Bar Advertising: How to Advertise a Bar Successfully
An often-overlooked part of bar management is bar advertising.
When you first start a bar, the thrill of finally being able to open that dream bar is so much that people neglect this job’s finer aspects.
The truth is that bars need to have customers coming in regularly if they want to thrive, and bar advertising will help you to do this.
It is easier said than done because you might know that your service is the best in town, but the question is, how do you convince potential customers that your service is worth their money?
If you want to know the answer to that question, then you’ve come to the right place.
This article will help you to figure out precisely what your bar advertising strategy is missing.
We’re going to give you a list of some of the best bar advertising tips that you can use to bring customers into your bar.
You can use the links below to jump to the advertising section you’d like to read about:
1. If you want to attract customers, then your bar needs to provide high-quality service
2. A strong online presence is integral to making your bar recognizable
3. Make your offers as creative as you can to stand out amongst the competition
4. Encourage customer engagement by hosting events
5. Having a theme that’s constantly changing for your menu will keep your customers interested
6. Offering drinks that are local favorites is a great way to draw in people
7. You can always use Bloc to advertise your bar effectively
1. If you want to attract customers, then your bar needs to provide high-quality service
What’s the first thing you notice when you walk into a bar? The decorations? Maybe it’s the array of craft beers that are sitting right behind the counter?
Although the outwards presentation of a bar might form your first impression of the bar, you might not realize how important good service is.
Whenever we go into a bar, the service will tell us if that place is worth visiting again.
However, making your bar’s service great is going to require a bit of planning.
First, look at whether your staff has all the necessary tools to communicate with each other in the right way. Next, you’ll want to make sure that they are taking the time to make sure your customers feel at home, as a bit of friendly banter can go a long way.
A final tip is to deal with mistakes as quickly and efficiently as possible. Remember the customer is always right.
Anticipate busy times and make sure you are never under-staffed. For example, after work drinks on a Friday is always going to be a hectic time, and you’re bound to make a few mistakes.
Responding to a mistake in the right manner can show your customers that you are dedicated to making their experience as perfect as possible.
2. A strong online presence is integral to making your bar recognizable
We live in a digital era where a majority of us use the internet regularly. If you’re not putting time and effort into your online accounts, then you’re missing out on a ton of marketing opportunities.
Digital marketing is a crucial part of any bar advertising strategy that you need to use.
Social media platforms are a primary source of entertainment for many potential customers, and all you need to do is figure out how to capture their attention.
Your posts need to be able to stand out from the myriad of posts that are uploaded to these platforms every single day. In order to do that, you need to post engaging content.
Try to get creative with your social media accounts and develop new ideas. It will get your audience as invested as possible.
So, for example, ask customers for their most memorable pictures at your bar and make a story showing people why they should come to your bar.
Or ask your customers to name your newest drink and give a free offer coupon to whoever comes up with the best name.
You could even post a few teaser images for your upcoming event and give discount coupons to those that guess it right. It may be tricky to come up with ideas in the beginning. But you’ll soon get the hang of it.
3. Make your offers as creative as you can to stand out amongst the competition
We’re sure that you know that offers can be a great way to get in more customers but are your offers attractive enough?
Let’s say you send out a promo code that gives 10%, and you manage to attract quite a few customers. However, will the promo code help you build up a customer base, or will it just give you a temporary boost in profits?
One thing that you must keep in mind whenever you’re creating a promo code is that you need to make your customers want to come back to your bar.
To do this, you’ll have to think outside the box, as ordinary discount coupons just won’t cut it anymore.
Maybe you could give first-time customers a free customized stirrer or coaster that has your brand on it.
When they come in the next time, they get a discount if they have this item. Or host a raffle to add a bit of excitement. This way, you’re getting the customer interested in your bar.
4. Encourage customer engagement by hosting events
We talked about how important it is to engage your customers and now let’s look into how you can encourage your customers to get invested in your bar.
