Mastering the "Awareness and Attract" Stage of Your Winery's DTC Funnel
The first phase of your sales funnel – the Awareness and Attract stage – is all about getting on the radar of potential customers and drawing them to your winery. This is where you build brand awareness, grow your email list, and engage wine lovers long before they ever purchase or visit. In this post, we’ll break down how winery owners and managers can master the Attract stage by leveraging SEO, social media, lead magnets, on-site popups, and content marketing to fill the top of the funnel with qualified wine enthusiasts.
By the end, you’ll have a toolkit of strategies (with real examples and data) to generate more traffic and email subscribers – setting the stage for more DTC sales. Let’s dive in!
What is the "Attract" Stage and Why It Matters
In the inbound marketing framework, Attract is the first step where you focus on bringing the right people to your business, not just any people. These “right” people are your ideal customers – often defined through buyer personas (profiles of your target audience’s traits and preferences). Attracting qualified visitors means you’re drawing in folks who are likely to love your wines and what your brand stands for. It’s crucial because filling your funnel with the right audience makes every later step (converting to a sale, club sign-up, etc.) much easier.
Think of this stage as creating awareness. If people don’t know about your winery, they can’t buy from you. In fact, it’s estimated that 87% of today’s consumers use search engines to find products or services, and 78% specifically research products online (11 Facts About Inbound Every Marketer Should Know). If your winery isn’t showing up where people are looking – be it Google, social media, or wine blogs – you’re missing out on a huge pool of potential customers. The good news: by being proactive in the Attract stage, you can capture this interest and channel it into your own DTC pipeline.
Importantly, attracting visitors costs less and yields better leads than old-school outbound marketing. For example, SEO-generated leads have a 14.6% close rate, whereas outbound methods (like print ads or cold mailings) close at only 1.7% (The Ultimate Driver in Website Traffic: Search Engine Optimization | Marketpath CMs). That means the people you attract through inbound strategies are far more likely to eventually buy. In short, mastering Attract sets you up for efficient growth – you spend less to get more qualified traffic.
Know Your Ideal Audience (Buyer Personas)
Before jumping into tactics, get clear on who you want to attract. Take time to define your buyer personas – the semi-fictional profiles of your ideal customers. Are they Millennials looking for sustainable, organic wines? Affluent collectors seeking high-end Napa Cabs? Casual weekend winery tourists? Perhaps several segments apply. By pinning down key traits (age, interests, wine knowledge level, preferences, etc.), you can tailor your messaging and content to resonate with those people.
Get to know your customers' demographics, individual attributes, and the unique stories that shape their experiences. Understanding who they are and what they value can help you connect with them on a deeper level.
Remember, Attract isn’t about casting the widest net; it’s about drawing in the right customers. For instance, a small family winery focused on biodynamic Pinots will want to attract a different audience than a large winery known for budget-friendly blends. Your content and channels should align accordingly. With over 78% of Americans online, it’s likely your target customers are out there searching – your job is to craft content targeted to their interests and needs.
How do you research your ideal audience? Try the following:
Survey your existing customers: Why do they love your winery? What media do they consume?
Leverage analytics: Tools like Google Analytics or Facebook Insights can reveal demographics and behaviors of your website visitors or followers.
Brainstorm with your team: Your tasting room staff recognizes visitors and their stories. Ask if they notice trends or common traits among them.
By understanding your audience, you can create an attract-stage strategy that genuinely speaks to them. Everything from the blog topics you choose to the social platforms you focus on will flow from these insights.
Boost Your Visibility with SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
When someone Googles “best winery tour in X region” or “ wine reviews,” you want to be front and center. That’s where SEO comes in. Optimizing your winery’s website and content for search engines is one of the most powerful ways to attract qualified traffic. Why? Search is the #1 driver of traffic to content sites. People actively searching for wine-related keywords are often closer to purchase intent than those scrolling casually on social media, meaning this traffic is gold.
Here are key SEO strategies for wineries:
Keyword Research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner (free in Google Ads) to find relevant terms your potential customers search for. For example, you might discover high search volumes for phrases like “Napa wine tasting itinerary,” “organic wine benefits,” or “how to pair wine and cheese.” These insights tell you what content to create. (Tip: Also consider long-tail keywords with 3-4 words, like “Willamette Valley Pinot tasting,” which often indicate a very specific intent.)
