How 29 tweets per day has grown our wine business
January 5, 2011 - The Wines
A copy of my article that was recently published in Wine Business Magazine
I was reading my October copy of WBM and I came across Larry Lockshin’s article “Anti-social media”. Larry’s comments were completely in contradiction to my experience of twitter and so I tweeted about it. I asked people to re-tweet me, if they had never heard of Capital Wines before twitter. Within a short period of time @capitalwines started trending.
You see Larry was wrong about twitter and I am writing this to tell you why. We are a small winery – tiny actually, but are moving our production from 2000 cases to 5000 in 2011. Part of the reason for the increase is because we will open our cellar door in 2011 and the other reason is because of twitter.
I have been on twitter for 552 days (since May 15th 2009). I have tweeted 16,084 times. That is an average of 29.1376812 times per day if you are counting. I can’t remember my first tweet and had no idea where the journey would take me, but thought I should explore twitter as a way to promote our wine business.
Capital Wines was formed in August 2008. We purchased Kyeema Wines, one of the more established Canberra District wineries and became custodians of the renowned Kyeema Vineyard. I knew we had a great product, but quickly became overwhelmed, wondering how on earth we were going to get some cut through in a market place flooded with good product. A friend told me about twitter and so I thought I would log in and have a look.
With the mercury dropping outside, there’s not much to do on a cold May evening in the village of Gundaroo, so I tweeted. Within a few seconds someone tweeted me back. All of a sudden I had a few followers and found a few new friends. Now we are the second most followed Australian winery with just over 4,000 followers. (Teusner Wines are number one).
OK so some of these followers are bots and people that will never buy wine but there are many interesting followers too. Many prominent wine and food journalists are on twitter and I chat with them regularly. I have exchanged tweets with Jancis Robinson, Oz Clarke, Gary Vaynerchuk and celebrity Chefs such as Jamie Oliver. Neil Perry recently re-tweeted a video I made of our vineyard, restaurant and kitchen gardens. Normally, I would be watching him on TV, but on twitter the boundaries change.
Larry Lockshin raises the question about time spent on social media being significant, so I did the maths on our tweet account. 29 tweets per day at about 15 seconds to write is equal to 7.25 minutes per day. Add to this the time spent reading other peoples tweets – let’s say that’s four times the time spent to actually tweet and we have a total of 36.25 minutes per day. I work on my computer all day and keep my tweet deck minimized on screen, so it is really not that much extra effort to flick in and out of twitter here and there. How many sales calls could you realistically make in that time and at what expense?
Larry’s article talks about twitter being used mainly by trade talking to each other. He states that it is a good substitute for old communication channels but is not good for attracting new buyers. I’m trade and I buy wine – don’t other wineries buy wine too? I have also made a lot of friends on twitter. Wineries, restaurants and others right across Australia; right across the world actually! By getting to know restaurateurs via twitter, we are not just another winery making cold calls to their restaurant.
Most of our stockists came from twitter – certainly all of our interstate restaurants, our east coast distributor and our Western Australian distributor are all new buyers due to twitter. As well as trade, we have lots of consumers buying our wine and new members in our cellar club. I have sent our wine to people around the world and am in the process of talking to several potential distributors regarding export. October sales from twitter were just over 3 pallets, which is significant for a small winery like ours.
Larry talks about the consumer not caring about brand. “one $20 shiraz is as good as another and there is no remorse when one brand is substituted for another”. This may be true, but by building friendships and community you are more likely to have people make an emotional investment in your brand than if you are just a faceless product that has no interaction with the consumer.
“Marketing’s goal is to remind consumers of your brand so it comes to mind when they purchase.” Um – yep Larry that’s why twitter is so powerful because it is in real time. When it comes to brand, twitter has put ours out amongst the big players. I have had large South Australian wineries contact us to buy Kyeema shiraz for benchmarking. Mr Lockshin continues “This can be done through shelf facings in retail, through newsletters, wine dinners, cellar door visits, and all the other means we have for bringing our brand to the buyer’s notice”. All those things come at a cost and twitter has a reach beyond traditional channels of selling.
Larry uses statistics on an advertisement about junior masterchef as evidence about online messages. This is really flawed data. It is trying to demonstrate how very few people were talking (electronically) about an advertisement for junior masterchef whilst watching the finale of the Masterchef series. This is the whole point; no one is going to react to advertising. Where is the data on the electronic conversation about the masterchef show as it was being watched? My recollection of it, was that #masterchef was trending globally on twitter during the screening of the main series.
My friend Carmel (who I met on twitter @carmR) has built her entire restaurant business from twitter. She sells our wines on her restaurant list. Via twitter, we watched as she searched for a restaurant site, through to employing the Chef and then opening her gorgeous Italian restaurant. @_LaCasa . Last week she happened to see a tweet by the 7pm program looking for Oprah fans. She responded and then using twitter rounded up a heap of fans to come to the restaurant that night. It turns out they were filming footage to be shown on the Oprah show itself. I would like to put a price on that sort of publicity.
