diamondback Vineyard and the Tinhorn
Creek Vineyard produce grapes of both
the red and white varietals, allowing the
vineyards winemaker, Sandra Oldfield,
to harvest only the best fruit for the
winerys esteemed Pinot Gris, Merlot,
Cabernet Franc, and Gewrztraminer
vintages. Each of Tinhorn Creeks wines
boasts the unique terroir of its desert
topography.

DESERT VINEYARDS
PROVIDE A UNIQUE
WINES
Appreciating the
delicate ecosystem
housing its vineyards,
Tinhorn Creek uses
sustainable practices
to preserve the
surrounding
environment. Such
practices include on
site composting of all
grape seeds, skins and
stems, as well as steps
being taken to convert
their entire vineyard to
an irrigation drip
system. The north-
south orientation of the
vineyards allows for
the wind to blow
through the rows,
drying the morning
dew quickly and
reducing the amount of
fungicide needed to
protect the clusters.
Photo credit:
Tinhorn Creek
DESERT VINEYARDS
PROVIDE A UNIQUE
WINES
Tinhorn Creek also
works closely with The
Land Conservancy to
ensure the vineyards
most sensitive areas
remain untouched.
Most notably, though,
are Tinhorn Creeks
efforts to protect desert
wildlife by
implementing
exclusion techniques,
such as snake fencing
and netting, rather
than placing toxic baits
or fumigants in their
vineyards, ensuring
the preservation of the
deserts fauna while at
the same time
providing a more
natural drinking
experience for its
lovers of wine.

THE BENEFITS,
CHALLENGES AND JOYS
OF USING TWITTER
Tinhorn Creek began tweeting under the
@TinhornCreek username over four years
ago. In that time, they have expanded their
Twitter presence to include:

their winemaker, @SandraOldfield
assistant winemaker, @KorolKuklo
viticulturist, @Andrew_Tinhorn.

In keeping with Twitter practices, Tinhorns
winemaker also started using a hashtag,
#tinchat, to facilitate a conversation during
harvest time.

Now that harvest is over, theyre hashtag
has transformed into #BCWineChat,
keeping the conversation going all year long
and opening it up to include all the local BC
wineries. If youre interested in checking it
out, tune in to Twitter every Wednesday
night from 8-9 pm, PST.
THE BENEFITS,
CHALLENGES AND JOYS
OF USING TWITTER
When asked how using Twitter helps the
winery from a business standpoint, Lindsay
White, Tinhorn Creeks Marketing
Coordinator, shares, probably the
interaction and the immediacy of it. Being
able to get information out to people right
away provides Tinhorn Creek with the
opportunities to reach people they otherwise
might not be able to.

I have seen someone tweet about our wine
and someone else say that they are going
to go out and look for it at their local liquor
store because they have never tried it,
continues Lindsay. This kind of exposure is
in part thanks to Tinhorns use of Twitter, but
it is also dependent on what kind of online
presence the winery promotes.
THE BENEFITS,
CHALLENGES AND JOYS
OF USING TWITTER
With the immediate and widespread reach
of social media networks, the occasional
complaint or negative comment is bound to
find its way into your campaign; how you
respond to these moments can define your
business.

As Lindsay observes, It can be challenging
when someone puts something negative
out. I always try to respond to them and find
out what happened or how we can fix
it. With social media being 24 hours it is
hard to try and respond to everyone. I cant
be using social media all the time so
occasionally I miss something despite
search settings and alerts I have set up.

Being able to answer questions right away
helps to address these potential pitfalls, and
keeping an open, honest communication
between the winery and its followers allows
the company to build trust and rapport with
its clients, both present and prospective.
THE BENEFITS,
CHALLENGES AND JOYS
OF USING TWITTER
Aside from the business aspects and
potential challenges of using Twitter,
Lindsay reflects upon what she enjoys most
about running Tinhorns Twitter campaign,
its about providing our followers with
information about the winery. It could be
about an award we won, the mouse I
discovered in the vines, a food & wine
pairing, a proposal in our tasting room, or
the amazing sunrise. We dont want to
overload them with sales pitches.

