Charlottesville Vineyards and Social Media

What a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. I am sure the nearby vineyards were quite busy this weekend. Earlier I logged on twitter and looked at a few local vineyards twitter accounts to find out if anything exciting was happening today and was again reminded how important social media is in promoting your company. The fact that I went to Twitter first to find out what was going on shows a key shift in how companies are communicating and need to communicate with their audience.

Keswick Vineyards, located right outside of Charlottesville, has a strong social media presence with a twitter account updated by Kat Schornberg. The bio of the @keswickvineyard profile says, “Keswick Vineyards is a family owned & operated vineyard & winery east of Charlottesville, VA. I am one of the owners daughters & the wife of the winemaker.” Having one family member with a strong connection to the company or organization maintain the account is a great way to uphold their reputation as a family owned business and add a personal touch. Keswick Vineyards also has a Facebook profile and a blog.  The blog is run by the winemaker Stephen and has a lot of interesting insights into the process of winemaking. The Facebook profile has 2,654 friends and the Twitter profile has 1,056 followers. The three tools are key ways to connect with their audience.

Veritas Winery has both a twitter and Facebook account. I went there a few weekends ago and was blown away with how beautiful and elegant the tasting room, lawn and vineyard were. I really enjoy the videos they post on their website about wine tasting too.

On that same day I made a stop at King Family Vineyards. The vineyard was beautiful and the wine tasting staffer was very helpful in making recommendations of places to visit during our day adventure. King Family has both a twitter and Facebook account, although they do not have a link to their twitter account on their website. More people are friends with them on Facebook than on twitter because of this, however that seems to be a trend of all the vineyards. King Family promotes their polo matches, music events and weddings via social media.

I only mentioned three vineyards social media presences in this post, but there are so many ways to engage with vineyards in Charlottesville online. Here is my twitter list of all things (and people) Charlottesville. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions of twitter profiles to add.

I hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend!

** Today we honor those who have served to protect the freedoms of the United States and to the family members who have suffered loss. Words cannot describe the gratitude we feel. **

New adventures in Charlottesville and with Terra Dance Project

The Downtown Mall in CharlottesvilleHello again! The past two months were very busy. I moved to Charlottesville, a small city in the mountains about an hour from Richmond, VA. Charlottesville is home to James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, the Dave Matthews Band, over 10 wineries and vineyards, University of Virginia, breathtaking views, and a wonderful downtown atmosphere. Donald Trump just purchased Kluge Estates too! This town has a great vibe and I am excited that work brought me to such a charming city with a lively culture and southern hospitality.

I am now a Junior Account Manager at Search Mojo, a search engine marketing agency. Search Mojo specializes in search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising. This is a great opportunity and I am excited about learning more!

Now that I am closer to Richmond and I am consequently closer to Terra Dance Project. Terra Dance Project is a new collaborative dance company made up of six dance graduates (5 from JMU) looking for ways to integrate their education and shared experiences into quality, ‘real-world’ art. The company rehearses, teaches and performs all over Virginia. I am excited to dance with my JMU alumni friends and share our art with you! Go to the Terra Dance Project website to learn about the company members and any upcoming performances.