Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/1007939
68 WINES&VINES August 2018 TASTING ROOM FOCUS W ine clubs are the lifeblood of a winery's direct-to-consumer program. You can't just let them run on autopilot if you want to keep your members. Here are 10 tips to strengthen both a club program and relationships with members. 1 Customize One size does not fit all. Traditionally, wineries ex- pected club members to take the wines the winery wanted to sell, and that was that. Nowadays, every business is customizing to let customers get what they want, and wineries need to do the same. If you want to keep and grow your most lucrative sales channel, then you need to offer customizing – the percent of customers who actu- ally choose to customize will be surprisingly small, but the return on your investment will be huge. If people see you're willing to send them the wines they want, the way they want, they'll be more likely to join and buy more. 2 Be a good tasting room partner If you are working in the wine club department, come and work in the tasting room one Satur- day afternoon each month, especially during the summer when club members visit the winery and shipments are fewer. It's a chance to hear firsthand what your members are saying about your club. Since members frequently bring friends, it's a chance for you to sign up more like-minded members. It also shows your tasting room partners you are part of the team and not just managing the club from the office. 3 Create benefits for tenure Just like a marriage where the first anniversary gift is paper and the 50th is diamonds, your rela- tionship with your club members should get better over time. Find a way to reward long- time club members. This doesn't necessarily mean bigger discounts, but rather think about privileges that give your members bragging rights. Lunch with the winemaker for local members or a stay in the guest cot- tage for top out-of-area members could fill the bill. Clubs that include benefits for long- term members and promote this benefit are more successful, especially with lower attri- tion rates. 4 Create benefits for out-of-area mem- bers Are your members day-trippers? Or do most of your members live further away? We know that we need reasons for out-of- area guests to join the club since they can't come in for frequent complimentary tastings. Some benefits that could be considered are: letting members gift their privileges to local friends or others who travel to wine country, make sure they are the first to know about winemaker dinners in their area, etc. 5 Offer a party in a box One of the big en- ticements to join a wine club are invita- tions to member parties. For those who can't, create a party in a box. Give them the theme, the recipes and a deal on the wines that will be poured at the party. Encourage them to host their own event and post the pictures on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. 6 Stay in touch beyond shipment emails Relationships are based on frequent com- munication. Nobody likes to hear from a win- ery only when it wants money. One of the main reasons people join your wine club is the insider connection to the winery. Create a communications calendar with topics for monthly emails to members. These don't have to be long, just relevant to your club mem- bers' interests. Tell them what's happening in the vineyard, introduce new club or tasting 10 Tips for Successful Wine Clubs Whether online or in person, DtC sales are dependent on consumer engagement Connect with consum- ers beyond sales with vineyard updates, winemaker interviews and fun photos.