Why Your Winery Should be Using Foursquare

Some social media experts have declared that Foursquare, the geolocation application for mobile devices, to be “the next big thing” in social media. Others believe it to be a passing fancy that will disappear when people tire of the novelty of it.

I, for one, don’t care about the longevity of the product. It is my job to use these tools, trendy or not, to help people increase business. This week, it’s my job to help wineries. So, here we go with a list of why your winery tasting room should be making use of Foursquare, trend or not.

The Whys

1. Drinking Games are Fun – I know, it’s inappropriate and even crass to say to a high end winery, but, it’s a fact: Drinking games are fun. That doesn’t mean Joe Bob and his friends (they’ll be starring in the rest of the article) will use FourSquare to get tanked, but it does mean it adds that extra je ne sais quoi to the wine tasting experience. Foursquare is, at its core, an online game that incentivizes visitors to real world establishments with virtual points, badges, and titles.

I worked off and on in my family’s winery tasting room for over a decade. Some of our biggest days were those when we took part in various treasure hunts or stamp events. People got very excited about collecting stamps…probably a bit more so than they would have had wine not been involved. So, in summary, Foursquare and booze, in any form, are a good match.

2. People who don’t know about it, don’t know about it – Let’s be honest. People who don’t get social media, or even specific social media applications, tend to be hostile toward it. You don’t want to annoy those who want nothing to do with social media. Foursquare is kind of like a secret club. Joe Bob can check in via his own personal web device without Crotchety McGee having a clue.

3. FourSquare check-ins disseminate through various social media networks – When Joe Bob checks in to your establishment, this information is not only shared with other FourSquare users, but, if Joe Bob set up his account in a social way, that information will be shared with his Twitter followers and Facebook friends. Bonus: If Joe Bob happens to have 20,000 Twitter followers and 600 Facebook friends, you just got a lot of word of mouth advertising.

4. FourSquare is a user generated review site – While FourSquare isn’t necessarily billed as a geolocation tracking Citysearch or Yelp, that’s pretty much what it is. If you provide an excellent product and your staff provides excellent customer service, FourSquare users will let other FourSquare users know about it. Better yet, since the the “reviews” are billed as “tips” these reviews tend to be a bit more specific, thus more helpful, than those found elsewhere. For example, instead of saying something like, “Good wine, staff was nice”, Joe Bob may say something like, “Ask to try the Temperance Hill, it’s wonderful,” or “Katie works Saturday afternoons, and she knows her stuff!”.

5. Chances are your tasting room will be added, with or without your permission – Foursquare users can add businesses to the directory themselves. It’s always my opinion that your business should be listed in the way you want it to be listed. Take control early. Not only will you be able to name your business as you want to name it, but putting your business in the Foursquare directory will increase the likelihood of being visited by Foursquare users.

The Hows

1. Nothing required – As mentioned above, Foursquare is primarily a user driven game. You don’t have to do a thing for your business to be involved. Just trust that, some day, it will be. So, do nothing, or add your business yourself.

2. Incentivize the incentives – Foursquare, itself, provides great ideas of how to use Foursquare for your business. Specific to tasting rooms? Offer a 10% discount to anyone who checks into your tasting room. Again, think of it as word of mouth advertising. If you’re a Wine Bar, and have regular customers, offer a higher discount to the Mayor (the person who has checked into your establishment the most), thus creating a little discount competition. Get together with other wineries in your area and offer a small prize to anyone who checks into all of those wineries.

If you’re not ready, yet, to offer any discounts, a simple chalkboard with the Mayor’s name on it can be enough to create buzz for your company’s presence. Not to mention, there’s wine involved, so you’ll probably be taking pictures of many Mayors…which will, inevitably, be uploaded to various social media networks.

Best social media reads of the week (thus far)

It seems people were thinking hard about social media over the holiday break, as some FANTASTIC social media articles and blog posts have been published this week. Below you will find a list of the writings we considered to be the best of the best (thus far).

1. Pepsi Chooses Social Media Over Super Bowl (Media Bullseyse) – If you’re only going to read one article about social media this week, make it this one. Just as the title suggests, Pepsi is redirecting its Super Bowl fund to a Super Social Media campaign. In other words, “It’s been decided that they would rather be talked about in a positive light by millions than have their ad seen by millions of people, even it is the Super Bowl”. Cool move, Pepsi Co.

