Interviewer’s Note:  Here’s another fun entrepreneurial business- a winery, founded by Corey Nyman after years of experience in the hospitality industry.  We checked in with Corey to learn more about what inspired him and how social media, particularly Twitter, played a role in building his business.

Hi Corey,  welcome to the Pluggio Blog!  How do you describe your business?

Labor Wines is a start-up winery that began business in 2010 and is currently in the market with our first vintage, a 2009 Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Sounds delicious!  How did you kick that business off?

We began with 280 cases of wine for our first release and will be growing the business steadily, but slowly, to appropriately come to restaurants, consumers and wine shops with quality wines at fair prices.  Our message is:  Everything takes Labor to accomplish.  Without Labor, there would be no end result and no satisfaction.  Labor is the driving force throughout history of how to get things done.  From Labor is the idea that hard work presents rewards and what better way to embrace that vision – from our hands to yours.

What lead you to open a winery?

have been in the Hospitality Industry since I was 14 years old, always cooking, managing restaurants and learning my trade and I found a passion for beverage, mainly wine, along the way.  After a long drive moving a friend, years back, I wrote a business plan for the launch of Labor Wines, and then sat on it for awhile.

What spurred you to finally take action?

In 2010 I had a very negative experience in my main business (Hospitality Consulting) that truly spurred me on to make a decision that ‘if I didn’t take the chance now of staring my wine project, I never would.’  So, I re-wrote the business plan, found my investor/business partner and went to it!

Fantastic!  What roles does Twitter play in your business?  To get new clients, to inform the general public, etc?

Twitter allows me to start communicating with existing fans of Labor Wines, make new friends and expose them to who we are and also share information about our industry overall, that I believe people will find relevant.  As well, I can reach out to people to further introduce our new brand and let them know where to find our wine around the country, specific to their location and overall.

 I noticed some Tweets about American Air screwing something up- what’s the story behind that?  I’m an advocate of making incompetence or dissatisfaction more transparent; I hope it’s working out.

It was really about a company that said they were doing one thing and then didn’t.  They unfortunately let me down in a customer service manner, then denied what they had done and after I then reached out again to another service supervisor, he basically played dumb and told me he couldn’t help me.  I then followed up directly to customer service, they apologized (but couldn’t address my original issue unfortunately) and at least heard my concerns.  It wasn’t ideal, but I appreciate the reach out by them.  At least they monitor their Twitter feed and account, unlike many companies out there that just use it to post on their information instead of fully engaging their followers, fans and customers.

What impact or change in your line of work have you seen due to Twitter/social marketing?

I was a huge believer in Social Media since 2008 and have developed an even greater appreciation for many of the resources available every day since.  I have faith in the instantaneousness of the technology and the idea that you as a person or a brand can get your message out to an audience that quickly.  The key is being able to develop your followers to listen to that message.

Is social media becoming more important for you?

I think that, depending upon the industry and product, many/most businesses NEED to embrace Social Media in today’s technologically ever-changing society and demand for constant information and updates.  You can make Social Media work for you, all depends upon involvement and acceptance; but it is NOT the only way – nothing will ever replace face to face communication.

 Are there any of your accomplishments with social marketing that you are particularly proud of?

The ability to further support our articles, features and profiles in traditional media publications (weekly and monthly magazines), and share those with our friends online.  As well, we can direct our followers to our website to learn more about Labor and support who we are.

How did you build your following?  What kinds of people/businesses are they?  How do you choose who you will follow?  What do you look for in a follower?

I have actually tapped into a variety of resources on my end, but I started with my personal Twitter handle, @EatDrinkVegas to begin the process.  With my many contacts in the Food & Beverage world (Restaurants, Hotels, Wineries, etc.) and Media publications, I started re-following those type of accounts, as I believed they would be as important for Labor Wines as to my personal.  I then supported Labor through my personal account, to other accounts that I felt would be relevant moving forward.  We also have a Facebook fan page that is growing each day, but not with the immediate impact of our Twitter account at this point.  We will also continue supporting our brand through blog entries (as appropriate) and other Twitter accounts who share our passion for what we do.

Moving forward, we look to embrace fellow wineries around our area (Oregon), but also around the world – trying to see what message they are putting out there, how to best maximize Twitter and view competition, without doing what they do.  Everyone’s message is unique to their company, we just want to be who we are and stay true to our company’s overall vision and message.

 What strategies did you use for social marketing (either online or offline)? 

It’s really all about grass-roots for us.  We are only two people at our company, but have assistance from my brother, who is our PR representation, who helps us with content, message and support through his personal Twitter account and professional accounts as well.  Additionally, on our label (on the bottle), we have a QR code that currently directs users to our website but our plan is to direct them to a video of tasting notes on the wine so they can get information about the wine before purchasing or while drinking.  We are all about interaction and exploring different methods of contact.

What worked for you?

Being able to contact people directly who started following us

What didn’t work for you?

We don’t pay for followers, we don’t use ‘auto’ followers or mass message/analytics.  We are small business that wants to know who those who are following us and get out message out there.

What does Twitter do for you that nothing else can do?

Instantaneous posting about information that is relative to me, that hopefully others will find relative to them.  I can convey a message quickly and for only a currency of my time in an appropriate setting.  Additionally, I can get ‘real-time’ updates from those that I follow, news outlets, wineries, etc. that is condensed in one place.

What lessons have you learned about Twitter and online marketing?

Regardless of what you put out on Twitter, someone can take that information and tweak it to their idea/message/benefit if they’d like.  The service/concept is all what you make of it – both positively and negatively.  At the end of the day based upon your involvement, message, image and constant support, is what your identity will be.

Follow Corey on Twitter here.

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