Successful bar promotion depends on creating a unique identity for your bar, attracting new and repeat customers and keeping a buzz going so people don't lose interest. Many people who are going out for the night head online first to check which bars are having food and drink specials, live music or special events. Why not use this online bar browsing to your advantage?
Looking for some effective bar promotion ideas about how to make a bar successful? Maintain an engaging, well-organized website so customers can find exactly what they're looking for. Promote events, music and nightly specials through your bar's social media pages so visitors can easily share information with their friends at the click of a button. Send out text messages or emails to customers who have signed up to be on your exclusive bar information list so you can keep them up to date on what's happening night by night.
But We're a Small Bar... How can Our Promotions Compete with Larger Bars?
OK, those bar promotion ideas sound great. Now how exactly do you maintain all these aspects of bar promotion? Sounds like an insane amount of work and I only have a small bar staff to work with.
No problem. Want to connect with your customers and compete with bigger bars and nightclubs? Then automation is the way to go. With an automated bar marketing and promotion solution, you can reach hundreds or even thousands of customers without adding time to your shifts or having to hire extra staff.
Automated Bar Promotion Ideas Night by Night
You know your bar and your customers best, so you will have many ideas for nightly specials, promotions, and events. These are just a few additional bar promotion ideas for which you can easily automate the marketing process in order to draw a larger crowd to your bar each night.
Monday
People are just starting their work week and are probably not focused on going out to a bar, yet many people like to connect with friends after a hectic weekend or meet up with business associates to talk about a new idea or strategy. Focus on creating food and drink specials that will appeal to smaller groups of customers and will draw them into your bar.
Social media is a great way to promote your Monday specials. Set up an automated social media campaign which includes catchy hashtags (#MartiniMondays, #MondayMadness, etc.) and provides exclusive social media promotions or coupons that customers can use to get discounts on food or beverages. You can do the same for bar customers who are on a text message list. This type of promotion helps to drive business on a slow day and the social media posts attract people who may not have visited your bar before.
Tuesday
They say people are most productive on Tuesday, so why not create a focus on business for tonight? Advertise special discounts or fixed price menus for business dinners and drinks, or even allow companies to rent your bar for the night to host a business event. Before the event, automatic text messages, emails or voicemails can be sent to attendees so they don't forget about it or show up late.
Use quick online signup forms to enable patrons to sign up for weekly bar updates so they know if the bar has been rented out for that night, or they know what specials you are offering. After a company has used your bar space, you can automatically send out surveys that they can fill out to let you know how you're doing. Survey results are automatically collected and organized so you can review results and see how your services could be improved.
Ask companies who have had a positive experience renting your bar space to post their reviews online and share them around on social media. When customers read about other customers' experiences, they will trust their opinions and information more than just you saying how great your bar is.
Wednesday
Did you know that when people order food at a bar, they stay over 50 minutes longer than when they are just ordering drinks? Wednesday is a great night to do food specials. Another way to draw more attention to your bar is to create a contest, such as free dinner and drinks for two. Posts about contests are very likely to be shared on social media so your contest may go viral and attract many new bar customers.
Thursday
People are getting ready for the weekend, so increase their excitement with this bar promotion idea. Send out automated emails and text messages letting customers know what is happening for that night. Lots of college-aged customers like to go out on Thursday so focus on creating events and drinks around a younger age group.
Many customers will most likely arrive in large groups including men and women, so offer promotions on pitchers, food platters that are meant to be shared, and interactive events such as trivia competition nights where groups can win prizes.
Friday
With the weekends, it's all about trying to draw customers away from the competition. What does your bar have to offer that customers can't find anywhere else? One good way to set your bar apart and attract a dedicated crowd is to host themed events, like 80s night, a costume party, or a rave. Create a series of automated events to promote each unique night. Post pictures and videos of similar theme nights at your bar to create excitement and promotion and keep your bar in the front of customers' minds.
Another great way to gain a steady flow of customers is to keep up to date with local events and even partner with other local businesses or bars. Many cities organize "Eat Local" or "Buy Local" events, so make sure that your bar participates in these events and promote it on your website, through social media and by word of mouth.
Saturday
Saturday is another busy weekend night, so focus on drawing customers away from other bars. Live music is a great way to attract customers. Contests to win concert tickets, free cover and drinks, a "birthday night" at the bar or bar merchandise are another way to build engagement. Automated social media posts as well as email notifications and text messages keep the contest current and create sharable content for customers.
Sunday
This is the day that people are winding down yet still want to make the most of their weekend. Use automated surveys to ask your customers what types of events they would like to attend on Sunday evenings. Some ideas include amateur music night, speed dating night, and local food night. Post the survey results online and on your social media pages so customers can see that you are taking their opinions and using that information to plan your bar events. This helps to keep customers engaged and builds loyalty. You are giving your bar customers what they want.
Need help implementing these bar promotion ideas?
Want to see the difference automation can make for your bar promotion ideas? Contact us for more information, check out the SimplyCast 360 platform, and sign up for a demo below to see what it can do!
