technology

CRM is not a four letter word

Wow! My recent post on the need for CRM in the wine world has really sparked some inspired conversation. This is an exciting time, as the more people are talking and thinking about CRM for the wine industry, the more educated they can become.

Today, Silicon Valley Bank presented their annual State of the Wine Business webinar, which reinforced the need for an integrated CRM solution at even the smallest wine business; the ability to capture, track, manipulate, and analyze data is capital if you are trying to grow a business in this ultra-competitive market.

And still, wrapping your heads around the concept of CRM as a communication methodology as well as a technology is a tricky proposition, and even as an experienced professional it is something that takes time and education to accomplish. As the wine industry is notoriously slow to adopt new tools & technologies, they continue to struggle. This however, appears to be the year of change. As markets become younger, and boomers begin to age out of the fine wine market, the GenXers are a huge market force ready to take their place. With the dot com mentality of the 34-49 year olds, we are better situated financially and more aware of the enabling technologies that can benefit the industry.

One of the most important topics of conversation has been why smaller wineries should adopt a CRM philosophy (and therefore a tool), and how it can benefit them. In addition, the question of what tool to use is key. To help wade through the milieu, here are some of my thoughts on that.

First, do you currently think in a CRM frame of mind? Keeping in mind that CRM is a mindset as well as a tool, do you understand the full picture of your customer data? Do you want to? There are several CRM solutions you can choose from. But before you even start thinking about what tool to use, you need to be prepared to shift your business practices and thinking in to a CRM frame of mind.

CRM need not be a 500 pound gorilla on your back, nor is it a four letter word. The mere mention of the acronym can draw snark from even the most tech savvy people, and makes small to midsize wineries cringe with fear. Remember that CRM is a business practice and philosophy first and foremost, and enabling technology second. You may not be aware that your current solutions architecture (website, ecommerce, emarketing solution) may already have some inherent CRM functions within. Investigate your existing systems to see what you can leverage.

The important thing is that you find a tool that allows you to view all aspects of your customer data in a single source and that you are not replicating databases across multiple systems. The impact of having siloed databases can wreak havoc, result in multiple versions of the same customer, mass emailing snafus and general grumpiness from both the customer and your employees who are wrangling the data.

There are solutions for all budgets, from simple and low cost, to complex, customizable and more costly. The question is, what do you want to do? What is your business or marketing goal? Can you get there with your current data and tools? How much time and money are you willing to invest? Do you have the visibility to the data you need at your fingertips?

Have questions? Need help? Drop me a line.

Why your wine business needs CRM

Mar 29th, 2012

by winebratsf.

16 comments

I work in technology, but my heart is in wine. Every day I see things in the wine business that frustrate me; every day I see how archaic some things can be. The wine industry is notoriously behind the times when it comes to technology, and is even slower to adapt to new methodologies.

What are the reasons behind this? Part of it is certainly economic; however part of it is exposure. As an IT specialist who spends 8-10 hours a day working in CRM and another 12 thinking about CRM and how to integrate with back office systems, I spend my days working in CRM systems and designing solutions for a wide variety of companies. And yet, while there are a few key players that are opening their eyes to the value of CRM, the wine biz in general is lacking focus in this area.

On a daily basis, I see siloed, independent systems for finance, customer service, marketing, and order entry that make up a company’s operations. Each of these systems is independent from each other, with unique data sets that may or may not replicate to the rest of the systems in use. In the world of wine, for example, you might have your retail POS, a wine club management tool, and an ecommerce or marketing tool. Switching between the systems is time consuming and clunky, as you have to periodically update tech data set and ensure that each system has an accurate record of your customer.

The need in the rest of the world for an integrated solution to provide the full picture is great. Companies not only need to see the full picture of the customer, but they need to see the full picture of operations. The methodology behind a CRM culture (and we’re not just talking tools here, but rather a way of doing business), is that you get a full, complete picture of your customer at a glance. CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is the art of knowing your customer, and knowing how you can better service them.

