Maybe you’ve heard the news about DTC wine sales. It’s not good.
Word on the street is that visits are down, club cancellations are up, and DTC wineries are looking for answers. Some pundits blame wineries for targeting an aging demographic, while others blame economic uncertainty.
But it seems they all agree the best way for DTC wineries to survive a downturn is by better engaging existing wine club members.
“Focus on retention as your number one goal. Keeping current members is a very efficient use of your resources and ultimately less costly than finding new members.”
This advice is sure to help. But most wineries face a critical problem putting it into practice: no matter what retention programs they design, the vast majority of wine club members will never know they exist.
And here’s why…
THE #1 PROBLEM WITH WINE CLUB RETENTION PROGRAMS
Effective DTC marketing requires a reliable communication channel, but most wine marketers rely on email. And the only thing reliable about email marketing is that most consumers will never see the emails sent by wine merchants.
Don’t get me wrong. I love email marketing.
But in 2023, the inconvenient truth is that it’s become a sad shadow of its former self. According to the experts at WineGlass Marketing, even professionally designed email campaigns are ignored by 80% of wine consumers.
Given these results, how can you expect any wine club retention programs to succeed when 4-out-of-5 members don’t even know they exist?
THE SECRET INGREDIENT FOR MAXIMIZING WINE CLUB RETENTION
The great news is that you already know a better way to engage wine customers: SMS messaging.
You know it’s convenient, and you probably receive opt-in messages from businesses now. But did you know your wine club members like it too?
The latest research shows that SMS messages sent to wine consumers enjoyed 5-times the open rate and 6-times the click-thru rate – generating 35-times better results than an average email campaign.
So, no matter what your wine club retention plans are, introducing them to your members via SMS is a sure way to maximize their effectiveness.
And since fewer than 10% of U.S. wineries offer SMS as a way to stay in touch, text messaging provides a competitive advantage to any winery that uses it now.
INTRODUCING SMS MESSAGING TO YOUR WINE CLUB NOW
If you’re taking the advice of leading DTC marketers to bolster customer retention, SMS wine marketing is an easy and inexpensive way to multiply your success.
For a straightforward guide on how to introduce SMS messaging to your best wine customers, click here.
Although SMS wine marketers must meet strict compliance standards, multiple service providers specialize in the wine industry. And an experienced SMS partner can help DTC wineries launch their own text marketing programs in weeks for less than $100/mo.
To be clear, we’re not saying anyone should abandon email marketing. The customers who still open your emails value them.
But as a DTC wine marketer in 2023, your open and click-thru rates matter more than ever as you strengthen customer relationships and maximize wine club retention.
And that’s when SMS wine marketing can be your secret weapon.
Happy Selling!