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10MarketingTips
for wineries on a budget

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BRAND YOURSELF &
YOUR SPACE
DIRECT MAIL
MAXIMIZE SOCIAL
MEDIA
EVENTS
MERCHANDISE
WINE CLUB
ACCESS THE MEDIA
GIFT GIVING
YOUR WINERIES
WEBSITE
PARTNERSHIPS
Chawana Champagne,
Dipl.A.A. (Hons)
Provisional RGD Member
Aulward Graphics
Tel: (905) 573-2502 Ext. 204
Cell: (905) 481-4706
chawana@aulwardgraphics.com
chawana.aulwardgraphics@gmail.com
www.aulwardgraphics.com
Creativity personified! Chawana Champagne
brings her experience as a graphic designer
into her Public Relations and Marketing with
over 10 + years of experience working various
Fortune 500 companies and many local
non-profits. Her work can be found around the
Mohawk College Campus and recently at the
Megalomaniac Winery - John Howards Cellars
of Distinction.
She holds honors diplomas from
Mohawk College in both Digital Graphic
Design and Public Relations.This blend of skills
has set her apart from her peers. It has given
her the ability to work on an array of projects
understanding how each of these areas play an
integral part in a successful marketing
campaign. She is always updating her
knowledge offering clients the latest trends
and information. Chawana has had the
pleasure of being educated by some of the
world’s top designers at the Annual Design
Thinkers Conference. She is also a Provincial
member of the RGD, Registered Graphic
Designers of Ontario.
She currently works for Aulward Graphics and
has become known for providing creative
ideas and concepts for local award winning
Niagara Wineries.
WELCOME
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BRAND YOURSELF &
YOUR SPACE
STANDING OUT IN A CROWD
“When you’re working in a crowded space, it’s often just as important to say
what you are not.”
A recent Nielsen Survey showed that only 33% of buyers believe what a brand
has to say about itself. Because people view any brand-to-buyer
communication as an advertisement, your customers are less likely to take
your word for it.
In contrast, the same study showed that 92% believe what their peers have to
say about a brand. That is what you should be focusing on.
Create an experience that is unique and memorable, because what your
customers tell others counts!
• 86.7% of consumers will recommend a well-promoted winery or brand to
others.
• 88.3% of consumers will purchase the same wine or brand again within
the next six months.
Source: Published February 2, 2015 by Lotus Growth, a San Francisco-based digital marketing
consultancy, and Hello Vino.
• 1.8 Million People Visit Wineries In Niagara Annually
• The wine industry generates $674 million in retail sales in Ontario
(October 2013).
• On average, 1 bottle of Ontario wine generates $39.67 of economic impact
in the province.
• Canadians enjoy more than 1 billion glasses or 220 million bottles of wine
produced by the Canadian wine industry each year.
• Ontario wineries operate more than 290 winery retail stores in communities
across the province.
• Ontario wineries have 41% of the total market of all wine sold in the province.
Sources:
2013 Report, Canada's Wine Economy - Ripe Robust Remarkable
Ontario VQA Wine Industry Key Facts and Statistics
Winery & Grower Alliance of Ontario
FACT:
From the size of your tasting room to the look of your labels, don’t think about
what you can afford—think about what you can’t afford to risk.
MORE FACTS:
Every winery needs to be able to fill in the blanks in the following sentence:
Only (XYZ winery) delivers (unique differentiating benefit) to (target audience).
For instance, there are a million different Pizza places out there, but Domino’s
skyrocketed because they promised “30 minutes or it’s free.”
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MAXIMIZE SOCIAL MEDIA
Don’t assume every social media site is good for your business. Research
which sites your customers frequent and how they prefer to consume content.
Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Go Social:
• Who are you targeting?
• How can you deploy social marketing tactics for measurable success?
• What goals or objectives do you want to accomplish?
• What are the best platforms for your target audience? Facebook, Pinterest,
Twitter, Instagram etc.