Yet today, CRM is still a great mystery to many wineries. Most understand that it would be helpful, but don’t understand exactly why, or how. If you reframe what CRM is, you will begin to understand how powerful it is. More than just software, it’s a lifecycle approach to marketing. A winery that understands this, knows that CRM can help you develop targeted marketing messages to specific customer groups. A CRM ecosystem can help your customer service reps receive and resolve issues quickly and effectively, maintaining an audit trail. A CRM order entry system can track your customer likes and dislikes as well as past orders.

What does this mean for DTC sales? Everything. Imagine the power of a tool, and a mentality, that allows you to report at your fingertips. What did Jane buy last month? Are you trying to move more bottles of the 2009 Merlot? Target your offer to those that have shown a consistent order history of merlot. Conversely, target your offer to those that have never seen Merlot. With the effective use of CRM based marketing, these efforts become dynamic, and your ROI can be tracked automatically. The use of a good CRM database can allow you to market in ways you never thought possible. In truth, if you build it, and market it, they will buy.

Further expanding on the idea of ROI, there has been a lot of debate recently about whether you can measure social ROI. According to Vintank’s Paul Mabray, ROI can be measured easily if you view it at a wide angel. No longer is social ROI a one to one measurement. If you are tracking the long tail of a marketing effort, the use of an effective CRM mentality will allow you to capture traffic on your website, and new lead management in one fell swoop. Twitter and Facebook landing pages become information gathering tools that feed in to your CRM database. Some more robust tools allow you to manage these campaigns and analyze the results from within the CRM system. How many Facebook likes did you get this week? This month? Are you prepared to offer your twitter followers a special deal based on how many times they mentioned you?

Additionally, for any business to consumer company, it is imperative that you have an effective customer service system. Email is no longer the tool of choice for issue resolution. Do you have an escalation and resolution policy in your customer service department? CRM tools that are customized to your internal policies will allow you to track, escalate and assist with resolution in a timely, pleasant manner. Many tools come with knowledge bases and FAQ structures that you can populate for self service. As a consumer, if I can answer my own question with a few clicks and suggested solutions, that makes me a happier customer, and gives valuable time back to your team.

But, at the heart of CRM, lies the contact manager. The base of operations, the contact manager is the centralized database of customer information that allows you to manage customer information across platforms. No longer do you have to update the customer information in multiple systems. This is a huge win for a customer, as I have had personal experiences where my information is different for each of the different people I talk to at the same company. This should never happen in this age. A good CRM system has a customer portal that allows for self service; enter this portal, and you enter the world of the customer. Can I update my own email address or subscription information? What about shipping data?

But, CRM is not a panacea for all that is wrong in the wine industry technology wise. Each system is only as smart as those that design it. You need to choose the tool that is appropriate for your business, but you also need to instill a culture of CRM within your employee ranks. Getting your data correct and maintaining it are constant battles in my world; the good news is, with technology, you can automate some of this. Can’t ship to Virginia? It’s easy to create a rule that states pick up only or customer not allowed. Dummy proofing your system will allow you to give more power and confidence to your employees.

CRM offers a universal view of the customer, in as much detail as you want to go in to. Do you have information signups in your tasting room? Where does that information reside? Can you automate that process of data gathering with a laptop or ipad instead a paper sign in sheet? Having this information populate directly to your CRM database makes it instantly available across the company and therefore available for marketing purposes. If you were a customer previously, that information will be available; this allows you to redirect your marketing efforts effectively.

The most important thing is that you have management buy in, and a good business analyst to determine what your true needs are. There is nothing worse than walking in to a system that has been designed without forethought or intelligence, and trying to use that system. Can you leverage your current tools to make CRM your operating philosophy?

So, to recap, why should the wine industry adopt a customer relationship management philosophy? We all know it’s a tight market out there. How do you plan to sell more wine this year? How do you plan to segment your customer base? Too many times do I get emails from wineries that don’t know my needs or wants. Why aren’t you paying attention to me as your customer? You know I bought 5 cases of pinot last year, so what are you doing with that data/ world of the custom?