2. Why Social Media is Still a Red-headed Stepchild (Web Worker Daily) – So true, it’s almost painful to read. Highlights reasons why there is so much resistance from PR and marketing departments regarding social media.

3. How to Say Stupid Things About Social Media (The Guardian) – “Why do people care what I ate for breakfast?”, is a common comment we’ll hear from Twitter skeptics. This article explains why…and they don’t care what you ate for breakfast, so there.

4. 91% of Companies Used Social Media in 2009 (Simply Zesty) – Nice analysis of stats released by the Center of Marketing Research at UMass.

5. 3 Helpful Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2010 (Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide) – Jeremy liked this one so much, he wrote a full analysis of it here, that is equally important to read.

6. Breaking Up in a Digital Fish Bowl (NY Times) – This one doesn’t have anything to do with social media and business, but it is a fascinating read about dating (and breaking up) in the age of Facebook. So happy I’m married. So happy.

Three important and interesting social media trends for 2010

John Bell, managing director of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide has written a good article distilling many social media predictions for 2010 into three very important ones. Pay particular attention to the third prediction, “Blogs Will Resurface As The Popular Hub for Brand’s Social Media Effort.”

This year blogs will redefine themselves for brands. They will be the fast-publishing and ‘voice of the brand’ option for many brands who now have experience in social media via Twitter and Facebook and have a new confidence in expressing themselves socially. It is likely that many brand web sites will merge with their blog. Rather than the awkward examples of this to date where the blog no longer looks or behaves like a blog (more like just another page within the Web 1.0 Web site), we will see Web sites that bear many of the attributes of blogs and Web 2.0 (spontaneous, shareable, subscribable, etc…).

Blogs are not passe. Quite the opposite. They will become a valuable “get more” destination that corporate Twitter handles and Facebook “walls” can point people to.

A few thoughts…

1. We’re seeing, and have been seeing, the need for brands to merge their “web site” with their blog. I say “web site” in quotes because, truthfully, your web site these days should basically be a blog. That is, it needs to have social media and blogging built in with the attributes listed above, “spontaneous, shareable, subscribable.” I would add to that list a clean design with a low user learning curve (standardized navigation, buttons, etc.) and an editorial calendar to keep regular content flowing, which is then supplemented by the spontaneous postings.

2. There is a myth out there that making your web site a little more Web 2.0 (meaning a blog and social media features as a back bone) means that your site will be ugly, basic, square, and text-based. While it certainly can be and that would be perfectly fine as long as the content and messaging are good, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, many company sites can be redone with a CMS (content management system) and blogging built in, yet still look basically the same. In other words, just because your site is blog doesn’t mean it has to be stripped down, basic, or ugly.

3. I agree with the assertion that blogs can be valuable as a “get more info” tool via Facebook and Twitter. There is no harm in promoting your brand, product, etc. via the popular social media channels and then saying, “for more info, visit this page on my site.” With that being said, there are some philosophical and theoretical questions to be asked in regard to driving traffic to your FB page for more info, or to your site for more info, but that’s another discussion altogether.

4. One important use for company blogs, which is not directly mentioned in the article, is that blogs provide a central place for your info, promotions, communications, etc. It’s truly where you own your message and brand. Granted, once that message is out there in the social media ball pit, you will lose a bit of control, but your blog is a safe harbor in a violent sea.

The company blog is also important as a central place for postings because those postings, via an RSS feed, can be sent out to Facebook, Twitter, et al. without you having to do a thing, thus saving a good amount of time. This is particularly important for many of the small businesses with whom we work, who do not usually have dedicated social media and/or PR teams.

Source: 3 Helpful Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2010

I am lovin’ Groupon!

If you like saving money, hop on over to Groupon.com and sign up for e-mail alerts now. If you run a business, hop on over to Groupon.com and sign up for e-mail alerts now. If you like watching success stories in action, hop on over to Groupon.com and sign up for e-mail alerts now.

Personally, I’m a sucker for the site. I love the simplicity of it. I love the colors. I love the hidden menu at the top. And, of course, I love the deals. Here’s how it works.

