Uncorked With Courtney: Why video is so important.

So here’s the deal… Google REALLY likes video. You know who else likes video? Basically everyone.

So most of you know that I do a weekly vlog called Uncorked with Courtney. And every week I talk about either something happening at the winery or something happening in the world or, if I really don’t know what to talk about, something random. And I end each video with a wine of the week (occasionally, not our wine).

It’s a very fun and comfortable thing for me to add to our marketing plan. But that isn’t the only reason I do it. Using video in marketing is also a great way to educate or tell a story.

People value education. Facts. Knowing. And in the wine world, not knowing can be scary. What wine should I take to a dinner party? What wine should I drink? What should I eat with certain wines? There are a lot of questions.

And we all love stories!

My goal is to make my friends, family and our customers more comfortable with the idea of wine and to tell them our stories. (I hope it’s working!) And at the same time, I’m boosting our rankings on Google, getting our business name out there and having a blast. It’s basically a win-win win-win.

So, if you want to see my Uncorked videos, click here.

If you have any questions (seriously, any questions) about wine, email me here. courtney@schoolhousewine.com

If you have any questions about video shooting, editing or more info about why it is so important in the digital world, email me at the same place.

Now go out and make some awesome videos about your business!

Courtney is an employee of School House Winery, home of Building 6 wines located in Dover, Ohio. 

A Year Already?!?!

 

Holy cow. I’m creeping close to my one year mark here at School House Winery. Time flies when you’re having wine.

It all started in April when my parents Jennifer and Dave asked me to -officially- join their team. The winery has been a part of my life since the doors opened in 2009, but I was more than excited to begin my full time journey in marketing and sales for the winery.

Excited and also nervous. Working for the family business came with a whole new set of concerns. Would I perform to my parent’s liking? Would I increase sales enough to hold my position? Would I get to drink wine everyday? All of these thoughts and more circled through my mind. And I have to say, this year has been amazing! And no, I don’t drink wine everyday, sadly.

My first goal was to increase our wholesale business. I reached out to a handful of local markets and drive-throughs. I was shocked to find a huge support for Ohio Wines. People are all about supporting local and it makes my heart smile. I was able to get School House Winery’s Building 6 wine into 7 new businesses in 2015. Again, shocked at the support I was receiving and loving the little community I just joined.

Now to increase evening sales… According to some, we are a little too far from home. So my challenge: get people in the door. I assume this is a struggle for many local businesses especially during the “slow times”. Creating a unique experience for the customer goes a long way and generates that positive word of mouth we are always hoping to achieve. What is always more fun with wine? Crafting, of course. I was already hosting a monthly wine glass painting event, but I wanted to break into another market, the DIY scene. Since then, we’ve had paper crafting, finger knitting and this month, charm making events. All of which are a blast to host (hopefully a blast to attend as well).

There is so much more to my first year, but I’ll save that for next week.

The wine industry is ever changing, but always fun. There are 261 (I believe) Ohio Wineries and we all do something a little different, all trying to find what works best for us. But one thing is the same, we all make lovely wines!