• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • ⭐ FREE Web3 Course
  • 🗓️ Our Events
    • Social Media Marketing World (Mar 13-15)
    • Other Industry Events
  • 💡 Society
  • ⚙️ Tools
  • 🎙️ Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Web3 Business Podcast
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🎯 Partner With Us
    • Podcast Sponsorship
    • Email Sponsorship
      • Email Newsletter
      • Dedicated Email Blast
    • Event Sponsorship
      • Social Media Marketing World
    • Tools Sponsorship
  • 👋 About Us
    • Our Story
    • Articles
      • Web3
      • Instagram Marketing
      • Facebook Marketing
      • YouTube Marketing
      • LinkedIn Marketing
      • TikTok Marketing
      • Expert Interviews
  • Search
  • How a Winery Uses Social Media to Increase Sales and Brand Loyalty

    by Louise Julig / November 13, 2013

    social media case studiesHow can wineries use social media to increase sales when the law prohibits them from giving away product samples?

    Whitehall Lane, a 20-year-old Napa Valley winery run by the Leonardini family, has hit on a winning social media formula that pays dividends in both increased sales and brand loyalty.

    Wineries face special challenges in promoting their business on social media. The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, known as the TTB, considers social media “advertising,” and regulates what wineries can do.

    The regulations primarily affect Whitehall Lane in two different ways. They cannot run contests that give away wine, and they must monitor user-generated content for anything that might promote irresponsible drinking.

    “We don't fool around with the TTB regulations,” said Katie Leonardini, direct sales manager for Whitehall Lane. But that hasn't stopped them from successfully using social media to grow a loyal fan base outside the tasting room. This in turn has increased both wine club membership and direct sales. Here's how they do it.

    instagram meme
    Whitehall Lane Winery uses Instagram as one way to foster brand loyalty.

    Organization: Whitehall Lane Winery

    Social Media Handles & Stats

    • Website
    • Blog
    • Facebook – 4,150 followers
    • Twitter – 3,898 followers
    • Instagram – 432 followers
    • Pinterest – 265 followers

    Highlights

    • Direct sales have increased month-to-month with no increase in tasting room walk-ins
    • Wine club member sales increased 39% from September 2012 to September 2013
    • Wine club member retention has increased to over 99% each month
    • Wine dinners at partnering restaurants sell out, and wine club signups at the dinners have increased dramatically

    Whitehall Lane started using Facebook and Twitter in 2009. They've since expanded onto Instagram, Pinterest and a blog within the last year and a half.

    By keeping an eye on their brand while experimenting through trial and error, they've hit on a social media formula that reaches beyond the tasting room by: 1) partnering with complementary brands, 2) rewarding loyal fans and 3) educating and telling stories vs. selling.

    Partnering With Complementary Brands

    Contests and giveaways are standard tactics on social media for retail brands. But TTB regulations prohibit wineries from giving away alcohol. Whitehall Lane has overcome this challenge through some creative thinking.

    Leonardini identifies complementary brands that fit with their objectives for contests. The winery has given away wine glasses and cookbooks, for example. They've also done giveaways with Whitehall Lane estate olive oil.

    glasses giveaway
    Whitehall Lane partnered with Govino glasses for this Instagram contest.
    glasses giveaway instagram
    Finding complementary brands is a way for wineries to do giveaways.

    Whitehall Lane also retweets content on Twitter and likes Instagram photos of complementary brands that promote tourism in Napa Valley.

    3 Days of World-Class Training—Zero Travel!

    Social Media Marketing World

    Travel to Social Media Marketing World off the table? Get all of the great content at a fraction of the price with an On-Demand ticket.

    That’s full access to recordings of every keynote, workshop, and session—the ones people travel thousands of miles to see. Don't wait. Get your On-Demand ticket and enjoy actionable content that you can watch anytime, anywhere.

    GET YOUR ON-DEMAND TICKET NOW
    liked photo on instagram
    Whitehall Lane liked this photo on the Instagram feed of a Napa Valley inn.

    Rewarding Loyal Fans

    Whitehall Lane does not run contests on social media to get new followers. They run them to reward existing fans. “It's never a refer-a-friend type of contest,” said Leonardini.

    They would rather use contests to collect email addresses of current fans for their database than inflate follower numbers with people who aren't true fans of their brand. Whitehall Lane also does not advertise on Facebook.

    Tools Resource Guide

    Looking for something to make your life easier?

    Discover the tools we recommend to drive engagement, save you time, and boost sales across your entire marketing funnel or business.

    Whether you need help planning content, organizing social posts, or developing your strategy, you’ll find something for every situation.

    FIND YOUR NEXT FAVORITE TOOL
    t shirt promo
    Whitehall Lane rewards fans with special promos and contests.

