In this “Content in Context” entry, I wanted to highlight a presentation that I recently gave to a small group of people who work in the wine industry. A few months ago, I was invited to speak at Sonoma State University for the “State of the Wine Industry” seminar that eWinery and Shipcompliant hosted. I chose content marketing as the subject, and wrapped it up in the context of the wine industry, which has long been a slow adopter of technology.
I don’t care if you’re selling Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Every winery has a unique story behind it, but they don’t always do the best job at sharing that story – and there are some very good tales among these grape growers, winemakers, and everyone else who is part of the business. One of the interesting things about the wine industry is its eclectic mix of people – you’ll meet everyone from former console gaming kings to venture capitalists, and the many small families as you trek across Wine Country.
This presentation looks at popular types of content that forward-thinking wine brands have created and shared, and showcases concrete examples that you can easily translate to your own business. It also explores complementary strategies to attract more eyes on your content through social media marketing; learning how to find, connect with, and leverage your audience to spread the good word. Going forward, in 2014, the push for authentic, genuine, and useful content will continue to grow among smart brands. Now it’s up to you to generate you own relevant material.