73% of consumers prefer to get their information about an organization in
articles rather than advertisements. That means it’s more important than ever
to include custom content in your overall marketing mix.
Content types can take many forms, but you will want to make sure you have
the following mixed into your content strategy:
Content Pieces like eBooks &
Definitive Guides
• Recipes
• Tip sheets/checklists
• Blog posts
• Infographics
• Fun visual content such as
memes and cartoons
• Slideshows
• Podcasts
• Videos (How to or What’s new)
Here are some additional statistics to consider taken from a recent New York
Times study on social sharing:
• 75% say sharing helps them better understand and “process” news
they’re interested in.
• 85% say the responses they get from posting to a social media site provide
more thought
• 94% consider how helpful a link would be to another user before posting it
• 68% share as an advertisement for themselves, to give others a better
sense of who they are
• 73% say it helps them find people with common interests
Wine Mobile Apps Are Coming To an iPhone Near You
As visitors travel in Niagara’s wine region, they increasingly turn to
smartphones and tablets to search for local business information and to
shop for wine. It’s essential that your website is properly optimized for
those experiences.
Build A Mobile-Specific Website
We recommend creating a mobile-specific website. Your mobile site should
showcase the key topics that mobile users are generally looking for when
they visit your site, for example directions. You can either develop a separate
mobile website for your winery or use responsive design so your website is
easily accessible on desktops, smartphones and tablets.
Ensure Mobile Users Know What They Can Do on the Website:
Use call-to-action messaging to make clear what consumers can accomplish
via your mobile website. For example, if consumers can find directions, book
tastings or purchase wine directly from your mobile site, make it as clear as
possible through bold text, buttons or other eye-catching graphics.
Respond Promptly To Consumer Questions:
Consumers view your social media channels as an extension of your digital
presence. We recommend setting up a process for monitoring your winery’s
social media pages. Make sure you respond promptly to questions and
comments!
FACT:
Here are our top 5 motivators
that make people share:
1. Reputation
2. Access to something exclusive
3. Co-creation
4. Competition and winning
5. Altruism
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5.
EVENTS
According to the Wine Business study, 66% of 2009 direct sales took place in
the tasting room, up from 59% in 2008. Wine Business Monthly’s 2009 Tasting
Room Report.
Events offer an unparalleled level of customer engagement, with an
opportunity for positive personal interaction that builds loyalty. Every
marketer knows that companies can realize the biggest ROI on their
marketing dollars by retaining and growing existing customers.
At events, you enjoy the chance to upsell customers by introducing them to
wines or related products and services they may not know about – or may not
realize could address their needs.
• You have to gain the attention of your customers amid the distractions of
daily work and life.
• Employing knowledgable staff
• Your event being appealing and memorable compared to your competitors
FACT:
CHALLENGES:
Four Basic Reasons To Hold An Event:
• Branding and Awareness
• Generating Future Sales
• Educating Attendees
• Engaging with Prospective and Current Customers
WHY HOLD AN EVENT? THE TASTING ROOM | QUESTIONS TO ASK:
• Does your price list include regular and “member only” wines?
• Do you promote the exclusivity of your wine club?
• Have you designated a special roped off VIP area that is exclusive to your
wine club members?
• Are the benefits of your wine club and the sign-up form strategically around
your tasting room?
6 SECRETS TO EVENTS THAT OUTPERFORM EXPECTATIONS:
Plan events and activities that will draw people in:
• Vintage release parties
• Chef’s days
• Sunset tastings
• Create “Themed” Events
• Music
• Workshops
• Yoga/Spa retreats
• Barbeques
Use Eventbrite and mail your wine club members exclusive invitations offering
a small perk or special offer for attending.
KEY POINT: COMBINE WEB AND PRINT TO MANAGE YOUR EVENT.