    “All of our fans are genuine,” said Leonardini. “Whitehall Lane isn't about hundreds of thousands of fans, it's more about the quality and the conversation,” she said.

    The winery also rewards fans informally by liking their photos on Instagram and giving shout-outs on Facebook and Twitter. In return, fans naturally share Whitehall Lane content.

    reposted fan photo
    Whitehall Lane reposted this fan's Instagram photo to their own feed.
    fan photo shoutout
    Reposting and liking Instagram photos informally rewards fans.
    giving fans shoutouts
    Whitehall Lane gives shout-outs to fans on their Facebook page.

    “We've found that when you have genuine, authentic followers, you don't even have to ask them to RT or share your posting, because they'll do it on their own,” said Leonardini.

    facebook shared post
    Whitehall Lane finds that fans naturally share content that resonates with them.

    Their focus on growing a fan base organically has an added benefit—they almost never have to remove user posts or comments for spam or encouraging alcohol abuse. This makes it much easier to comply with TTB regulations.

    Educating and Telling Stories vs. Selling

    When Whitehall Lane first started using Twitter, they would search for people who were asking which Napa Valley wineries to go to or who had checked in at another winery. They would then tweet with a 2-for-1 offer to come in to their tasting room.

    It did bring in traffic. “But they were people looking for free tastings,” Leonardini said. Although numbers in the tasting room went up, sales did not follow. They decided to change their Twitter strategy.

    Now the winery uses Twitter primarily to educate fans about food and wine pairings and share facts about Napa Valley and winemaking. The interaction they receive tells them this is what their followers want.

    educational tweet
    Whitehall Lane finds that educational tweets are what their followers want.

    “When we tweet something that's educational, we get an average of four to seven retweets,” said Abbi Whitaker of the Abbi Agency, a public-relations firm that works with Whitehall Lane.

    educational retweet
    Educational tweets get more retweets and favorites than promotional ones.

    The winery has also started a blog where they post recipes, updates from the winemaker and harvest notes. Though blog subscribers are fewer than they would like right now, they're focusing on consistency and quality content and believe the numbers will follow.

    “We're not just going to buy a list and shoot out our blog to them,” said Leonardini. “We want it to grow because people want to [subscribe].”

    Results: Successful Wine Dinners and Increased Wine Club Sales

    Subscribers to Whitehall Lane's wine club get three to four shipments of wine a year; the club is a big part of the winery's business. But they were getting calls from subscribers, often after three shipments, asking to cancel. When asked why, subscribers would often say they loved the wine, but they belonged to three wine clubs and had to let one go.

    “We've been able to greatly reduce that [problem] because of social media,” Leonardini said.

    Whitehall lane encourages club members to follow them on social media. “Even though they live in North Carolina or Nebraska, they get the feeling that they're still here in touch with us, and our retention rate has changed dramatically,” said Leonardini.

    wine club
    Whitehall Lane uses social media to make wine club members feel connected.

    The winery also partners with fine restaurants across the country to put on wine dinners. The dinners are not a new idea. What's new is the response they now get.

    Because of their social media following, restaurants now approach them about helping to promote the wine dinners. RSVPs are now up to the point that the dinners sell out—a win-win for the restaurants and the winery.

    “Wine sales at these dinner events now exceed a busy Saturday in the tasting room during the high season,” Leonardini said.

    In addition, the number of wine club signups at the dinners has increased dramatically. “It's a whole new outlet for us,” said Leonardini. “Previously the only venue to sign up club members was through the tasting room, but now we can sign them up at these dinners throughout the country.”

    Over to You

    Despite federal advertising regulations, Whitehall Lane has found a way to successfully use social media with tangible results to their bottom line.

    What do you think? Is your business in a regulated industry? How have you used social media to increase brand loyalty and sales? Include your comments and questions below.

    Get Your FREE Course: Web3 for Beginners

    Web 3 for Beginners

    Curious about Web3, but don't know where to start or who to trust?

    Introducing Web3 for Beginners, a course taught by Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner.

    Learn the basics of Web3 and apply it to your business with this FREE comprehensive course.


    CLICK HERE TO GET FREE ACCESS

    Tags: Social Media Strategy

    About the authorLouise Julig

    Louise is Social Media Examiner’s case study writer. A freelance writer and former engineer, she has a passion for telling compelling true stories. Follow Louise on Twitter @LouiseJulig.
    Other posts by Louise Julig Âť

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (39 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Web3

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 14th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss another great article from us. Join more than 400,000 marketers!

    Enter your email to get
    our free report:


    Footer

    Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
    Copyright © 2023 Social Media ExaminerÂŽ
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS
    • Accessibility