I recently gave a presentation called Unlocking Growth: 3 Quick Fixes for Your Winery’s Digital Marketing on this topic. Marketing can be very overwhelming for wineries that aren’t sure where to start. Wineries often excel at the hard parts: growing grapes, making incredible wine, building gorgeous tasting rooms, and selling wine in person.  However, there …

Continue reading… “Unlocking Growth: 3 Quick Fixes for Your Winery’s Digital Marketing”

Have you noticed your social media feed looking a little… repetitive lately? Take a look at the image above. These are real posts currently floating around Facebook. They look incredibly similar, don’t they? The flyers feature generic, AI-generated illustrations. Welcome to the “Sea of Sameness.” Right now, many busy winery owners are discovering the magic …

Continue reading… “The “Sea of Sameness”: When to Use AI for Your Winery (And When NOT To)”

You wear a dozen hats every single day. You are the head winemaker, the HR department, the events coordinator, and the marketing director. When it comes time to make a business decision—like testing a new event concept or finding ways to boost weekend bottle sales—you often have to make the call in a vacuum. Sometimes, …

Continue reading… “Meet Your New Tasting Room Manager: Using AI as Your Virtual Board of Advisors”

For many winery owners, Spring brings a mix of excitement and panic. The vines are waking up, the weather is warming, and soon, the customers will follow. But here is the hard question: Do you have a plan to fill your tasting room, or are you just hoping for the best? Successful seasons don’t happen …

Continue reading… “Is Your Winery Ready for Spring? The 8-Week Digital Wine Marketing Checklist”

If you have read my recent blog, you know that the digital landscape is shifting. We’ve talked about how to show up in AI search, but today we need to look at the foundation of that strategy: Your Website. Your website is one of your most important marketing tools and is often the very first …

Continue reading… “What Belongs on a Winery Website: The 2026 Essentials”

The world of search is changing fast, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now the gatekeeper to visibility. For wineries and wine associations—whose success hinges on the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) tasting room experience—this means your traditional SEO playbook must evolve to also include AI Overviews that prioritizing local relevance, trust, and comprehensive answers about experiences. To ensure …

Continue reading… “Rank Higher: The AI-Powered Blueprint for Wineries (Drive Tasting Room Traffic with AI)”

At Bauerhaus Design, we believe a strong brand is built on a foundation of strategy and heart. When we began working with the Iowa Wine Association in 2023, our goal was to help them grow their audience and elevate their reputation as a premier wine region. This collaboration has led to some remarkable results, proving …

Continue reading… “Elevating a Regional Brand: A Case Study with the Iowa Wine Association”

Ever wonder what truly makes a wine brand pop? It’s more than just a great vintage! To build a winery that resonates and thrives, you need to master an essential trio: Positioning, Branding, and Marketing. While often confused, each plays a distinct and vital role in captivating your audience. What’s the Difference? Let’s uncork the …

Continue reading… “Uncorking Success: Positioning, Branding, and Marketing for Your Wine Brand”

Tired of one-time sales and looking for a way to build lasting customer relationships? A thriving wine club can be the key to unlocking sustainable growth for your winery. It’s not just about selling more wine; it’s about creating a community of loyal brand advocates. This blog post, based on a presentation I gave to …

Continue reading… “Why your Winery should have a Wine Club”

Since November 22, Wicked has reigned supreme as the top-grossing show in the industry, raking in nearly $300 million. Everywhere you turn, from online to in-store, Wicked is impossible to miss. What can we, as wine marketers, learn from their Branding & Marketing? Unforgettable Branding: A Strong Visual Identity: Wicked’s iconic logo and bold color …

Continue reading… “How to Make Your Winery a Hit: Lessons from Wicked”

The Olympics have come to a close, and while we’re sad to see them go, they leave behind a treasure trove of memories and – believe it or not – valuable lessons for the wine industry! Celebrating the Games: A Fan’s Perspective At our household, we were glued to the action, especially loved the world …

Continue reading… “The Olympics Wrap Up: Wine Marketing Lessons From the Games”

In June, Silicon Valley Bank, released their annual Direct-to-Consumer Wine Survey Report. Have you watched the video or read the report? If not, head over to their website. This year the report was more uplifting than years past. Winery visitation is on an upward trend. Wineries selling wine at a premium price – $30 – …

Continue reading… “Unlocking Growth: Key Takeaways from the 2024 D2C Wine Survey”

Every wine region should be promoting a month dedicated to their wine! This helps the state or region as a whole build awareness as a unified brand. It helps educate wine consumers on the grape varietals you focus on, type of wine, what your region looks like, and how you are different. This is the …

Continue reading… “Does your Wine Association Have a Month Dedicated to Wine?”

Understanding the Importance of Targeting Picking a target market is essential for any business, but it’s especially crucial for wine brands. With so many wine options available, consumers are looking for brands that speak directly to them and their preferences. By identifying and targeting a specific market, you can create a brand identity that resonates …

Continue reading… “Why Picking a Target Market is Essential for Your Wine Brand’s Success”

This is the million dollar question: what wine label design will represent your brand, increase sales, and show a high perceived value? At retail customers are faced with the wine aisle of thousands of bottles. According to Nielsen, “Package design reaches 100% of likely buyers at the first moment of truth where 50-80% of purchase …

Continue reading… “What type of label design represents your brand?”

