Online Network Unites Wine Industry Suppliers

Thick, heavy directories were once a mainstay for B-to-B marketers trying to reach peers and prospects within their sector. They all had at least one such well-worn book on their desks.

The winery and vineyard business in the United States—going back well more than 100 years in many regions—is no exception. It's a business organized around small, geographic pockets, which puts a heavy marketing burden on the suppliers who are trying to sell equipment and professional services to those firms.

The best way to reach such a diverse audience today, of course, isn't with a tome that becomes outdated even before the ink dries but rather online.

The Wine Industry Network (WIN) is an online marketplace that launched last October to help foster a sense of community in the industry. "In the old print directories, there just wasn't enough information to make an informed buying decision," says George Christie, a long-time wine industry marketer who founded the site. "Now, they can have the whole market in front of them in one place."

About 175 wine industry suppliers—everyone from what Christie calls the "bottle, barrel and cork guys" to attorneys and accountants providing professional services—now have profiles listed at wineindustrynetwork.com. Some of them are small companies with few marketing resources and less marketing acumen. Others are big corporations, but looking for a venue where they can appeal to a focused customer niche.

The WIN has four categories: winemaking and production; vineyards; professional services and operations; and sales and marketing. Visitors to the Web site sign up for e-newsletters distributed every other week that are aimed at their specific categories. The newsletters contain the logos and information from suppliers that fit the particular category. As of June, the WIN had about 17,000 of the sector suppliers' B-to-B customer targets signed up, including 12,000 alone in the winemaking and vineyard categories.

Vino by the Numbers: The Metrics of B-to-B Networking

Suppliers pay monthly dues to be listed on the site, ranging from $45 per month for a basic membership to $90 per month to be highlighted in multiple product search categories.

Christie said the WIN builds its subscriber and member lists not only through direct site visits but also by signing up wine industry members at trade shows, via social media and even by phone. Ultimately, Christie knows the top thing B-to-B suppliers in his sector are looking for is proof of return on investment, which he is more than happy to provide by making site metrics and reports available to them.

Information on monthly reports includes:

• Number of clicks per month on a supplier profile.
• How many site visitors found a profile by searching for products and services.
• Top items searched.
• Number of pages clicked overall.
• If a visitor found the site via a newsletter.

Christie said many people advised him against providing too much information about the site's effectiveness, but "to me, one of the benefits of the Internet is you can provide transparency. With print marketing, you often don't know who is seeing you."

Top-Shelf Ideas: Tips on B-to-B Community Building

Christie offered some thoughts on what you should keep in mind if considering creating your own niche B-to-B networking community.

1. Online, even small guys can look big. Smaller suppliers can achieve a greater reach online and be listed in close proximity to larger competitors

2. Big guys can look small too. In sectors like the wine industry, Christie says, big companies can benefit from looking like smaller, more intimate operations ready to make their customers feel like part of the family.

3. Social media is often free but has indirect costs: Leaping into places like Facebook and LinkedIn is free upfront, but the indirect cost comes in the ability to maintain and frequently update your social media presence.

4. Have realistic expectations. The WIN, for example, is a B-to-B marketplace focused on a defined sector, so monthly clicks are not going to number into the thousands. "If 30 to 50 people have clicked on your logo in a given month, then you are doing fine. The people who need to see you are seeing you."