Word & Mouth Blog

Where food, hospitality, branding, and human behavior all crash into each other. I write about restaurants, wine, placemaking, customer experience, and the small details that make people talk about a business long after they leave.

For even more snarky takes on marketing, pop culture, branding, and the internet, visit my Substack, Burnt Popcorn & Branding: Substack

  • A mix of hospitality, branding, customer psychology, hospitality culture, and internet behavior from someone who’s worked behind the scenes in marketing long enough to know what feels authentic and what feels painfully forced.

  • Yes. Especially if your marketing currently sounds like ChatGPT wrote it.

  • No LinkedIn thought leadership energy here. Just strategy, storytelling, and occasional side-eye toward trends, Chat-GPT written branding advice, and “disruptive” ideas that all look the same.

  • People in marketing, hospitality, branding, retail, wine, or anyone who secretly judges restaurants by their menu design before reading the food list.

Digital Marketing Shana Bull Digital Marketing Shana Bull

On Social Media: Don't share content that isn't yours (without getting permission)

When it comes to social media, one of the cardinal rules is not to share content that isn't yours. This includes things like photos, videos, and quotes. Not only is it plagiarism, but it can also be a violation of copyright law. If you're sharing someone else's content without asking them first, you can get into a lot of trouble and have to pay fines or even have your account taken away for violating social media community guidelines.

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Digital Marketing, Wine County Shana Bull Digital Marketing, Wine County Shana Bull

Top 11 Wineries in California on Instagram

My picks for top CA Wineries on Instagram are not based on who has the most followers, the prettiest pictures, or which wineries get the most Instagram location check-ins. While those are important, I chose these wineries based on their community engagement and unique brands… I chose wineries on Instagram that were true to their brand passions and connected with their target audience.

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Digital Marketing, Recipe for Social Media, Social Media Shana Bull Digital Marketing, Recipe for Social Media, Social Media Shana Bull

Wine Marketers – You Need to Engage on Social Media Over the Weekend

The Wine Industry’s busiest time is during the weekends. This when the most customers come in and out of your tasting room/hotel/restaurant/retail shop. This also means that this is when the most people post pictures on Instagram, tag your brand in their main images on the feed, or share pictures and videos on their Instagram Stories. This is also when a lot of people ask questions about hours, location, etc. on Facebook or other social media platforms while trying to figure out their itinerary for the weekend. You want to make sure to engage with them.

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