1. Set realistic and targeted goals upfront.
2. Incorporate a strong theme and be creative.
3. Include multiple touches in your promotion.
4. Segment your promotions to reach the right audience.
5. Be the first to follow up with attendees and non-attendees alike.
6. Track your results to learn what works well and what doesn’t.
EVENT IDEAS:
Split the Costs and Get More Attendees:
• A great way to offset the cost of hosting your own event is to offer
sponsorship opportunities to partners or host an event together where both
parties benefit.
Example: Local cheese shop promotes a new cheese paired with your wines.
• Share your printing costs by creating a co-branded piece.
BUDGET TIPS:$
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DIRECT MAIL
Target your materials for each customer and get a return on your advertising
dollar.
• Revenues and profits associated with variable data printing are 30% greater
than with general marketing
Source: Published February 2, 2015 by Lotus Growth, a San Francisco-based digital marketing
consultancy, and Hello Vino.
BUDGET:
Capture your visitors mailing information to send them targeted pieces.
This is more effective then large non-targeted mailing pieces with no direct
connection to your customers.
Customize postcards, newsletters, brochures, advertisements, letterheads
and more using variable data printing. Insert different graphics into a
document, change the layout and/or the number of pages, print an unique
barcode on each file and more!
KEY POINT:
• Small winery marketers too often don’t keep track of the lifetime value of
their club members. They don’t collect the data in a way that allows for the
analysis that reveals how valuable their best customers are, so they can’t do
the math.
• Long term customers get taken for granted. Winemakers think, “he or she
has been a member for years. They really appreciate just how good my
wine is and will remain members for that reason alone”.
CHALLENGES:
Each mailer
personalized
Sarah,
Flip over for
amazing
wine deals!
Steve,
Flip over foramazingwine deals!
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WINE CLUB
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF BECOMING PART OF YOUR WINE CLUB?
Activities and Special Events Just for VIP Brand Ambassadors
How will you let members know they are TRULY important and are an
essential member of your family?
WHAT YOU KNOW:
• The most important sales channel is directly to customers.
• Most of the members supplement these shipments by using their wine club
discounts to buy even more of your wine.
• You can’t just offer what everyone else is. Make your members feel special,
a generic marketing piece isn’t going to cut it!
Developing a personality for your brand – a brand story that is interesting
and memorable can help – stories about the family that founded the
vinyard/winery, or facts about the grapes that are blended to make the wine.
• Photos
• Videos
• Wine Range
• Tasting Notes
• Customer Reviews
• Awards, Ratings and Reviews
• Expert Tasting Panel Recommendations
• Newsletter and Email subscriptions
• Special Exclusive Packaging
• Branded Gifts (Holiday Wrapping Paper)
• Direct Mail Pieces sent straight to their doorstep.
• E-commerce features including search, filterable navigation
and secure payment options
Make sure that everything works together to drive prospective customers into
your tasting room. You have to bring people to your tasting room with the
right signage, and take advantage of free PR opportunities.
HOW DO YOU SETYOURSELF APART FROM THE OTHER WINE CLUBS?
Are you thanking your Wine Club members or giving them a takeaway to
inform others about your winery?
• Bring a friend event
• Holiday Cards – Make cards to give to others
• Thank you cards/Birthday Cards/Anniversary Card
RETENTION:
We recommend encouraging
your club members to follow you
on social media; even if they live
outside the region such as
Alberta or even the Yukon.
Stay in touch and your retention
rate will change dramatically.
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NON-LOCAL WINE CLUB MEMBERS | A DISTANT RELATIONSHIP
KEY POINT:

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MERCHANDISE
• T-Shirts
• Aprons
• Posters
• Glasses
• Cutting Boards
• Calendars
• Gift Tags/Cards
• Wine Openers
• Pins
• Tote Bags
• Stickers
• Stationary
• Coasters
• Umbrellas
• Decanter Set
Creating brand merchandise is a great way to create new loyalties with your
customers and enlist them to spread your name to new audiences. You have
to do it in a way that creates viral sensations, not just oversized promotional
T-shirts that end up at the bottom of someone's closet.
Think of your branded merchandise as advertising.