Sharing the daily aspects of running a
winery presents Tinhorn Creek as a real
place run by real people, creating an
authentic online experience.
THE BENEFITS,
CHALLENGES AND JOYS
OF USING TWITTER
With a Twitter presence of close to 7,000
followers, and almost as many Tweets, you
can bet they will be using their Twitter-
stream to promote the vineyards 20
th

anniversary!

Tinhorn Creek uses current social media
trends to share the practices, terrain and
people that are unique to its winery. In one
such Tweet, Lindsay shares a recent review
of one of the winerys esteemed Oldfield
varietals, Great review of our 11 OS 2
Bench White in @VancouverSun
yesterdaybut youll have to wait until J une
1 to try it , providing meaningful content
while enticing their followers to want to try it.
THE BENEFITS,
CHALLENGES AND JOYS
OF USING TWITTER
To share its breathtaking views, Tinhorn
Creek shares the following picture tweet,
Great photo! RT @mvkobs: Nice little view
off the patio @MiradoroResto
@TinhornCreek.

Encouraging an intimate relationship
between Tinhorns winemakers and their
followers, Tinhorn Creek promotes their
Wine Tasting with a Social Twist event by
inviting their Twitter followers.

They also take advantage of Twitters
retweet function. Here, Lindsay retweets
Vis a Vis Wine Bars tweet, J ust tried the
@TinhornCreek 2011 Rose! Nice job
@SandraOldfield. I am sure our guest will
happily partake in a glass or two .

With an average of 190 million tweets per
day, are you taking advantage of this social
networking opportunity?
CHAPTER 6:

BLOGGING ~
THE DAILY GRIND
ONLINE
Content
Links Pictures

BLOGGING
With a whopping 181 + million blogs
worldwide, isnt it time you start
considering a blog for your vineyard or
winery?

To give a little history into blogging, the
term blog is a contraction of the words
Web log, and was traditionally used for
keeping an online journal or diary. With
the arrival of hosted blog forums, though,
blogging began to transform from
personal introspection to community
sharing and news reporting.

Suddenly able to post online diaries to
social media platforms, where content
could be viewed by millions. blogging
spread like wildfire! Bloggers began
sharing their content and cross-linking
with other bloggers.

Nowadays, blogs can be used to connect
your business with customers, both
current and potential. It is a social media
platform that allows you to marry a range
of mediums into one, dynamic post:
content, pictures, videos, and links.


BLOGGING
Impressive blogging statistics (The
Social Skinny) to get you thinking about
the potential for starting your own
company blog:

Million
WordPress
blogs worldwide
70
Million Tumblr
blogs worldwide
39
Percent of
Fortune 500
companies had
public blogs as
of 2013 (Statista)
34
IN THE LAND OF
LYNFRED :
HOW LYNFRED
WINERY SHARES ITS
PERSONALITY
THROUGH BLOGGING
Rather than tell you how to create and run
a blog, it might be more effective for you to
see how another winery incorporates
blogging into their marketing campaign. In
this Chapter, you will see why Lynfred
Winerys Christina Anderson-Heller started
their blog, In the Land of Lynfred, and
how she uses it to promote and preserve
their legacy in the wine industry.
A TRUE MOM-AND-POP
OPERATION BECOMES A
NATIONALLY RENOWNED
WINERY
A pioneer of the Illinois wine industry,
Fred Koehler made his debut batch of
wine in the basement of his Roselle home
in 1975. With his ingenuity along with the
creativity and encouragement of his late
wife, Lynn, Fred continued to craft quality
wines in their renovated basement for
four more years.

When the Mom-and-Pop operation
outgrew the couples basement, Fred and
Lynn opened up Illinois first official
winery, Lynfred Winery. A clever play on
the couples names, Lynfred ensured the
legacy of its founders would live on for
years to come.