On-Page Optimization: Ensure your website’s pages and blog posts include those target keywords naturally – especially in page titles, headings, meta descriptions, and image alt text. For instance, if one of your personas is interested in sustainable wine, you might have a blog titled “Organic Winemaking at [Your Winery]: Our Sustainable Vineyard Practices” with keywords around organic wine, sustainability, and your region.
Local SEO: Don’t forget to claim and optimize your Google My Business listing for your winery. Many customers search “[Winery] near me” or look on Google Maps. Make sure your address, hours, and reviews are up to date. Encourage happy visitors to leave Google reviews (social proof can boost clicks). Local keywords (like your city/AVA name) in your site content can also help you appear in local searches.
Technical Health: A quick technical note – ensure your site is mobile-friendly and fast-loading. Over 75% of internet use is projected to be on mobile next year, and Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites. Also, slow sites lose visitors; even a few seconds of extra load time can hurt conversions.
The payoff for good SEO can be huge but patient. As you build up optimized content and perhaps gain backlinks (like an online wine magazine linking to your blog), your search rankings improve. Over time, you might find that a blog post like “10 Perfect Wine and Chocolate Pairings for the Holidays” consistently brings in hundreds of organic visitors each month. Those are people you didn’t have to pay to reach – they found you because you provided the answer they were seeking. And since they found you via a wine-related query, they’re likely a relevant audience.
Data to consider: In general, organic search leads are high quality – as noted earlier, they convert far better than outbound leads. Additionally, blogging regularly is proven to increase lead generation. One study found 57% of marketers acquired a customer through blogging monthly, and 82% of marketers who blog daily acquired at least one customer via their blog. The lesson? Consistent, SEO-driven content can directly translate into new customers over time.
Create Content that Resonates with Wine Lovers
Content marketing is the fuel that powers the Attract stage. By creating valuable, relevant content, you give people a reason to discover you – and a reason to keep coming back. For a winery, content can take many forms: blog articles, videos, podcasts, infographics, even interactive quizzes. The key is that it should educate, entertain, or inspire your ideal audience (rather than just push sales).
Consider a few content ideas that tend to work well for wineries:
Educational Blogs & Videos: Position your winery as an expert or insider. Share the stories behind your wines, guides on topics like “How to Properly Taste Wine”, “A Beginner’s Guide to Wine Regions”, or “Harvest Diary: A Day in the Vineyard During Crush”. People love behind-the-scenes looks and learning directly from winemakers/vintners. For example, a short video tour of your barrel room with the winemaker explaining aging can fascinate enthusiasts.
Food & Wine Pairing Tips: If your target audience includes foodies, lean into content linking wine with cuisine. Recipes with wine pairings, holiday meal pairing guides, or a downloadable “Wine and Cheese Pairing Chart” serve up value. This not only attracts readers via search (many Google queries for “wine with salmon” etc.) but also associates your brand with expertise in enjoyment of wine. An anecdote: one boutique winery started a blog series of seasonal farm-to-table recipes paired with their wines – it became one of their top traffic drivers and a favorite topic in their email newsletter.
Lifestyle and Tourism Content: Many DTC customers visit wineries for the experience. Content about your region (e.g. “Weekend Travel Guide to [Wine Country]”), local events, or wine lifestyle pieces (like tips for starting a home wine cellar) can attract readers who are potential visitors. If you’re in a popular area, collaborating with local tourism boards or bloggers on content can extend your reach.
Interactive Content: Engaging content can also attract. Think quizzes like “What Wine Suits Your Personality?” or surveys/polls on social media that get people talking. While these might skew more toward engagement than pure education, they can dramatically boost brand awareness when shared.
When crafting content, always loop back to your ideal audience. Ask: Will this interest them or answer a question they have? If it doesn’t, refine the idea. The most resonant content often sits at the intersection of what you know best and what your audience cares about. For example, if your ideal customers are eco-conscious Millennials, a blog about your sustainable farming and a downloadable guide on “Choosing Environmentally Friendly Wines” would likely hit the mark.
Lastly, promote your content. Great content won’t attract anyone if it’s hidden. Share your blog posts via email and social media, leverage relevant hashtags when posting, and consider reaching out to wine influencers or communities (e.g. r/wine on Reddit, wine Facebook groups) if you have truly interesting content. Over time, as people find value in your content, you build trust and brand affinity. You’re not just a winery selling wine – you’re a helpful, interesting brand that educates and entertains wine lovers. That positive association is priceless and increases the chance they’ll join your list or club when the time comes.