Integrated database of customers and prospects
Full service 360 degree view of your customer
Develop more targeted marketing efforts
Have the power of analytics at your fingertips
Gain insider knowledge about your customers based on existing data patterns
Integrated POS, eComm, Marketing, wine club management
Customer service at your fingertips, including self service
Measure ROI for marketing and social media marketing campaigns

What CRM tool you use can be as critical as if you use CRM at all. There are dozens of choices out there, and reasons to choose many of them. What is important to your business? Do you need to know more about the existing customer database? Do you need to integrate with your e-marketing tools already in place? Do you want to analyze social ROI? Ask yourself these questions and look to some solutions.

Many of the existing eCommerce and POS systems have some form of built in CRM functionality. Will that suit your needs, or should you consider growing beyond those solutions? What information do you need to gather to make informed marketing efforts? Can you make those decisions now based on the information you have?

There are so many options when it comes to selecting the right tool; there are tools that integrate with Gmail. There are cheap tools that stand alone. There are full service tools that can be developed in to literally anything you desire, beyond CRM. There are tools that integrate with POS and eComm solutions seamlessly.

The most important thing to remember is to view the future, and don’t box yourself in. The biggest mistake that I see in my job is that a choice was made years ago without the foresight to the growth of the business. Moving from an outdated system that is inflexible and locked down to a flexible, growth oriented system is a painful process that can cost thousands of dollars. On the flip side, you can start with a cloud based CRM tool, using strictly basic functionality, and grow that in to a full service ERP, CRM, and marketing machine.

So, where do you want to go?

Have questions? Want to know more about CRM for your business? Drop me a line and let’s see how I can help rocket you to the next level.

Be a kiwi for the day!

Jan 26th, 2012

by winebratsf.

No comments yet

Rolling gree hills, mountain glaciers, beautiful water ways, hobbits, Elves, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc. Ah New Zealand!

I’m pleased to announce that Feburary 4th is New Zealand Wine Day, in association with Wine Channel TV. This will be a virtual tasting that you can all participate in, with a llive cooking demonstration as well.

Celebrity Winemakers will be tuning in from Chicago, along with a live audience; there will also be some bloggers in attendance in San Francisco, and we want you to taste along!

Gather up a group of friend or brave it alone, but please join us online. Be sure to stock up with a few bottles from our featured wineries at a participating retailer beforehand. Make sure you register (no charge) in advance, so we know who’s out there – and to keep in touch with all the latest from Gondor. I mean New Zealand!

EVENT LINK

Note: Once you’ve registered for this FREE event we’ll send you everything you need to know about how to access the virtual wine tasting online. You will also be automatically entered to win a Complexity Fine Wine t-shirt and other great Kiwi prizes!

To participate, just grab a wine from the list below, and tune in. If you’re having trouble finding it locally, just use Vinquire or Wine-Searcher, some handy wine location tools. In SF, The Jug Shop is a great resource.

Participating Wineries – some of my faves are on this list!

Villa Maria

Kumeu River

Craggy Range

Vinoptima (Gewurtztraminer)

Trinity Hill

Ata Rangi

Escarpment

Neudorf

Palliser

Cloudy Bay

Nautilus

Saint Clair

Seresin

Spy Valley (Envoy series)

Vavasour

Pegasus Bay

Amisfield

Felton Road

Mt Difficulty

Quartz Reef

Tweet you then!

Give me the Precious! I want the Precious! Pinot Noir!

Lessons on being a better blogger…writer…or whatever

Aug 1st, 2011

by winebratsf.

3 comments

Wine: The final frontier

These are the voyages of the Wine Brat, Thea.
Its 5 year mission (yep, it’s true. I’ve been blogging for five years!)
To explore strange new wines
To seek out new bottles and new producers
To boldly go where no wine blogger has gone before.

These are the voyages of a wine bloggers writer and lover, trying to discover more about herself and her passion for the grape.

Recently back from a weekend in Virginia at the Wine Bloggers Conference, where both New York Times wine critfc Eric Asimov and London Financial Times wine writer Jancis Robinson gave a key note speeches, my thoughts are jumbled and varied as I think about how to be a better blogger.

Both Jancis Robinson and Eric Asimov challenge the word, and somewhat the concept – of blogger. Is "blogger" still really a valid term? Bloggers are wine writers who chose to publish on line. Traditional print media authors choose to publish on paper. Writing is what brings us all together, today. Love, true love (of the vine). I am still getting used to this idea. I am a proud blogger and I like to refer to myself that way, because if I call myself a wine writer, the mass public naturally assumes that I write for a publication. Perhaps we should be called "online wine writers".