A TRUE MOM-AND-POP
OPERATION BECOMES A
NATIONALLY RENOWNED
WINERY
Fred Koehler, a business savvy man,
remained firmly rooted in his desire to run
a successful winery off the beaten path.
Refusing to move his operation to
California, as Robert Mondavi had
encouraged, Fred persuaded California
vineyards to ship their grapes the 2,000
miles to his Illinois location.

Mr. Koehler was also pivotal in changing
Illinois state laws, allowing for more
freedom to produce greater quantities of
wines as well as a wider array of wine
varietals. His pioneer spirit caught on
throughout the magnificent state of
Illinois, paving the way for the states
current 100+ vineyards and wineries to
come to fruition.

A TRUE MOM-AND-POP
OPERATION BECOMES A
NATIONALLY RENOWNED
WINERY
A self-taught winemaker, Fred Koehlers
accomplishments in the wine industry
catapulted his winery to acclaimed heights
in 1985 when his1983 Chardonnay
earned, not one, but two national honors in
Reno, Nevada:

Best of Class

Best of Show

A month later, the same Chardonnay
earned a Double Gold at the National
Restaurant Show in Chicago, Illinois.

In 2004, having established himself, and
Lynfred Winery, as a motivating force in
the wine industry, Fred Koehler felt
comfortable hiring a renowned Chilean-
born winemaker, Andres Basso, freeing
himself up to focus on the business aspect
of running his winery.

MODEST BEGINNINGS:
HOW LYNFRED WINERY
BUILT A FIRST-CLASS
WINERY FROM AN
HISTORIC HOUSE
Converting their historic Hattendorf homes
basement into a self-sufficient winery was
the first step towards what Lynfred Winery is
today! A mere four years later, in 1979, the
couples winemaking operation outgrew its
modest basement locale, prompting Fred
and Lynn to open up Illinois first official
winery and tasting room. Once Lynfred
Winery achieved national acclaim, the
original winery also outgrew its quaint
beginnings, making it necessary for Fred to
expand.

Loyalty once again defined Fred Koehler
when the new Lynfred Winery, a 24,000-
square-foot facility launched in 1990, was
anchored to the original tasting room
through a vaulted barrel-aging tunnel.
Marrying the old with the new, one will find
treasures, such as the striking stained glass
and burgundy velvet walls from the original
historic home winery, sprinkled throughout
the new establishment.

PRESERVING LYNFREDS
QUIRKY LEGACY
THROUGH BLOGGING
As a forward-thinking establishment, it was
only natural for Lynfred Winery to bring
social media into their marketing
campaign. While Christina Anderson-
Heller, Lynfreds marketing director,
establishes the winerys presence on other
social media platforms, such as Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn and Google +, it is her
ability to capture and portray the essence
that is Lynfred through her blog, In the
Land of Lynfred that sets the winery apart.
Christina began Lynfreds blog on J anuary
17, 2007, with well over 500 blog posts
published to date.

Lynfred Newsletter
PRESERVING LYNFREDS
QUIRKY LEGACY
THROUGH BLOGGING
What makes Lynfreds In the Land of
Lynfred blog so appealing is its eclectic
variety of topics and mediums. Christina
posts an assortment of photos and videos to
accompany her diverse blog topics:

For Mothers Day, the Lynfred blog appealed
to the humorous side of its patrons by
featuring a picture of a sign posted outside
their tasting room stating, Dont forget to
buy a bottle for Mom. Remember, youre
the reason she drinks! In the same blog
post, Christina highlights other gift ideas for
Mom, such as chocolate dipped wine
bottles, and a video featuring Lynfreds
wine expert, who, incidentally, boasts the
same flare for humor when she says a good
wine aerator can turn Two-Buck Chuck
into Four Bucks.

In another post, Wine + Food = Fabulous,
Christina compiled photographs from
Lynfreds first Wine Dinner Series into a
Picasa slideshow, highlighting the food,
festivities and those present..
PRESERVING LYNFREDS
QUIRKY LEGACY
THROUGH BLOGGING
With such a variety of topics, one would
think Lynfred has multiple contributors to
their blog but when asked who thinks up
the topics for their posts, Christina
shared, I am the person who initially
designed the blog and does all the
posting. At one time I thought of having
multiple contributors but found that
keeping a blog schedule was a bit easier
when I was the
only one to
have to pester
for information.