(And remember, content and SEO go hand in hand: the more quality content you publish, the more keywords and search queries you can rank for – bringing in that steady flow of organic visitors.)
Harness Social Media to Expand Your Reach
Your potential customers aren’t all searching on Google – many are scrolling Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or Pinterest for inspiration. Social media is a powerful Attract-stage channel for wineries, as it enables you to build brand presence and engage wine lovers where they already spend time. In fact, 45% of wine consumers use social media platforms to find information about wines, wineries, and events (Uncorking Success: How Wineries Can Leverage Social Media Marketing – Firebelly Marketing). That’s nearly half of your audience turning to channels like Facebook and IG to learn and discover – you’ll want to meet them there.
Create engaging and vibrant social media posts that resonate with your target audience on the most suitable platform.
Here’s how to make social media work for the Attract stage:
Choose the Right Platforms: Focus on the platforms that match your target demographics. For visually-rich storytelling and younger audiences, Instagram is a top pick – perfect for posting beautiful vineyard shots, wine bottle glamor shots, and short Reels of winery life. Facebook is great for reaching a slightly older demographic, sharing events, and creating community (via a winery page or group). TikTok has emerged as a fun way to do short, catchy videos (wine tips, day-in-life of a winemaker, etc.) that can go viral. Pinterest can work for sharing recipes and aesthetic wine images (popular with event planners, etc.). You don’t need to be on every platform – choose 1-3 that align best with your audience and do those well.
Tell Your Story Visually: Wine is an experience, and social media is the place to show that experience. Share photos and videos that transport viewers to your vineyard. Think vineyard sunsets, the harvest hustle, winemakers tasting from the barrel, happy customers clinking glasses at your tasting room. Captions can provide context or education (e.g. an explanation of what punchdowns are during fermentation, alongside a video). Over time, this paints a picture of your brand. Many successful wineries use Instagram not just to sell wine, but to sell the lifestyle and passion behind it.
Engage and Interact: Social media isn’t a one-way broadcast. Respond to comments, answer questions (“What food would you pair with this Merlot?”), and engage with other accounts. Follow and interact with local tourism pages, wine influencers, and complementary businesses (like artisanal cheese makers). This increases your visibility. Also encourage user-generated content: repost a visitor’s great photo at your winery (with permission), or run a hashtag like #YourWineryExperience for fans to share memories. When people feel a personal connection on social, they’re more likely to stick around and eventually visit or buy.
Use Social to Drive Traffic or Sign-Ups: While building followers is nice, ultimately you want to guide them into your owned channels (like your website and email list). Periodically invite your social audience to take the next step. For example, include a “Link in Bio” to a new blog post or your newsletter sign-up. Post about a giveaway or contest that requires email sign-up (e.g. “Follow us and join our email list for a chance to win a private virtual tasting”). You can even leverage Facebook/Instagram’s call-to-action buttons (like “Sign Up” or “Learn More” on your profile) to collect leads. Keep it natural – most social content should be value-adding, with the occasional direct ask.
For instance, you might run a free giveaway on Instagram where anyone who signs up to your newsletter (and follows your account) is entered to win a 3-pack of wines or a tasting for four. This can rapidly grow your email list while also boosting your social following. Wineries have found success with such campaigns – it’s not uncommon to see hundreds of new sign-ups from a well-promoted giveaway.
The bottom line: social media helps you cast a wider net and put a personality to your brand. It’s about connection and discovery. By providing valuable or entertaining social content, you attract followers who can turn into website visitors and email subscribers. And according to marketing research, those followers are low-hanging fruit for email conversion – your social followers already like your winery, so asking them to join your email list “to get first dibs on new releases and special offers” will be much easier than asking a complete stranger. Use that to your advantage.
Offer Irresistible Lead Magnets to Grow Your Email List
Building an email list is a core goal of the Attract stage – your email list is a direct line to potential customers that you own (unlike the fickle algorithms of social media). One of the best ways to compel a visitor to give you their precious email is by offering a lead magnet – a valuable free resource or perk in exchange for signing up. Simply put, people are more willing to subscribe if they get something in return.
Wineries can get creative here. Consider offering:
Exclusive Discounts: e.g. “Join our newsletter and get 10% off your first purchase” or free shipping on your first order. Many wineries use this tried-and-true incentive via a coupon code delivered upon sign-up.
