[Guide] Wine Down & Promote Your Wine Club

Wine not take a sip out of the competition and make your wine club the talk of the vineyard? In this guide, we’ll raise a glass to some of the best ways to promote your wine club, from highlighting its exclusivity to making sign-ups a walk in the park. Let’s get started.

Create a Dedicated Wine Club Page

One of the key factors in promoting a wine club is to create a dedicated web page that showcases the experience of being a member, rather than just the savings. This approach will help you attract members who are interested in the complete wine club experience, helping to increase loyalty over discounts, decreasing the likelihood of “signup-then-cancel”.

Showcasing experience is of the utmost importance to get potential customers on board. Walk a potential wine club member through an immersive video experience of your tasting room and vineyard. Avoid high churn rates by showcasing the value of being a wine club member, highlighting exclusive events, special perks, and the overall experience of your wine club.

Examples of exclusive events to consider include:

Winemaker’s Dinner: A dinner event where the club members can meet and interact with the winemaker and learn about the wine-making process.
Wine Blending Workshop: An educational event where members can learn about blending different varietals to create their own custom wine blend.
Harvest Party: A celebration of the wine-making season where members can participate in the grape harvest and other activities related to the winemaking process.
Estate Tour and Tasting: A visit to the winery estate for a tour and tasting event, offering members an in-depth look at the wine-making process and the opportunity to taste exclusive, limited edition wines.

Reach a broader audience by hosting these events both in-person and virtually. All of the events listed above can be hosted in a virtual setting using video conferencing software, where club members can interact and discuss with the host in real-time.

Additionally, use snippets of content from virtual events as marketing materials across your wineries site, email marketing, social media, and more.

Tips for Creating a Compelling and Attractive Page:

When creating your wine club’s web page, it is important to make it visually appealing and easy to navigate. Here are a few tips to create a compelling page to attract high quality members:

Use high-quality images and videos of different settings (i.e. group settings showing the experiences of the club, not just the wine bottles)
Build trust through member testimonials around products, experiences, and VIP benefits
Add clear calls to action throughout the page (ex. Become a Member Today; Join the Club)
Provide detailed information about the club’s benefits, exclusives to showcase what makes your club unique, and the VIP perks and experiences
Consider the user experience and make sure the page is mobile-friendly

To achieve all of these elements for a compelling and attractive wine club page, Corksy’s website builder is the only solution you need, with pre-built wine and design templates, easy drag-and-drop builder, and unlimited customization across your site or specific pages. Plus, with Corksy’s mobile-friendly design, you can rest assured that your website will look great on any device.

Make Wine Club Sign Ups Easy

Making it easy for people to sign up for your wine club is crucial to attracting new members. A straightforward sign-up process can include clear instructions, a simple form to fill out, and a confirmation email once the process is complete.

Your dedicated landing page should include a simple form above-the-fold to ensure potential members can easily find the form to fill out. Only request the most important information from a member, such as name, phone number, email address, and billing information. Adding too many required fields may deter a potential member from filling out the form.

If you offer the option for members to pick up their wines from the tasting room, include that option at sign-up. Remember: keep the sign-up process short and sweet to attract high quality members!

Clearly Show the Terms & Conditions:

Be transparent about the terms and conditions of your wine club. This can include the frequency of shipments, the cost of membership, and any other relevant information. Make sure this information is clearly stated on the sign-up page and is easily accessible for members to review at any time.

Follow Up with a Welcome Email:

Clearly highlight their new membership benefits and reminders with a follow-up welcome email. Remember to include:

Links to event calendars & webstore to use their discount
When they can expect their shipments, billing, and how to login to their account
Reminders to save the email and add your winery to their contact list so they never miss a member exclusive email

🚨 Tip: Use this Welcome Email template to get started >>

Dear [Member Name],
Welcome to [Winery Name] Wine Club! We are thrilled to have you as a member and want to thank you for your support.
As a wine club member, you will have access to exclusive benefits that include discounts on all purchases in our web store and access to member-only events. You can view our event calendar at [insert link to event calendar]. We encourage you to take advantage of your membership benefits by browsing our selection and using your discount code at checkout.
Your first shipment will be sent out on [insert date], with subsequent shipments scheduled according to the frequency you selected during sign-up. You can expect to receive a notification via email when your shipment is on its way.
To access your account, simply log in to our website using the email address and password you provided during sign-up. Here, you can manage your account details, view your past orders, and update your billing and shipping information.
As a friendly reminder, please be sure to save this email and add [Winery Name] to your contact list to ensure you never miss out on member-exclusive emails. We will keep you up-to-date on new releases, upcoming events, and special promotions available only to our wine club members.
Thank you for choosing [Winery Name] and being a part of our wine club. We hope you enjoy your membership and the wines that come with it. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Cheers,
[Your Name]
[Winery Name]

Create a Referral System to Increase Sign-Ups:

Encourage current members to refer friends and family to the wine club by offering incentives. By making it easy for members to refer others, you can increase the number of sign-ups and grow your wine club.