Every day you will receive an e-mail alerting you of a 24 hour Groupon deal in your city. For example, two weeks ago I was notified of a 10 class yoga pass at a local studio for 50% off, or $50 ($5 for a yoga class, btw, is crazy awesome).

If you want to take part in the deal, sign up. If a pre-determined minimum is reached (25 was the minimum for the yoga studio), the deal goes through. Your credit card will be charged and you’ll receive a certificate for your purchase. If that minimum isn’t reached, the deal is a no-go. No harm, no foul.

Businesses benefit by getting new customers through the door (priceless), and a nice wad of cash from all who signed up. And, keep in mind, businesses set the minimum, meaning, if it’s only worth their time for a guaranteed $1000, they can make that happen.

Returning to that yoga studio (link to the deal here), 132 certificates were purchased. At $50 a pop, that studio brought in an extra $6600 in that 24 hour period (minus Groupon’s percentage, which changes depending on the business, but seems quite reasonable). That’s 132 customers trying out that studio, and $6600 they didn’t have at the beginning of the day. Not too shabby.

So, what are you waiting for? If you’re looking to save money or find some great holiday gifts, sign up for Groupon alerts now! If you’re looking to expose your business to a large audience and, perhaps, get some extra cash flowing, contact Groupon today.

Our social media reads of the day 11/03/09

1. Social Media in Healthcare Cheat Sheet – Just a quick blog post that got my wheels turning. Doctors using social media? I find it creepy and fantastic at the same time.

2. Six Social Media Trends for 2010 – BusinessWeek and HarvardBusiness.org present a list of social media trends to look out for in 2010. There’s nothing mind blowing to be found in the list, but it’s worth a glance. I do hope to see #4 happen, as we’ve seen a lot of damage done to various brands due to lack of social media policy.

3. Five Ways to Make your E-Mail Marketing Campaign Shine – The reason I like this one is because it focuses on e-mail marketing, and we’ve seen this most effective means of communicating with customers overlooked in this new world of “social media marketing”. Social media is about reaching out to the people. Why would you ignore the people who have voluntarily signed up for your e-mail newsletter, essentially saying, “Please contact me anytime you have anything to sell…because I am interested”???

These are your best customers. Don’t ignore them.

LB Media Recommends: Crush it!

From our e-mail newsletter sent 10/29/09

Have you picked up your copy of Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Crush It” yet? While some may find benefit in the book’s motivational “live your passion” pages, we’re recommending it to our clients because of Gary V’s sagacious approach to social media.

Most people receiving this e-mail have already expressed to us interest in social media. Some of you have embraced this new marketing opportunity and are beginning to reap the rewards. Others remain a bit hesitant.

To those who have already embraced social media, Gary V will continue to broaden your awareness of your social media reach. New promotions will come to mind. New platforms will be introduced. To those who have remained hesitant, we believe Gary V can alleviate your social media fears while assuring you that any time spent in the world of social media will be greatly beneficial to your business or organization.

Finally, we’re recommending this book to you, our clients, because Gary V chooses, in many instances, to play the role of photographer, wine shop owner, restaurant manager, real estate agent, non-profit organizer and public relations manager. Since so many of you fall directly into these categories, and so many more fall into closely associated categories, we felt obligated (and excited) to share this book with you.

Again, if you want the motivation, it’s there for you. However, if you’re like us, you’ll want to focus on the social media sections. It’s a quick 120 page read, and spending the afternoon absorbing it may forever change the way you think about your business…and that’s a great thing.

Buy Crush It! from Amazon.com

For Borders Rewards members, feel free to use this 40% off coupon if you choose to buy from Borders.

Social media certification programs? Tweet me to be Lunabean Media certified

Does anyone else get the feeling that these social media certification programs that a popping up across the country are a scam? Pay upwards of $3000, take an 8-week course, and you can walk away with a certificate saying you’re “certified” in social media?

I’m all for the education and the spreading of the social media love, but, seriously, if anyone came to us with a resume that included their social media certificate, the first thing I’d think is that they got scammed, which isn’t a great personality trait to display when seeking a job.

The second thing I’d think is their brain doesn’t work in the way I’d expect from a social media “expert”, because, this early in the game, the true experts out there either get it or they don’t. In that eight week course, that expert might learn a couple of new techniques, but $3000 worth? The true experts aren’t going to bite, so those who are certified are going to be the people who weren’t at the top of the social media game to begin with.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe these courses are creating social media geniuses, but I have yet to find one.

