“I’ve Got a Little List” (W.S. Gilbert in “The Mikado”)  List Building. Good Idea or Bad Idea? Here’s a list to help you decide: Do you want to increase your business? If so, building a list is a good idea. Are you looking to go out of business and retire next week? If so, building…

Highways have been known to divide cities and towns. One one side is one type of neighborhood, on the other, a completely different atmosphere. Sometimes divided by wealth, sometimes race, or other factors. Rarely do you find a difference in climate, in soils, in types of grapes grown, and in the wines made. But you…

We all know Napa is famous for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Even Merlot. But at some point, even we want something else. Yes, these grapes are wonderful, and the wines produced from them can be quite spectacular. But there’s more to life than the same wines every day. You don’t have to leave the Napa…

“Lompoc is a beautiful place with grace and charm,” said no one ever. But it has come a long way with an increasing emphasis on winemaking, wine tourism, and in fact, truly great wine. Once solely a bedroom community for the nearby Vandenberg Air Force base, the City of Lompoc now hosts multiple winemaking facilities,…

It’s everyone’s dream vacation. A trip to wine country. Just what the doctor ordered. Oh, wait. The doctor forgot. You have kids. So now what? You can’t go wine tasting with the kids. Well, you can, though they can’t taste (not that they would want to, either). And have you ever seen small children accompanying…

Because reading matters. Because if you don’t get your message across, then you’ve wasted your time, and your client or employer has wasted his money. And why didn’t you get your message across? Could it be because you wrote what you wanted to write, instead of what the reader wanted to read? And why didn’t…

Oh, too bad you already made them! Everyone is saying that sending out promotional (especially targeted) emails is a good way to increase sales. (Including us, we’re no fools.) However, in order for your email to actually let you rake in the money, it has to be correct. Amazing, but true! And so many promotional emails…

Target your emails. Even if your target is everyone on your list, or everyone who might enjoy wine, keep a target in mind. It will help you focus on what you want to promote. It is a good idea to be specific in your emails. Targeting wine club members only, targeting people who have purchased…