Top 10 Twitter Do’s and Don’ts for Wineries

Poor old Twitter. It’s been much maligned and misunderstood – often in the spotlight when it comes to scandal, particularly when that scandal involves celebrities. But the reality is, that’s just noise. Sure, there may be a few celebrities telling you what they had for breakfast but that’s not what Twitter’s really about. Twitter is about news, connecting and having conversations. It’s most definitely my social medium of choice but it has taken me some time to really get my head around it and what it can offer. But now that I have, I love it. For its simplicity and for its power.

Australian wineries have also taken to Twitter as their social medium of choice. There are well over 500 Australian wineries on Twitter, and of these, only around 60% have Facebook pages and less than 5% have branded YouTube accounts.

But the bad news is that some of these 500-odd accounts were started with great enthusiasm but have since lain idle for months, or in some cases years. There are others who are are potentially alienating rather than engaging with consumers. And while there are also a lot of wine influencers on Twitter – journalists, sommeliers, bloggers, retailers, and restaurants, for example, there are nowhere near the number of consumers getting involved in wine conversations in Australia compared to North America or Europe where they’re very active in talking about wine.

So how can we start generating more positive consumer conversations around wine? And how can wineries get the most out of Twitter? After recently being asked to present to a winery on “Twitter 101 for Winemakers”, I decided to put together my Top 10 Twitter Do’s and Don’ts for Wineries to help build a loyal following of customers and informal brand ambassadors.

1. Don’t blatantly advertise or spam people

Followers will drop you like a hot potato if you spend all your time in blatant self-promotion. Twitter is all about cultivating relationships and having a conversation. Think about it like interacting at a party. How would you like it if someone came up and spat their advertising spiel in your face? Twitter is not an advertising or direct sales medium. Be patient. It’s about the long term relationship.

2. Do follow the 90:10 (or at least the 80:20) rule

Try to spend 80 to 90 percent of your time on Twitter having conversations or providing educational or entertaining material and only 10 to 20 percent directly promoting your brand. Yes, you do want to blow your own trumpet sometimes, and let’s face it, at the end of the day it’s all about building your brand, but just be aware of doing it in the right way. There are many ways to promote your brand subtly or indirectly while at the same time acknowledging your supporters. If people know they can trust you and feel comfortable with you, without having to put up with a barrage of spam, they are much more likely to respond when you do want to make a brand statement or call to action.

3. Do use Twitter to drive traffic back to your website

Bearing in mind the above point, one of the main objectives of digital marketing is obviously to sell wine. Use blog posts, links to videos and photos, special offers and any positive creative means to drive potential customers back to your website. Just don’t overdo it with the hard sell.

4. Don’t form impenetrable cliques

It’s great to have a chat with your friends on Twitter but be mindful that when you are representing your brand your intention is to relate with your consumers as well. Don’t make your conversation with your industry buddies so intimidating that customers can’t break in.

5. Do check your @Mentions regularly and ensure your responses are timely

@Mentions show you who’s been talking to or about you in the public space. Twitter is all about the immediate response. If you’re not there when someone sends you a tweet, that’s OK – we all have lives to lead and businesses to run, but make sure you check regularly and respond as soon as possible to conversations. And don’t just send out a tweet then walk away. Give people a chance to respond to you, and get a response back before you check out. That’s much more like a normal conversation. Using a mobile Twitter app can alert you to any activity involving your brand if you want to be on top of it all the time.

6. Do @reply to people to generate conversation

People are often concerned that sending @replies will clutter up their stream and everyone will have to read all the conversations they’re having with others. But @replies (where you respond to someone else’s tweet with their @name at the start of the tweet) will only show up in your followers’ streams if they follow both you AND the person you’re replying to. So talk to people and have conversations often by freely using @replies. This is how you really start to engage with people.

7. Do search out conversations to start building a loyal following

If you have a big brand name, chances are people are already talking about you on Twitter. Run a daily search on your brand name and respond to the conversations going on around your brand. You’ll be amazed at the response from consumers who feel you’ve acknowledged them. And you’ll pick up a few new followers. If your brand’s pretty small it may be harder to find conversations around your brand. But how about your region or key varieties – why not search for those and respond to conversations about them? But again, be prudent in how you do this. If someone tweets that they’re visiting your region and looking for suggestions of where to go, for example, why not suggest the local farmers’ market or a great restaurant nearby – remember it’s not about plugging yourself, but you will reap the benefits indirectly.

8. Do retweet other people’s content

One of the great things about Twitter is the ability to retweet. If someone say’s something you think is funny, relevant, poignant, newsworthy, interesting – retweet it. As long as it’s appropriate for your brand, share the love – there’s also more chance you will be retweeted in return.

9. Do get involved with wine tweetups and “variety days”

Over the next month or so there’s all sorts of Twitter activity across the global wine community. There’s the Pinot Smackdown on August 18th, international Cabernet Day on September 1st and Grenache Day on September 24th. Stay aware of what’s happening in the Twitterverse and join in the fun. You don’t have to get on board with everything but make sure you take advantage of the activities that resonate with your brand.

10. Do say thank you

If someone gives you a great rap on Twitter, don’t respond with “Yeah, aren’t we the greatest!” Say thank you. Thank people for mentions and retweets and anything else they might do to support you.

Do you have a favourite Twitter tip you’d like to share? Make a comment below – we’d love to hear it.

And if you’re looking for Australian wineries to follow, head on over to our Twitter page and check out our lists – we currently have 375 Australian wineries listed. If your winery’s not there, make sure you let us know and we’ll add you to the list.

Happy tweeting!