How can your wine label stand out from other wine brands both in the tasting and store shelves? Packaging design is made up of many elements. How do you decide which to include on your wine label design? In our first blog in this series, “Why is wine label design so important?” we talked about …

Continue reading… “Top elements of a strong wine label design”

“When you have a product, you’d better really like the label,” says Betty Bingham of Bingham Family Vineyards, “because you’re going to see a whole lot of it for a very long time. Every time I look at a bottle of our wine, I’m thankful that we spent the time and money and worked with …

Continue reading... "Bingham Family Vineyard: A Wine Brand and Family in Perfect Harmony"

When Tom Leonard and his son Chris established Leonard Wine Company in 2014, they agreed that nothing but the best would do. “Our wine was going to be high-end,” says Tom. “Not just our wine, but everything about our wine brand was going to be first class. We were going to find the best bottles …

Continue reading… “Leonard Wine Company: Creating an American Wine Brand with European Flair”

Is your wine label helping or hurting your brand? I was at a wine conference earlier this year and a presenter mentioned to the whole conference that this region had very high-quality wine, but the labels needed improvement. When the second presenter mentioned it you could hear the rumblings that their wine labels are different …

Continue reading… “Why is wine label design important?”

Wine association branding is essential to establish your region as a leader in the industry. We talk a lot about branding when it comes to wine labels, but what about your wine association? Does it have a consistent image that is easily recognized from the surrounding states or associations? Think about this fact: Our senses …

Continue reading… “Is your wine association consistent with branding?”

The beginning of the New Year is often times a place for new personal goals, but what are your wine business goals? This year I encourage you to also pick 1-3 wine marketing resolutions for your winery. We are all creatures of habit and while we may want to make big changes in our lives, …

Continue reading… “Three Wine Marketing Resolutions for the New Year”

We have heard from many clients that winery tasting room foot traffic is down this year. What can you do to increase revenue in 2023? Here are our top winery tips: 1. Focus on winery email marketing Email marketing has the top ROI of any type of digital marketing. It beats social and ads. If …

Continue reading… “What is your winery’s strategic digital marketing plan for 2023?”

A little birdy told us you’re starting your own wine brand. You’ve put so much hard work and heart into perfecting your craft, and now it’s time to share it with the world. In our “How to Start a Winery Business” series, we’ve put together years of insights and learnings to help you transform your …

Continue reading… “HOW TO START A WINERY BUSINESS: YOU NEED MORE THAN GRAPES AND A GREAT VENUE”

You’ve taken a leap of faith and decided to start your own wine brand. We’re tipping our hat to you. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. In our “How to Start a Winery Business” series, we’ve culminated years of valuable learnings into a roadmap packed with insights for …

Continue reading… “HOW TO START A WINERY BUSINESS: CREATE A BRAND STORY THAT CONNECTS”

So, you’re starting your own wine brand? Cue the happy dance. After years of working alongside new wine brands, we thought we’d amass our learnings into an actionable guide for winery startups. In part one of our How to Start a Winery Business series, we discussed the Top 4 Mistakes New Wineries Make. In part …

Continue reading… “HOW TO START A WINERY BUSINESS: POWERFUL BRAND POSITIONING FOR NEW WINE BRANDS”

We’ve seen it a dozen times… eager new wine brands pouring hundreds of hours into their grape selections and harvesting methods — and completely forgetting about how they’re going to get this wine out of their inventory and into glasses! If you’re starting a new wine brand, it probably doesn’t feel like “work”. At least …

Continue reading… “How To Start A Winery Business: Top 4 Mistakes New Wineries Make”

Yep, Gen Z’ers are drinking wine.  It’s time to ring the alarms – and break out our prescription-strength retinoids.  For years we’ve been chatting about how to effectively capture Millenial’s attention and gain a new group of avid wine enthusiasts. Emojis and low price-points were all the rage for a generation that entered into adulthood …

Continue reading… “Uncorking A New Trend: The Importance of Marketing to Generation Z”

As a parent with a child about to go back to school, I’m surrounded by messages of angst about what the new school year will look like. Will it be online or in person? What do either of those options even look like? The answer: We’re all still figuring that out. Just as schools are …

Continue reading… “How is your winery adapting?”

How many touch points do you have with your customer before you make a sale? According to a basic marketing principle: It takes 7. So in a time when you can’t actually touch anyone – How do you do that digitally? For the time being, we no longer have in-person networking events to attend, festivals …

Continue reading… “7 touch-points to make a sale: From lead to customer through digital marketing”

Now that selling your products online is not just smart and efficient, but also crucial for your bottom line, you’re probably wondering what you can do to increase those sales quickly and effectively. There are many tactical, straight-forward and creative ways to boost e-commerce. And the best part is: You’ll be investing in your brand’s …

Continue reading… “5 ways to increase your online sales”

Across industries, companies are launching new products – and even entirely new brands – in response to the “new normal” of COVID-19. Fancy restaurants are making frozen pizzas. Many outdoor brands like the cycling apparel company Kitsbow are making medical face shields and masks. Some brands, including our client Another Mother Runner, are hosting virtual …

Continue reading… “How to Launch a New Brand (or Rebrand Your Business) During COVID-19”

You are an entrepreneur. You are a leader. Unlike the big brands, like Amazon, you can be wildly creative with your marketing and pivot easily. You can try many different tactics and see which works best. Here are a few marketing ideas to get you started. With new outbreaks in cities across the country every …

Continue reading… “COVID-19 and Your Winery: Get Wildly Creative to Reach your Wine Customers”

Events are incredible opportunities for connection and building brand awareness. Events also contribute to a company’s reputation – for better or for worse. No matter how big or small, there are a few key components to planning a successful event. First things first. What’s the goal? What’s your primary motivation for putting on your event? …

Continue reading… “How to build a successful event”

According to Silicon Valley Bank’s State of the Wine Industry Report 2019, “the Gen X cohort will surpass the baby boomers by around 2022 to become the largest fine wine–consumer demographic in the US.” Even though Millennials will surpass Gen Xers in that regard by 2027, there’s still plenty of reason to invest in marketing …

Continue reading… “How to market to Generation X”

Websites are not the Field of Dreams: If you build it, they will come. A website’s goal should be to grow either online sales or in-store sales. Simply having an online presence is not the only reason to have a website. Websites can be expensive compared to other marketing! Partly because they require time, vision …

