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 by accident. They happen by design. Most winery owners invest heavily in viticulture and winemaking but struggle to find time for the one thing that drives new customers: marketing.
To make 2026 your year of growth, you need a strategy that actually moves cases, not just ideas. Based on my work with wineries across the Midwest, I’ve compiled the essential 8-week checklist you need to tackle now to ensure a profitable Spring.
The Pre-Season Digital Marketing Checklist
- Define Your Target Audience Before you spend a dime on ads, you need to know exactly who you are talking to. Are you targeting bachelorette parties or serious collectors? You can’t market to everyone. Week 1 is about defining your specific target audience and wine drinker so your message lands.
- Clarify Your Brand Story There are thousands of wines out there. What makes yours different?. If you can’t articulate your unique value in one sentence, your customers won’t be able to either.
- Audit Your “Awareness” Channels How do new customers find you? This implies more than just having a Facebook page. You need to ensure your Google Business Profile, social profiles, and travel profiles all match and are optimized for search. If you aren’t showing up on Google Maps, you don’t exist to a traveler.
- Optimize Your Website for Conversion Your website is often the very first impression a customer has of you. Does it include the essential elements to drive a visit? You need to ensure your site is ready to answer customer questions and is set up to show up in AI searches.
- Automate Your Email Marketing This is the step most wineries skip. You need to set up a welcome email automation that sells for you while you sleep. When someone signs up for your newsletter, they should immediately be welcomed into your story, not left in silence.
- Engage (Don’t Just Post) on Social Media Stop posting randomly. You need a strategy for Facebook and Instagram that moves followers through the cycle of: Like Me, Know Me, Trust Me, and finally, Buy From Me.
- Build Your Loyalty Ladder One-time visitors are great, but repeat customers are where the profit is. Whether it is a formal wine club or a loyalty program, you need a structure in place to turn tasting room guests into long-term brand advocates.
- Execute and Review A plan is only as good as its execution. By this stage, you shouldn’t just be thinking about marketing; you should be launching it.
Does This List Feel Overwhelming?
If you read through that checklist and felt your blood pressure rise, I get it.
You are likely wearing 10 different hats every day—vineyard manager, tasting room host, inventory specialist, and events coordinator. You don’t have time for generic marketing theory; you need a plan that works.
You don’t have to do this alone.
This April, I am launching the Digital Marketing for Wineries Workshop. This isn’t just a series of lectures; it is a hands-on, 8-week program where we build this exact plan together.
Each week, we tackle one item on this checklist. You will complete practical assignments, build your strategy in stages, and get feedback directly from me. Plus, you’ll get to hear from other wineries and see how they do things—collaborating with a community of peers to expand your knowledge and confidence.
As Soldier Creek Winery, a past participant, said:
“I know we are all short on time, but this is the most valuable hour of your week for 8 weeks. Hands down. If you want to sell more wine, this is how.”
Get Ready for Launch
We kick off in April to get your marketing machine running perfectly for the peak season.
Ready to cross these items off your list?
Join the waitlist today to secure your spot and get my FREE “AI for Wineries” Cheat Sheet instantly.