2025 Wine Club Marketing Trends & Takeaways from the 3rd Annual Wine Club Symposium...& the Missing SEO Strategy

What wineries need to know now—and how digital marketing plays a role.

As wineries face plateauing memberships and shifting demographics, the 3rd Annual Wine Club Symposium (July 15-16, 2025) shed light on strategies to revitalize club signups and deepen member loyalty.

The event brought together winery leaders and direct-to-consumers (DTC) strategists to discuss the state of the industry and where it's heading in 2026.

Here are the top takeaways and how wineries can adapt wine club marketing trends - from messaging, outreach and SEO - to stay ahead.

🍷2025 Wine Club Symposium Journal

Why Wine Clubs Are Struggling (and How to Reignite Growth)

Speakers:

• Jason Curtis, President, vinSUITE

• Rob McMillan, EVP & Founder, Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division

• Megan Currie, The Wine Lass

• Jennifer Warrington, Wine Industry Sales Education (WISE)

This session kicked off with key insights into member attrition & growth patterns:

• Most regions are losing wine club members, especially Oregon.

  • But areas like Santa Barbara are outperforming - likely due to tourism, discretionary funds and tasting room conversions.

• Tasting rooms convert best. The catch?

  • Employees only ask customers to sign up for wine clubs 32% of the time.

  • Incentivizing staff with 10% commission on signups is underutilized.

• A single bottle sale to a first-time visitor is worth it - even at a shipping loss - because it secures their payment info and opens the door to future sales.

• Offer both a constant and a flexible club model.

  • Also consider a discreet “micro-club” for customers who aren’t ready for a 3- or 6-bottle commitment.

💡 SEO note: Use your website to clearly outline all club options, from flexible to exclusive, and integrate schema markup to improve visibility in search.

🍇 Understanding Customer Segments: From Boomers to Gen Z

Speakers:

• Chris Huyghe, Co-Founder, Service and Operations, Enolytics

• Michelle Van Der Lugt, Head of Sales, Enolytics

• Laura Simons, Owner, Simons DTC Consulting

Wine isn’t one-size-fits-all. The most effective wine clubs reflect that. Key insights:

• Boomers prefer exclusivity and prestige - lean into heritage, quality and elite status.

• Millennials want a sense of identity and shared experience. They value authenticity and discovery.

• Gen Z prioritizes Instagrammable experiences and ethical practices (“how do you treat your workers?”).

• Gen X appreciates efficiency but builds strong loyalty once engaged.

💡 On your website and social content, tailor your brand storytelling to appeal to each generation. SEO and social work best when messaging matches audience values.

📦 Personalization & Community Are the New Luxury

Speakers:

• Jason Curtis, President, vinSUITE

• Brian Baker, Winery Brand Positioning & Profitability

The emotional core of wine came up repeatedly:

• Unboxing is an untapped opportunity. A handwritten note, a bonus item or even a QR code to a short branded video (using tools like Runway ML) can deepen the bond.

• Standout brands are building intentional communities. Examples:

  • Winery Sixteen 600's in Sonoma

  • La Cuadrilla in Los Olivos, where wine profits go directly to vineyard workers.

💡 Use your SEO and digital marketing content to amplify these community initiatives. This builds backlinks, trust and long-term brand equity.

📲 Key Wine Club Marketing Trends: SMS Strategy

Wine clubs aren’t built in the tasting room alone anymore.

• Only 5% of wine club members come through a purely online channel - but that 5% is gold.

• Texting strategies for wine clubs (SMS funnels) were highlighted as a growing tool -especially for reorders, last-minute offers and personalization.

• Platforms like Runway ML can create short-form visual storytelling for digital campaigns.

💡 If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re missing conversions. Prioritize local SEO and integrate tools for email + SMS automation.

The Missing Piece: SEO & Digital Discovery in Winery Marketing (Why It Matters)

One topic conspicuously absent from the symposium discussion was SEO (search engine optimization) and broader digital discovery strategy. This omission is noteworthy – and presents a critical opportunity for wineries.