Continue reading… “Build a website for your winery that gets results: Top 9 tips”

The outdoor industry is booming. There’s more gear than ever – and yet, consumers still can’t seem to get enough of it. Travelers continue to buy new products for their next adventures, as if finding the right gear is part of the fun. (Of course, it is!) Outdoor travel enthusiasts are often a loyal bunch, …

Continue reading… “How to get found online by outdoor travel enthusiasts”

Canned wine is a hot trend in the wine industry, and it shouldn’t be ignored. “Sales of cans increased 69 percent in 2018, with volume up 47 percent over the previous year, according to Beverage Media, citing Nielsen statistics.” Nearly twenty years ago, Oskar Blues did something bold: They put their craft beer into cans. …

Continue reading… “Wine in a can: Attracting Millennials while keeping your brand classy”

Whether or not a person buys your food product hinges on one important thing: packaging. “As the main (and often only) physical interaction with a Direct to Consumer brand, packaging is the most important touchpoint in the customer journey.” – Household For any business that sells real, tangible products, packaging design is always a crucial …

Continue reading… “Food packaging: Why it matters & how to design for resonance”

20% of your existing customer base will equal 80% of your future income, statistically. Not only are your current customers your most lucrative ones, but they’re also costing you the least. Yes, it costs much more to gain a new customer than it does to keep an existing one happy. Loyalty is an incredible asset …

Continue reading… “Loyalty: The most valuable asset in your customer journey”

You’ve gotten your potential customer’s attention, gave them the tools to consider your brand, and now: It’s decision time. We’ve been talking a lot about the customer journey: the way your customers interact with your brand from start to finish. Everything your customer experiences from the moment they discover you to the day they become …

Continue reading… “Decision Time: How not to lose your potential customers at the last minute”

Technology is changing so fast that websites get outdated in 2-5 years. When was your website last updated? We know in the consideration phase, prospects are often comparing your website to your 5 closest competitors. How does your site stack up? Does your site load fast and show how you are different in seconds? Do …

Continue reading… “Is your website ready for an upgrade?”

Last month, we introduced the customer journey: the way your customers interact with your brand from start to finish. The customer journey is everything your customer experiences from the moment they discover you to the day they become your biggest fan. After the essential first stage, Awareness, potential customers enter Phase 2: Consideration. (If you …

Continue reading... "Consideration: The make-or-break-it stage of a customer journey"

Digimind, the global leader in social listening and market intelligence, released a report at the end of 2018, stating "Branded content on Instagram consistently earned the most engagement across social media. 40% of luxury purchases are influenced by what consumers see online, and their interactions with a brand." 93% of consumer engagement with luxury brands …

Continue reading... "Which social media platform do luxury consumers prefer?"

Every winery wants to increase sales. At the end of the day, increased wine sales comes down to your customer journey. A customer journey is the way your customers interact with your brand from start to finish: It’s everything your customer experiences from the moment they discover you to the day they become your biggest …

Continue reading... "Awareness is Step 1: Increase wine sales with a clear customer journey"

If your customers don’t know who you are and what you’re all about, it doesn’t matter how good your wine is. The biggest mistake we see wineries make is not having a consistent marketing plan. Truly! Communicating with your biggest fans is really important. They’re the ones who’ll stay loyal and spread the word about …

Continue reading... "WHAT’S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE WINERIES MAKE?"

As new generations of wine drinkers come of age, our wine marketing strategies need to evolve with the times. Remember the dinner party analogy? You're at a dinner party, and the person next to you is yackin' your ear off - talking at you, not to you. As you know from our recent blog post, …

Continue reading... "How to market wine to Generation Z (without hosting a miserable dinner party)"

Do all the different types of marketing metrics out there confuse you? Are you frustrated and not sure what matters? Ultimately, the most important metric in marketing is revenue per customer (RPC). This will tell you which customers are your VIPs and will help define who you should target in the future. For example, if …

Continue reading... "What wine marketing metrics matter the most?"

Relying on current sales and current customers is a recipe for fizzling out. Your business can't just be profitable. It's also got to be sustainable. One of the biggest challenges for winery owners right now is knowing how to market to the next generations. So many wineries rely on Baby Boomers to buy their wine and …

Continue reading... "Marketing wine to Millennials"

“I don’t want to annoy people.” “It’s so corporate!” “Too pushy.” Sound like something you’ve said about why you’re not emailing your customers? Push these myths out of your mind, because they’re just not true. When visitors come into your tasting room, you get to have a personal conversation with each guest. How can you …

Continue reading... "3 Golden Rules to Grow Your Email List"

In August I was honored to accept an invitation to speak in Belgium! I gave a presentation on wine branding to 180 attendees of the Limburg Province Wine Congress. I presented “Case Study: How 6 brands target 6 different wine consumers.” Other speakers at the conference were from England, France, and Italy. While I was …

Continue reading… “Speaking in Belgium on wine branding”

Your tasting room provides customers with a magical experience. But are you focused on growing your online wine sales this year? New research tells us that it’s time to take your wine customer’s experience from the tasting room to online purchasing. Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division hosted a live videocast earlier this year to discuss …

Continue reading… “Secrets to Growing Direct-To-Consumer Wine Sales”

Every winery has a different model for their revenue streams, but if you produce less than 50,000 cases you should be growing your Direct-to-Consumer Shipping. Why? The latest research tells us that wineries this size are growing their Direct-Consumer shipping. In the 2017 Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) Wine Shipping Report, compiled by Wines and Vines and ShipCompliant, …

Continue reading… “How can you increase your small wine brand’s Direct to Consumer shipping?”

