Making the Most of IWM with Social Media

Posted on | January 24, 2013 | Written by Emma Criswell | 3 Comments

It may seem a bold statement, but here it is: Social Media taught me about wine. When I first became interested in the subject that was to become my lifeblood and chosen profession, I turned to the then-fledgling Twitter. I was able to connect with celebrated wine writers such as Kevin Zraly and Jancis Robinson. There is nothing like seeing that these legends have responded to your questions about wine pairing. I also began to follow the big wine magazines online, like Wine Spectator and Food & Wine, as well as smaller ones such as Palate Press (which I later wrote for). It was an amazing way to feel intimate with people and publications I thought I would never have the opportunity with and an immeasurable learning tool.

Now, I’m lucky enough to be contributing to that same conversation and giving back to those who are searching for information.

In the next few weeks, IWM will be launching another Twitter feed, chock full of information on IWM in specific and on wine in general, one that’ll complement our current account that’s tied to this blog, Inside IWM. You’ll get to hear about what we’re tasting, which producers are visiting, and what events we’re working on. I’m thrilled to be a part of what will be called @IWMToday and to add to the wine conversation. Being in the office daily, surrounded by all this amazing food and wine, I hope to offer a rare insider’s view to our followers. I also hope to appeal to the wine lover who isn’t in the industry–there’s nothing like reading about a wine grape you’ve never heard of, or reading a tasting note on a wine that’s new to you to set your mind ablaze and make you want to learn all the more.

Another social media outlet I’m truly excited about is our new account with Villij.com: Italian Wine Chat with IWM. Villij is a brand new social media community that allows our fans and customers to contact us directly. I see this as an opportunity for our clients to join our community, ask the IWM experts their burning questions, and check out our wine recommendations, events and general announcements. It’s a unique opportunity to have an inside, live look into IWM and an opportunity to get access to our staff that customers wouldn’t be able to have when executing a typical ecommerce order.

I’ve worked on corporate social media in the past, both in California and NYC. I’ve found it’s much more difficult here in the city–we’re such a face-to-face community. In California, where people don’t live cheek-by-jowl, people rely on a Tweet to let them know what’s going on at any given winery. It’s been a challenge for me to orient myself to the wants and needs of New Yorkers when it comes to social media. I’ve noticed that we rely a lot on friends to tell us about interesting articles, what tastings we want to go to and which events are tantalizing, rather than search social media for them.

What I’ve realized is you really don’t need to do it that much differently here; you just have to solicit the right people and make sure you’re saying things interesting enough that they want to follow you. It’s so necessary here because there is so much going on that no one can be sure where and when anything is happening.

However, we know that most of our IWM clients don’t live in the city, so I am fortunate in knowing that my efforts are also recognized in other areas of the country, where spread out geography means a heightened importance of social media. While many of our out-of-state clients won’t be able to attend our tastings, they are still able to see our recommendations and keep up with happenings here in the city. So, with all of our new and continued efforts in social media outreach, we have all of our proverbial bases covered. And in the meantime, I’ll be sure to let you know when my new IWM Twitter account goes live.

Comments

3 Responses to “Making the Most of IWM with Social Media”

Evan LaNouette
January 24th, 2013 @ 4:13 pm

Interesting to hear all the new things going on at IWM. I’m excited to see more. Great work Emma!
Dennis Fraley
January 28th, 2013 @ 8:25 am

I am working on my coursework assignment for the WSET Diploma of Wine and Spirits and wondered if I could ask a few questions about one aspect of my assignment. This is the question:

The Cinderella wines:
There are other Italian wines deserving of success, but where this does not seem to have been forthcoming. The candidate should select two examples of such wines and explore the reasons for their perceived lack of popularity. What are their prospects for success in the future?

I have some ideas but was looking for some feedback. Is it possible to email some questions or do a phone interview?

Dennis Fraley
843.601.1552
Emma Criswell
January 28th, 2013 @ 9:51 am

Hi Dennis,

Interesting topic, happy to help. Please shoot me a list of your questions: ecriswell@italianwinemerchants.com and we can go from there.

Best,
Emma