Vintners around the world are embracing social media – especially blogging, Twitter and Facebook – to promote their brands. Some are doing it very well, others not so. I recently came across an article in Businessweek which nicely summed up the basic rules to marketing a brand via Twitter. Below is their advice:
Have a plan: Spend your time wisely by setting aside a specific time each day to use Twitter.
Don’t over promote your brand: Stick to the 80-20 rule of marketing. Spend 80 percent or more of your Twitter time on activities that are not promoting yourself.
Integrate your Twitter efforts with your other marketing initiative: Cross-promote your marketing initiatives in every way you can.
Don’t get too personal or negative: Don’t say anything on Twitter you wouldn’t say in person to your customers and the public at large.
Do engage and interact: To make Twitter an effective marketing tool, you need to view it as a relationship-building opportunity. Don’t use corporate rhetoric and jargon: Unless your target audience expects to read jargon from you, avoid using it.