The View from D'Angelo Winery on the Shore of Okanagan Lake

I recently spent a wonderful week in and around the Canadian Rockies where I met a lot of fine people running businesses, providing fabulous service and showing me they know how marketing is defined for them. The person who stuck out beyond all others is Steph D’Angelo. She exuded the pride, knowledge and passion of her family’s roots as wine makers and vineyard owners. My wife and I visited the D’Angelo family’s vineyard located on the shores of Okanagan Lake near Penticton, British Columbia.  It started as another tasting session on a day we’d planned for about a dozen, but only managed about six.  That’s because the people were so rich in knowledge for their products, patience and warmth.

During the visit, Steph shared with us how dedicated her family is to growing and producing their finest vintages each year.  This is not a new experience to this family.  With vineyards in both Ontario and British Columbia, the D’Angelo Family Vineyards have been turning out fine wine for nearly three decades.  They bottle estate wines, which means they tend the vines, pick the grapes and take care to make sure their customers taste the very best.  It’s an impressive accomplishment.  Steph patiently answered our questions about the wines as we tasted them.  And she never made me feel like the amateur wine taster I am.  That’s such a skill and one that is appreciated.  The Tempranillo was especially tasty despite not having a traditional herb or peppery twist I seem to find in others.  She then explained how ice wines are harvested, bottled and certified in Canada.  I, for one, am won over and I look forward to tasting my first ice wine soon.  While this seems like a great wine-tasting experience,  I’m more focused on how Steph and the D’Angelos market their wines.  She brings an energy and enthusiasm to meeting people and that’s marketing in the purest sense.   The family is focused on creating the best.  Steph is a terrific ambassador for this family’s business.

At a time when we often think that the only way to market your products is with sophisticated media tools, people like Steph show us it can be so simple.  She’s a master at one-to-one marketing; it’s the kind of direct-impact effectiveness that can be often overlooked and not easily forgotten when it’s done right.  In the malaise of technology, it’s at least an afterthought to many.  Thanks to people like Steph D’Angelo, spending quality time and sharing the pride of your labors is not lost.  I appreciate the personalized treatment and the marketing lesson she made me remember.

                          

“We know people are multitasking while they’re watching TV,” said Albert Cheng, the executive vice president for digital media for the Disney/ABC Television Group, which oversees ABC. “The question is, how do we tap into that and create a whole different consumer experience?”

This real-time involvement is a growing opportunity for broadcasters to find and open the participation option for viewers and listeners alike.

Looking forward in the traditional media business we find tools and opportunities to share voice with our viewers.  No matter whether you choose Facebook,  Twitter or some other mode of communication, there are people who want to be involved in your content.  Granted, putting real-time interaction in the hands of media consumers has not been part of the history of broadcasters, but it has to be part of the future.

Now is the time for us to listen, provide the tools and teach our teams how to sustain this conversation while our core products are live, in real time.  It extends the conversation, builds new dimension to your core brands and helps you find your voice in this new medium.

How will you motivate yourself and your staff to get involved with the audience?  Share your ideas here.

                          

One idea is to offer up incentives to engage the audience in your station’s Facebook page.  That can work if the offer fits the brand and respects the relationship.  Here’s an example from a recent ClickZ post.

Ultimately, this has to further the fulfilling part of the relationship you’re creating with your traditional viewers and listeners.  It can’t be cheap and unfocused, just like any other marketing message that’s worth your time.  You have to find the pieces that fit your brand values and respond when people give you their feedback and involvement.  This needs to be a step forward in building the trusting bond with people who want to be engaged in your brands.  Social media helps when it’s part of your overall strategy and you can make the experience richer with each interaction.

What kinds of things might work for your radio and TV stations?

                          

Survey results I’ve seen peg Facebook usage in the U.S. at about 60% and Twitter somewhere around 15%. Many of those people use the services at least once a day.  Some use them more than once.  Many use the social sites several times a week.  It’s no overstatement to say that Facebook and Twitter have permeated the true fabric of everyday life in America.

How can you capitalize on this new media phenomenon?  Talk with your marketing, producing and on-air teams.  Many of them may already participate in social media.  Find out who your super users are and draft them to teach others.  Then it’s about focusing your efforts and messages.

Getting these things accomplished isn’t easy but it’s worthwhile.  Your teams can work together and make the audience experience more valuable every day.