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Do you want to make your bar the hot neighborhood spot? Of course you do! But how do you bring in new customers and turn them into regulars? Truly great bar promotion is a lot more creative and fun than just throwing together any old happy hour special. Read on for 50 great ideas to make your bar stand out and bring in the crowds!
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Contests are a great way to get people interested, and you can easily use social media to maximize interest. Ask your customers to post a photo of themselves hanging out at your bar on Facebook, and encourage people to vote for their favorites.
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Encourage interaction on Twitter by asking your followers a question. What do they want to see on your menu? Or try asking them which of three beers they’d prefer you have on tap.
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Make sure to tweet your specials. If your followers see a tweet about your happy hour special while they’re on their lunch break, they’ll be sure to stop by after work to take advantage of the deal.
Offer up some freebies for every customer who checks in on Foursquare. How about a free appetizer or a few dollars off their bill? Take the Foursquare or Twitter promotion one step further and turn each check-in or tweet into a contest entry! Select one winner to be your Customer of the Month. Your customers will love having a souvenir of their night (even if they can’t remember much of it!). Offer them a take-home glass if they order a certain beer. Did you know that Pinterest is useful for more than just crafts, recipes, and pictures of wedding decor? It can also help you promote your bar! Pin pictures of the beers and other drinks you offer, and be sure to follow customers and potential customers in your city.
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Host a beer-tasting event. This allows your customers to step outside their comfort zone and try a new brew they might not take a chance on otherwise. But don’t stop at beer…why not try a menu testing? Bring in a small group of customers to try out your new menu items and get their opinions. Not only does this create buzz, but it gives you valuable feedback on your new grub.
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Sponsor a local adult sports team. Not only will your bar’s name and logo be splashed all over the t-shirts, but your bar will become the default post-game hangout spot. Offer a beer of the week or month special. Try asking customers (via Twitter or Facebook) which beers they’d like to see as specials. Your customers like to know that you value their opinions.
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If your city has a newspaper or magazine devoted to culture or nightlife, offer to host the launch party for their next issue. Not only will you draw in a crowd, but you’ll be featured in the magazine when they run pictures of the party.
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Everyone goes out for New Year’s Eve or St. Patrick’s Day, but you can corner the market on more obscure holidays. How about offering free chips and dip on National Guacamole Day, half-off all cheesy appetizers during National Cheese Lovers Week, or dollar off margaritas on National Margarita Day?
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Throw your bar a birthday party, but let your customers be the guests of honor. Offer up a free t-shirt or other promotional item to each customer who comes in. Hand out punch cards and let customers have a free meal or appetizer after their 10th purchase. Use an online poll (using a service like TwitPolls) and get your customers’ opinions on what theme night they’d like to see or what beer they wish you had. Has one of your bartenders mixed up a great new cocktail? Let your customers name the Mystery Drink! Make sure to put a picture of the person behind the winning name on your Facebook page.
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Name menu items after local celebrities—a burger named after the mayor, a burrito named after a television personality, or a drink named after a sports icon.
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Have something for your customers to do while they hang out with their friends. Whether it’s pool, darts, or an arcade game, the longer people stay, the more they can eat and drink. Use table tents to showcase your upcoming deals and specials. Customers will have to notice your specials when they’re right in front of them! Offer an extraordinary deal on the same day each week. You’ll be known as the place with 25 cent wings on Wednesdays or 3 dollar Cosmos on Tuesday nights. Use Buzztime to promote your specials and run ads on your TVs. Make sure to show appetizing pictures of everything. Get your servers to be as specific as possible. Instead of “How about a beer?” have them offer up and describe their favorite selection on tap. Offer bundled packages for your customers in groups. That way, friends can order three appetizers for slightly cheaper than the price of each appetizer individually. Turn your bar into a classroom with bartending classes for interested customers. Your customers will learn what it’s like on the other side of the bar and get to know your staff at the same time.
