By Nancy Howard, Contributor
A bar is a treasure trove of aromatic dishes, drinks, and an extraordinary atmosphere. In real life, everything is exactly like that. But what impression do you make on the Internet? What do guests think about you when they look at your posts? If the content on social media doesn’t make someone want to swing by for a drink in the evening, it’s time to make it “tastier.”
Managing a bar is only half of the way and it is not enough to get successful returns, especially if you’re a newcomer in the field. An account on social media is not only an opportunity to present the activities of a bar or restaurant. Everything you post to your feed creates an opinion about your brand.
So, you need to create colorful descriptions to draw the picture in the reader’s head. Let your texts smell like delicious coffee. Let the guest feel the coolness of the unique lemonade just from your photos. Bar marketing is all about that.
Our best practices list will help you find out the best ways of content promotion that will work for your business.
1. Create an Email List
An email list is important for any sort of business, particularly for bars advertising. This is an immediate contact between you and your clients. Emails can be used for multiple purposes, whether to invite for some event, present a menu update, or an upcoming giveaway, etc.
However, nobody is going to subscribe to your email on their own. Give something as a tradeoff, like a discount, and don’t spam your subscribers!
2. Show the Magic of the Moment
Publish some photos and videos of your best features. Show the atmosphere of your music events or the coziness of your summer terrace. Create visuals using the attributes and the main ideas of your bar. It will demonstrate the handmade concept and wake interest. And then, new people will come to you for the mood that you broadcast on social networks.
3. Be Creative & Add New Content Formats
Incorporate storytelling into your text and create your own restaurant stories by sharing fun, interesting, and fresh things. Talk about the concept of the place, its visitors, or news of the country associated with the name of your place.
And feel free to share your unique content. For example, start a section where the bartender shares the secrets of preparation and tells how to serve some interesting cocktails. Or maybe your chef wants to talk about how he got the best pork in the market and fried it for visitors.
4. Create Unique Hashtags
Hashtags are one of the main things that can make your content popular on social media. They allow potential customers to discover your posts as well as offer their own experiences in your bar. Likewise, you can easily manage complaints, feedback, and ideas from your visitors via this simple piece of text. And to increase the use of your hashtags, you can also offer a discount for shares.
Unique hashtags also let you easily track content your guests are sharing of your place, so you can reshare (aka user-generated content).
5. Write in the Same Style
Will your style be playful or cocky? Formal or informal? Which one reflects the concept of your place the best? Pick one style and maintain it at all times. A consistent tone in your writing style will help paint a picture of the culture and atmosphere of your bar.
The same is for visual support. As restaurant marketing is impossible without photos and videos. The illustrations should be of high quality, created in the same style, and consistent with the brand design.
6. Show Your Bar’s Processes & News
Open the curtain a little, so your visitors can see what their favorite restaurant or bar looks like from the inside. How is the kitchen arranged? How does the staff work? How do the processes in the kitchen go? And what guarantees the freshness of what you offer? Share your expertise and opinion on these and other issues.
In addition, inform your audience about serious news and non-serious incidents. Share the new working schedule, the achievements of the chef in the international competition, or wish a happy birthday to the bartender.
7. Be Interactive with Your Guests/Followers
Contests and giveaways will help you to engage and build a loyal audience. People love free things, especially when there is little to no catch. As a prize, you can announce a cocktail or a discount for one evening at the bar. Or, if your bar is connected to sports, let your participants win a ticket for an event.
The lucky winner will bring friends with him and possibly make a great order.
8. Be Prepared for Holidays
And it’s not only about decorations. Add something special to the menu as each occasion has its own visual aesthetic. Get ready in advance for Christmas, St Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Halloween, etc. And people will choose your place for a cool celebration.
9. Act Outside the Box
Сontent distribution is an important part of a content marketing strategy. Your posts should be attractive and memorable, and for that, you can use a content syndication approach or write guest posts (for more information, see this here). These methods will help you to reach a bigger audience and find potential customers.
Clever bar promotions are essential for success, and content marketing is an incredible method to set up authority and create interest. Make use out of each social networking service by making content that turns out best for everybody.
There are numerous ways you can achieve effective content marketing, from blog posts to video ads and social efforts. Besides, giving your potential visitors, loyal customers, and social followers valuable content helps with setting up your bar’s credibility and reliability. It helps you stand out from the competitors as you give people more useful information than they may have expected. So, keep the magic of your place and share it with your guests.