Do you want people to think your brand is expensive or cheap? What do you want the perceived value of your wine brand to be? A brand is all about people's perceptions of your company or product. If you like what people are saying about your existing brand, then repeat that message and grow it. …

Continue reading... "Five tips for branding a new wine brand"

If I bought a bottle of your wine and then went to your website, do they have the same branding elements? Your wine label is often the first piece of branding your customer sees and often wineries focus all their brand strategy on the wine label. While the label is very important, it is only …

Continue reading... "Branding Tip: Should your wine label and website match?"

Who is your target wine consumer? This is usually the first question I ask clients and many of them struggle to answer it. Why is this important? Knowing your target wine consumer gives you a huge advantage in creating both a branding strategy and a marketing strategy. How is it an advantage? Let’s look at five …

Continue reading… “Top 5 reasons to pick a target wine consumer”

In February, I spoke at the #USBevX wine conference and received a great compliment from an attendee. She said “I’ve never heard social media explained the way you did. It makes so much more sense now!” The presentation, “How six brands target six different wine consumers,” wasn’t specifically about social media. Instead, it was a …

Continue reading... "What is the one thing your wine brand is missing with social media?"

Are you attending the 2018 US Wine & Beverage Conference & Expo in Washington, DC? Don’t miss Bauerhaus Design owner, Rebecca Ritz, presentation “Case Study: How 6 Brands Target 6 Different Wine Consumers” on February 22nd at 11 a.m. Topic Description Who is your target market? This session will explore why “all wine drinkers” isn’t a …

Continue reading… “Join me at #USBevX for a Case Study: How 6 brands target 6 different wine consumers”

Your mother told you it’s what’s inside that counts, but with wine sales, that’s not always the case. Back in 2015, the Gallo Wine Trend Survey discussed the buying habits of millennials versus baby boomers. Baby boomers tend to choose wine based on aspects like region of origin, taste descriptors and pairing suggestions. Millennials, they …

Continue reading… “Judging a Wine by Its Label”

    Do you know the type of wine club your customers prefer? The social media channels they visit daily? Do you know what radio stations your customers listen to? Read the top 4 reasons why your brand should use market research. This past year we have worked with several wine, spirit and food brands on gathering …

Continue reading… “How Market Research can help your wine, spirit or food brand import to the US”

Your tasting room is the silent ambassador of your brand. How is your tasting room telling your story? Earlier this year I spent a week in Napa, CA and wanted to share these great wine branding ideas that I came across. I always tell my clients that they need to start any marketing with a …

Continue reading… “Top 4 wine branding ideas for your tasting room”

Right now I'm working with several new wine brands and many start with a tasting room only. While we often hear how wine clubs are a great addition to annual income, what do the statistics tell us? Can a wine brand in Texas or Missouri have as much success as one in Napa? Earlier this …

Continue reading... "Video: Secrets for Growing Direct-to-Consumer Wine Sales 2017"

Every winery has a different model for their revenue streams, but if you produce less than 50,000 cases you should be growing your Direct-to-Consumer Shipping. Why? The latest research tells us that wineries this size are growing their Direct-Consumer shipping. In the 2017 Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) Wine Shipping Report, compiled by Wines and Vines and ShipCompliant, …

Continue reading... "HOW CAN YOU INCREASE YOUR SMALL WINE BRAND’S DIRECT TO CONSUMER SHIPPING?"

What type of wine are Millennials drinking? What promotions work with Millennials? Read how 4 different wine brands are targeting Millennials. Rosé All Day Targeting wine to Millennials? Rosé represents a mere 1.5% of the U.S. table wine market, but sales climbed 53% by volume to sales of $258 million in the last 52 weeks, …

Continue reading… “How to target Millennials with your wine brand”

You have seconds to grab the attention of a customer on store shelves. Is your wine brand unforgettable? In a Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute and Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University study from 1991-2006 there was an “Unmistakable trend: the better the recognition rating a wine brand received, the more likely it …

Continue reading... "5 packaging tips for a new wine brand"

On our list for 2017 is creating short monthly videos covering topics like wine marketing, content marketing, branding, packaging design and website design and development. This way you don't have to wait to hear me speak once a year at wine conferences 🙂 While we don't do the actual creation of videos for our clients …

Continue reading... "Video Marketing Tips and Examples for Wine brands"

Is your brand leveraging video? Find out how one retail store increased their sales with video. While we often suggest video to our clients, let’s be honest – many are intimidated by creating video. They don’t have a big budget for hiring a videographer or even know where to start. One of our long time …

Continue reading… “Case Study: How one retail store increased sales with weekly video”

Learn what content marketing is, plus our top tips on why your winery should use it. What is content marketing? Forbes.com defines Content marketing as:   Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving …

Continue reading… “How can content marketing help your wine brand?”

If you follow me on Twitter, than you know I have been in a bit of Millennial tweeting frenzy this month. Why? Millennials are the next big wine consumer and more and more wine brands are taking steps to target this demographic. The better you understand your consumer, the easier it is to create & …

Continue reading… “Why Millennials love wine packaging that is not in a bottle”

In honor of Women’s International Day and Women’s History month, we are excited to announce Bauerhaus Design is now a member of Women of the Vine & Spirits, an organization dedicated to the support and advancement of women in the alcohol beverage industry. Women make 70-80% of all household purchasing decisions, yet only 11.5% of …

Continue reading… “Bauerhaus Design joins Women of the Vine & Spirits”

Texas Wine Marketing Institute presented their research study at the #TWGGA17 conference.  As a packaging designer, I love reading this type of research and love passing it along to winery owners. This past weekend I was a speaker on Content Marketing at the Annual Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association conference and had the pleasure …

Continue reading… “Millennial Wine Consumers: Profiles and Responses towards Alternative Wine Packaging”

Posting events and specials and not getting many likes or engagements on social media? Wine & spirit brands often ask me how they can make social media useful for their business. This is what I share . . . The biggest eye opener for my clients is the 80/20 rule in social media marketing. Out …

Continue reading… “Learn the #1 secret to social media at the #TWGGA17 conference”

Imagine this scene: You are a dinner party and the person next to you asks you a question. You don’t respond, but just keeping eating. They ask the question again thinking you maybe just didn’t hear it. They are again met with silence. How do you think that person feels? Incredibly frustrated and I bet …

Continue reading… “Why your response rate on social media is important”

As a full service agency we not only do branding and design, but also create custom designed and developed websites. Sometimes clients hire me for….

