October 15, 2025

What to Ask Before Hiring a Winery Marketing Agency

Hiring a marketing agency is a big move—especially for small or midsize wineries where every dollar (and hour) counts. Maybe you’re wondering if now’s the right time. Or if you should keep doing it all yourself. Or how to even tell one agency apart from another when they all seem to promise the same things.

It’s not about saying yes or no—it’s about making an informed decision. Let this post help you ask better questions and choose the right path for your winery’s marketing.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hiring a Winery Marketing Partner

1. What are your goals—and are they realistic?

Want to grow your wine club? Increase tasting room traffic? Sell more wine online? Your goals should drive your strategy—and set the right expectations. For example, online wine sales rarely take off without in-person connection and brand loyalty. Be clear about what you’re working toward, and whether your current setup can support it.

2. Do you need strategy, execution, or both?

Some wineries already have a plan—they just need help getting it done. Others aren’t sure where to begin. Knowing which camp you’re in helps you find an agency that can meet you where you are.

3. What can you do in-house—and what should you outsource?

Have someone who’s great at Instagram or sends a killer club email? Keep them involved. But for bigger pieces like ad campaigns, SEO, or web design, it’s often smarter (and faster) to bring in experts.

4. Is your brand and website ready to support your marketing?

You don’t need perfection. But if your website is clunky, your branding is unclear, or your bottle shots look like they were taken in a hurry, those foundational elements will hold back your results. Design, messaging, and visuals all work together to shape how people perceive your winery. The good news? A solid wine marketing agency can help you clean that up—so when you do launch a campaign, you’re putting your best foot forward.

Smart Questions to Ask a Winery Marketing Agency

1. Do you have winery or DTC experience?

Marketing wine isn’t like marketing soap or software. The right agency should understand industry quirks like compliance, club management, POS platforms, and seasonality. Ask specifically if they’ve worked with OrderPort, Commerce7, or similar DTC wine platforms.

Read: How to Choose an Ecommerce Solution for Your Winery

2. How will we measure success?

Do they track wine club signups, reservations, list growth, or something else? Their answer should match what matters to you.

3. Who will I actually work with?

Avoid agencies where you’re bounced between departments. Ask if you’ll have a dedicated point of contact and how often you’ll talk.

4. What happens if results are slow?

If something isn’t working, what do they do? A good partner will shift tactics and keep testing—not shrug and move on.

5. Can I see real examples of your winery work?

Case studies. Before-and-after results. Not just pretty designs or generic reports. If they don’t have proof, they might not have experience.

Check it out: View Our Recent Projects

6. Do I own my website, accounts, and content?

Make sure the answer is yes. You should always have full access to everything built for your winery.

7. What’s included—and what costs extra?

Ask what’s part of the base fee and what might cost more. That includes ad spend, extra revisions, or seasonal campaigns.

8. How do you plan and prioritize?

A strong agency won’t just churn out tasks. They’ll build a roadmap based on your goals, seasonality, and long-term growth.

9. How do you stay up to date?

Marketing changes fast—especially with AI, search, and social. Ask how the agency keeps up. You want a team that evolves with the industry.

10. What’s your process for web design and edits?

If you need a new website, ask how many revisions are included, how they gather feedback, and how collaborative the process is.

What the Right Marketing Partner Should Look Like

You don’t need a massive budget or a full-time marketing department to get results. But you do need the right partner—one who understands how wineries actually operate, what drives tasting room traffic, and why club signups matter more than vanity metrics.

The right marketing agency should feel like an extension of your team. They’ll ask smart questions, tailor their recommendations to your goals, and help you make decisions that move your business forward—not just check boxes.

If you’re feeling stretched thin or unsure what to tackle next, that’s exactly when a marketing partner can help most. Not with cookie-cutter strategies, but with clear priorities and the experience to back them up.

Need help sorting out what to do next? Let’s talk.

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