Educational eBook or Guide: e.g. a beautifully designed PDF guide like “The Ultimate Wine and Cheese Pairing Handbook”, “Top 10 Tips for Starting Your Wine Cellar”, or “Behind the Scenes at [Winery]: Our Harvest Guide”. If your target audience craves wine knowledge, they’ll happily give an email to download a high-value guide. (Pro tip: Tools like Mailchimp make it easy to set up an automated email that sends the PDF once someone signs up.)
Access to Exclusive Content or Events: e.g. “Sign up to receive invitations to subscriber-only virtual tastings and winery events” or early access to new releases. This creates a VIP feeling. Some wineries even frame their mailing list as an insider club – “Join our insiders list for first access to library wines and special release events.”
Contests/Giveaways: As mentioned under social, a contest can be a lead magnet. For example, “Enter your email for a chance to win a private winery tour for you and 3 friends.” Not everyone will win, but everyone who enters is now a lead you can nurture (and you might offer a consolation prize like a discount to all entrants).
Why do lead magnets work? They trigger reciprocity – you offer something valuable first, which builds goodwill and gives the subscriber a taste of your brand value. Plus, people love free stuff and exclusive perks. It’s a win-win: they get something helpful or fun, and you get a way to keep in touch (their email).
To implement lead magnets:
Create a dedicated landing page or pop-up for the offer. Make the sign-up form simple (name and email is usually enough). Clearly state the benefit. For example: “Subscribe and get our Free 15-page Wine Pairing eBook – plus members-only wine tips in your inbox.”
Use an email marketing tool like Mailchimp or Klaviyo or Constant Contact, to collect emails and deliver the magnet. These tools also help you manage your list and send campaigns down the line.
Promote the lead magnet wherever it’s relevant. Mention it on high-traffic pages of your site (e.g. a banner on your homepage: “Download our free guide to Napa wine tasting”). Share it on social media occasionally. If you have a tasting room, you could even have a tablet sign-up for a “free guide” to engage in-person visitors.
Does it really make a difference? Yes. Businesses that use multiple targeted lead magnets (for different audiences or offerings) see much higher opt-in rates. In the wine industry context, think of offering a few different magnets over time: one could be an educational eBook, another seasonally could be a holiday giveaway, another a simple discount. Each will attract a segment of potential fans.
For example, if a winery noticed their blog on “Guide to Sonoma Wine Country for First-Time Visitors” was getting a lot of Google traffic. They can create a simple lead magnet to embed in that post: a downloadable PDF itinerary “3 Perfect Days in Sonoma Wine Country”. It included winery visit tips (with their winery featured), restaurant picks, and local attractions. By offering this, they gave tourists something genuinely useful. This is the Attract stage at work – meeting the audience’s interest with value, and capturing a lead for future nurturing.
Capture Visitors with On-Site Popups & Signup Forms
Driving traffic to your site is half the battle; capturing visitors before they leave is the other half. This is where on-site email signup forms – especially popups – come in. When executed well, a popup or prominent signup form can dramatically increase the percentage of visitors who join your list (so you can continue marketing to them). Let’s talk about how to use these without annoying your audience.
First, some numbers to illustrate the impact: a typical static signup form (like one tucked in your footer) might only convert about 1% of visitors into email subscribers. In contrast, targeted popups often convert 3-5% (or more) of visitors. One report spanning over a billion popup views found an average conversion rate of 4.65% (20+ Popup Statistics 2025 [Based on 1B Displays]). And in a wine industry example, an email marketing study showed that a “Save 10%” popup converted 6.7% of site visitors, compared to ~1% for a typical embedded form. In short, popups can multiply your email capture rate several-fold. That’s why they’re so popular.
The primary goal of the attract stage is to gather valuable email addresses and effectively grow your subscription list over time. By focusing on this essential step, you can engage with potential customers and build a strong foundation for future interactions.
Now, how to use them effectively for your winery site:
Timing and Intent: Don’t bombard visitors the second they land on your homepage with a “JOIN OUR LIST!” popup – that can feel spammy. Instead, use smart timing or triggers: for example, an exit-intent popup (which appears when the user’s mouse moves toward the browser close button) to catch them before they leave, or a popup that appears after, say, 15 seconds on the site or when the user scrolls 50% down a page. Data shows that giving the visitor a little time significantly improves response. (Remember, 55% of website visitors spend only 15 seconds or less on a site – so you do need to act fast to get their attention, but not instant the moment they arrive.)
