Winery Digital Marketing Checklist & Ideal Pairings When Selecting an Agency

Some of us appreciate and enjoy a glass of wine while we're writing a Blog post or a monthly newsletter. Those in the wine industry --winemakers, vloggers and wine educators for instance hold a glass of wine while educating on channels like YouTube and others. Most have a business that they are able to promote via their education. In marketing lingo, it's called "give and take". You give from a place of knowledge and passion about your subject and receive something in return. A small 'conversion' is 'subscribe' and receive 'alerts' and a larger conversion is a visit to your website or an online store or a physical store. 

At Agile, we are coupling an expertise in wine and the wine industry with our digital marketing craft. This now includes having casual conversations about wine and travel as well.   

WSET_Level 2_Wines_BLACK1024_sm-150 Recently, the founder of Agile, Alan, received the WSET Level 2 (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) certification. And with the wind in the sails, he is continuing in an exploration of wines, with travel a continuing priority - recent international and U.S. trips include Hungary, Austria, Germany, Italy and the Williamette Valley region of Oregon. He lives 45 minutes from Napa Valley. Additionally, wine industry marketing remains a focus.   

Wine industry marketing has taken on new meaning these days. New challenges include the extent to which  online conferencing and webinars to reach a broader audience of new followers. An additional challenge and one Alan and his team are able to assist with is finding and retaining top marketing talent.  And in the vineyards, supply chain challenges continue and the trend is toward organic and even biodynamic. Many wineries are exploring B-Corp certification.

According to  Prithvi Nagpal, Editor & Sommelier, Beverage Trade Network in the article, Top 12 Digital Marketing Trends For The Wine Industry In 2022  "Social Media Marketing has evolved a lot and 2022 will evolve at the fastest pace. It shouldn’t be limited to just posting photos occasionally."

A Short List of Marketing Strategies For Your Winery Checklist 

As a HubSpot Partner agency, Agile follows HubSpot content closely. In their Top 5 Marketing Trends of 2022, respondent results fell into these top strategy trends. Expect these trends to continue into 2023:

  • Influencer Marketing
  • Mobile-friendly website design
  • Short-form video content
  • Virtual events
  • Experiential marketing

Criteria for Selecting a Digital Marketing Agency in 2022 and 2023

 What should I look for when shopping for a wine industry marketing agency? 

  1. Experience and age of the agency
  2. Experience working in several industries, including wine and spirits
  3. Single source of multiple services
  4. Omni-Channel approach (i.e., ability to compare effectiveness and emphasize one marketing channel over another)
  5. Foundation in organic lead generation and a paid lead generation base of experience
  6. Strong content marketing focus to generate leads and grow the brand
  7. PR service inclusion

Maintaining your focus in 2022 and into 2023 on the above strategies and partnering with an agency with the above characteristics will ensure success for many years to come. At Agile Digital Marketing, we believe the most exciting times are here for marketing success. We're bullish on the future and the value of each dollar invested gets higher and higher. As we all know, there's almost no limit to how much we can learn. Here's to your success in both wine industry knowledge and digital marketing at your winery.  

About Agile Digital Marketing

As a certified HubSpot inbound marketing and growth agency, Agile Digital works with wineries to 'bake in' those top strategy trends that are not already present. Our mission is to equip your winery with the tools and skills to be self-sustaining with your day-to-day marketing tasks and weekly or monthly reporting. Agile provides a range of equipping services including social media strategy and implementation, content development, website development, Story & Brand incorporation, SEO and PPC, Content Marketing, Campaign set-up and lead generation as well as client retention. We use a team of professionals with a range of digital marketing/growth expertise—Business Process, SEO, paid Ads, analytics, content, reviews, paid social, digital strategy, and more—which means the services you need now or in the future are in a single place. No more shopping among vendors required. With a broad network, we go beyond marketing as well. We work closely with local videographers, full motion/animated videographers and still photographers for professional business shots of team members.  Strong partnerships exist with top HR and professional service advisors -- these partners contribute to long-term growth or even a short-term exit such as sale of a business or planning for a sale. 

Our early planning and goal setting process uncovers core needs that benefit your business.

Agile Digital engages with clients in several capacities:

  • Our team of specialists helps grow your business with weekly and monthly support
  • Transitional digital marketing services to support your in-house marketing department
  • Growth and development of team members in marketing and sales