Last updated on April 14th, 2021 at 03:19 pm
Selling wine has never been easy! Hundreds of thousands of wineries across the world are all competing for the same market. Sure, it’s a massive global market, but you really have to learn to stand out if you want to secure and increase your customer base. Every new winery popping up believes they have something unique to offer, and that’s why it’s so important to keep up with consumer trends and marketing tricks. If you don’t keep growing your marketing strategy, you’ll be the winery losing out!
There are so many different options for growing your customer base online, so how do you know where to start, and what’s best for your winery?
Let’s look at the top 5 strategies to increase your online traffic, and getting the best value for money for your marketing spend.
SEO
When it comes to consumers looking for local businesses, products and services online, over 97% start their browsing through search engines like Google. Quite simply, the higher your winery ranks in search engines, the more traffic your website will receive. That’s why it’s critical to have a ‘high’ SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ranking.
Your SEO ranking is directly affected by your website content and the technical stability of your site. Search engines use algorithms to check if your content is relevant to what consumers are searching for, so it’s increasingly important to understand what your customers want and to provide content that is valuable to them.
1. Website content
The content you create and share on your winery website can really help to leverage your position, with your aim to be on the front page. Search engines, like Google, easily pick up what wines you are selling, where you are located, if you have tours or a restaurant, or special offers, so the more information you provide, the easier it is for customers to find you. Google will match businesses as closely as possible to the customer search inquiry, therefore the clearer your content, the more likely your winery will show up at the top of page.
It’s clear to see that the more content and information you provide on your winery website, the higher the traffic will be. The use of effective keywords will also increase your site ranking. Do you know what keywords your customers are searching for? As a winery owner, it’s imperative to look at your business from a customer point of view. Try stepping back and imagining yourself as your customer. What words would you use to search for your winery?
2. Technical stability
Is your website user friendly? Do you have clear images? Does your site load quickly? Do all of your links work? These are all issues that rate the stability of your website. Search Engine algorithms can pick up a well-organized and easy to navigate site. If you can keep your visitors on your site for an extended time, this sends a message through the algorithm, that your site is stable and engaging. And if your site is well-coded, it is easy for the search agent to crawl it and index it, and this will more likely result in your site being placed on the front page. Never underestimate the value of the technical stability of your site when it comes to search rankings.
SERM
If you want to keep your winery brand and credibility at a high level, then Search Engine Reputation Marketing is the best way to achieve results. You must find ways to boost your reputation and quickly diffuse any negative publicity. To create brand loyalty, there are several different ways in which SERM can create customer loyalty, and increase your brand reputation.
1. Google Your Business Page
Registering with Google and creating a page, will integrate your business with all Google applications. From increasing your search engine visibility to maps and reviews, it’s easy to see that registering with Google can only have a positive effect on your reputation marketing.
2. Citation building
Make sure you list your winery with all top industry directories. The more places your winery can be found online, will increase your brand awareness and your credibility. Try ‘Googling’ your own business! Do you show up in places you didn’t expect? Be aware of where your business is listed online, and the articles and directories that your business is connected to.
3. Links and backlinks building
Your blog and article content creation can have a huge effect for your credibility online. Each of your articles should contain links and backlinks, also known as hyperlinks, to other relevant articles within the industry, or with other articles you have written. These links can have an impact on your organic search ranking, because you are showing up in more and more places online, and being connected to more credible sources of information. This is great for search engines as they value your content and website stability.
4. Manage and control online reviews
Never underestimate the value of your online reviews. It’s so important to manage your reviews well, as reviews can actually make or break a business. Most people visit wineries to have a great time, share happy moments with family and celebrate milestones. If you see people are enjoying the experience, ask them to leave a review, and always follow up with customers thanking them for their kind words. If your customers leave feeling good about their experience, they will remember the event, and tell their friends. No matter what in business, there are going to be times when you receive a negative review. At all times, respond to negative reviews in a positive way and offer the opportunity to make it up to your customer. Your reviews and the way you respond, can have an effect on the future success of your business.
Email Marketing
Do you have a customer database? A customer relationship management (CRM) program? Both are important for keeping in touch with your customers, and both are essential for maintaining a relationship with a customer who you want to keep coming back.
1. Stay connected with your customers
To keep your loyal customers informed, sending regular emails, (though not too many), allows you to let them know what’s going in your business, any discounts that may apply or special offers that are available to valued customers.
Always ensure your website has a way to collect a customer’s email. It’s a good strategy to offer a ‘special offer’ or discount in order to get their details. Offer incentives in person at the winery, such as raffles or percentage discounts to get business cards with contact details.
Email Marketing is a great strategy to increase the lifetime value of your customers. It allows you to build an ongoing relationship and let them know you appreciate their business.
2. Re-marketing
It’s important to follow up your customers with special offers, discounts and generally creating a relationship. Re-marketing means any form of ‘following up’ so make sure you create a memorable experience and show the customer they are valued and appreciated.
Social Media
It probably isn’t surprising to you that Social Media is one of the best ways to interact with your regular, and potentially new, customers. Along with SEO, Social Media is essential to increase your website traffic and let people know what you do, and why they should choose your winery. Engage with people well, and they’ll want to know more about your business.
Your Social Media is a fantastic way to increase your brand awareness and overall online presence. It will help you to reach out and promote your winery and wine sales to a wider audience. Get your Social Media right, and your business will benefit exponentially.
Paid Marketing
So, you want to drive more traffic to your website and create more online sales or visits to your winery? Google, Facebook, and every other SM platform, have options to pay for ads. It’s the online way of putting up a traditional advertising billboard. And with paid marketing incorporating ‘tracking’ these days, if your potential customers search for a winery, your ad could keep popping up whenever they use their devices.
Google is always a great platform for paid advertising. Most people online looking for businesses or services will start with a Google search, so it’s always great to see your winery on the front page.
With Facebook paid advertising, you can actually target a specific demographic in a particular location, in fact you can target your ideal customer just by selecting the right data. Facebook holds a lot of information on the people using their platform, and their algorithms can detect their individual interests better than any other platform.
If you want to learn how these techniques can help your winery get new customers give us a call for a FREE consulting
Tanya Lipovich
Sr. Marketing Consultant
(415) 860-2749 | Getcider.com