READ MORE

Read our top seven low-cost marketing tips for growth in 2017. I was talking to a client of mine that just launched a new wine brand. He talked about how he felt like marketing he has tried just doesn’t work. However he doesn’t have a monthly marketing budget to outsource marketing to an agency like …

Continue reading… “What kind of marketing can your small wine brand do for cheap?”

People often ask me how their business can be number one on Google. But the truth is, you need people who love you first in order to show up on the first page of search results. When I answer this question for my clients I usually start with - does your website show and tell …

Continue reading... "How can I be #1 on Google? Here’s what you need to know…"

Xo,G isn’t shy about targeting a specific target market: Moms. How do they do it? What type of social media promotions do they do? What type of content on their website? Let’s dive in –> Guiliana Ranic created a wine brand called Xo,G that makes it easy for moms and other women to have just one …

Continue reading… “Part 3: Branding Case study: How Xo,G targets Mom wine drinkers”

You have 3-5 seconds to grab your customer and tell your brand story online. What does your wine brand say about your company? Working with winery clients ……

READ MORE

We know every customer has an opinion, here is how one winery involved their customers. Earlier this year we worked with Susina Plantation Winery on their brand strategy, logo design and wine label design. Susina Plantation Winery is a micro winery in Thomasville, Georgia, near Tallahassee, Florida. In 2002 the owner Randy Rhea planted a …

Continue reading... "How a small winery used a contest to pick their new wine label"

Is your winery overlooking an influential and profitable audience? Previously we explored Marketing Wine to Generation X and Marketing Wine to Moms on Social Media. In case you missed it, Gen X is “the second largest consumer of fine wine in the U.S. today and is the largest growth opportunity for most wineries.” (Source: 2016 …

Continue reading... "7 Tips to Reach Generation X “Wine Moms”"

Uproot Wines isn't shy about targeting a specific target market: Millennials. How do they do it? What type of promotions do they do? What type of website? Let’s dive in –> Ever since I saw this interview in 2013 about the launch of Uproot wines, I have kept an eye on how they are doing …

Continue reading... "Part 2: How Uproot targets Millennials"

Many wineries want to reach female wine drinkers, but you may be missing out on connecting with a specific target market: moms! Moms drink wine. A lot of wine. Especially moms with young kids. Have you seen this hilarious "Chardonnay Go" video that pokes fun at Pokemon Go? Mom Stats Now let's think about who …

Continue reading... "Marketing Wine to Moms on Social Media"

Mark West, “America’s #1 selling Pinot Noir,” is a great example of a wine brand targeting a specific target market. How do they do it? What type of promotions do they do? And how do they launch a new higher end wine brand? Did you miss the intro? If you missed the intro on the …

Continue reading… “Part 1: How Mark West targets Image Curator wine consumers”

Is your winery missing out on “the largest growth opportunity for most wineries?” According to American Express, Gen Xers have more spending power than any other generation! It seems like every industry wants to reach Millennials, and with good reason. Pew Research reports there are 83 million Millennials in the U.S. and this audience has …

Continue reading... "Marketing your Wine Brand to Generation X"

Why branding is important In a Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute and Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University study from 1991-2006 there was an “Unmistakable trend: the better the recognition rating a wine brand received, the more likely it was to survive. No such link existed between quality evaluations and a brand’s success.” …

Continue reading... "How different brands target 6 different wine consumers: an Intro"

Is your winery leveraging today’s most effective marketing tactic? 70% of marketers say video produces more conversions than any other content! There are many ways to reach your ideal wine drinker, and a cohesive marketing plan should definitely include social media and email marketing. Adding video to the mix can really help your winery stand …

Continue reading... "Video Marketing: 10 DOs and DON’Ts for Wineries"

Does your social media content fall short? This one pitfall is guaranteed to lose you online followers! Find out what you should be posting instead… Social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter are excellent ways to build relationships with wine consumers, and drive traffic to your website. It’s safe to assume your winery has …

Continue reading... "5 Secrets to Improve Your Winery’s Social Media Results"

Does your winery currently show up on the first page of Google when someone searches for wineries in your area? Learn the tactics you need to know to improve your winery’s ranking in search engine results! Search engines exist to help people on the internet find answers to questions and solutions for problems. Google and …

Continue reading... "9 Tips to Improve Your Winery’s Search Ranking (SEO)"

What happens when Baby Boomers and Millennials come together to create a wine brand? KC Wineworks just opened in the Crossroads Arts …..

READ MORE

  With so many options in social media, how do you choose the best social media platform for your winery? The short answer is: it depends on who you’re trying to reach. First, let’s assume you have a cohesive brand that communicates how your winery is different from the competition, and that you’ve already identified …

Continue reading... "Wine Marketing Q & A: Which Social Media Channels Should You Use?"

Recent statistics by Invodo tell us that businesses who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users. 55% of shoppers often research on mobile devices, where visual content helps inform their product selection. This means that people deciding which winery to visit next weekend, are doing it on mobile first. If you attended talks …

Continue reading... "5 successful winery videos"

Did you know email marketing is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter? Given all the different ways to interact with your customers online it can be easy to neglect email marketing. Yet not only are emails fast and affordable, but they continue to convert higher than social media. This …

Continue reading… “7 Tips to Improve Your Wine brand’s Email Marketing”

Join me February 18 – 20, 2016 at booth # 316 during the Annual Texas Wine and Grape Growers ….

