Title: Are there differing strategies for social media use by winery size in California?

Authors: Lindsey M. Higgins; Marianne McGarry Wolf

Addresses: Agribusiness Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA ' Wine and Viticulture Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA

Abstract: Marketing through social media is touted for being a relatively inexpensive way for brands to engage with consumers and solidify a brand's image in the minds of consumers. While wineries of all sizes have increased usage of social media, the results of a survey of 260 California wineries suggest that smaller wineries have not taken advantage of social media strategies the way larger producers have. In spite of these findings, smaller wineries still indicate that social media is an important channel for driving sales and customer visits to their tasting rooms. This research provides unique insight into the marketing strategies being utilised by limited production and entrepreneurial wineries and provides practical recommendations for those wineries hoping to capitalise on social media marketing strategies.

Keywords: social media; wine; small businesses; marketing; advertising; wine industry; survey research; descriptive research.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2017.085984

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2017 Vol.32 No.1/2, pp.64 - 78

Received: 03 Jul 2015
Accepted: 09 Mar 2016
Published online: 21 Aug 2017 *

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