When most people look for bars, they want a casual place that gives them a fun night out. Events will help you keep your atmosphere lively, which is an imperative aspect of any great bar.
Start by making a list of fun events that you would like to attend at a bar. It could be a night of karaoke to let your singing abilities shine, or you might prefer to show your dancing skills off to a live band.
Maybe you’re a bit exhausted after a hectic week, and you’re looking for a nice cozy place to spend with a few close friends. Well, in that case, a less flashy event like a night with the top classic blues hits would do well. Don’t try to stick to any specific guidelines when you’re doing this.
People love experiencing new things, so you could even host a specialty drinks event where you let your customers taste some of the most popular drinks from around the world. When it comes to events, the only limits are your imagination.
5. Having a theme that’s constantly changing for your menu will keep your customers interested
Themed events are a great way of drawing in customers, mostly when they’re done around the festive season, but have you ever thought of keeping different themes for your menu?
Fun new menu items are an ideal way to spice up your customer’s experience while also giving your talented staff a chance to showcase their creativity.
Have a brainstorming session where everyone puts forth their ideas for a new themed menu.
Bear in mind that you’ll need a few unique drinks on the menu with small starters and finally a few dishes to round everything out. This way, you’ll be able to give your customers the ability to choose what they want. So, let’s say there’s a sports final at the end of the week.
Both teams will have their own colors, so use this to create a red vs. blue menu list. Or maybe the final episode of a popular series just went live.
In that case, come up with a menu that follows that theme. Get creative with it, and you might surprise yourself with how many possibilities there are.
6. Offering drinks that are local favorites is a great way to draw in people
Every town has a few favorite drinks that are a must-have, so why not use these drinks as a bar advertising idea?
It could be the local beer shop in town that’s been open for ages, or maybe there are some wineries in the nearby places.
Do a bit of research and find out what exactly your town is famous for.
You could start by asking your friends what place in town is their favorite. If you’ve not grown up there, try getting some information from the locals.
You’ll also want to keep your primary customer base in mind while you’re choosing your drinks. This practice will allow you to add a touch of local finesse to your bar while drawing in a crowd of locals and outsiders as well.
7. You can always use Bloc to advertise your bar effectively
All of these tips are great ideas that you can use to build your own bar advertising strategy. However, marketing takes time and experience.
You’re probably not going to see immediate results for your ideas until you learn how to implement them properly.
What if there was an app that would get customers into your bar without all this hassle?
Bloc is an online platform that has dozens of unique venues that users can check into.
The way that it works is we recommend venues to our users based on their location. Every time someone uses our app to find a bar, they get stars. They can redeem these stars for real money.
Once you sign up for our service, we’ll ask you for a few details, and you’ll be good to go.
Your bar will become part of our service, which means that you’re guaranteed to get customers coming in without any of the additional work that goes into most bar advertising strategies.
Advertising can be challenging, so don’t be disheartened if your first strategy isn’t as successful as you would have hoped.
The tricky thing about bar advertising is that you’re not just trying to draw in people, but you also need to keep them.
That’s why you need to sit back and look at your strategies from your customer’s perspective. Ask yourself whether you would go to a bar that offers these perks and, more importantly, this bar a fun place to be at.
Remember that folks that go to bars want a casual, fun community spot where they can kick back, relax and catch up with their friends.
If you keep that in mind when you’re coming up with your ideas, you’ll have a much better idea of what you should do.
Hopefully, our tips gave you a few ideas that you can use in your bar. Each bar is different, so don’t be afraid to get as creative as you can. You never know when you might hit the jackpot idea.
Conclusion
Still a bit confused about this whole field. Well, you’re in luck because we have an entire list of articles that will give you all the bar advertising details you want.
But maybe you’re just tired of coming up with an idea after idea, and you want a surefire way to get customers that are quick and easy to do.
In that case, Bloc is just what you’re looking for. We incentivize customers to go to your bar, which means that our service will ensure that you have guaranteed results.
You can try out our free trial today, and we promise you that you won’t stop once you start using Bloc.
