Five Effective Online Strategies to Promote Your Bar
Explore five impactful strategies, from email marketing to social media and SEO, to promote your bar and attract new customers.
Estimated Reading time: 5 minutes
Five Ways to Get Your Bar Noticed
In today's digital age, promoting your bar online is crucial to driving customer footfall. From online reviews to influencer recommendations, guests use a wide range of online methods to decide where they are going to go out. So, here are five important ways to enhance your bar's online visibility.
1. Leverage Social Media
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok offer a huge opportunity to raise the profile of your venue, promote your drinks and events, and build customer loyalty.
Social Media Top Tips
- Post regularly - Develop a consistent content plan showcasing your bar's unique ambience, menu, signature cocktails, upcoming events and promotions.
- Use the skills in your team - Is there a digitally savvy person? Invite them to take charge of the venue's social media and work with the team to capture and post content.
- Start small for brand consistency - If your bar is new to social media, start by posting regularly to one main channel like Instagram or Facebook to maintain quality and consistency.
- Regularly engage - Foster a sense of community and loyalty around your bar by promptly responding to comments and messages.
- Run online contests and promotions - Generate excitement and engagement by offering prizes such as free drinks, gift cards or VIP experiences to winners.
- Stay ahead of the competition - Find endless ideas, inspiration and trade education by following leading bartenders and venues around the world.
- Use photos and videos - The algorithm prioritises what we see on our social media feeds, especially posts with photos and videos.
Watch these Bitesize Videos for more
2. Optimise Your Website
Your website serves as the virtual front door of your bar business. Ensure it is visually appealing and mobile-responsive.
Website Top Tips
- Present essential information clearly - Keep your website updated for customers to find your location, contact details and operating hours quickly.
- Be Google-able - Use Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques to improve your website's visibility on search engines. For example, add a blog and publish a new article each month, use keywords in your content (common descriptive words used in search engines relating to your area/business) and utilise Google Ads to promote your venue.
- Add a Digital Menu - Attract potential customers browsing your website by sharing a digital version of your menu, showcasing popular cocktails, promotions or seasonal drinks.
- Keep it simple - If you're creating a new website for your venue, use a website builder with simple templates and built-in email marketing, such as Squarespace, Mailchimp or Wix.
Watch these Bitesize Videos for more
3. Implement Location-Based Marketing
Location-based marketing is a fantastic opportunity to improve your bar's visibility when people are looking for a great place to eat and drink in your area.
Location Marketing Top Tips
- Claim your Business listings - Fill out your business details on sites like Google and Bing Maps, including address, phone number and opening hours.
- Encourage Reviews - Invite and respond graciously to positive and negative feedback. Review responses to improve your chances of appearing in local search results.
- Add Photos to Your Listing - Photos add visual appeal and help improve your ranking in search engine results. Consider adding photos of your signature drinks or your venue's indoor and outdoor seating areas.
- Embed Google Maps on your website - Help customers find your venue quickly by adding an interactive map to your contact page or linked in your footer.
4. Utilise Email Marketing
Build and maintain an email list of interested and loyal customers so you can regularly share promotional offers, events and news.
Email Marketing Top Tips
- Send out engaging newsletters - Add exclusive offers, event invitations, and updates about your bar.
- Use an email marketing tool – Once set up these can add real value to your online marketing, managing your contacts and providing attractive templates to build your newsletter with.
- Make it easy to read – Use eye-catching visuals, subheadings, short paragraphs and bullet points, and test before you send to ensure your email is easy to read on smartphones and tablets.
- Reward loyalty - Offer email subscribers a special promotion, free birthday drinks, or seasonal discounts to encourage repeat visits and foster customer loyalty.
- Add email sign-up to your website - Add an email sign-up option for visitors on your website and social media to increase subscribers.
- Email sparingly - Too many emails may turn people off and lead them to unsubscribe from your mailing list. Be careful with using words like FREE or PROMO in your subject line, as the email may go straight to spam.
5. Engage with review sites
Tourists and people new to the area will often search for bars and restaurants using local review sites like TripAdvisor, Open Table or Yelp to influence their choice of bar or restaurant.
Review Sites Top Tips
- Add photos and accurate information - Check your venue has accurate descriptions and compelling images on review sites such as Trip Advisor.
- Regularly monitor and respond to reviews - Professional replies to positive and negative reviews can serve as powerful testimonials for your bar business and show your commitment to customer satisfaction.
- Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews - Help happy customers to review your bar by adding review site links to your email newsletter, website and social media channels.
- Repost positive reviews – Add quotes to your bar's website and social media channels to showcase customer satisfaction and help promote your business to potential customers.
Watch this Bitesize Video for more
Key Takeaways
- Start simple – if you start everything at once you’ll soon be overwhelmed. Start with one social media channel and a Maps listing and build from there, applying learnings as you go.
- Use the skills in your team - Is there a digitally savvy person working at your bar? Invite them to take charge of the venue's social media and work with the team to capture and post content.
- Add a blog to your site - Publish a new article each month to keep your website relevant for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
- Respond professionally to reviews - Reply to reviews both positive and negative on sites like Google or Trip Advisor to show your commitment to exemplary customer service and improve your chances of appearing in local search results.
- Send emails people want to read - Make your email newsletter clear, mobile-friendly and visually appealing.
Like all strategies for success, whether you utilise one or all the above tools, consistency is essential to build an effective online presence, promote your venue, build a loyal community, attract new customers and establish a positive online presence.
The online space and how best to improve your online presence is ever-changing. Stay connected, informed and ahead of the curve by joining the Diageo Bar Academy.