PRESERVING LYNFREDS
QUIRKY LEGACY
THROUGH BLOGGING
Having just one person at the helm of such
an eclectic vessel, I couldnt help but ask
how she comes up with the ideas all on her
own, to which she divulged,

I am one of those people who wake up for
about an hour every night with wacky
ideas; I cant wait to get up every morning
to do something with them. I think it really
comes from liking people and wanting
people to have fun with wine. Most of my
silly stuff comes from drinking wine...
seriously. Im easily amused and like to
make people laugh. I also believe people
like to read about themselves so I ask
customers to snap their picture with our
wine and send me their story to share on
the blog.

Christina posts a weekly tribute, Where in
the World is Lynfred Wine?, to the
customer-generated pictures she receives
via Facebook and Twitter. Its an effective
strategy that allows customers to
showcase and promote Lynfreds wines.

THE MORE SERIOUS
BUSINESS SIDE OF IN
THE LAND OF LYNFRED
Quirkiness and humor aside, there is a
business aspect of social media to
consider.

When asked how blogging helps the
winery, in regards to attracting new
customers and fostering customer loyalty,
Christina eloquently replied, Blogging, and
social media in general, helps me stay
connected with old and new customers. I
like to have conversations with groups of
people on Facebook, personal
conversations on Twitter and my blog
allows me to share the winery lifestyle with
current customers, wine club members and
often tourists coming to the Chicagoland
area. A few years ago I posted a blog post
titled, The History of Cheers. I dont
mean the bar. To this day that posting is
my most viewed blog post. The post has
prompted many emails from people all over
the world asking about a winery in
Chicago.

THE MORE SERIOUS
BUSINESS SIDE OF IN
THE LAND OF LYNFRED
As with any social media campaign, blogs
need to be properly promoted, otherwise
the posts just sit idly ignored, all of their wit
and wisdom lost.

This is why an integrated social media
campaign is a necessity. Cross-promotion,
sharing links from one social media
platform to another, allows for a richer
online presence. In response to Lynfreds
promotion efforts, Christina shared, As
soon as I post a blog, I post links on our
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+
pages. I also have a link to my blog on all
outgoing emails, on all literature (including
my business cards) and a link from our
website.

As is apparent with In the Land of
Lynfred, blogging provides a social
platform to showcase the personal side to
a winery, or any business for that matter.
Publishing interesting and meaningful
content consistently will establish your
company as an industry leader and nurture
relationships built on trust.
CHAPTER 7:

YOUTUBE ~
THE CURE FOR THE
HIGH-SPEED
CONTENT JUNKY
Visuals
Content
Data
Information
Links
With todays high-paced,
information-laden market,
it can be a difficult, if not
impossible, feat to reach
your target audience
through written content.
Many people do not have
time to read a blog post or
scroll through feeds and
streams.

This is where YouTube
comes in to the picture.
With the ability to upload
and share video content,
your business can
promote its unique
offerings in a high-speed,
visual format.
One hour of video is uploaded to YouTube
every second - thats 24 hours of video
every 24 seconds, 60 hours a minute, 9
months every 2 hours, a decade every
single day and a century every 10 days
Here are some statistics to give you a
better idea of the impact YouTube can
have on your vineyard or winery:

Million
unique users
access
YouTube
each day
(The Social
Skinny)

YouTube
sees four
billion video
views globally
every day
(The Social
Skinny)
Billion
YouTube
page views
per month
(Statistic
Brain)
Hours of
video
uploaded to
YouTube
each minute
(Statista)
100 92
800 4
WINE COUNTRY
CAPTIVATES YOUTUBE
VIEWERS: HOW JORDAN
VINEYARD & WINERY
PRESERVES THE LAND,
AND THE PEOPLE, THAT
PRODUCE THEIR WINES