As wine writers, Jancis challenged us to do more investigative research before we blog. Er write. While the core value of this makes sense, I question the validity of her challenge; I am not a journalist, nor do i wish to be one. While the most successful wine bloggers (not in terms of making money but in readership) have similar core writing styles, none of them assume or claim to be journalists. Nor do I. I try to be accurate and truthful in my writing, but in the end – my blog is just my blog, and musings of what I feel like talking about. one of the major reasons that I decided not to pursue writing with an online wine magazine was because I didn’t want to be subject to the editorial rules that come with being a professional writer. I write this blog so I can express my thoughts in a meaningful way, and I hope that you enjoy reading it, and share with others.

One vital point that Jancis made during her speech was that writers, print or otherwise, need to sit up and take notice that while the book is not dead, the delivery method of the written word is changing. Online, kindle, ebook readers, print, newspapers, magazine. Essentially, they are all the same thing – but the delivery method is different. I have an ipad, but most of my books are just that – books. That said, the Kindle / iPad / Nook market allows you to give readers the option of how they will choose to accept delivery of your material. I read blogs primary via an RSS reader. Some people read blogs via the web or on their phone. The point here, is that you must make your material available and readable for all sorts of platforms, as well as an international audience. Don’t localize too much or you are putting yourself in a box; I write primarily about American wines, but just one click on Google Analytics, and I know that I have international readers. The balance is maintaining my wit and style, while limiting colloquialism that would be lost on an international readership.

A key point that both Robinson and Asimov were keen to make is that if you are an online writer, you are also your own editor and publisher, and you need to understand what this means. My task is to digest these nuggets with a blogger’s mindset, and interpreted to suit your needs. Jancis further implored us, as wine writers in an online world, to hone our writing skills. I work at this every day and in every post; but there are, sadly, too many blogs that use poor grammar or just don’t make sense. If you are a ~~blogger~~ online wine writer, you should ensure that you are taking the time to digest your thoughts, and work & rework your written words. Writers of all sorts go through multiple iterations before their words are put to print. I think we should do the same. Posting things that are not well thought out just add ot the misconception that ~~bloggers~~ online wine writers are hacks that don’t know what they are talking about. While I don’t think I need an editor to write a blog, I DO think I need to self edit – even if it’s at the most basic level of spelling. I believe I need to understand how to structure a sentence so that it makes sense and expresses my thought coherently; I also believe that to write a piece for a n audience that won’t hear my inflection and comedic wit, that i need to think about how it looks on the page, and not how I sound when I say it out loud.

Occasionally, writers suffer from a thought block or an uninspired lull. I am not immune to this but I have found that reading other blogs and using tools like Creative Whack Packs can help blast me out of lull. Another key trait of a good writer is admitting that you don’t know something. I hope that you see that in my writing; I don’t know a lot of things, and I’d rather admit that, than make something up. There shouldn’t be any fear in admitting the unknown. One of the keys in being to be open an honest in this is fostering a community, both of readers, and other writers, who you can uses as a resource. Encourage new readers to be engaged. Wine can be a scary subject for someone just starting to enjoy it, and when you get too esoterica and off on tangents, you will alienate some readers.

The following day, Eric Asimov, author of the New York Times column formerly known as The Pour (now incorporated in the Diner’s Journal), shook up the room my telling us that we shouldn’t write tasting notes. I emphatically disagree with this statement -0 and even though I think it was really meant rather flippantly, I think many in attendance are taking it too literally. I am spinning this with my bloggers mindset, and ensuring that my tasting notes have a place within the story of the wine at the focus of the post. We are, after all, wine bloggers (wine writers wine writers wine writers. I will get this down eventually!). To not write a wine review or tasting note for a year, if I take Asimov at his word, would cut out a large amount of wine blogs who are talking about the wine.