READ MORE

Visit Bauerhaus Design, Inc. and meet owner Rebecca Ritz at one of our upcoming trade show booths. Get a FREE GIFT just for introducing yourself, and receive a second free gift if you know the secret password. Plus, learn about different winery consumers, why your brand should be like Weird Al, how to use Instagram …

Continue reading… “Meet us and learn something new at an upcoming wine industry trade show!”

Fifty-three percent of adults aged 18-29 say they use the Instagram app. Meaning, if your target wine consumer is a Millennial, you need to be on Instagram. (Not sure of your wine consumer, check out this post –> The 6 different wine consumers.) Around 80 million strong, Millennials have now surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest …

Continue reading… “4 best types of Instagram photos to drive Millennial wine engagement”

Discover how Bauerhaus helped a non-profit navigate and overcome a rebranding challenge from strategy and design to marketing and social media. Rung Boutique is a high-end, non-profit resale store where people can shop and donate. Their mission is to support and empower women and children in the St. Louis area by providing fashionable attire at …

Continue reading… “Rebranding Case Study: Rung Boutique in St. Louis, Missouri”

Muddy Arch has officially launched! Bauerhaus Design a full service branding, packaging and web development agency ocated in the Midwest…

READ MORE

Recently in our Wine Marketing spotlight we’ve talked about How to Identify Effective Advertising Channels for Your Winery and 7 Tips to Improve Your Advertising Effectiveness. The response we’ve received from multiple wineries has primarily centered around wanting to know how they can reach, connect with, and inspire brand loyalty among younger wine drinkers, also …

Continue reading… “Top 9 Tips for Marketing Wine to Millennials”

Our last few wine marketing spotlight posts have focused on improving your advertising. They’re chock full of helpful information such as How to identify advertising channels for your winery, 7 Tips to improve your winery’s advertising effectiveness, and 5 Tips to help wineries use Instagram. But what if – like so other many winery owners …

Continue reading… “Case Study: Facebook Page Optimization for Indian Hills Winery”

    Save the date! You’re invited to join us at the third live presentation in our FREE “Will Design for Wine” webinar series on Thursday, October 22nd. Register now. Give us just one hour and we’ll give you professional insight into the complex world of media buying, and provide strategies you can use to …

Continue reading… “NEW Webinar: 7 tips to improve your winery’s advertising effectiveness”

Last month in our Wine Marketing spotlight we talked about How to Identify Effective Advertising Channels for Your Winery. One of the strategies we discussed was requesting a current media kit. (Hint: sometimes you can find this on their website.) Depending on the type of media (print, online, radio, outdoor, direct mail, email, etc.), the …

Continue reading… “7 Tips to Improve Your Winery’s Advertising Effectiveness”

I recently met with a new client and they asked, “What do you think of email drip campaigns? Do you offer that service?” Yes, we do! This got me thinking… how many wineries know what drip campaigns are? Drip campaigns are made up of automated emails that send an email to your client at the …

Continue reading… “Create an email drip campaign for your winery”

Thank you to everyone who filled out our recent survey to uncover new topics for our next free Will Design for Wine webinar. We’re pleased to announce that Susan of Danenberger Family Vineyards in Illinois was our $25 Amazon gift card winner! Curious about the survey results? There was no clear winning topic; it seems that winery owners …

Continue reading… “Wine Marketing Survey Gift Card winner”

After our most recent Will Design for Wine webinar, one of our participants said their winery often struggles with trying to figure out which media channels to use for advertising. This is a common challenge for many small businesses! There are a lot of advertising options out there including newspapers, magazine, direct mail, billboards, radio, …

Continue reading… “How to Identify Effective Advertising Channels for your Winery”

If your winery isn’t on the photo sharing platform Instagram, there’s no time like the present. Instagram was the fastest growing social media network last year, and it rivals Twitter in number of users: over 300 million! Fifty-three percent of adults aged 18-29 say they use the app. Meaning, if your target wine consumer is a Millennial, …

Continue reading… “5 Tips to Help Wineries Use Instagram”

Thank you to all who joined us on the second live presentation in our FREE “Will Design for Wine” webinar series! Did you miss the webinar? We talked about how to establish and maintain an effective winery website and covered: Design secrets I incorporate into all of the winery websites I create Calls to action …

Continue reading… “Webinar Recap: 5 tips to get more customers from your winery website”

You’re invited to join us at the second live presentation in our FREE “Will Design for Wine” webinar series. Give us just ONE hour and we’ll give you insight on how to establish and maintain an effective winery website! Register here. On Wednesday, July 8th, 2015 from 10am – 11am (CT), we will discuss what you …

Continue reading… “NEW Webinar: 5 tips to get more customers from your winery website”

We talk about the front wine label design all the time, but the back is often a hugely overlooked piece of marketing material. In the presentation I have given to several different wine associations, “How wine label design can increase your retail sales,” I talk about how important the back is to communicate your brand message. …

Continue reading… “4 strategic tips for your “back” wine label design”

I often get this question from current and potential clients – I want to add ecommerce to my wordpress website, but how much does it cost? My answer? It depends. There are many different ways to set up ecommerce and each business owner I talk to has a strong preference on how they prefer to …

Continue reading… “Ecommerce options for your wordpress website”

There have been a lot of headlines over the past few weeks about Google’s new algorithm that have been causing business owners with HTML websites to panic. For example, a client emailed me two weeks ago saying he wanted to immediately go live with his new responsive website we had been creating, but hadn’t been …

Continue reading… “Mobilegeddon: How Google’s new rules affect your winery website”

Earlier this year, we worked with Bingham Family Vineyards, an adventure of music, children, grapes, and organic crops on the High Plains of Texas….