Clear Value Proposition: Just like with lead magnets, make sure your popup offers a benefit. Instead of “Sign up for our newsletter” (which is bland), try “Join our mailing list for $10 off your first order,” or “Subscribe for exclusive wine tips & a free pairing guide!” If you’ve created lead magnets, feature them in the popup. The design and copy should be eye-catching but on-brand. For example, include a nice image of a wine glass or vineyard and text like “Don’t miss out on special offers – join the club.”
Less is More (Fields): Keep the form simple – name and email is usually enough at this stage. The more fields you ask for, the fewer people will bother. You can always gather more info (like birthday, wine preferences, etc.) later as they engage. Many wineries just ask for email and perhaps zip code (to tailor offers or know if they are local).
Frequency and Etiquette: Set your popup so it doesn’t show to the same user repeatedly in one visit (most email tools or popup plugins allow you to control this via cookies). For example, if someone closes it, maybe don’t show it again for a few days or at least the rest of that session. Nothing’s worse than closing a popup only for it to pop up again on the next page. Done tastefully, popups don’t have to hurt the user experience – as one ecommerce expert put it, “If you do popups right... you will reap the rewards.”. In other words, a well-timed, relevant offer will feel helpful, not spammy.
You can implement popups easily with various tools: if you use Commerce7 for your website, some templates have built-in popup features or you can get your designer to add one. Or use third-party apps like Sumo, OptinMonster, or Mailchimp’s popup form. Be sure to test on mobile too – a huge chunk of visitors may be on phones, and mobile popups should be minimally intrusive (e.g. using a banner or slide-in form).
Even outside of popups, make sure you have prominent static signup forms in key places. For instance, an email signup in your site footer (as an industry best practice, the footer form is visible on all pages). Every visitor and customer is an opportunity to grow that list.
Conclusion: Evaluate and Elevate Your Attract Strategy
As a winery owner/manager, it’s time to take a step back and assess your current Attract stage game plan. Are you getting a steady flow of new visitors who match your ideal customer profile? Is your website effectively converting those visitors into subscribers or leads? If not, now is the perfect time to redesign your approach to the Attract stage.
Start by auditing each of the areas we discussed: How is your SEO – are you ranking for keywords that matter, or could you apply some optimization to your site content? How engaging and regular is your content marketing – do you have a content calendar to consistently publish blogs or videos that excite your audience? Look at your social media presence – is it active and aligned with your brand, and does it funnel people to join your community (on email or otherwise)? Evaluate your lead magnets – if you don’t have any, brainstorm one or two simple offers you could create in the next month. And check your website for email capture opportunities – if you have decent traffic but a tiny email list, adding a popup or improving your signup CTA could be low-hanging fruit.
Importantly, use data as you tweak your strategy. For example, try A/B testing a popup with an offer vs. one without – see which gets more signups. Or compare engagement on social posts when you include a call-to-action vs. when you don’t. Marketing is an ongoing experiment, but the effort at the top of the funnel pays off: you’ll be feeding your pipeline with interested wine lovers. Remember, email marketing is incredibly effective for wineries – it can drive 20–30% of your ecommerce revenue when done right (Commerce7 | Everything You Need to Know about Campaigns on Commerce7). And those email subscribers you gain now could become your most loyal repeat customers in the future (wine club members, event attendees, brand ambassadors – it all starts with that first attraction and connection).
In summary, mastering the Attract stage means being proactive and strategic about how you draw people in. Combine great content (that speaks to your ideal customers) with smart promotion (SEO, social) and efficient capture (lead magnets, popups). You’ll create a virtuous cycle: more qualified traffic, leading to more email signups – which give you a larger audience to nurture and convert into sales as they move through the DTC funnel.
Call to Action: Take the next week to evaluate your Attract strategy using the points above. Pick one or two improvements and put them into action – whether it’s optimizing a few key webpages for SEO, launching a new lead magnet, or setting up that Mailchimp account to start sending a monthly educational newsletter. By strengthening your Attract stage, you’re investing in the long-term growth of your DTC sales. Here’s to drawing more wine lovers to your doorstep (virtual and physical) – and turning that awareness into lasting customer relationships. Cheers!
