“I don’t believe in wine communication.”
This is another thing I often hear wine producers tell me.
At the beginning, it seemed odd. But then I thought about it more.
Often, communication is reduced to social media. Then they add that they have their daughter, son, niece, or someone else in the family to help with posting on social.
And if by communication you mean posting randomly and erratically on Instagram or Facebook and then expecting those posts to result in quick wine sales, well, then I don’t really believe in that kind of communication either.
Wine communication is about so much more than social media.
In fact, you are communicating every day at your winery.
This happens through your website, your emails, the way you present your wines at a fair, how you welcome someone to your winery, how you follow up after a meeting or a tasting, what you choose to talk about and what you don’t.
Social media is only a small part of it all.
I believe we need to change perspective here.
Communication doesn’t start with: “What should we post on social media this week?”
It all starts much earlier.
You need to
- know who you are and what you stand for.
- listen to and understand the people you want to reach.
- know why you have decided to communicate in the first place.
After that, it is central to create a simple system that helps you to communicate with intention, show up consistently in a way that is sustainable for you, and follow up and build relationships over time.
In my last email, I talked about finding importers and why a first contact doesn’t automatically lead to a commercial relationship.
This is exactly where communication comes into the picture.
You might meet an importer who tastes your wine at a fair. A journalist may visit your winery. Someone may discover you while travelling in Tuscany.
What will make them remember you a week, a month or six months later?
All right, communication alone won’t sell your wine.
But it can indeed make it easier for people to understand who you are, recognise your value, remember you and, over time, trust you.
This truly matters whether we’re talking about an importer, a journalist, a visitor or someone buying a bottle of your wine.
Therefore, the right question isn’t:
“Do I believe in communication?”
Because your winery is already communicating.
It’s better to ask yourself:
“Are we communicating with intention?”
Take some time to reflect on what communication means for you at your winery today. Reply and tell me. I’m curious to hear your perspective.
And if these reflections make you think about your own winery and you’d like to see how I can help you find a clearer direction, simply book a free introductory call here.
