Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/155925
WINE WISE MARKETING ELIZABETH SLATER Think Ahead Now Budget in advance for future success t's that time of year when budgets rear their ugly heads and we have to put pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard – to figure out our marketing expenses for 2014. I know of quite a few wineries, mostly smaller ones, that do not create budgets in advance, but instead opt to find the money to pay for things as they come up. That's not a good idea. While you should definitely have miscellaneous funds that can be used for marketing opportunities that come up during the year, it's important that you create a marketing plan for the year, and assign money for it. Otherwise, you may find + Plan next year's marketing and budthat the money you are gets early. As in now. spending is not effec+ Segment your audiences, marketing tive. As Louis Pasteur and budgets. said, "Chance favors a prepared mind." Planning + Plan for different ways to deliver and budgeting for maryour message to the same audience, keting spends will make printed as well as digital. your campaign more pro+ Track your efforts to see which stratductive and your busiegies and tactics work, and which ness more profitable. do not. Assuming that you have your story worked out – that you know your unique selling proposition and what differentiates you from the herd of wineries in your area – and you know your goals, objectives and the audience you want to reach, you are ready to start on the marketing plan and budget. If not, do this homework first, so that you can create an efficacious marketing plan and spend your money wisely. Segmenting your marketing plan is important. If you sell through the three-tier system as well as direct to consumer, you need to create marketing objectives for SHORT COURSE 18 V I N E YARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT | Sept - Oct 2013 each of the different audiences you wish to reach: + Distributor salespeople + Retailers and restaurateurs + Consumers You should also allot dollars to reach out to wine, food, lifestyle and other media, from traditional printed press to online sites to bloggers. Some of the categories listed on your marketing plan with dollars assigned to them could be: + Collateral materials (printed and electronic) for trade and consumers + Materials, printed and electronic, used for other purposes, such as wine club brochures, on your website, available in the retail room, and packed into wine shipments + Advertising through various means to the trade and consumers, including magazines, newspapers and online + Websites (yours and others), social media and e-mails + Wine samples sent to critics, bloggers and wine competitions SEASONAL BUDGETING As you list the various marketing avenues through which you will advertise or promote your wine, make note of the months that you will need to allocate money. For example, if you host an open house on Thanksgiving weekend, or do a big push for Valentine's Day, you will need to allocate money for that time of year, for w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m