Not sure what items will be a hit. Treat the items as free promotional tools at
events and gather feedback from attendees. You’ll quickly see what items are
popular.
Try to source local vendors so you can buy in small increments and keep an
eye on cash flow as you build your fan base.
Keep focused on quality; customers want items to be great and you want
them to wear them or use them and enjoy the experience. Remember it’s an
extension of your brand.
Creating boring merchandise is a good way to ensure your logo won't be
seen anywhere outside of a desperate laundry day.
Don’t logo your merchandise to death. You can incorporate your logo in a
stylish way or take certain elements to create a branded feeling to your items.
T-Shirts are most effective as “limited time offers” and also help keep costs
down by limiting the number you have to order.
WHAT ITEMS TO BRAND? TEST IT OUT
BUDGET TIPS:$
TOP TIP:
The displays in your retail space are very important; you don’t want a garage
sale look. Offering a few items at check out or showcasing the items
throughout your space is one way to avoid clutter. Branded merchandise can
be used to break up boring wine displays if done correctly.
DISPLAYING YOUR BRANDED MERCHANDISE:
BRANDED MERCHADISE IDEAS:
KEY POINT
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GIFT GIVING
Offer A Booklet or Catalogue showcasing your Wine and Branded
Merchandise. Make sure you bundle with your branding merchandise.
Create bundles for special occasions and don’t forget that you can always
invent occasions!
Provide Gifts That Your Customers Can Give To Others That Have
Unique Wine Interests.
This is a great opportunity to involve your community partners to provide
one-of-a-kind experiences:
This group of individuals would appreciate any items that focus around
sharing food with friends and family. Some branded items could be cutting
boards, wine glasses or a wine openers. Offer gift cards for cooking classes or
dinner parties at the vineyard to draw new customers into your winery.
Gift cards for an eco tour of your winery to showcase your organic and
biodynamic wines. Share how your winery is LEED designated.
These individuals can enjoy a range of activities from private yoga lessons,
winery cycling tours, picnics, hikes, wine tours or spa packages.
Provide the perfect playlist of live music by offering a diverse range of
vineyard concerts and music festivals. Provide tickets to local concerts with
a wine package.
Group gift buying is an easy way for companies and friends to save time and
money. In your marketing piece inform customers of this. If a person can
envision the per person dollar figure it motivates a group purchase and its
usually a larger buy. “We can all pitch in $10.00 a person for Sandy’s Birthday
gift.”
Offer free wrapping and cards to match the occasion! This gives you a chance
to reinforce your brand to the receiver.
• House Warming
• Wedding/Honeymoon
• Engagement
• Girls Night In Winter/Summer Package
• Miscellaneous occasion (just because)
• New Baby
• New Career
• Thank You
• Fundraising
• Holidays
GIFT GIVING IDEAS:
TOP TIP:
BUDGET TIP:$
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Green Living Enthusiasts
Foodies
Music Lovers
Health Conscious

10.
ACCESS THE MEDIA
There are a few ways to get the media to write about you, but you first must
understand how the media thinks. If your winery isn’t doing something
interesting or innovative, then you will not get coverage. If you aren’t part of a
news story, then you won’t get coverage. The best approach is to create
“buzz” and then let the media know what you are doing.
Here are some things the media will write about:
• A charity event hosted by your winery
• Hosting a music festival or a similar large event
• Developing a unique wine making process and the new wine is
ready to be tasted. In this case you will invite the media to attend a special
wine tasting which also includes a tour and interview opportunities.
• Expansion plans
• Brand or product awards
Follow and share what’s new with journalists and bloggers who write about
food and wine.
Press release versus pitch. You don't always need to write a press release to
get media coverage, especially if you're a small business and cash flow is an
issue. A press release follows a specific format and has a journalistic tone. It is
newsy and can be published as is. A pitch is used to catch a journalist's
attention and can be used for a new product, an interview or a call to action.
Timeliness. Is your information being released at the right time? Certain
media work months in advance while others only a few days. Your information
should reflect their deadlines and their needs.