READ MORE

    When I give presentations on wine label design and wine branding, I often show the above photo and ask “which wine costs more?” In other words, “which wine is of higher quality?” It’s impossible to know the quality or taste of the wine by staring at the photo, but at EVERY conference I have presented …

Continue reading… “5 tips to increase perceived value of your wine label”

Give us just ONE hour and we’ll give you insight on how to create and promote an unforgettable winery brand! You’re invited to attend our first-ever branding webinar on Thursday, April 9th from 10 am – 11 am CST called Why Your Winery Brand Should be like Weird Al. It’s completely FREE, and my marketing …

Continue reading… “Announcing new webinar series: Will Design for Wine!”

Boenker Hill Vineyard and Winery is a new winery that will open in Bridgeton, St. Louis, Missouri later in 2015. We first met owners Matthew & Jolynn Boenker a few years ago ……

READ MORE

Visit me March 10-12, 2015 in St. Charles, Missouri at Booth #210 at the Midwest Grape + Wine + Craft Brew. To receive a free trade show pass, click here to register and enter discount code: FREEPASS Plus, stop by our booth and experience the viral “selfie stick” trend for yourself… how many winery owners …

Continue reading… “Free Midwest Grape Trade Show passes”

A wine label should communicate your brand, your uniqueness and increase the perceived value of your wine. A wine label is your biggest piece of advertising and the first contact most people will have with your wine. Is your label communicating who you are? Think about this fact: Our senses take in about 11 million …

Continue reading… “How to increase retail sales with wine label design”

In August 2014, Nielsen reported that 70% of all Americans own a smartphone and the average person spends more than 38 hours per month on their smartphone. Think about that – we are staring at our phones for almost a full 40 hour work week! So what does this mean? When my clients ask me what I think …

Continue reading… “4 clear best practices for mobile marketing engagement”

Join me as I present at the following wine business workshops/conferences: January 31, 2015 in Springfield, Illinois at the Illinois Annual Wine Conference “Getting started in Mobile Marketing” February 19, 2015 in San Marcos, Texas at the TWGGA Annual Conference “How to Increase Retail Sales with Wine Label Design” Plus, visit me March 10-12, 2015 …

Continue reading… “Upcoming wine business speaking events in 2015”

    With the new year upon us, we’d like to ask you about your online business goals for 2015. Do you want a mobile-friendly website, an e-commerce site, more online traffic, an engaging Facebook page, a more active Twitter account, or something else entirely? Your answers will help us serve you better! Take this …

Continue reading… “Enter to Win a Panera Gift Card!”

Designs, a wholesale custom gift specialist, provides promotional products to market your wine, beer and spirits. TopNest Designs works with you to identify the ……

READ MORE

Join me as I present at the 2015 Accelerate your Business One-day Workshop in St. Louis, Missouri! This intensive workshop is in partnership with Small Business Monthly, the Smart Biz show, and EG Radio Marketing. I will be one of 15+ speakers that will be presenting, plus we each presenter will also include worksheets and …

Continue reading… “Accelerate your Business in 2015: Intensive One-day Workshop!”

How do you know when it is time to re-design your website? More and more consumers are researching online before they visit and are judging your winery by its website. I often tell clients to think of their website as the center of a large spider web. All strands point to your website – Twitter, …

Continue reading… “Top 7 tips for winery website redesign in 2015”

Happy #WineWednesday! I’m really looking forward to attending the North Coast Wine Industry Expo in Santa Rosa, CA on December 4th and hope to meet you in person! Stop by and visit me at Booth #830 at the North Coast Wine Industry Expo in Santa Rosa, CA for your chance to win a free registration to …

Continue reading… “Visit booth #830 at the North Coast Wine Industry Expo”

Dear Wine Branding & Marketing Fanatic (Wait. Is that just me?!), In case you’re a winery owner and missed it, I’d like to personally invite you to join an exclusive group. A free support system, if you will. Years of branding and marketing knowledge gained from working with wineries around the country is within reach. …

Continue reading… “5 Keys to Create an Unforgettable Wine Brand + 9 Free Online Tools”

I was in a meeting last week and got this question: How do you accomplish so much each month: branding work for clients + email newsletters + Twitter + building an online course + training for a half marathon + a busy 3 year old and a husband who also works full time? My answer? Lots …

Continue reading… “My 5 favorite tools for streamlining my small business”

This is your brain. This is your brain on logos. Most small businesses know they need a logo, but when I give branding presentations most are surprised to learn the reason why branding works is based on scientific research. When our brain sees a logo of a brand we love, it triggers the same part …

Continue reading… “The science behind how your brain sees a logo”

Has this ever happened to you? You are driving down the road on the way to work and you start thinking about work projects, your kids, or an upcoming event. You get to work and then realize, you really don’t remember driving to work. Think about this fact: Our senses take in about 11 million …

Continue reading… “How to win winery customers with Unconscious Branding”

Owner of Bauerhaus Design, Rebecca Ritz, answers a wine marketing question from Phyllis at Meramec Vineyards. She wants to know: “Do I really need a blog? I am already so busy.” – Phyllis at Meramec Vineyards. I recommend that all of my winery customers blog because it will: 1. Build Trust The online consumer’s four …

Continue reading… “3 ways a blog can grow your winery”

I often get this question from wineries owners: How can I spread the word about my winery? This week, I'm going to let you in on a secret. You need to be like Weird Al. I don't mean that every winery owner should wear a black curly haired wig and start singing parodies. However, wineries …

Continue reading... "Why your winery brand should be like Weird Al"

I recently went to an outdoor concert at a winery and laughed to myself at all of the people staring at their cell phones. I know this concert wasn’t alone, everywhere we turn people are on Facebook, playing games, taking selfies and sharing their every move. Smartphones are the fastest consumer growth product ever. In …

Continue reading… “How a Mobile app can help grow your winery”

Which wine logo is your favorite? Just click on the design you prefer, and submit your choice!…..