In keeping with the spirit of YouTube, take
a tour of J ordan Vineyard & Winerys video
journey to learn how you can incorporate
this medium into your marketing campaign.
Photo Credit: Jordan Vineyard & Winery
A PROUD TRADITION OF
CRAFTING WINE - FOUR
DECADES AND TWO
GENERATIONS DEEP
Cradled within the
Sonoma Countryside,
J ordan Vineyard &
Winery, known for
crafting award-winning
Cabernet Sauvignon
and Chardonnay,
enters its fourth
decade of
viticulture. In 1972,
Tom J ordan, founder of
J ordan Vineyard &
Winery, planted the
seed that began as a
dream and cultivated it
into a living, thriving
vineyard. Now, forty
fruitful years later, his
son, J ohn, oversees
every new vintage with
the same pride and
devotion he witnessed
in his father.

Photo Credit:
Jordan Vineyard
& Winery
A PROUD TRADITION OF
CRAFTING WINE - FOUR
DECADES AND TWO
GENERATIONS DEEP
Sprawled across the rolling countryside of
their Alexander Valley and Russian River
Valley vineyards, J ordans viticulture team
takes advantage of the diverse
microclimates within each vineyard block,
producing slightly different variations of the
same grape.

Having already brought over 30 vintages
to fruition, J ordan Vineyard & Winery
refuses to rest on the laurels of its
success and constantly adapts its farming
and winemaking practices to drive higher
quality each year.

Bringing together old-world winemaking
artistry and current innovations, J ordan
Winery crafts wines defined by a balance
of intense fruit flavors, complex bouquets,
and silky tannins, making them the perfect
accompaniment to any meal.

APPROACHING
VITICULTURE WITH THE
PRESERVATION OF THE
LAND IN MIND
J ordan Vineyard & Winery has devoted
three-quarters of its extensive estate to
remain untouched, celebrating and
preserving its natural landscape. Tapping
into the rich, fertile soil that the Sonoman
region has to offer, J ordan Vineyard &
Winery does so with the preservation of its
natural habitat in mind.

Understanding that the cultivation of
vineyards can have a lasting impact on its
delicate ecosystem, J ordan Winery has
long since embraced sustainable practices
such as seeding ground cover,
composting, and recycling water. They
have even introduced beneficial predators
to help maintain balance and harmony on
their estate.
APPROACHING
VITICULTURE WITH THE
PRESERVATION OF THE
LAND IN MIND
Recognized as one of the first wineries to
be certified in the Sonoma Green Business
Program (1999) and in the Bay Area Green
Business Program (2000), J ordan
Vineyard & Winery has established
themselves as a forward-thinking leader in
the wine industry, inspiring others to honor
and preserve the land they cultivate.

In addition to these accolades, J ordan
Winerys energy usage was certified
carbon neutral in 2009. Achieving their
energy reduction goals, installation of a
solar array is currently underway, which
will satisfy 75 percent of the wineries
energy needs.

Every member of J ordan Vineyard &
Winery takes great pride in their role of
creating an unforgettable experience for
wine lovers while remaining dedicated to
the responsibility they share in caring for
the environment.
PRESERVING JORDANS
TRADITIONS & PEOPLE
THROUGH TIMELESS VIDEOS
Entering J ordan Vineyard & Winery, visitors
are treated to a spectacular tree-lined
drive. Majestic Sycamore trees sway
above as you make your way towards the
winery. Looking past these noble sentries,
you just might catch a hint of whats to
come. Once on the grounds, you will
undoubtedly notice J ordans breathtaking
vineyards. With pristine vines atop rolling
hills surrounded by natures raw,
untouched beauty, the vineyard itself is a
masterpiece.
Or, your eyes might
feast upon the winerys
tasting room,
reminiscent of French
chateaux, with lush,
green vines clinging to
its walls. What you
wont see, from the
outside though, is that
J ordan Vineyard &
Winery offers much
more than your
traditional winery.

