Twitter and the wine industry: Micro-blogging, marketing and waxing poetic
Today, the Napa Valley Marriott asked on Twitter if a list of wineries that use Twitter existed. I’m guessing plenty of responses came in, as is usually the case when a challenge or contest is posted on Twitter.
Shortly after, napamarriott posted a response that indeed included a link to a list of wineries that use Twitter.
Here’s a summary of the exchange:
napamarriott Is there a list of wineries that twitter?
napamarriott RT @mkissian: @napamarriott yes, there is a list of wine tweeps: http://tinyurl.com/9q6w34
It turns out, at least according to the site acanmedia.com, that over 60 known wineries today use Twitter. Here is the full link:
Wineries on Twitter
(http://acanmedia.com/wiki/index.php5?title=Wineries_on_Twitter)
So why care?
Well, I for one, believe that when used correctly, Twitter can be an excellent way to connect with people with like interests, to subtly market your products, web site, blog or even, in this case, your winery… and to share useful information.
Done poorly, though, and Twitter quickly becomes another spamfest; tweets pouring in, endlessly promoting a product or company, while providing little of interest otherwise.
I’ve enjoyed some good ones like Alder from Vinography who has been tweeting from the wine writer’s symposium (search #spww on Twitter), sharing useful tidbits here and there (he just tweeted the results of the merlot vs. cabernet blind tasting: the panel got it right 60% of the time), and waxing poetic on the world of wine while hobnobbing with folks like Eric Asimov of the excellent New York times wine blog, The Pour.
Another one to follow is the Napa Marriott. Yes, the hotel. They run contests, offer interesting factoids about Napa, and provide a steady (but not overly) stream of Tweets from Napa. Well done.
Some of my favorites wine types to follow on Twitter:
Twitter is still in its infancy, and many debate its merit, future and impact. Is it just another time sink? Or a useful way to reach new audiences?
One thing we know, Twitter will be around for a while after receiving an additional $35M in VC funding. It will be interesting to see if Google, Facebook or other Web 2.0 leader snatches them up. Although I’m not sure what strategic purpose it would serve. I know it’s not about money, Twitter is still figuring out, like a lot of Web 2.0 start-ups, a profitable business model (let me guess, it involvesadvertising!)
Let me know what you think in the comments… and what are some of your favorite Twitter feeds to follow?
Clinton StarkCo-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, Fan of Napa (and Diet Coke)
Clint co-founded StarkSilverCreek and writes about social media, arts, wine, indie film, and his trusty Droid. An aging ice hockey player, he tries in vain to direct Loni in SSC videos. Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Clint is a Silicon Valley and new media entrepreneur. From the early PC clone days in the 80’s, to the explosion of telecom and networking in the 90’s, and now to social networking, Web 2.0 and software-as-a-service, Clint has successfully built businesses and start-ups into multi-million dollar operations. Recently as VP marketing he spearheaded the launch of a $110M company. But that was then.
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Clinton- I liked the post and thank you very much for including us in it. We, too, believe that twitter (when used properly) can be an unbelievable tool for our business. We’ve helped countless people with restaurant and winery tour recommendations, hotel reservations (we provide deals for our tweeps), and general info a out the Napa Valley. We try not to constantly bombard our audience with sell messages, but rather try to be part of the conversation. We’re still learning too, but we’re really happy to be following (and be followed by) folks like yourself. Cheers!