Trish Kesselring
Peloton Cellars
Avila Beach, CA
Why the name
Peloton?
French for
“group”, how does a winery get the name Peloton? Founded by four friends who share a love of wine
rivaled only by their love of cycling, Peloton Cellars marries the two worlds
in creative ways. Using the winery’s
tasting room as a canvas, Peloton Cellars brings its love of wine and cycling
to the forefront of its operation, providing décor to please the eye while the
palette feasts upon its wine. From the
winery's name, French for a close-knit pack of bicyclists, to the cycling
quotes found on each finely-crafted bottle
of wine, you are sure to appreciate Peloton’s passion for wine and cycling.
Working together,
like the close-knit pack of bicyclists for which the winery is named, the four
“founders” of Peloton Cellars complement one another in their vast array of
talents: one uses his graphic arts skills to promote the winery through a
well-designed website and compelling monthly newsletters; another heads up the public
relations aspect of the winery, creating and maintaining relationships with
customers, both in person at the winery’s tasting room and online through their
myriad of social media platforms; a third handles the “behind-the-scenes”
operation, keeping the winery’s paperwork organized and up-to-date; while the
fourth, the winemaker, has the distinct pleasure of crafting Peloton’s
ever-growing selection of fine wines.
Accolades and Awards
Abound at Peloton
Already recognized for its fine wines by local patrons, Peloton
Cellars has achieved well-deserved accolades for a number of their wines. Most
recently, at the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (one of the more
prestigious competitions for American wines), Peloton Cellars received four
distinct and note-worthy acclaims.
Peloton’s Criterium red blend received the Silver Medal in its class,
while its 2007 Old Vine Zinfandel boasted a Gold Medal. Also recognized at this
competition were the winery’s 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, which, incidentally, was
also awarded 90 points by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in December of 2009, and
their 2007 Laetitia Syrah, receiving a Silver and a Bronze Medal, respectively.
Not to downplay Peloton’s earlier accolades, it’s worth mentioning
that their wines also earned acclaim at the 2009 California State Wine
Competition. The winery’s 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel
both received Silver Medals at this prestigious state-wide competition.
How Peloton
incorporates Facebook into their Marketing Campaign
Facebook, the “Tour de’ France” of
social media, offers its users a social networking platform that blends an ease
of use with a multitude of functions. One of its many user-friendly functions
is its “Events” tool, which allows users to create events and send invitations effortlessly.
To make a great tool even more useful, Facebook’s “Events” feature also enables
users to “Share” their events on friends’ walls, providing even further reach
and exposure.
Small businesses have been using
Facebook to build brand awareness and even out the marketing playing field with
larger, corporate-based companies. Take Peloton Cellars for
example:
Located in the charming coastal town of Avila Beach, Peloton first
opened their tasting room in early September of 2011. Using their Facebook
presence and the “Events” feature for promotion, the winery saw a hugely
successful Grand Opening a short four months later. Heading up Peloton’s tasting room, and the
winery’s marketing campaign, Trish Kesselring said the following in response to
their use of Facebook to promote the January 2012 Grand Opening, “I'd say the
majority of those who attended our Grand Opening were informed through FB
(Facebook). That made a huge impact!”
Spending
just 45-minutes a day managing the winery’s Facebook presence, posting,
responding, and creating events, Trish believes Facebook is a key component to
their marketing campaign.
Continuing
the conversation on the benefits of using Facebook, Trish went on to say, “I can reach out
to those who I don't see nor communicate with on a regular basis. Email gets
caught up in spam but at least our postings are getting to our ‘Friends’ and
not delivered to their spam box, where they may never receive notice of what
we're sending out.”
Not
only does Trish use the platform to create and share events, she also
“cultivates relationships with established customers”. Using her personal
Facebook account to post to the winery’s group page, Trish humanizes their
company and puts a face to the name Peloton. Daily engagement with customers
who have “Friended” the winery, allows Trish to nurture customer loyalty and
build positive brand awareness. She regularly replies to those who have posted
to the winery’s group page.
Sharing
upcoming events for wine lovers, such as her post promoting SLO Vintners
Association’s “Roll Out the
Barrels”
event and Peloton’s upcoming “Wine Maker’s Dinner”, Trish uses
Facebook to educate and inform. To share the winery’s unique personality, she
also shares their love of cycling, like her picture post celebrating the
Peloton winemaker’s first place finish at a recent bike race in Folsom, CA and
her whale-spotting experience off the Avila pier on her way into the winery’s
tasting room! Understanding the social aspect of online networking, Trish does
not inundate the winery’s group page with their latest products and accolades;
she shares news and happenings from those in her social networking circle. In
one post, she shared the lecture series held at Avila’s Sea Life Center during the month
of May and, in another, she promoted the Fish and Famer’s Market in Avila Beach,
held every Friday evening throughout the summer.
Using
Facebook as it was intended, Trish Kesselring creates a positive online
presence for Peloton Cellars!
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