I recently found myself chatting with a couple visiting a Napa tasting room while they were waiting to finish their purchase after a tasting. They were trepidatious about their upcoming experience.Â
Having been club members since their first trip to Napa 5 years ago on their Honeymoon, this was their third visit to the winery. On their first visit, they LOVED the experience and the wines and stretched their budget to join the wine club. However, on their second visit, they had a less-than-ideal experience and had contemplated dropping the club but they found that they still really enjoyed the wines. Now facing a big life change, they were back in Napa for a third visit and decided to visit the winery for a third time to determine if they wanted to maintain their club membership.Â
What convinced them to come back to the tasting room and give the winery a second chance was personalization efforts. The winery had recently upgraded their website allowing for a more customized view for club members. Similar efforts in email had triggered personalized messages with offers based of past purchases and acknowledging the birthday registered on the account. Handwritten Happy Anniversary and Happy Holiday cards had been sent to their home over the past year. About 1 week before their visit a member of the hospitality staff had personally called to confirm their reservation, confirm who would be attending the tasting, and if they were celebrating anything special. That staff member then asked if they could offer any recommendations or support for the upcoming trip to ensure they enjoyed every minute.Â
They raved about these efforts - particularly about the handwritten cards and the efforts in the tasting room to customize their experience. Their menus were printed with their names and their host offered a bonus pour of their favorite wine from the portfolio. Now they were excited to attend a tasting event hosted by the winery a 2-hour drive from their home just to interact with the staff again.Â
As marketing and hospitality professionals in the wine industry it's important to remember that our marketing reach extends beyond the computer screen and into all our interactions with our guests.Â
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