Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/155925
UNCORKING PR PAUL WAGNER never find yourself selling wines in the marketplace without the appropriate POS support materials. tegic alliances with partners who share your goals and interests, yet don't compete for your customers. It is not always possible to lay out the complete strategic alliance for a full year, but you should have a few options in the plan. And you must have a clear idea of what you expect these alliances to do for you. Write it out and track it. METRICS MATTER A PR plan should be based on solid marketing strategy. Photo: Thinkstock If you sell your wines outside your local area, you need to include a section of the 12-month plan that addresses when winery principals will travel to those markets to support the brand. Try to plan this in advance, to the point of identifying key journalists you want to meet during the visit. Major wine writers often book their schedules months in advance, so it is important to check these dates with the writers and make sure that they are open. You should also be able to identify special events that you have selected to reach particular groups or audiences. I've written many times about how important these events are – and how important it is to have measurable goals and objectives for them. Write it all out as part of your plan, so that you always know – and show – how you are doing. If you have the money to organize your own events at the winery or in other locations, these should also be included in the PR plan and calendar. Part of the plan is finding straw w w. v w m media.com How will you know that your plan is working? This is a key part to any PR program. You must develop metrics for all of these activities, and they should be included in the plan. You might consider focusing on the media for one part of the plan. You will want to generate stories in key publications, and these stories should emphasize the key messages of your brand. If your campaign generates a story that includes these key messages, that's a solid victory. Good football coaches often develop a list of some 15 plays that they think might be successful at the start of the game. These are things they believe will work, and if they do work, the coach will continue to pound away with them. But inherent in that game plan is the possibility that some of those Advertise Now Online plays might not work, or that some will turn out to be unstoppable. This is where the European contract PR system breaks down. These contracts are set in stone, and don't allow for much flexibility. When something works well, we don't really have the resources to move ahead more aggressively with it. And when something seems less productive, we can't stop doing it to focus on more rewarding activities; we have to fulfill the letter of the law in the contract. Start with a well-thought-out plan that addresses all of the goals and objectives you have for the year, and include a system of measurements that will help you evaluate what is working and what is not. It's that time of year when you should be looking at that plan, measuring the results and making the changes you need to succeed during the next 12 months. Paul Wagner formed Balzac Com- munications & Marketing and is an instructor for Napa Valley College's Viticulture and Enology Department. He has been a columnist for V&WM since 2003. Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. In Print 707.577.7700 S e p t - O c t 2 0 13 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 17