In fact, in a simple poll that I did on Facebook, I asked my blog readers if I should write more reviews, less reviews, or something entirely different. While the majority of respondents said they wanted me to write more about the winery, location, or the STORY, they also indicated that they wanted the tasting notes in context. So, for my part, I will try to make sure I write about why I like or dislike a wine, what emotions it evokes in me, and why I think you should try it, and try to stay away from triple berry crunch descriptors. After all, my schnozzberry might be your razzleberry.

The key takeaway I have from Eric’s speech (which I might add, I read on twitter, and watched online after the event – since I was suffering the creeping crud at the time) is that in order to write about wine, you need to learn about wine. Tasting wine is not enough. You need to experience wine. How do you do that? You drink a lot of wine, you explore wine, you read about wine, you learn about wine, you experiment with pairing wine with food. Why this is important is that it can give you the perspective to be able to think about situations in a new light. I knew, before going to Virginia, that the VA wines that I had tasted were probably not the best examples of what the state has to offer. I didn’t like VA wine. But, I went to VA with an open mind. I decided, before I went, that I was going to taste VA wines and yes, they might suck, but, then again – they might not. And, I’m happy to report, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the wines I tried. This changed my pre-concived notion about wines from the area, and I’m more apt to try a wine from someone off beat as a result.

So go forth, and learn. I am my own worst critic and I often question if I write well, or if I know anything about wine, so I am ever striving to learn more and do better. The secret to success in most things is to be on a continuous journey of education. I know what I like, and I chose to write about that because that’s what I know. The unconformable challenge, is to learn about what I don’t know, and to share that journey with you.

Wine blogging has evolved. Even if you write your blog out of passion, as I do, writing with professionalism and knowledge is key to being heard. That doesn’t mean your blog shouldn’t express your voice, but it does mean:

Learn your subject matter
Dive in to your material, and don’t be afraid to dig deeper
Be honest
Ask questions
Be inquisitive
Be welcoming and gracious

Happy reading!

Putting the PLUS in Google

Jul 29th, 2011

by winebratsf.

13 comments

Recently, while at the 4th Annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville, VA – a discussion on wine and technology was moderated by John Meyer who started 9 Clouds, Paul Mabray of Vintank, and Philip James from Lot 18 and Snooth.

Part way through the session, which included a lively discussion on flash sale sites like Lot18 and whether harm or help the wine industry, a vibrant discussion (ok fine it was me) erupted about Facebook, Twitter, and various forms of Google. Currently, the latest hot button platform is Google+. What is Google+ you ask? Like it’s predecessors Google Wave and Google Buzz (which are both alive but atrophied), Google+ promises to be the next social media flashmob trigger. Basically, I call it Twitter on steroids, with a dash of Facebook thrown in for good measure.

Essentially, on Google+ you friend up people by adding them to Circles. Circles are groups of people you are following, and can be defined any way you want. Social media experts advise creating as many circles as possible, so you can slice and dice your followees and folowers; I might have gone a tad overboard on this but it will shake it self out. Based on your circles, you will have a stream. Wait, isnt’ that Twitter? Or Facebook? Sort of. The cool thing about Google+ is that you can target your stream, based on circles. So I can see just my wine circle or just my friend circle in my stream. This is simliar functionality to twitter lists, but where you get the power of google+ is that you can now target your posts to specific people, and specific circles. This functionality currently exists in Facebook via Lists, so it’s not news to those of us who like to keep grandma out of my morning rants on The ‘Book.

One thing that Google+ is lacking however is the ability to expressly BLOCK peole from reading a post. This can be helpful if you don’t want someone who might be in a group to see a post. Say you’re planning a surprise party for Joe, and you want all the Wine Bloggers to plan but dont’ want Joe to know. you’d hav eto create a new group with everyone except Joe.

A feature that that G+ has already proved to add great value and provide content is the Hangout. This weekend, at the WBC, our illustrious leader Joel Vincent started a Hangout – or group chat room basically – to broadcast WBC news and keynote videos to people not in attendance. As I was stuck in my room in the depths of some nasty bug, I would have loved to watch via the stream. It’s my own fault I didn’t know the hangout existed, but bloggers who weren’t’ at WBC were able to watch Eric Asimov’s speech real time, via G+. Pretty powerful! Yes you can accomplish this with WebEx or a recorded video, but this allows you to share LIVE data in a real time stream. The only thing that Hangouts don’t do is save content.