READ MORE

How are the changes with Facebook affecting social media strategies for wineries? Do you have to use paid Facebook posts to get in front of your fans? Owner of Bauerhaus Design, Rebecca Ritz, answers a wine marketing question from Mike at Grafton Winery in our very first video answer. Last month we asked for you …

Continue reading… “3 Tips to Reach More Winery Fans with Your Facebook Business Page”

As I mentioned last month, I’ve been busy creating a comprehensive course for busy winery owners. You will learn wine marketing strategies, tips, and tools you actually can apply to your own business! This class will be 100% online and can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Course content is based on my daily …

Continue reading… “Wine Marketing course update”

How do you create a lion that is fierce, yet contemplative and is the cornerstone of a future wine brand? Owners of the Leonard wine brand …..

READ MORE

I am very excited to announce that I am fulfilling my dream of building a marketing course just for wineries! I’ve set a date and partnered with an awesome marketing expert to create a comprehensive course for busy winery owners. This class will be 100% online and can be accessed from anywhere in the world. …

Continue reading… “Want to grow your winery, but don’t have a marketing degree?”

I just found a great infographic on Entreprenuer.com and loved how succinctly they showed the BIG mistakes small businesses are making with their websites. I often have clients that have been creating their own websites come to me for a new design and training for WordPress. Once complete, their reaction often is “I would have …

Continue reading… “The BIG things small businesses get wrong on their websites”

    I recently attended a marketing conference and the topic most people wanted to know more about was Responsive website design. What is it? Do I need it? Why is it so awesome? Technology is moving so fast, that a website from 3 years ago isn’t going to have the same benefits as now. …

Continue reading… “Responsive website design”

Just like different fonts have different personalities, different colors also speak different feelings to each of us. Are you an energetic yellow like McDonald’s or are you reliable like the brown in UPS? When I design logo’s for my clients, I start with designs in black and white. Often clients are very very excited when …

Continue reading… “What does your logo color say about your business?”

I’ve had a few new clients that have come to me and said “I love my current website design, but I want converted to WordPress. Do you do that?” Yes, we do. “Can you also make it responsive to adjust to mobile phones?” Yes, we can do that. In fact, we just did this for …

Continue reading… “Do you want your winery website converted to WordPress?”

How do you know when it is time to re-design your website? More and more consumers are researching online before they visit and are judging your winery by its website. I often tell clients to think of their website as the center of a large spider web. All strands point to your website – Twitter, …

Continue reading… “Top 6 tips for winery website redesign in 2014”

    Which type of winery do you think you would go to: One that sold 3 types of wine or one that sold 30 different types? Now which winery do you think the consumer would feel more of a sense of satisfaction? Last week my husband and I were flipping channels and I heard …

Continue reading… “Customers report greater satisfaction with fewer choices”

Marketing = you are trying to make a sale through different media outlets. Branding = positioning your company as the expert and people come to you. Once you take a stand for something, you will naturally get people hunting you down wanting to buy your product. But what is a brand? A brand is not …

Continue reading… “Top 5 branding tips for wineries”

    Pictured: Terry Kitzmiller and Owner of Bauerhaus Design, Becca Ritz. Are you struggling with how to get the word out online? Do you know how you are different from your competitors? Does social media intimidate you? Start your year off with a FREE 30 minute 1-on-1 meeting with owner, Becca Ritz, who provides …

Continue reading… “Now accepting 1-on-1 wine marketing meetings at Unified, Midwest and the Illinois wine conference!”

When I meet one-on-one with winery owners, one of the first things I ask is: tell me your story. How did they get into the wine business? Lifelong dream or did they fall into it? What is your unique story that no one else can tell? How are you different from other wineries? From this …

Continue reading… “What makes a good wine label design?”

Many small businesses know the wants and needs of their customers very well. Just the other day I heard a client who provides flooring installation talk to their customer about how they should choose a certain type of flooring due to their pets and wheelchair use. Plus, she personally recommended what type of cleaner to …

Continue reading… “10 strategies to boost your brand online”

  Hey, you small business owner, I want to help your brand succeed. But first I need to know what online marketing topic are you really struggling with? What is keeping you up at night? I want to hear from you! Take my very short survey now. I know the whole idea of promoting your …

Continue reading… “Take our small business survey and enter to win a $25 Panera Bread gift card”

I’m excited to show off a large project I’ve been working on this year: Nelson Hill Winery’s logo design, wine label design and website design….

READ MORE

    When you think of your company, what is the first visual component that you think of? Most of the time it’s a logo: the text of your name and your icon (if you have one). Think of examples, like Nike, Target and the above Apple logo. A strong simple logo is the most …

Continue reading… “What is the difference between a brand and a logo?”

  I just watched a video on the Fox News “Wine with Me” show about how Uproot Wine is bringing a start-up mentality to selling wine. If you have a free 5 minutes and want to see how they are targeting Millennials, go check it out here. They chose Millennials because they are the fastest …

Continue reading… “Wine Marketing to Millennials”

The most prominent brands in the world are defined by their colors. Think of Target’s red bullseye, McDonald’s golden arches, and UPS’ slogan, “What can Brown do for you?” These companies, and many others, strategically use colors in their logo, website, and product to appeal to customers. This week I ran across a very spot …

Continue reading… “What Your Brand Colors Say About Your Business [Infographic]”

Well-chosen words deserve well-chosen letters. No matter the method of design – print collateral, packaging or website design – the type you use greatly impacts the way people see your company and its brand. With a million different fonts out there, how on earth do you pick one for your business? As Robert Bringhurst says …

Continue reading… “What your font says about your company”