If we divided up the world, there’s likely two distinct camps: those who love to write and those who hate to write.

As you raise your hand and represent your people, let’s do this instead. Assume that writing a blog post is something every winery can do, something every winery should do. 

Here’s why this is important.

People are searching for information.

Right now, at this very moment an uncountable and ever-growing number of people are typing into internet search bars, waiting for results to connect them to the things they want and need. Digital marketing expert Neil Patel found that 93% of all online experiences start this way. According to the numbers, a whole lot of these people are looking for wine to purchase online and have shipped to their homes. A recent article in Forbes says that some digital marketplaces saw immense increases in sales during March 2020, calling this A Month Bigger Than Christmas.

Even if your winery doesn’t participate in one of the big marketplaces, you can still get a piece of the pie by drawing customers to your winery’s ecommerce page. You probably inform your mailing list and social media followers of news and offers, but potential customers aren’t included there. To catch these buyers, you need to grab their attention while they are searching, which means the internet needs to know that your winery is a potential answer to their thirsty hunt for more wine.

SEO isn’t as complicated as it sounds.

Let’s pretend that a person types “buy wine online with free shipping” into the search bar. If you’ve recently published a blog post that tells your audience that they can “buy wine online with free shipping” somewhere in the context, your post may rise to the top of the heap and appear on the person’s screen. 

If that messaging only went out to your mailing list, the internet doesn’t know about it and potential new customers don’t know about it either. These are the basics behind search engine optimization (SEO). It’s like tossing your hat in the ring to let all comers know you are game. In the case of online marketing with skilled SEO, you toss the words they are searching for onto the internet, which lets users know you have wine to sell.

Be consistent.

Blogging is an SEO tool, but so much more. When you publish content, you increase the touchpoints that hang out on the internet. For this reason, be consistent. One post about free shipping isn’t a long term solution. But a yearly or quarterly plan to blog about the topics people will search for as their lives evolve, empowers your winery to be top of mind (and page) as time marches on. (Hint: You can count on a flood of searches for “wines to pair with Thanksgiving,” so write about it.)

It’s fine to be a so-so writer.

Have you heard that phrase perfection is the enemy? This applies to blogging. Without a doubt, you need to be honest and accurate. Beyond that, it’s ok to let a typo or two slip by, or to write as you speak. Don’t stress about your skill here, this isn’t English class! You and everyone else on your staff is good at what they do, and blogging should be seen as a transfer of information, not a test of your writing ability.

If you (or your team) simply do not have the time or desire to take this on, consider hiring a writer that can help.

Be a resource.

Blogging positions your winery team as experts. You are publishing valuable information and people will utilize it. They will read it, and if it’s good stuff, they will probably share it. According to Wine Spirits Education Trust (WSET) 110,000 candidates earned a qualification last year—a 15% increase year-on-year. People are not only interested in buying wine, they are eager to learn about it, and enjoy the clout that comes from being armed with wine-related information.

Get every bit of value from your words.

Remember when wineries used to send printed newsletters with wine club shipments? This was blogging in early form, but without the power of digital omnipresence. When you publish or republish written content online, you take advantage of SEO to bring your story to more people. 

The same thing goes for virtual tastings or seminars on social media, which are excellent for engagement, but they also miss out on the currency of SEO. Create a blog post about the event (embed the video after the show, if possible) and help more people find these conversations and educational opportunities when they search online.

Here’s how you get started:

• Look into your blogging options from a tech perspective. If you don’t already have a blog space on your website, how can you get one?

• Make a list of keywords you want customers to know about your winery and offerings. Always include “buy wine online” or a similar call to action. Later in the year it could be “tasting room coupons” or “winery concerts” along with your location. These words should be appropriately included in your content, if possible as part of the title. (For example: Beautiful Vineyards releases a summer winery concert calendar.)

• Brainstorm a list of topics that you want to cover. These should include news-y items (like shipping deals and, when the time comes, events) but they can be anything about the goings on around the winery. 

• Make a calendar and lay out your topics—at least one post per month, more if you can. Think about what people will want to know and what you’ll be doing during each part of the year.

• Decide who will write each post (could be different members of the team, depending on expertise) and distribute calendar reminders.

Hints:

• There are bonus points for beauty, so include pictures of anything or anyone that you cover in your post.

• Each post should be shared on social media, sent out to your mailing list, and parsed appropriately. If there is a killer quote from your winemaker for example, use that far and wide in your communications.

• A word count between 500-800 words often works. But that’s just a guideline.

• Always include a link to your online store clearly in each post. This is your call to action which will bring users to “Buy wine now”  or “Get free delivery now,” for example.

We’ll leave you with this golden rule: be unfailingly authentic. These are tips to be effective and to grow your audience, but remember that you have something people want, it’s time to tell them more about it.

If you need help creating a blog for your website, or if you have a blog but need custom content, reach out to Highway 29 Creative. Our team of expert and professional wine communicators can help.

Simon Solis-Cohen is the founder of Highway 29 Creative, a leading digital and creative agency serving the wine industry. He challenges clients to think about the future and constantly innovate. The agency chases data, not fads, and provides one-stop shopping for wineries looking to enter or jolt their direct to consumer sales. Their approach starts by designing and building a website focused on conversion (wine sales, club sign ups & tasting room reservations) and then dives into each digital channel with consistent and effective content and messaging. What to learn more or looking for advice? Shoot Simon a message at simon@hwy29creative.com.