Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Two guys walk into a bar…. Having “two people” walk into your bar is a great setup for a joke, but it’s no laughing matter if ONLY two people walk into your bar, right? The good news is that the bar and nightclub industry continues to experience an upward trend. The bad news? That means more competition for your business. Especially with the growing trend of breweries adding bars and tasting rooms to their businesses. If you want your watering hole to stand out and continually bring in a strong clientele, you need to make sure that your marketing is top-shelf.
Make a Claim on Your Bar’s Culture
Have you heard the old saying, “If you try to please everyone, you will please no one?” That is what can happen when you try to get everyone interested in your bar or club. Popular drinking spots are usually the ones that provide a certain niche, e.g. sports bars, Irish or English pubs, college bars, a local brewery, etc. If you haven’t solidified a culture for your spot, you will likely face an uphill battle with bringing in a consistent crowd.
Think of your bar or club as an extension of your personality. As long as you’re not an alien from outer space (and hey — maybe even if you are), there’s a good chance there are thousands of like-minded people that share your vibe and would share a drink at your establishment. Check out some of these intriguing bars that garner a lot of attention. Just remember, building an inauthentic brand is like serving watered-down drinks — as soon as your customers figure out what you’re up to, they’re gone.
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More Money with More Merchandise
Selling merchandise helps in two ways. You can make an extra profit by selling branded clothing and gear. Two, you get free advertisement when people desire to wear and promote your gear. Merchandise also works in conjunction with the previous tip of solidifying your brand. Wearing a shirt or showing off a bumper sticker that is branded to a specific bar or pub is a belonging cue that can be contagious when others see their friends or people they respect sporting your gear. They may feel the desire to pony up to the bar and join the cool club.
The type of merchandise you use is totally up to you. T-shirts are a classic merchandise choice, but there are many options. Check out this page on unique bar goods to help get the creative juices flowing for choosing your merchandise.
Get Precise with Your Promotions
There’s no harm in a typical “Happy Hour” for your spot. But that’s as common as ordering a Bud Light. The next step for making your bar a unique hangout is to make your promotions unique. tart by offering promotions that run parallel to the type of culture you have for your business. For the sports bars out there, having promotions for the big game can surely help bring in the sports crowd. You can even take it a step further with an outstanding drink special that is offered every time the home team scores.
Is Karaoke night lacking a courageous singing crowd? Promoting a free drink for every first-time singer can help get those classic tunes jamming all night long. Whatever idea you can come up with, just aim to keep it relevant to your bar’s culture.
Download Ferg’s Sports Bar Case Study
Increase Sales with Social Media
You’ve got the culture, the merchandise, and e enticing promotions. Where are you going to share all this stuff? If you answered with anything other than social media, then sit down for one more round.
When we say social media, we don’t mean one or two Facebook posts. We’re talking active social media engagement across multiple platforms. Sites such as Twitter and Instagram are awesome social media outlets because you can reach an audience more likely to be of drinking age, compared to Facebook. This can help better your chances that your social posts reach out to people that can indulge in your product.
Sites such as Twitter and Instagram are also the type of sites where guests can easily engage back to your business. Bar-goers can share their experience at your establishment with an Instagram post that includes an appropriate hashtag. Twitter users can also reach out to you in a more laid-back manner with a simple @ mention in their tweets along with appropriate hashtags. Be sure to look around to see what type of outlets other than just Facebook your bar can excel in. If you sell craft beer, your mentions might come from craft beer fans listing their pints on sites like Untappd.
Smart WiFi Makes Hospitality Marketing Easy For Your Bar and Club
Offering WiFi is Wise
Free WiFi has become a staple for many people when choosing a restaurant or drinking spot. There are many unique things you can do make your bar stand out. Depriving your guests of WiFi shouldn’t be one of them. If you are worried that offering WiFi will take away from the true experience of your bar, then fret not. A WiFi marketing platform can help get your WiFi guests even more plugged into your brand when visiting your establishment.
At GoZone WiFi, our Smart WiFi platform can help market your bar or pub with WiFi marketing tools such as a branded login page and a personalized network name so even passers will notice your network instantly. Our platform helps with email marketing and social engagement, too. Now your free WiFi is a utility for your business rather than a simple amenity.
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