Who cares about a virtual fist bump?

Customer service isn’t just a face to face, person to person interaction. It translates into our digital lives and good customer service for a brand can go a long way to translate a digital connection into the sale of a product. People can find you online through many different channels and how you treat them is just as important as how you’d treat a customer walking into your winery.

While winery life is busy and no one really has the time they need to get everything done, it’s important to respond to each social media comment, with something as simple as a like to let them know you’ve read it and acknowledge what they’ve said. Or reply with a simple emoji to give a quick reaction to what they’ve said. When you don’t respond or leave a direct message unanswered, that’s the same as not returning a phone call. This is a potential customer or at the very least a brand advocate and you can make their experience a positive or negative one by something as simple as a virtual fist bump.

I have the benefit of seeing all comments and messages across multiple social media platforms for many wineries (and distilleries too) and repeatedly, what I see is that personally directed comments matter.

A fan of one of my winery clients had purchased a new home and tagged the winery in an Instagram story showing a bottle of the winery’s wine on their first night in their new home. I sent them a direct message on Instagram (from the winery Instagram account) congratulating them on their new home and thanking them for sharing that special moment with us and they were blown away. They couldn’t believe that a large winery would take the time to send a direct message to them about their new home! That social media follower became a lifelong fan of the winery and as a result will tell many of their friends and family members about that message. A simple, easy to execute act made a world of difference for that fan.

Creating awesome custom service digitally doesn’t just create good will, it can also generate sales. I had commented on someone’s post (from another winery account I manage) and when she posted on a photo of ours, I responded again with something that connected the two comments, showing there was a real person behind the brand and the Instagram account. She was so excited and asked a follow up question about the flavor profile of the wine. When I responded with the description, she loved the description of the wine so much that she joined the wine club, creating a year’s worth of revenue for the winery.

These are just two examples of how managing a winery’s social media well, can go a long way. If you need help managing your social media or just want some quick advice on what marketing lever you should pull next, drop me a line. I’ll always respond, even if it’s only with a virtual fist bump!