So how do you sell on twitter? Well actually I don’t. I just tweet and talk to people and build relationships – sometimes I just tweet a lot of rubbish – but its fun and the relationships build. The first person I sold wine to was Stuart Knox at Fix St James @fixstjames. He has continued to list our wine ever since.
Many people get twitter wrong – they just blast advertising or spam at people with little interaction or interest in other tweeters. Cordie from @ryn_and_cordie is a consumer on twitter. She had this to say to me about Larry’s article. “Some people will do twitter well and some will not. Those that don’t are unfortunately likely to blame the tool. People like us represent the consumer part of the puzzle, and through twitter and facebook, consumers now have a much louder voice, so rock on! Clearly it works! None of us would have been introduced on such a personal level to all of you lovely producers without it (which makes a difference when making a purchasing decision, well...that, and a good product).”
So I will continue to build our business through twitter. I will just keep tweeting and the interest in our product will keep growing.
This article has 17 comments.
“Fantastic article Jen,well done. We've been opened 3 months and it's been a great success and I do believe Twitter played a big part in having us reviewed in the Telegraph on three different days and mentioned also twice in Good Living's Short Black section. Without Twitter we would have been JUST another suburban eatery.
-- Carm Ruggeri (January 5, 2011)
”
You would never have been "just' another suburban eatery. Those are the best meatballs in the world and your genuine, warm welcome would have had them lining up (like they do now). -- Jennie
“Very, very nice - so many great insights into modern marketing, backed up by real sales success eg 'So how do you sell on twitter? Well actually I don’t. I just tweet and talk to people and build relationships...'
Here's to a great 2011 and looking forward to more wine (and airline) stories!
Ken
-- Ken Burgin (January 5, 2011)
”
Cheers Ken -- Jennie
“Agree 100%
To expand on my tweet, I believe that Twitter is a great tool for selling. Particularly to people like me. Increasingly I buy products based on tighter and tighter focused information, advertising or commentary. I like my information to be current, I like to feel like I'm in on the current trend, riding the coat-tails of somebody who knows better.
It allows me to feel like each purchase is well considered and researched, because I get this information directly from real people in the industry. Just about everyone I follow on Twitter, I follow because I trust their opinions (trust based on observing their interactions with others, following their arguments and jokes and observing their products... yes ok it's voyeurism with a Credit Card) and when someone you trust says "hey this is a great wine you should try" then I am very, very likely to do just that.
Twitter works, it's not difficult, it's incredibly simple.
-- dpwebber (January 5, 2011)
”
Very true Damien. "Hey we make great wine!" 
Cheers J. X -- Jennie
“Love your work, Jen! Great job!
-- Sue. D. (January 5, 2011)
”
Thanks Sue X -- Jennie
“Perfectly said. Selling is about building relationships and delivering a promise.
What twitter does as well - as you point out - is engages real time with consumers something I doubt any other medium could do.
Out of this investment you get consumers who are brand ambassadors, championing your brand and products.
It helps if you make sh*t hot wine too!
Cheers
Stuart
aka @JetRobins
-- Stuart (January 5, 2011)
”
Thanks Stuart. X Jen -- Jennie
“Probably the most concise totally conclusive piece I have seen on Twitter and its use. So many 'marketers' think that this is another channel which you flood with marketing speak, have publishing schedules FFS, totally missing the point that this is a relationship vehicle.
Sincerely hope that the quoted Larry Lockshin has taken good notice of all the valid points made. I cannot believe that incorrect information and viewpoints could be rebuffed so eloquently. Well done.
-- Gerald Englebretsen (January 5, 2011)
”
Thank you very much. Cheers Jen. -- Jennie
“Great read. Agree a lot. For a small business, in a rural area, it is a brilliant way to connect with other people that are passionate about the sames things. Like wine, the beer community online is significant, really interested in what's new, and enthusiastic consumers of not only the beer, but events, news, new releases, etc. It just would not be possible to connect with so many other like minded peeps without it. Thanks for the post. Karen, Red Hill Brewery
-- Red Hill Brewers (January 5, 2011)
”
Hey Karen, cheers! - LOVE that brewery of yours. We visited it recently when on the Mornington Peninsula. Great facility you have there and very popular.
We were looking a winery cellar doors. But have a look at this. You may enjoy. Cheers Jen. X Mornington Peninsula -- Jennie
“Great article Jen - very well written. Go Twitter.....
-- Julie (January 5, 2011)
”
Thanks Jules.I was quite excited to have something published Jen X X -- Jennie
“Good article. Interesting and I read to the end!
