“Apple’s ‘Designed in California’ TV ad flops with consumers”, says the headline.  Apple computer just launched a series of ads, and they’re Apple’s lowest rated ad in the last year*.   Considering that Apple ads usually rank very highly, what can we learn so our ads don’t flop? First, here’s the ad that has ranked the […]

What’s your mobile strategy to address the last-minute wine aficionado?  A Google study that was recently commissioned regarding searches by smartphone for hospitality – hotels and motels – showed that 85% of searches were for “last minute” purchases.   That can easily apply to wineries, because a wine tasting room can be considered “hospitality”. The company […]

Want more customer interaction and brand recognition?  Then use a QR code in your campaigns.  They’re free, cheap to include in your materials, and have impressive response rates; according to Nelly Moser research, response rates vary from 3.9% to 26.8%, with a median of 6.4%.  That’s a great rate, and well worth using. QR stands […]

Forget about building a large customer base.  Instead, focus on building a strong base of habitual customers; customers who are so enamored with your products that they automatically think of you whenever they have a need for that type of product. People buy habitually; they have their favorite wine and their favorite restaurant and they […]

With the rise of mobile products (smart phones and tablets) a study done by Google showed that users engage your website at different times, with different objectives: When people have multiple means of connecting with the internet, they tend to start their searches with their smart phones.  They don’t fully engage, though. They instead transfer […]

If you’re a small winery, there are two metrics that will make or break your business.  If you’re a large multi-property winery, these same metrics apply to your properties. If you’re not tracking them, you need to start right away, lest more business escapes from you. Background: Wines and Vines Magazine and ShipCompliant have released […]

You’re fighting a losing battle.  There is a psychological principle that’s causing repeat sales of your wine to stay low, and you probably don’t even know what it is.  It’s happening every day and you’re probably contributing to it. If you’re a small winery, this has a direct impact on your sales. If you’re a […]

Warm weather has arrived. Businesses and industries are developing campaigns to tempt tourists to visit their states and spend their dollars.  New York state has just infused their local wine regions with $60 million to promote tourism in the wine regions.  Arizona’s government has started similar programs to promote the Arizona wine regions. With all […]

When visitors come into your tasting room, what do you say to them in order to start the sale?  The moment they walk in, you have a selling opportunity.  So you want to get the conversation going in the right direction – getting them thinking of purchasing your wine.  So putting aside friendly greetings for […]

The Direct Marketing Association ran a study several years ago on how people make buying decisions.  They asked several thousand people a simple question: “When you are planning to make a significant purchase, how do you decide who to buy from?”  (“Significant” was defined as taking friends to a restaurant, buying tires, taking a pet […]