PRESERVING JORDANS
TRADITIONS & PEOPLE
A more careful look into J ordan Vineyard &
Winery will reveal the rich tapestry of talent
and artistry that make J ordan thrive. While
many of J ordans employees, from their
viticulture team to their on-site chef and
floral designer to their acclaimed
winemaker, may be hidden away behind
the scenes, they are brought to the
forefront of J ordans operations through a
videography program unlike any other in
the wine industry.

Armed with her camera and the philosophy
If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, then a
video is worth a million words, Lisa
Mattson, Communications Director, began
experimenting with video storytelling when
Google first purchased YouTube back in
2006. In 2009, she was hired by J ordan to
create an in-house videography
department. With so much clutter and
information overload on the internet
today, Lisa wanted to reach her audience
through an unfiltered and vivid medium.
PRESERVING JORDANS
TRADITIONS & PEOPLE
To honor and preserve J ordans traditions,
Lisa Mattson and Erin Malone, Digital
Media Specialist, capture the people of
J ordan Winery, and their crafts, in timeless
videos. Posting these videos to YouTube,
they share the life-force that is J ordan
Winery, in a multi-dimensional format,
reaching a myriad of viewers.

When asked why she began posting videos
to YouTube, Lisa shared, Essentially, we
wanted to find a medium that would allow
us to bring all the people behind J ordan
winesand the artistry they practice each
dayto life.

In one such video, Food Photography,
YouTube viewers are treated to a behind-
the-scenes look at the delicacies created
by J ordans on-site chef. Still shots of food
may not sound very appealing but, with
over 7,600 views, you just might want to
feast your eyes on this video.
PRESERVING JORDANS
TRADITIONS & PEOPLE
The videos J ordan posts to YouTube are
widely varied, informative, and elegantly
put together. Such diversity requires an
arsenal of topic ideas.

Lisas response to where she gets the
ideas for her videos was, As a video
storyteller, I always strive to put myself in
the consumers shoes of what I think they
might be curious about. We also listen to
our fans online. Pay attention to posts they
like the most and then plan video topics
that follow the same principles as our most
popular videos. We also do viewers choice
contests and let our fans suggest topics.

True with any social media platform,
listening to ones followers, friends, and, in
YouTubes case, viewers, makes for a
meaningful relationship between business
and consumer. Lisa understands this and
taps into the wealth of videography ideas
presented to her through audience
engagement.
PRESERVING JORDANS
TRADITIONS & PEOPLE
As with any successful endeavor, the
creative process involved in J ordans
videography program has evolved into a
team effort.

The entire marketing team, as well as
J ohn J ordan, is involved in our music
video projects," says Lisa, "our cellar
master stops by my office or texts me
when he has an idea for a video. He
invites me to the barrel cooperage to shoot
footage and brainstorm ideas for the next
barrel video post. Our events director,
J ohn J ordan, and the winemaker do the
same thing.

As is seen in this video, Winemaking:
Making barrels for Cabernet
Sauvignon, Lisa captures a cooperage
demonstration in action. One wouldnt
expect to see a video of how wineries
make wine barrels but with over 6,500
views, it appears to be a fan favorite!
PRESERVING JORDANS
TRADITIONS & PEOPLE
We [J ordan Vineyard & Winery] were
also early to embrace the concept of
providing added-value to our customers
through contentsharing aspects of what
we do on the estate that can be useful in
their everyday livesour chefs
recommended kitchen knives, how to
make an edible centerpiece for a summer
barbecue, how grapevines bloom and
develop fruit flavorsthose types of
topics.