Cheers
Sean
-- Sean Mitchell (January 5, 2011)
”
Cheers Sean! -- Jennie
“Great article! I joined twitter in 2007 and have found it to be the best way to get and exchange information ... Everyone uses it differently and people get different results.. If it isn't working for you or isn't making sense ... Maybe you are using it wrong for you. Love your use of it and how you have made it work for you
-- Lanne (January 5, 2011)
”
Cheers Lanne -- Jennie
“This article is exactly what I love about Twitter: well written Jen, and congratulations on your well deserved success.
I love the serendipity that Twitter facilitates, the community, the learning, the relationships and true friendships that develop. I met Carm Ruggeri at a "tweetup" after first interacting with her on Twitter. What a success she and her team have been, in large part to Twitter.
I'd also rate Brasserie Bread, a Sydney artisan bakery/cafe for their use of Twitter (disclaimer : I gave them help along the way and connected them with many food bloggers and others on Twitter) The bakery went on to run "tweetups" in Sydney city locations, drawing in their community and new customers to try their bread. Word spread online, and their business continues to grow.
It's a fantastic tool, and I recommend to everyone I meet that they should pay attention to people like yourself, Carm, Brasserie Bread and others and see for themselves how Twitter can be used for business benefit.
Best regards,
Tony Hollingsworth
-- Tony Hollingsworth (January 5, 2011)
”
Thanks Tony. Love that Brasserie Bread - no wonder QANTAS have it flying around in their premium cabins. Yum! Cheers Jen X -- Jennie
“Hi Jen - thx so much for sharing yr experiences, not just for the wine industry but for others, also. We too are finding twitter, fb and social media in general invaluable for forming new relationships and increasing engagement locally, nationally and internationally.
Several of yr points are key: u r already online all day so yr marginal time cost is negligible (same with us altho u have to avoid the addiction factor!) - for some this isn't so, so their time investment will be much greater, at least initially.
The cost of 'trad' networking is also high in $ and time, and social networking shd be compared against these hidden costs. It also saves travel, and thus (another +) the environment. Do u ever hear accountants asking about the ROI of business lunches, corporate boxes at the tennis and other relationship builders with big time costs?!
Third is yr cold-call factor - this is also invaluable to us. Ppl know about or at least of u b4 u pick up the phone or send an email, and r far more likely to respond.
For others sitting on the side of the pool, dive in now - better to be near the fore than at the end of what looks like might be a very long, thin tail. Or as Gerald E says, hop into the relationship car and enjoy the journey. Like all travel, u never know who u r going to meet!
ATB for 2011 - cheers Robyn
-- Robyn Lewis (January 7, 2011)
”
Thanks Robyn Jen -- Jennie
“Hi Jen
What a great REALITY social media case study here. And guess what- I've seen your avatar on twitter (although we've never tweeted together or met in real life)and I came upon this heartwarming story via Tony @hollingsworth - whom I also met through @media140 foodies event and twitter
Its all one big circle. Congratulation on your success and all best for a sparkling 2011
Cheers
Champagne Jayne
-- Champagne Jayne (January 12, 2011)
”
Cheers CJ -- Jennie
“I really enjoyed reading your article on rebuffing 'anti social media', it's so true what you say about 'not selling', Twitter is (or should be!) about community, trust and relationships. It is also self policing. If you go on it to 'hard sell' no one will follow you, just a quick 'unfollow' and you can rid your inbox of such pests! Engaging with your followers and sharing your passion is what it's about. Well done you guys
-- ALISON DILLON (January 28, 2011)
”
Thanks Alison. Gee I almost missed this comment. Sorry its taken so long to respond. Cheers Jen X -- Jennie
“Hi Jennie!
This site is inspiring for any of us wanting to promote the use of twitter among the vinous business sector.
I've recently heard a few horror stories on the use of twitter as well, so I was wondering who you'd endorse as fellow twitter exponents in the wine sector?
Keep up the tweeting. I'll find you on twitter in the next few hours!
Yours,
Damien
-- Damien Wilson (November 7, 2011)
”
Hi Damien there are plenty of wine people using twitter really well. Some examples @DeBortoliWines @larkhillwines @MastermindTB - gosh plenty more too.
Cheers Jen -- Jennie
“Great post - and very encouraging to others! I look forward to using your story as a case history when talking to beginners in social media.
-- Robert Joseph (February 29, 2012)
”
Of course! and twitter is becoming even more important to our business - we have just opened our cellar door and it is helping drive visitation to our tourist facility. Cheers Jen -- Jennie
Send us your comments about this article:
![[Capital Wines]](/images/cw_logo.jpg){kind=logo}
“Fantastic article Jen,well done. We've been opened 3 months and it's been a great success and I do believe Twitter played a big part in having us reviewed in the Telegraph on three different days and mentioned also twice in Good Living's Short Black section. Without Twitter we would have been JUST another suburban eatery.
-- Carm Ruggeri (January 5, 2011) ”
You would never have been "just' another suburban eatery. Those are the best meatballs in the world and your genuine, warm welcome would have had them lining up (like they do now). -- Jennie