Everything's planned. By now, your holiday programming has been top of mind and acted upon. Pricing, promotion, goals, and sales have all been mapped out with brokers, sales staff, and hospitality. How about your online marketing program, is that finished too?

If your answer is no, it’s not too late to take some action. Here are two targeted suggestions that are on point and on time:

1) Send 4 emails in the next 90 days. No, this is not too much. This is the bare minimum. Now’s the time your customers need to hear from you. During the holiday quarter, nearly 40% of online sales can occur. If you are not driving your customers to your shopping cart you are missing an opportunity.
Divide the emails into two branding messages and two offers. For branding try added value pitches like recipes and customer reviews. For offers, gift wrapping and special packages are all terrific sellers this time of year. If you’ve held back using the “shipping included” trigger, early November will reap rewards – try using it as a bonus to club customers who purchase gift wine club subscriptions for their friends or clients.

2) Call your best customers personally. While I’m an advocate for social media, at this crunch time if you have an hour to devote to your direct-to-consumer business you will get more sales with your telephone than with your PDA. Calling can be under the auspice of wanting to share with them your harvest report, surveying their opinion about a recent purchase, or telling them about a recent release. We all have our moments of discomfort with what is a “warm” call; realize that people crave connection and will welcome your consideration and outreach.

Think these ideas sound great but is the extent of your ability to act for your direct-to-consumer business right now? Then perhaps you should consider investing marketing dollars into a person who can devote time and knowledge to move your business forward this holiday season.

Through a special relationship with eWinery Solutions, Marshall Wine Consulting is offering a just-in-time 90-Day Jump Start Program. The program is designed around what will reap tangible returns in a short amount of time. Starting at $1600, here’s what’s included:

Website:

• Recommend website edits to align with SEO best practices and increased conversion
• Update metatags, keywords, marketing URLs
• Edit current copy and language on site for SEO, clarity, conversion
• Evaluate shopping cart, teasers, product set up
• Edit wine club offer text

E-Mail:

• Plan segmented email campaign for 90 day period
• Design and execute several emails to current list members.
• Establish baseline conversion rates of current list based on A/B test of promo vs. no promo
• Segment customer list into top categories – best customers, club, subscribers, etc.
• Deliver summary reporting of conversion and sales

Customer Acquisition:

• Enter social media: Facebook, Twitter, and more
• Design tasting room staff incentive and contact info programming
• Design referral program for current active list members
• Provide event kit for customer acquisition at events
• Design cross-promotional programs for wholesale business side

Branding/soft benefits:

• Update online brand data including Snooth, Cellartracker, etc.
• Add products to Google Base
• Monitor brand activity and impressions






For more information, please contact Marshall Wine Consulting at www.marshallwine.com or directly at 925-784-1514.