According to Silicon Valley Bank, fewer than 9% of US wineries used text marketing last year.
But those who did enjoyed phenomenal success with open rates of 99% and click-thru rates above 10% — literally 20-times more effective than email marketing.
So savvy wine marketers now have the same question:
How can we grow our text marketing lists quickly?
The seven customer touchpoints outlined in this article offer wine marketers unique access to the prospects most likely to opt-in to text messaging for their benefit as consumers and yours as a wine merchant.
#1 Email Marketing
Since 80% of US wineries use email marketing, the fastest way for them to grow a text marketing list is to offer text messaging as another way to stay in touch. Existing customers and prospects will thank you as text messaging is preferred 2-to-1 over email as a way of engaging consumer brands.
To convert existing email contacts to SMS subscribers, we recommend introducing text messaging to your list much like the way you’d release a new wine. Most marketers will enjoy the best success with a series of three messages:
A straightforward announcement of what you’re offering and why
A follow-up email that focuses on what customers miss by not signing up
A final email about how your SMS program addresses their main concerns
The best sign-up mechanisms for email subscribers are text marketing keywords and web-based opt-in forms. For ideas on how to write these emails, here are some free templates you can start with.
#2 Tasting Rooms & Events
After mining your existing marketing lists, now’s the time to offer your guests a chance to stay in touch using text messaging wherever they enjoy your wine.
In tasting rooms or at winery events, QR codes make it easy for consumers to join text marketing lists using their mobile phones. You can make it happen in just a few minutes by printing up tasteful signs featuring a QR code and simple instructions on how and why visitors can join your list.
For an example you can copy, take a look here.
And as a bonus, once your customers sign-up for text messaging, many SMS marketing systems can also automate the process of asking for an email address. So much easier than asking staff to solicit and enter email addresses in a busy wine tasting environment.
#3 Social Media Channels
DTC wineries report social media is now their most widely used marketing channel.
So enticing online followers to join your text messaging list — using the same offers you promote in your tasting room — is one of the most concrete ways to leverage your investment in digital marketing.
Text marketing keywords, QR codes, and web-based sign-up forms can all be used successfully in your social media posts. And for the most impact, you might consider creating unique keywords and offers explicitly customized for your most vibrant social media communities.
#4 Transactional Messages
If you sell wine online, accept reservations, or manage a wine club, chances are your commerce system sends order confirmations, reservation reminders, and shipping notices using email.
These transactional messages offer another proven way to grow your text marketing lists.
Imagine offering your wine club members the option of receiving a text confirmation when their next shipment is on its way. A keyword like ORDERSTATUS is tailor-made for this application.
The footer of your online order confirmation page is also a perfect place to promote the option of receiving transactional messages via SMS. Here’s an example:
“P.S. Text ORDERSTATUS to 888-592-2832 to receive updates about your wine order via text. No spam, just news you can use.”
Not only do today’s consumers prefer text messaging 2-to-1 over email, transactional messages about orders, shipments, and appointments are among the most popular text messages consumers receive.
#5 Mobile Website
Website visitors using their phones to browse your site are perfect for your text marketing offers. Not only are they on their phones already, but they don’t even have to enter any data to subscribe to your text messaging lists.
Without any special software, you can generate a QR code that website visitors can scan to join your list with only one click. And some text messaging platforms specialized for wine marketing offer the ability to generate online pop-ups only visible to visitors using their mobile phones.
Today’s wine marketers can add “click-to-text” buttons or custom mobile pop-ups to any web page. Perfect for building a list of text marketing subscribers, these same tools can engage your customers by enabling two-way text conversations with your hospitality staff.
#6 Desktop Website
If your winery website offers online visitors the opportunity to join an email list, doesn’t it make even more sense to give them a chance to subscribe to text marketing?
For visitors browsing your website from their desktop computers, web-based sign-up forms are the way to go.
Simple text marketing sign-up forms only require a mobile phone number plus consent with the terms of your offer.
But if you offer consumers a choice of text messaging content — from text-based concierge services to weekly tasting room updates — a Text Messaging Preference Center can give your customers the ability to curate a unique customer journey.
#7 Product Packaging
Your wine labels and the shipments you send to wine club members can also be used to grow your list of text subscribers.
QR codes printed on labels invite consumers to engage your brand at the point of purchase and consumption. For maximum flexibility, use a dedicated landing page that can be re-directed as needed.
And wine shipments to consumers offer the perfect opportunity to market lifestyle content like recipes delivered by text messaging or encourage customers to post their photos and wine reviews via text.
Using Text Marketing to create a competitive advantage now
In a world where 90% of online consumers want texts from their favorite brands, but only 9% of US wineries are capable of texting customers, this mismatch between consumer preference and industry practice spells nothing but opportunity for savvy wine marketers
And unless you think text messaging is going away soon, the only real choice you have to make is whether you let your competition profit from text messaging before you do.
With consumers hungry for brands that engage them with text messaging and wine marketing results 20-times better than email, the methods we’ve outlined in this article can build a competitive advantage for your winery in 30-days or less for the cost of a single case of wine.
Happy Selling!