As the industry talks about storytelling and community (rightly so), many wineries are still struggling to get their story heard by new audiences online.

With Declining Wine Tastings, Digital Marketing is Key

Traditionally, DTC wine sales were fueled by on-site interactions (tasting room visits, events), but with visitation softening and overall DTC shipments seeing declines (volume was down 11% in the first half of 2024 nationally), it’s imperative for wineries to attract consumers through digital channels.

SEO is a driving force in that effort, ensuring that when potential customers search the web – whether for a type of wine, a winery experience or a wine club to join or gift – they find your winery.

Yet, historically the wine industry has underutilized SEO.

SEO is Underutilized...& Low-Hanging Fruit!

A few years ago, a survey found that while 98% of U.S. wineries were active on social media, only 45% were investing in SEO on their websites.

This gap persists: even in 2025, only about 20% of wineries report using digital marketing beyond social media for club member acquisition.

The vast majority of wineries are not leveraging search engines effectively – representing a huge untapped avenue for growth.

Why SEO for Wine Clubs?

SEO delivers high-intent traffic.

Consumers who find your site via Google are often actively searching for wine or experiences, making them more likely to convert.

Research shows SEO-generated leads have around a 14.6% close rate, far higher than the 1–2% close rate of outbound leads (like direct mail or cold ads).

In the context of wine clubs, someone who searches “best Napa winery membership” or “wine club for Cabernet lovers” is probably a prime candidate to sign up if they like what they see.

The average ROI of SEO to be around 825% (i.e. an $8.25 return per $1 spent) when measured over three years. This rivals the ROI of Google Ads (estimated ~800%) and, while lower than the extraordinary ROI of email marketing to an established list, it far outstrips the ROI of typical paid social campaigns.

The Compounding Benefits of SEO

The beauty of SEO is that its benefits compound – content you optimize today can keep attracting visitors for years, reducing ongoing acquisition costs.

By contrast, paid ads stop working the moment you stop paying, and their costs often increase over time. Email marketing does boast stellar ROI (often $38 per $1 or more)...

...but you need a strong email list first...

...which SEO helps build by funneling new traffic into your database.

In essence, SEO and content marketing are the feedstock for your other marketing channels (email, social) and for expanding your community beyond the tasting room.

Social Media = Lower Intent Customers

Compare that to a generic social media ad interrupting their feed – the intent and conversion likelihood is night and day. Customers acquired through organic search are also more valuable in the long run.

A study of e-commerce retailers found that customers coming from organic search had a 54% higher lifetime value than average.

The likely reason is that search pulls in consumers who are already motivated and often affluent (e.g. researching a purchase), whereas social media leads may be more casual or impulsive.

For wineries, this means an SEO-driven club signup could stay longer and spend more than someone who clicked a random ad. It directly feeds the quality-over-quantity mantra heard at the symposium.

Rather than “spray-and-pray” marketing, SEO helps target the right consumers, those actively seeking what you offer.

Marketing as a Storytelling Technique

The most successful DTC wineries in 2025 will marry the power of authentic storytelling with smart digital strategy.

SEO is well-suited for effective storytelling.

It is a key execution strategy to amplify your story and reach new audiences at scale. A winery’s narrative about sustainability or its vibrant club community can only inspire new members if those people discover it – and in 2025, discovery starts on Google.

🍷Ready to Grow Your Winery’s Online Presence?

Whether you’re trying to stand out in a crowded local market or connect emotionally with new demographics, digital marketing plays a vital role in wine club success.

At KC SEO, I specialize in helping wineries improve their visibility and deepen customer loyalty through smart, SEO-driven strategies.

Start with my free guides or explore my winery SEO services:

• KC SEO's Services: Winery Marketing

• 2025 Winery Marketing Guide: SEO, Tourism & Weddings

• SEO for Wineries: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s build a wine club marketing strategy as memorable as your best vintage.