Traditional wine regions always felt like family communities. Vintners would share trade secrets and tips, commiserate during lousy crop years, and celebrate together during fruitful harvests.
However, physical distance constrained this type of idyllic community. Enter social media — and not just for helping improve sales.
Winemakers are connecting throughout the world via social media to create a broader online community. They share trade secrets, brainstorm ideas, and offer encouragement.
The benefit of a winemaker utilizing social media goes beyond the tips and tricks; 87% of wineries in Springer Link’s sample report saw a perceived increase in wine sales due to social media practices.
“Although limited documentation exists on social media ROI in the wine industry, there is a growing collection of cases for both Old World and New World wineries. A German study surveyed 321 German wineries’ use of Facebook and concluded that 64% of winery owners managed the social media accounts, and 83% of them spent 1-3 hours per week managing these accounts,” the report stated.
Where everybody knows your name
Wine regions benefited from the real-life social interaction of their vintners because the soil was the same, and everyone dealt with the same climate, which yielded similar grapes. As climate change transforms certain parts of the planet and extreme weather damages crops, winemakers worldwide are offering help and solutions to counterparts hundreds of thousands of miles away to save the grapes.
“What is gained by this ability to communicate? Answers to questions, encouragement, guidance, being talked off the ledge — things that come from participating in a community in real-time. All of these elements help to improve not only the general quality of wines but also the ability to make distinctive wines,” Eric Asimov wrote for The New York Times.
Posting how you solved a problem will only get your account more traffic.
TikTok increases exposure
According to Springer Link’s report, Facebook was the “gateway” platform for wineries entering social media. But if wineries want to see an uptick in engagement, they should create a TikTok account.
In 2021, TikTok ranked as the most downloaded app for smartphone users, with 656 million global downloads.
For example, the owner of Denver’s Urban Winery, Paul Bonacquisti, launched a TikTok and shares winemaking techniques, his favorite wines, and more. He’s become such a hit even larger wine TikToks are sharing his content.
@paulbonacquisti
As baby boomers age out of drinking wine, vineyards need to appeal to millennials — and they’re all scrolling through TikTok.
“I’m trying to figure out how to capture their attention, keep their attention, and get them to spend money with us,” Zach Morris, owner, and sommelier at Bloomsday Café, a wine pub and bottle shop in Philadelphia, told Wine Industry Advisor.
As the wine industry shifts to capture Gen Z next, you’ll find them on social media — for 4.5 hours per day – scrolling Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
What wineries can do to get the most out of their social media accounts
The beauty of social media is connection. Winemakers who want to be successful on social media will see the value in making as many meaningful connections as possible.
These connections range from connecting with other winemakers to problem-solve or praise one another, to connecting with potential new customers and even influencers to help promote your brand.
Creating content will increase your ability to foster those meaningful connections. Content can be anything from a “Day In The Life” to a wine tasting or even showcasing the vineyard dog for some new likes.
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