A feature that is NOT available on the web platform (wtf? Come on people, that is stupid) but IS available on the mobile app is the Huddle. A huddle is another group chat, which allows you to have text conversations with a group of folks on the go. You simply start a Huddle and add a circle or individuals. We had a mini WBC huddle going pre-conference, and it was a very effective way to community pop up parties and meetups to a small group quickly.

Are you looking for more blogs to follow? Maybe more information about a specific subject to augment your already overflowing knowledge stream? Sparks are great to augment your information stream. Enter a few sparks in the search box, and you will get a ton of posts and data that you can read, share, and contemplate. This is a great way to discover new blogs, and in turn. have your blog discovered. Type in wine. Type in a specific wine. Go ahead! See what happens! If it works well, then it could be a invaluable service that means you’ve always got something cool to check out – if not, there’s a danger that it could become a very annoying form of spam. You can delete interests from your list if they begin to bore you and we would expect that they’ll be a few other ways of tweaking the settings, too.

The real power of Google+ comes when you use extended sharing or public sharing to post links, information, content, pictures, and whatever else you want. If I post a blog to Google+ and select all of my wine circles, and use extended sharing, then that post will be visible to everyone that is in a circle of a person in my circles. Capice? Additionally, if you enable Public sharing, your post is in the public stream and is visible to everyone. If you are trying to get more traffic to you site, this is a great way to be picked up on the Spark stream and broadcast your message.

So why is Google+ better than Twitter or Facebook? I don’t want to say better, I want to say different. I am one of the few people that do NOT think that Twitter has jumped the shark. I love twitter. not only for my personal snipes, rants, and chirps, but also – as a wine blogger, there is a vibrant community of wine writers, lovers, and business people on twitter. You can cast a wide net. If you’re account is open and you use hashtags that are relevant, you can reach a targeted audience. It’s the most effective crowd sourcing, and information gathering tool I use. I can generally get an answer to a question with a few tweets, retweets, and please helps. Google+ has the potential to be better at this. Twitter also ha sa list ability. While you cannot compartmentalize your tweets by list, you CAN follow people by lists. Because i have 4000 followers, I can’t possibly follow the primary stream on a regular basis. To streamline the info that I want, I rely heavily on lists. Lists in twitter allow you to add people (even without following them) to your stream. I have Friends, Wine Bloggers, WIne Biz, and many more lists that make up my Seesmic dashboard. Occasionally, I also look at the main stream, if I neglected to add someone to a list. This helps manage the constant influx of tweets at a reasonable speed. Facebook is aslo becoming an important tool in social media reach. My blog page gets readers on Facebook that I dont’ garner from any other source. For that reason alone, Facebook matters. I can also talk to my best friend from high school. There is a powerful tool in Facebook with Lists; you can compartmentalize your posts. When I talk about makeup, I don’t think my wine friends care. So I don’t share it with them.

Bottom line, Google+ has the POTENTIAL for being ANOTHER great resrouce. It is not the end all be all, because as most Google products go, early adopters and tech geeks are there first and in depth. If you don’t use Chrome, you run at a deficit because many of the tools that make Google+ more useful are Chrome extensions. If you don’t use Google email, you are also at a deficit because Google integrates email, chat, and all other tools seamlessly. What I need to make Google+ part of my overall social media strategy, for persona and for my blog, is a social media desktop application that allows posting and streaming. With multiple twitter accounts for different purposes, facebook pages for blogs and work, and Google+, I need a single sign on platform mission control. Now, as I prepare for both the next WBC Scholarship fundraising campaign, as well as the 5th Annual Wine Bloggers Conferecne in Portland, Oregon I will be mining Google+ for new resources and people. Information is my diesel baby!

Are you on Google+? Add me to a circle. Need an invite? Let me know!

When socializing goes mainstream

Mar 16th, 2010

by winebratsf.

10 comments

What’s a tweetup you ask? Why would you tweet something up? Recently, I had the opportunity to meet and greet with dozens of the Bay Area’s finest, bloggers and wine professionals, as well as just some very cool people at the The Napa Valley Tweetup – Presented by Robert Mondavi Winery.

