I have not written about this in some time but I get the itch again so here I am…scratching it. Don’t ask where the itch is.
These are just some thoughts and observations having to do with the Paso Robles wine industry and how they use social media. Prior to going on, I will say that this is probably applicable in many areas across many industries and is probably applicable off line as well.
I’m online for the bulk of my days, everyday…seven days a week. It’s what I do and it’s what I enjoy doing. It’s how I make a living and where I continue to learn. I see so many local wineries have this “only promote myself” attitude and it’s mind blowing to me.
As a wine region, we need to be promoting each other and our area when we are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or any other social media network used. We need to be sharing each other’s content, retweeting it, “Liking” it, and commenting on it. I do believe there are some wineries and businesses that do a pretty good job, but overall…I’m disappointed.
Paso Robles is a community. We need to behave that way online and off. We need to be supportive of one another in order to make the outside world more aware of who we are and what we’re doing here. After recent conversations with some industry folks I am realizing that most of America has no idea where Paso Robles is and that there is even wine here.
One thing we can do to help that and spread the word about Paso Robles wine is by promoting each other and the region. We cannot have this attitude of ignoring our community and only promoting ourselves. That’s not what we want Paso Robles to be. Neighboring wineries should promote one another. The east side wineries should promote west side wineries and vice versa. Rhone wine producers and Bordeaux producers should promote one another. Big should be promoting small and small should be supporting big.
“Like” a Facebook post of another winery on your wine trail…what will it hurt? Make a friendly comment or share a new blog post put up by another winery. You won’t lose sales. Or were you one of those kids that would take your ball and go home if the other kids didn’t play the way you wanted them to?
Generally speaking, I think the Paso Robles wine industry is a pretty tight knit group of folks but in the last six to twelve months I have heard a lot of rumblings. Some under current out there. Whether it’s on Facebook or in the tasting rooms, I think we need to make a big push to cross promote, help, share, and “talk nice” about each other so tourists and potential visitors see it and feel it.
So, hey you…Winery A…go on Facebook and like Winery B’s Facebook post. Retweet Winery C’s tweet. Make a comment on their blog post. In the long term it will not only benefit you but it will benefit Paso Robles.
Beverly says
Agree, every time I find a new winery I share it on Facebook, so everyone can have a long bucket list like me…lol Cheers!
Matt (a.k.a. Hoot) says
Ha, cheers Beverly. Always good to share…especially when wineries share other wineries. It pays off in the end. 🙂
Janice Person aka JPlovesCOTTON says
Hope some are listening. It seems that for folks like me, where wineries work together to encourage tours, related, events, etc, those things drive us to visit the area. We don’t just visit one winery. And while I understand doing local promotion too, I think those businesses who find ways to be supportive of others rise to the top, even if others don’t reciprocate. Don’t have to reshare everything the others are doing, but sharing some is ok.
Matt (a.k.a. Hoot) says
I absolutely agree, Janice. I appreciate your thoughts. Good to hear from people that don’t live here inside the bubble. The “rise to the top” part really is true. 🙂
Vinvibe says
So true…so true! This is why we moved here 5 months ago to help the wineries with cross promotion and the world to discover the best wines on the planet!
Matt (a.k.a. Hoot) says
Cheers to that Vinvibe. Cross promotion wins damn near every time! 🙂
Lori says
Well said. Paso is a wonderful community. We saw that when we came to visit the first time and that’s why we choose to purchase property for a future home and why we chose this area to start our winery. We try to post as much as we can about the area, whether it is specifically about wine or wonderful happenings around town.
Jay says
Agreed. I have found out about small production wines in Paso (Guyomar, Falcone, Caparone) this way, though mainly through you retweeting.
Cindy Merino says
I have a “collection” of facebook pages related to Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo County. I frequently notice that when I visit the facebook pages or come across a new one, other wineries’ have already “liked” or “friended” them. and while not specifically related to social media, I visit the area at least 4 times a year, sometimes more than 6, and the staff at most wineries are helpful to offer suggestions of other similary wineries when we really enjoy a/some particular wine.
Matt (a.k.a. Hoot) says
That’s good to hear Cindy. I would say this though, if you go look at wineries FB pages, how much interaction is there between them? Not enough from my perspective. Just because you have “Liked” a page doesn’t mean you are liking posts, sharing, and commenting. Paso can do much better. As for when you are here visiting, I can’t really comment. I’m a resident and know the area therefore don’t need suggestions from the wineries. Glad to hear they are at least doing that though.