Listen, we make damn good emails and we have fun doing it. But do you know who else can make damn good emails? Somebody who already works for you at your winery.

• Someone who is immersed in the story, roams the property, interacts with, and hears feedback from your guests.
• Someone who manages your wine club and talks to your customers every day.
• The person who’s right there on site with their iPhone when that epic sunrise hits and they can share that with people right away.
• The person who’s hosting that critic and hears what they have to say about your wines, and then can capture that ethos in next to real time.

That, my friends, is an in-house email Maven.

We cede the throne of email marketing to in-house talent all the time. And in initial conversations with winery clients or potential clients, Erica often says:

“It is our job to make sure your business is better because you worked with us, not because you have to keep paying us to push send on every single thing.”

We intentionally design our product mix to make sure we can meet a winery where they’re at and that they can go where they want to go, whether they work with us on an ongoing basis or not.

Now, that’s not every agency, but there are a lot of like-minded people whose job it is to set you up for success in the short term with an ongoing relationship and into the future.

In-House vs. Agency: Which Choice is Right for Your Winery?

I’m so glad you asked. Let’s dig a little deeper to see what choice is right for you.

Questions to uncover if in-house email marketing is for you:

1. Is there someone already employed by your winery who loves email marketing or is interested in email marketing?

If so, this is pretty much a no-brainer.

Enthusiasm for email marketing as a medium is hard to train. If someone in-house already feels excited about the email marketing opportunity, look no further.

Sit down and ask your marketing manager, for instance, how they feel about email marketing. If they start gushing about the opportunities, set them loose. They might need a couple of additional tools or training, but they’re ready to go. Give them the tools and the time to own email marketing in-house.

2. Do you have somebody on your hospitality team already who’s looking for a new challenge and maybe some extra hours?

If someone on your team loves storytelling and inspiring action, they could be an Email Maven in the waiting.

Look at your hospitality staff as they interact and engage with your guests. Do they light up at the opportunity to share your unique story? These inherent skills translate really well to email marketing. Watch for that storytelling from hospitality.

Watch for sales skills. The ability to inspire action is another inherent trait that you can layer email marketing on top of to create a powerhouse in-house email marketer.

Listen, Chat GPT could write an email for you in like literally 10 seconds, but they’ll never know the stories that your winery has to share. That requires a human element, which is like a silver bullet for your email marketing effort.

If you don’t have the budget, the extra hours, or if people don’t have the interest or time, the strategy won’t work. Be clear upfront with yourself and the person you’re considering.

They’ll need to invest four to six hours every week to truly own the email marketing channel.

If you don’t have that in your budget or their schedule, keep looking.

Lastly, ask yourself:

3. Do you have an innate desire to rock and own the email marketing channel?

If so, you could be the solution you’re looking for. There are wineries with the budget and resources to outsource email marketing that don’t because someone in-house wants to own the connection with the customers.

An Example to Consider

One of my favorite client interactions was with a Paso winery. Beautiful property, amazing wines, and they could have afforded to outsource email marketing altogether. But Maggie, their employee, wanted to do it herself. She was willing to invest her time and money to learn. She showed up every other week for sessions to learn new functions and then implement them.

The results were incredible.

Maggie, if you’re watching, don’t ever forget you’re the best!

Listen, you could be the next Maggie. If the storytelling, the copywriting, and the strategy interest you, you could be an Email Maven in the making.

Or is An Agency for you?

On the flip side, there are people like Chloe. When we asked Chloe what her ideal email marketing solution was, she said, “I just want somebody else to do it for me.” And that’s what we do at Email Mavens.

If bringing email marketing in-house sounds daunting, consider these three B’s when deciding whether to hire an agency or an outsourced expert:

1. Budget:

If you have the resources to pay an expert and no one in-house wants to do it, paying someone who loves it will get you better results faster.

2. Bandwidth:

If you can’t take on another responsibility, bringing in an expert can be more cost-effective. They’ll more than pay for themselves by generating e-commerce, allowing you to focus on what you love doing.

3. Bland results:

If your email results are flatlining, fresh eyes can make a big difference. An expert can bring experience from other wineries or niches and help you see things differently.

Remember: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Don’t be insane. Bring in an expert.

Now, I want to know from you:

Where are you leaning? What makes the most sense for your winery? Whichever route you choose, know that email marketing can generate enormous revenue for your winery when someone owns the function.

Actions to Take:

1. Look at your in-house staff to see if anyone is excited about email marketing.
2. Consider the 3 B’s: budget, bandwidth, and bland results when deciding whether to hire an agency.
3. And if you are ready to outsource your email marketing and want to work with us, schedule an 20 minute email therapy session with us today!

We believe that now you know better, you’ve got to do better. If you’ve been sitting on the email marketing channel, get off the fence, make a choice, and move forward.

We can’t wait to see the amazing emails your winery is about to send!

Never forget that you are capable of enormous e-commerce revenue success, so keep pressing send on your next best email.