Wine Marketing for People Who Don’t Have The Time
Easy marketing tips for the people doing literally everything else, too.
Most of the wineries I work with don’t have a marketing department.
They come to me because they are overwhelmed; they’re already wearing SO many hats—winemaker, wine club manager, janitor, blah blah blah
And even though they know that social media and email marketing are important, these things rank low, if not at the bottom, of their priority list.
They might occasionally post to Instagram when the thought occurs to them, and will send an email for wine club releases, but going beyond that is daunting.
And so they meet with me, wondering how they can do this thing in a way that doesn’t make them hate life.
Three Non-Negotiables
You don’t need to do Meta ads, influencer partnerships, or automation right away. Those tools will absolutely help, but we need to start by triaging your marketing efforts and focusing on the things that you can do right now. Here is where I recommend you start:
Know Who You’re Selling To
Whenever I ask new clients who their target customer is, they almost always respond with “wine lovers.”
Yeah, NO SHIT.
But as we’ve established time and again, selling to someone at the beginning of their wine journey is VERY different from selling to a wine collector. The language you use to sell to each of these people and how much they are willing to spend on wine are worlds apart.
So I want you to get super specific here: Who actually buys your wine?
Locals? Collectors? Wine newbs? Foodies? Travelers?
People who drive a Mazda or people who drive a Rivian?
The clearer you can picture who you’re talking to in all of your marketing, the easier writing copy and curating visuals for that marketing becomes.Get Clear on What You Want Your Customers to Do
It might seem obvious to you that the goal is to “sell more wine.” But it’s not always clear how you want them to do that.Do you want them to visit the tasting room? Buy online? Join the club? Order your wine at a restaurant? You need clarity on your customer’s journey.
For example, Brave & Maiden’s primary goal is to get more people to book tastings. They know that once someone sits down for a private, guided experience, conversion to sales (and club membership) is high.
Another winery might focus on online conversions through email.An allocation-based brand might prioritize growing its membership list.
For most wineries, the customer journey looks a bit like this:Discovery (social, PR, or word-of-mouth) → Visit → Join the Mailing List → Buy Wine → Join the Club.
Your job is to outline your ideal funnel and guide customers through it intentionally.
Show Up Consistently.
You can’t build trust if you only show up when you’re selling something.Consistency beats perfection every time.
One great email a month and two thoughtful posts a week are far more effective than a flurry of content followed by silence. It’s better for your audience and for your sanity.
Start by creating a sustainable minimum schedule you know you can maintain long-term.
My clients find it helpful to have a set schedule for their marketing: “I’ll email my list on the first Tuesday of every month and post a video every Wednesday” is so much easier to sustain than “I’ll post when I remember.”
Again, you don’t need to do this frequently, just consistently. Establish a sustainable schedule and stick to that fucker.
Things You Can Do in an Hour:
Audit your Instagram bio and last nine posts. Do they tell someone new what you do, where you are, and why you’re worth following? (P.S. I offer FREE Instagram audits for my paid subscribers.)
Check your website. Is it easy to buy wine or join the club in two clicks or less? If not, start by streamlining the purchase process.
Add ONE email signup form and offer something of value for joining, like early access to new releases, 10% off the first purchase, or a special bundle for new subscribers.
The Bottom Line
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good: start small, stay consistent, and build your marketing muscles from there.
And if you still feel like you need support, I offer both monthly social media consulting and one-off strategy sessions to help get you on the right track.