First the good news: small and medium sized wineries have a clear advantage when it comes to establishing and maximising ongoing relationships with consumers. The reason is quite straightforward: the large companies can't really be seen to "compete" with their distributors and retailers, so wine clubs are generally off limits.
That doesn't mean they can't sell direct, but special offers on mainstream brands don't tend to sit well with their wholesale customers who consider it direct competition.
And the bad news: most small and medium sized wineries fail to capitalise on this fabulous opportunity because of a lack of knowledge and resources.
Characteristics of a Successful Wine Club
The traditional way most wineries communicate with their mailing list customers is by newsletter. This is an information-rich publication, distributed to everyone, between one and four times per year, and often left on the counter at cellar door for general distribution.
Whilst a newsletter is a valid form of communication, it is unlikely to yield significant sales - it is just not designed as a selling tool. For starters, your newsletter is generic, with lots of general news about you and often unrelated to the interests, needs or expectations of individual customers.
There are a number of rules around direct selling and while you don't want to give an impression of 'six free steak knives with that', by adopting some direct marketing principles you are likely to create a noticeable difference in your sales results.
Success Principles to Consider:
- Provide a fast response with a welcome when someone joins your mailing list
- Communicate regularly with relevant, interesting and valuable information (every six weeks is a good rule of thumb)
- Reinforce the value of being a member, remind them of their exclusive benefits
- Grab people's attention (you have five seconds) - how compelling is your opening?
- Make an offer up front - get the 'buy' message across early
- Repeat the offer at the end - people read top then bottom and scan the middle
- Ask for a response - you need to suggest what the reader should do next
- Put a time frame on the offer - create an imperative so it doesn't sit in the in-tray
- Put your offer on a section of your database - test formats, fonts, offers, layouts, colours. Keep trying things until you find what works best
- Limit the size of the publication - often single page fliers will deliver better results than volumes of information. Perhaps you can intersperse your periodical newsletter with short, sharp offers on a single page
- Use email or telephone to follow up a week before the offer expires
- Do some follow up with people who didn't purchase to find out why
- Reward regular or milestone purchasers - give them an option to 'trade up' to VIP status
Refer to the Direct Marketing and Websites, under the Marketing & Promotion section for additional information.
In this Section:
- Discover the differences between a wine club and a mailing list
- Calculate the lifetime value of your customers and decide what type of wine club option will work best for you.