Earlier in the day, the Social Media Seminar provided an in depth look at how social media is changing the wine industry, and how users are becoming more engaged via blogs and other social media platforms. Then it was time to have some fun! Hidden int he stunning To Kalon Cellar, with it’s giant redwood tanks and awe inspiring barrel cellar, the in crowd assembled to taste Mondavi’s wines and mingle over a social media cocktail. In the rather cavernous dungeon, we were greeted by Gabriel Carrejo, who is the cheerleader behind many digital media tweetups and networking events.

Once inside, atop the catwalk above those giant redwood fermentation tanks, there were stations set up with each of the wines, where we were instructed to check in on FourSquare at east tasting station in the hopes that we might win some swag. More importantly, the social locator allowed us to see who else might have been at the event, and seek out those individuals that we might want to meet, by nature of the geo locating tool. Say what you might about tools like FourSquare – but for social location, networking, and impromptu meetups over a glass of wine, it is an invaluable tool.

As I wandered from station to station, I saw many of my old friends, and was able to reconnect over a glass of wine. In addition, it was a spectacular networking event as I met many more tweeters and industry insiders that were in attendance. The benefit to events such as this are difficult to measure; however, on a personal level, having the ability to meet many people that I have not otherwise had the opportunity to do , and to revisit a winery that I have not been to in a while is invaluable. Changing perception in this business can be challenging; too often, large wineries write people off if they are no longer repeat customers. this is a poor business decision in a challenging economy, as EVERY old customer can be a new customer provided that the experience is a good one.

Mondavi is one such winery that I have been underestimating. Long ago, I was a frequent visitor and a fan. Then I grew up, and started visiting smaller wineries, and other wineries, by passing the monolith as I cruised up 29. On this night, I was shown the light, both in the warm welcome by the Mondavi staff, and in their willingness to embrace social media and us, the Mediaites, by providing an elegantly casual setting where social media users and curiosity seekers mingled, discuss business, blogs, twitter, and just have a good time, puts the Social back in to social media. Don’t underestimate the power of inclusive events such as the tweetup. Personalities such as Hardy Wallace have been instrumental in challenging market perceptions in brands like Murhpy Goode, which are often written off by more experienced wine drinkers (ok fine, me) as the mass produced and overdone wines.

Later that weekend, I stopped by Amista Vineyards (@amistavineyards) in Dry Creek Valley during barrel tasting. An effective user of Twitter, Amista has been attracting tweeters with their personal attention, and inviting tweets promoting their wines and lovely picnice grounds. While out and about, Vicky tweeted that I was only 3 miles away and should stop by. Far be it for me to refuse and invitation, so my friends & I grabbed a picnic and headed out to the grounds behind the tasting room. Having a personal touch with a warm greeting and a welcome sign will bring in people more times than having a cult cab. Wineries should take note – it’s about relationships first, wine second. If you are treat a customer poorly or indifferently, when visiting a tasting room, they are almost certainly not going to becoming a lifetime customer. Treat a customer like a valued friend, and they will cmoe back over and over again. Amista has won my Customer Loyalty award, along with Holdredge, Manzanita Creek, Mounts, and Michel-Schlumburger – to name a few in Sonoma. In Napa, the winners are St. Supery, Titus, and Domaine Carneros, which proves that you don’t need to be a small family winery to understand excellent customer service.

I hope that this tweetup was just one of the first in a long series, as it will go a long way in expanding the value of social media and proving that it’s not just about the static post or tweet anymore. Social media is a living organizsm, and requires maintenance, just like freindships.

Special thanks to Robert Mondavi Winery, Vintank, Amista, and all of my new & old social media buddies who are now valued friends (and I can’t list them all so here are a few of my rockstars, who mentor me and are just generally awesome)

Bloggers, media, is there a line?

Oct 7th, 2009

by winebratsf.

9 comments

Bloggers, media, journalists, TV reporters, wine critics, mom. Can’t we all just get along? I know that there are a lot of shills out there, and there has been a lot of controversy in the Mommy Blogger arena about posting for peanuts, or in their case products, but the recent FTC ruling regarding bloggers really chaps my hide.