Feel free to prove me wrong. I’d love to get some feedback on this. Otherwise, tweet me @LunabeanMedia and ask for the Lunabean Media Social Media Certification program. It’s for those who are think that these certification programs, at this point in the game, smell a little fishy. I’ll certify you right on Twitter…for free.

Add Social Media to your Gmail signature with WiseStamp

We love Gmail. In fact, we love Gmail so much we redirect all of our Lunabean and LunabeanMedia e-mail accounts to Gmail. In our opinion, Gmail’s only fault is that it only allows for plain text signatures. Not cool for those of us who want to spread the social media love via our day-to-day e-mails.

This is where WiseStamp, a Firefox extension, comes in. With WiseStamp, you can add Rich Text, HTML, and/or all of your favorite social media links your Gmail signature (it also works for AOL Mail, Hotmail, and Yahoo! mail). I even have it hooked up to point to my latest blog entry. How cool is that?

Check out this WiseStamp demo video and get your e-mail connected to the social media accounts of your choosing. It’s an easy way to get your contacts to check out your social media presence, which, for most of us, is a good thing.

New IPNC site has launched

We’re pleased to announce the launch of the newly redesigned
International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) website.

If you’re familiar with the site, you might not see much difference between this year’s design and that of last year. However, the subtle changes have made a tremendous impact in the realm of web site navigation and usability.

Why, if we’ve been designing the site for nearly ten years, did we need to improve over last year’s site? Because this was the year that we were finally able to get across to our friends at the IPNC that a web site is a web site, not an online version of a print brochure. And, for a web site to be a web site, usability and navigation are the most important elements. Period. Once you accept that, everything else will fall into place.

So, we got to it. We increased the font size, widened the site container, introduced a new and prominent navigation system, added breadcrumb navigation, added a new footer, and popped Facebook, Twitter, and Wordpress icons to the top right corner (social media training still to come).

We are thrilled with the result, as is the IPNC. Please enjoy: IPNC.

If you have any comments, positive or negative, please share, as they will certainly be taken into account.

Social Media for Wineries (Training Kit)

It’s time to join the conversation. Features Instantly downloadable 113-page eBook. Read it on your computer or print it out and create your own hard copy. Written by 10-year social media veterans with extensive knowledge of the wine industry. More info… Broken into three sections: Strategies, Facebook, and Twitter. 9 how-to videos. Over 20 actionable marketing ideas that you can implement now! More info below $29.99

Details

Included in Lunabean Media’s “Social Media Training Kit for Wineries” is everything we offer in our winery social media training sessions with the exclusion of our warm bodies. Training comes in the form of Downloadable PDF documents and several easy to access training videos.

Whether you are completely new to social media or you just aren’t getting the results you need with your current social media campaigns, this Training Kit will help you!

Included you will find:

Social Media Strategies for Wineries (PDF).

This manual provides an overview of social media, best practices, brand reputation management, how to measure success, and most importantly over 20 easily executable social media marketing ideas that you can use at your winery to engage customers, build a fan base, and create brand evangelists.

Table of Contents

Facebook for Wineries (PDF).

Facebook is a powerful tool for wineries, but you have to know how to use it effectively. This manual covers every detail of Facebook from creating a Fan Page to adding custom applications to creating a Facebook ad. Most importantly it details the type of content to post and how to effectively post it. In addition, it includes best practices and 7 how-to videos that will save you time and help to focus your efforts.

Table of Contents

Twitter for Wineries (PDF).

Twitter provides wineries a unique opportunity to not only engage their customers but, perhaps more importantly, to listen in to conversations about their wine and the industry in general. The problem is there are many misconceptions about Twitter and many wineries get overwhelmed by the plethora of Twitter options and opinions. Our Twitter manual for wineries explains Twitter and teaches you how to use it. You’ll be retweeting, tagging your tweets, and using Twitter advanced search faster that you can say #TTL (Twitter Tasting Live). In addition, it will teach you how to search effectively, create a following, and use tools that will help to manage and simplify your Twitter efforts. This manual also includes 2 how-two videos (Twitter basics and advanced practices).

Table of Contents

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