With an astounding 9,000-plus views,
J ordans video, Pruning Olive Trees
and Reusing Cuttings, has proven to
be a hit on YouTube, appealing to a wide-
range of viewers. Some may have
stumbled upon this video with the
intention of learning how to prune Olive
trees or been discovered by YouTubes
environmentally conscious viewers.
Regardless of their reasons, this video
appeals to a multitude of viewers.
PRESERVING JORDANS
TRADITIONS & PEOPLE
Once ideas have been
generated and footage
captured, Erin Malone,
edits each video. A
graduate of Ohio University
with a degree in video
productions, Erin brings
with her the same
dedication and passion
that is at the heart of
J ordan Vineyard &
Winery. She provides a
craft to the J ordan team
that is as unique and vital
as those she helps
preserve. J ordan Vineyard
& Winery videos are then
posted to YouTube only
after Lisa, Erin and the
spokesperson featured in
the video review and
approves all edits.
PRESERVING JORDANS
TRADITIONS & PEOPLE
With over 360,000
views, you just
might want to
check out this
demonstration
video on how to
make French
Macaroons right
now!
HOW YOUTUBE HAS
IMPACTED JORDAN
VINEYARD & WINERY
Reflecting on the impact YouTube has had
on J ordan Vineyard & Winery, from a
business standpoint, Lisa says, Its truly
brought a face to the winery. Many faces, in
fact. Thats so important to consumers
nowadays. They really want to know the
people behind the winesand how the
wines are grown, the events created, the
recipes developed, etc. The videos have
demonstrated our ability to be an
established elegant winery of the 1970s
and a modern, approachable brand.
HOW YOUTUBE HAS
IMPACTED JORDAN
VINEYARD & WINERY
The foundation of any social media
presence is the connections you make
with customers, both current and
prospective. Through social media
platforms, such as YouTube, businesses
can preserve customer loyalty by nurturing
relationships already established; while at
the same time cultivate new ones.

YouTube has the distinct advantage of
doing this through an interactive, visual
medium. In todays fast-paced virtual
world, watching a two to five-minute video
is much more appealing, than reading a
blog post or whitepaper.
HOW YOUTUBE HAS
IMPACTED JORDAN
VINEYARD & WINERY
YouTube has proven to be a major factor in
maintaining customer loyalty, as well as
cultivating new relationships, for J ordan
Vineyard & Winery.

In fact, Lisa states, It does both. We have
existing customers who love watching the
videos and being transported back to the
winery. We also see comments on
YouTube, our blog, email, twitter, etc.,
where people say they found our videos
through search or a podcast, then watched
one of our videos and went out and
purchased the wine.

With more than 1.2 million views across
their video library, J ordan Vineyard &
Winery is clearly reaching an expansive
audience.
HOW YOUTUBE HAS
IMPACTED JORDAN
VINEYARD & WINERY
Take one well-produced video, appealing
to a variety of viewers and you have far-
reaching implications. Through their
compilation of more than 300 YouTube
videos to date, Lisa and her team draw in
viewers not likely to be familiar with
J ordan Vineyard & Winery but very likely
to remember their vineyard the next time
they are in the market for wine.

If you don't think their videos will help you
remember their name, here's one that's
sure to leave a "positive note" on your
palate: Gangnam Style in Wine Country
ITS NOT TOO LATE TO
CATCH THE WAVE
With this kind of exposure, imagine
how your vineyard or winery can
benefit from incorporating a social
media campaign! And, since 58% of
businesses saw a drop in marketing
costs by moving to social marketing, it
is a cost-efficient move!

Need help getting started? Words
Written Well Sell can help you create
and run your social media campaign.
Contact Sara Renae at

sara@wordswrittenwellsell.com

or visit her website:

Words Written Well Sell
REFERENCES
Professional Friends of Wine (2013).
Retrieved from
http://www.winepros.org/wine101/history.
htm

Statista: The Statistics Portal (2014).
Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/

Statistic Brain (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.statisticbrain.com/social-
networking-statistics

The Social Skinny (2014). Retrieved from
http://thesocialskinny.com/103-crazy-
social-media-statistics-to-kick-off-2014/

How social
media is
impacting
your favorite
Vineyards and
Wineries

SOCIAL
MEDIA AND
THE WINE
INDUSTRY

Copyright 2014
Words Written Well Sell

Social Media and The Wine Industry: How Social Media Is Impacting Your Favorite Vineyards and Wineries

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