🚨 Tip: See referral system examples to increase sign-ups >>

Refer-a-Friend Discount: Offer a discount on the next shipment or on membership fees for any current member who refers a friend who signs up for the wine club.
Free Bottle Incentive: Offer a free bottle of wine in the next shipment to both the current member and the referred friend when the friend signs up for the wine club.
Exclusive Event Access: Provide exclusive access to a member-only event for both the current member and their referred friend when the friend signs up for the wine club.
Free Shipping: Offer free shipping on the next shipment for both the current member and their referred friend when the friend signs up for the wine club.
Reward Points: Give reward points to current members for each successful referral, which they can redeem for discounts on future purchases or even free wine.
Social Media Sharing: Encourage current members to share their experiences with the wine club on social media and tag your winery. Offer a discount or reward for each successful referral that comes from social media.
Giveaways: Hold a contest or giveaway exclusively for current members who refer friends to the wine club. The prize can be anything from a special bottle of wine to a weekend getaway to wine country.

Your members are your biggest ambassadors and best sales tools – reward them for referring to your wine club!

Promote Your Wine Club in the Tasting Room:

Use the following strategies to gain additional traction for your wine club right out of your tasting room:

Prominent Display: Make sure the wine club information is prominently displayed in the tasting room, such as brochures, posters, or flyers.
Dedicated Tasting Room Staff: Train the tasting room staff to promote the wine club and answer any questions that guests may have.

🚨 Tip: Corksy’s point of sale system makes it simple for your staff to upsell a club membership at any point during the checkout process >>

Special Offers: Offer special incentives for visitors who sign up for the wine club in the tasting room, such as a discount on their first purchase or a complimentary tasting.
Wine Club Newsletter: Include information about the wine club and upcoming events in your winery’s newsletter, which can be shared with visitors in the tasting room.
Social Media: Use social media to promote the wine club through Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms or run a special promotion for new wine club members.
- Don’t forget about your existing members. Your club members are more likely to interact on your social media – be sure to engage back and show them they’re a VIP by making it personal.

Email & Social Wine Club Marketing

To remain relevant, wineries should be utilizing email and social marketing to effectively reach and engage with current and future members. We’ve broken down the most effective strategies to help promote your wine club and build lasting relationships with your customers.

Wine Club Highlights in Email Marketing Campaigns:

Utilize email marketing to promote your wine club and highlight its benefits and exclusive events. This can include sending out newsletters, exclusive offers, and highlighting new shipments. By consistently sending out relevant and engaging content, you can keep members informed and engaged with your club.

Corksy’s marketing automation is the only solution you need to streamline your email marketing campaigns and ensure that your messages are reaching the right audience at the right time. With full integrations with Mailchimp & Klaviyo, wineries can easily connect their email marketing platforms to their Corksy account to send out newsletters, exclusive offers, and highlight new shipments, all while keeping your brand top of mind for your members.

Stay in Touch with Social Media:

In addition to email, use social media to stay in touch with members and promote your wine club. Consider creating a private Facebook group for members to join and engage with one another, and share exclusive content with them.

Segmentation for Targeted Marketing:

To effectively reach members with your marketing efforts, consider segmenting your audience based on their behavior and preferences. For example, create an audience segment within the Corksy platform based on users who have successfully purchased over the last 90-days to promote your wine club offers and savings:

🚨 Tip: Looking to win-back past club cancellations?

Create a win-back strategy by segmenting club members based on cancellation reasons. Craft a compelling subject line, offer an incentive, and personalize your messaging to re-engage. Testing different email designs, messaging, and incentives will help you to determine the success of your win-back campaign.

Track email open and click-through rates (CTR) to understand which types of content are resonating with members, and tailor your marketing efforts accordingly. By utilizing segmentation, you can ensure that your marketing campaigns are relevant and engaging to each member.

Savor the Success of Your Wine Club

If you’re looking to promote your wine club and attract new members, implementing the strategies outlined above is a great place to start.

From creating a dedicated web page to showcasing the experience of being a member, to hosting exclusive events and utilizing email, SMS, and social media marketing, these strategies can help you reach and engage with your target audience.

By making the sign-up process easy and transparent, and utilizing targeted marketing efforts, you can increase the number of sign-ups and grow your wine club. So why not give these strategies a try today and see the results for yourself? Your wine club and its members will thank you.