Why Smart Winery Owners and Tasting Room Managers Should Choose to Invest More in Marketing When Visitation Slows

When visitation dips, the natural instinct for many winery owners and tasting room managers is to start trimming budgets. All too often, marketing is the first expense to get cut. But history — and some of the most successful business leaders of our time — tells us that this is exactly the wrong move.

A slowdown is not the time to go silent. It’s the time to amplify your presence, remind your audience what makes your winery special, and invest in services that actively promote your experiences.

‍

The Cost of Going Quiet

When marketing spend drops, so does visibility. Guests forget about your experiences. Competitors who stay in front of customers claim the spotlight. And when visitation rebounds, it’s much harder — and more expensive — to regain lost ground.

Henry Ford summed it up perfectly:

“A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.”

Why Leaders Double Down During Downturns

Business icons across industries agree that downturns are opportunities, not times for retreat:

• Warren Buffett: “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.”
• Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, when asked about recessions: “I thought about it and decided not to participate.”
• Jeff Bezos: “If you double the number of experiments you do per year you’re going to double your inventiveness.”
• Steve Jobs: “Marketing is about values… the companies that will do well are those that stay consistent in reminding people what they stand for.”

These lessons apply directly to wine country. When competitors cut back, your message travels further, your story is heard louder, and your brand builds resilience.

Rate Platforms by the Value They Deliver

Smart winery owners know it’s not just about spending more, but about spending wisely. Every marketing platform should be evaluated based on the lifetime value it delivers — not just the monthly fee it charges.

Why spend thousands on a poorly designed social media campaign that produces little measurable return, yet make the rash decision to cancel a guest booking platform that nets you $6,000 in tasting fees? Guests you most likely would have never met until that platform’s marketing swayed them your way?

This is the type of long-term value calculation every tasting room manager should weigh before making cuts. A well-placed marketing investment can continue to pay off far beyond the initial transaction.

How Wineries Can Lean In Right Now

Instead of pulling back, wineries should look for ways to increase smart marketing spend and invest in long-term guest engagement. Some proven strategies include:

• Strengthen your digital presence with video tours, storytelling, and updated website content.
• Leverage CellarPass and other discovery platforms to keep your experiences visible to new audiences.
• Expand your email and social campaigns to re-engage past guests and nurture future visits.
• Promote wine club offers and shipping specials to drive direct-to-consumer sales even if tasting room traffic is slower.

The Bottom Line

The wineries that thrive aren’t the ones that go silent when times are tough. They’re the ones that lean in, stay visible, and continue to remind guests why they’re worth visiting.

Unlike our competitors who deliver empty promises, we deliver well-qualified wine consumers by constantly innovating our strategies in keeping your tasting room in front of engaged wine lovers, even in slower seasons.

Now is the time to expand your reach, not retreat. Partner with a reservations or ticketing platform that has a built-in audience, actively markets your experiences and special events, and will help you optimize your messaging.

At CellarPass, we specialize in doing exactly that. Let’s make sure your winery stands out — no matter the season.