Just as Jaynie posts about Gaping Void, Hugh gives another great update on how blogging is affecting Stormhoek’s sales(on pace to see a FIVE-FOLD sales increase in 2 years).  I always love these updates because this story goes to the heart of why companies should join their communities.

Sure there are a few important marketing principles in play here, but the one that I love is how Stormhoek is creating relationships with customers by using THEIR tools in THEIR space.  And by tapping into the viral tendencies of bloggers.  Why in the blue hell other companies have not picked up on this is a total mystery. 

But it goes to another point about social media.  Notice that the Stormhoek blog started back in May of last year, the same time the winery started involving bloggers in their promotions.  Stormhoek was smart enough to target bloggers in their space, but at the same time they also JOINED the blogosphere and targetted its community members by learning to ’speak their language’.  As Stormhoek entered into the blogging community, they became more comfortable with the inhabitants here, the dynamics of this space, and it seems they let the community transform their marketing and distribution habits.  That’s so powerful if for no other reason than it would scare the living shit out of most companies to forego that sense of control as Stormhoek has done.  Figuring out why this is working for Stormhoek isn’t hard for their competitors, but taking the same risk to embrace bloggers definitely isn’t something many other companies will be as willing to do.     

Last year I spoke to a few music labels about my ‘100 CDs For 100 Bloggers’ idea.  Every one that I talked to agreed that it SOUNDED like a good idea, but none of them were willing to pull the trigger on a promotion that utilizes the viral tendencies of bloggers as evangelists by giving them the incentive to talk to each other about their favorite artist.  Asking a South African winery to take a chance of ceding some marketing control to bloggers is one thing, asking major music labels to do so is a totally different animal. 

Which is another reason why Stormhoek deserves kudos.  Many a great idea is stopped short of seeing the light of day due to company’s fear of trying something new, or being afraid to enter into a new space.  I’m sure Stormhoek had some of these same concerns about blogging, but they forged on anyway, to their credit. 

So keep up the good work Hugh.  Every sales victory for Stormhoek is really a victory for the power of social media as a whole. 

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