Winelibrary TV & The End Of Consumer Hibernation.

To those of us well versed in social media, it doesn’t take much to see how small changes can lead to big innovation.

The success stories are lined up everywhere we look.

All the while the Top Exec’s watch idly by, not really grasping the scope of what’s going on,  simply because there are  “far more important things to do than worry about some website.”

I sympathize with this majority of “too busy to care exec’s”, I really do.

It leaves all the profit for the type of entrepreneur that see’s beyond “Grandpop’s Marketing” and manages to turn a $4 million business, into a $45 million business by creating an online Video Diary called WinelibraryTV and introducing the company into various social networks.

I’m speaking about Gary Vaynerchuk Director of Operations from Winelibrary. Gary realized early on that not only paying close attention to social media, but becoming a sort of web-star in the presence of the new media uprising could prove to be quite fruitful. His ingenious strategy of starting an online program that see’s beyond the stereotypical “industry–conceited sommeliers, snobby shopkeepers unwilling (or unable) to educate their consumers” and all other “mystical conventions all combine to make wine seem intimidating to the uninitiated” opened his market up to unimaginable proportions. Using video as a medium and social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, Gary started a viral phenomenon.

The show now boasts about 100,000 views a day and propelled his business into one of the top Wine Sellers in the world. More importantly thousands of loyal shoppers are all part of an enourmous online community built by WineLibrary.  Along with various spots all over mainstream media which you can see here at the bottom of the page.

How’s that for PR?

I found out about Winelibrary amidst trying to decide the appropriate wine to take to a formal dinner. Seeing as the only schooling I’ve had in wine involves free trials at Whole Foods, I had to do some research. Gary’s choice of branding as “WineLibrary” exudes the personality of a company whose well-versed compendium of wine knowledge is comparable to that of an actual library. By optimizing his search and having several friends lead me to the twitter account @garyvee he made it possible to for me to stumble upon his site almost too quickly.

There lay the masterpiece of his social media collection, 700 videos to date all informing, entertaining, and drawing me into a world of wine expertise. About 2 hours later, I pulled myself out knowing the value of each and every different grape and process.

WineLibrary gave me exactly what I was looking for when I was looking for it. Earning a follower, and a brand new connoisseur of fine wines.

Interactive visuals are undoubtedly an excellent source to get your brand across the vast universe of social networking. They provide a human face to a brand and bring the consumer that much closer to becoming enthralled with who your company is and what you can offer him. It’s a known fact that today’s consumer suffers an audio visual assault to his senses everywhere he turns, advertisements yelling ” SHOP HERE“, “BUY NOW“, “SALE SALE SALE“, enough to make any consumer to crawl into a cave and hibernate his wallet.

Seriously.

See, we’ve been going about it the wrong way, instead of interrupting and thereby irritating your prospective clientele. Why not inform him, and make things available when he needs them and he wants them.

This is the thesis of social media, the ease of getting exactly your requesting from the company you should be getting it from. It’s all about the solutions to the conundrums consumers have, and the creative ways you pose those solutions. Guaranteeing a consumer-company bond unbreakable by your competitors.

So, don’t force your consumers into hibernation with the droning tone of one way communication, but rather awaken their senses once again with social media’s alluring ways instead.

Sheila

Social Media Communications Specialist @ The RE Agency