Write concisely. Media releases and pitches should not be long. Journalists
are busy and want to read clear and accurate information. Choose your
language wisely. Make it interesting and easy to skim quickly.
Personalize. Spend time identifying the proper editorial contact. Spell their
name correctly. Read or watch their pieces. Over time, develop a relationship.
Twitter and other social media tools are great for this!
Find the Emotion. People like to connect to the product or service. What's
yours? Does it help someone? Is it good for the environment? Is there a
charitable component? Be honest in what you are saying, but create a need
that only you can fill.
Source: Ten PR tips for small businesses on a budget | Alison Burke | The Globe and Mail
TOP TIP:
KEY POINTS:
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PARTNERSHIPS
The most strategic, and potentially profitable relationship is the one you
establish with fellow business owners. When business owners offer
complementary services, they can form partnerships to help them reach new
customers and expand the products and services they offer. These local
partnerships help businesses increase their visibility and build customer
loyalty.
EMAIL
You can partner with a local small business who serves a similar target market
and ask the owner to run advertisements for your business in their email
communications. You can pay an advertising fee, or agree to run an
advertisement for their business in your E-marketing newsletter as well.
SOCIAL MEDIA
As a business owner, you can partner with local small businesses to promote
your respective brands through social media sites. You can “like” local
businesses on your Facebook page or post status messages about local &
complementary companies.
EXPERIENTIAL EVENTS
By partnering with a local business to host an event, you can cut costs and
expose your business to a new group of potential customers. A wedding
planner and your winery could work together to do bridal seminars
throughout the geographical area you serve, or host a bridal showcase.
GUEST BLOGGING
Small business owners recognize that inbound marketing tactics, such as
blogging, can help increase visibility and credibility. Small business owners
can guest blog on fellow small business owners’ blogs to capture the
attention of potential customers.
WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER:
TEAM UP:
• Open House Events for companies
• Charities (Galas or Fundraising Dinners)
• Other wineries to promote special regional tasting days. Get your
promotional material into the lobbies of local hotels to attract tourist traffic.
• Team with eateries to have your wine featured in
“Taste of Winter/ Summer” type events.
• Have hotels include your sparkling wine and/or winery tours in their
honeymoon packages.
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12.
YOUR WINERIES WEBSITE
• 46% of people say a website's design is the number one criterion for
discerning the credibility of the company. (Source: Stanford Persuasive
Technology Lab)
• MarketingProfs reports that 69 percent of senior marketers expect an
increase to occur in digital spend next year. With so much riding on digital
marketing, the time to get it right is now.
HOW TO GET THEM BUYING FROM YOU ONLINE:
Is your website well-designed and kept current with regular updates?
Is it clear how and where to buy your wines?
Is there a prominent sign-up box for your e-newsletters?
Is it easy to join your Wine Club?
Is it easy to navigate through your online wine selection?
Do your product pages provide the right information to the user to help
make the buying decision?
CREATE A MARKETING CONTENT CALENDAR:
Map out content and coordinate your efforts for the year.
Stay Connected: Be sure to incorporate compelling stories, photos and
videos. Provide incentives to those following your website and social media
pages.
Link long stories and information back to your website with a hyperlink.
The key goals for your website should be:
• Engage
• Convert
• Retain
FACT:
KEY POINT:
TOP TIP:
Source: www.fertileminds.com
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13.
LITHODIGITAL
DIRECT MAIL
MARKETING
DIECUTTING
KITTING &
FULFILLMENT
BINDERY
LARGE FORMAT
DESIGN
info@aulwardgraphics.com | www.aulwardgraphics.com
32 Keefer Court, Hamilton, ON L8E 4V4 | t. 905.573.2502 | 1.800.265.0134

14.
info@aulwardgraphics.com | www.aulwardgraphics.com
32 Keefer Court, Hamilton, ON L8E 4V4 | t. 905.573.2502 | 1.800.265.0134