It’s not that I take issue with the fact that the FTC is requiring bloggers to disclose the fact that they receive samples. That is simply the ethical thing to do; it is that they are specifically and pointedly excluding traditional media from this ruling because they apparently have better “Independent editorial responsibility”. So really, you’re saying that BOb Parker actually discloses to us when he takes a press junket to Paris? London? Australia? Funny, I don’t seem to read that in his work.

Esentially, what the FTC is doing is widening the gap between tradition and new media in all arenas. Clearly, the straight up pay for post model is something that needs to be disclosed, but with over 2000 wine blogs alone, are you really going to police EVERY post by EVERY blogger to see if we are disclosing the fact that I got a $15 bottle of wine that probably cost the PR agency / winery / retailer $7? REALLY?

Now i’m all about letting your public know if you got something for free, and I try to include in my posts if I am reviewing a wine. Yes, occasionally i forget, yes occasionally i get so excited about a wine I don’t bother but clearly i will need to be more cognizant of that in the future.

But why not hold “traditional media” to the same scrutiny? Apparently, the FTC doesn’t think that bloggers are intelligent enough or ethical enough to hold our selves to the same level as the old boys club. Basically, if i get PAID to review items i get for free, then it’s ok but if i review items that i get for free, for FREE then I must disclose. HUH? The FTC apparently feels that those kids in the big buildings have a better grasp on what is right and wrong that me do, and that their reviews are not “endorsements”. THOSE reviews are not impacted by the fact that their reviewer did or didn’t pay for the item in question. MY reviews are impacted because I’m not a journalist. OR so I’ve been told more than once and loudly by the FTC.

To quote Tom Wark of Fermentation, who sums it up SO well:

Let me put this in plainer words. If a publisher sends me (a wine blogger) a copy of a new book about the wines of Bolivia and I review it positively I must disclose the book was given to me or face a fine of $11,000. If a reporter at the Wine Spectator (traditional media) receives a free copy of “The Wines of Bolivia” and reviews it positively, they need not disclose they received it free from the publisher. Put another way, if Alder Yarrow or Dr. Vino respond in the affirmative to my email to them offering a bottle of press sample of Mayo Family Winery’s 2006 Reserve Zinfandel with a request (though not a demand) that they review it, they must disclose they received the sample free of charge when they do review it—good or bad review. If I call Steve Heimoff of the Wine Enthusiast and make the same offer and he accepts, he (and the editors at The Wine Enthusiast) need not disclose they received the press sample free.

To also quote John Stossel, formerly of ABC News 20/20 and therefore not subject to freebie limitations, GIVE ME A BREAK!~

Does this potenitally give bloggers more credibility on paper? Yes.

Does this make me dislike the paper boys even more? You bet.

Will I make sure my ass writes “FREE SAMPLE” on every blog post? Well, yeah.

Will I say if I paid for a wine tasting at Joe’s Vineyards? No. Because that is up to the discretion of the winery staff weather to charge me or not, blogger, journalist or flirt.

This piece was not paid for by any means, liquid or otherwise and is purely an expression of my opinion. If the FTC comes after me, I’ll tell them to go see PinotBlogger for a free Suck It Parker! T-shirt.

Wine Map-o-Matic!

Jul 1st, 2008

by winebratsf.

No comments yet

A few months ago, I was introduced to

at the Wine 2.0 event at Crushpad.

Mapovino is a wine-mapping website incorporating GoogleMaps to showcase geographically distinct wines and the stories behind these wines.

Why is this cool? Because it allows you my technonarti friends, to use Google Maps, a tool most of us know and love, to integrate with the wine regions of the world. While I don’t have a Crackberry or an iPhone (yet) I can see the application of this tool going mobile, while crusiing around Dry Creek looking at an interactive map.

With Mapovino, users can add comments, photos, link to maps in their blogs, and even add blog links on the map. It will also wine and geography information from Wikipedia to expand on your knowledge interactively.

Why do I bring this up you ask? Well they are doing their 2nd beta “tasting” in San Francisco next week, and I plan to go to learn more about hte tool and mingle with my fellow wine geeks.

July 7th 7-9pm
Please RSVP by registering here