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Your TVs can be used for more than just football—hold a screening party for a popular TV show. What about zombie-themed shots and snacks for The Walking Dead? You can even offer table service so people don’t have to miss a second of the show.
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Costumes aren’t just for Halloween! Encourage your customers to dress up by offering no cover charge for those who dress according to the night’s theme. Instead of a traditional happy hour, try a flash happy hour. Every time your bartender rings a bell, happy hour lasts for the next five minutes. Your customers won’t be expecting it, so the surprise will be extra exciting!
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Play matchmaker and host a speed dating event. Who knows—someone might meet the love of their life in your bar! Bring in a local celebrity (like a professional athlete) for a meet and greet. Be sure to take plenty of pictures and post them to your Facebook page.
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Encourage your clientele to step up their fashion game by awarding prizes for Best Shoes or Best Dressed. Hand out a gift card to the fashionable winner. Who can say no to free food? Draw in the crowds by having a hungry hour instead of happy hour. If you offer free finger foods from 5-7pm, your customers will more than make up for your food costs by buying drinks.
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Try a two-for-one cocktail special. Many people are afraid to venture away from their signature drink, so why not give them a risk-free chance to find a new favorite? Your customers love beer, but they probably don’t love beer bellies. Offer up a drink special for anyone who ran in a local 5K that day and you’ll find yourself with a thirsty crowd. Put the spotlight on ingredients that are fresh and in season. How about a fresh strawberry cocktail in June or muddled herbs in your drinks when they’re in season? Put your focus on what’s local. If your city has a stellar brewery or distillery, feature their products. Create a special cocktail using locally made vodka; your customers will love trying something they couldn’t get anywhere else.
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Try using YouTube for something other than just watching cat videos. Challenge your customers to create a commercial for your bar, and have everyone vote for their favorite. Cheers had a theme song, why shouldn’t your bar? Have a contest to see who can write the best theme for your bar. Let each musician play his/her tune and have the crowd vote for the best one.
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Encourage a little Man vs. Food motivation by offering a larger-than-life menu item. If a customer can finish the concoction, offer them a prize and their picture in your Facebook album.
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Bring in a local musician on a slow night. They’ll be happy for the exposure, and they’ll promote their performance and bring along their fans. Support a local charity by giving them 10% of your profits for the night. Your customers will appreciate having a good time and doing good at the same time. Let people know what specials you have coming up by putting your calendar on the wall or on your table tents. When your customers see the great drink specials you’re offering next week, they’ll be back!
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Personally visit businesses near you and hand out coupons for free appetizers. You’ll generate goodwill among a group of people who will be very likely to visit you for their next happy hour. Organize a neighborhood scavenger hunt that begins and ends at your bar. Award a gift card to the team that finds every item on the list first. Get your whole team together and volunteer to work at a charity event. Make sure everyone wears t-shirts with your bar’s name on them! You’ll get your name out there and show that you’re part of the neighborhood.
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Host a networking event. Hand out name tags and introduce your city’s professionals to one another. Bring in a dance instructor to offer up lessons. Line dancing, hip-hop dancing, belly dancing… it’s up to you! Host a fundraiser for your city’s food bank. Let people in for free if they show up with a canned good. The food bank will stock their shelves and you’ll end up with a packed bar! You might not have room for a balance beam, but host a bar Olympics with games like beer pong and flip cup. The winner gets a medal, a gift card, and bragging rights until next year.
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Partner up with a local charity and put on a date auction. Your city’s most famous and fabulous will agree to be sold off if it’s for a good cause, and customers will come in for the chance to spend some one-on-one time with their idols.
Promoting your bar involves a lot more than just doing the same old thing. Luckily, you don’t need a lot of money or fancy connections to make your bar stand out. You just need to focus on your customers using social media, creativity, and, most importantly, fun. Buzztime is the world’s leading in venue social gaming, marketing and entertainment provider. To find out more about how your bar or restaurant can keep customers coming back to your establishment with Buzztime, please contact us, we’re happy to help!
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