To get people talking about your bar, embrace an approach to social media that goes beyond the occasional Facebook post or tweet that their daily lunch special is now available. After all, social media is no longer the new technology. Today it seems everyone is on social media, fighting for what little attention remains in a world of digital noise. How does an operator use social media to stand out above and beyond the competition? Here are three ideas to use social media to promote your bar and get your message heard.
Utilize Every Angle
Having a strategy that encompasses all the channels your content can be broadcasted online is important. Some businesses limit themselves to using one tool, like facebook, or twitter and are disappointed when the results of their broadcasts come back as a weak drizzle instead of the tidal wave they expected. To get the best results, utilize as many different networks as possible.
Remember that at the end of the day social media is still just a form of media. It is no different than having a traditional advertising mix comprised of the phone, television, park bench ads, newspapers, and flyers. You would not promote your event relying solely on one method. For example, if a bar is promoting an event, the same message can be posted first on a blog, and then broadcast links sent out simultaneously on facebook, google+, twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat and an email newsletter. There are even tools available, like Hootsuite or Everypost, which allow users to manage most of their social media networks from one interface. These tools allow bar operators to update all their pages simultaneously with a single click of a button. Smart marketers take advantage of every angle they can to get and stay in front of their audience.
Use Your Vendors
Liquor vendors are some of the best people to partner with to help your social media marketing efforts. As salespeople with a vested interest in seeing their products promoted to your customers, liquor vendors are usually keen to re-broadcasting your material to their list when their products are featured. This opens up the door to access their network, which can have a huge effect if the vendor is active on social media. This tactic is most effective when applied to vendors selling wine or craft beer, where there are always new products coming out with compelling stories that captivate audiences.
New product launches are an excellent way to get vendors involved in your promotion. Since it is their product that is being featured, they will be more apt to provide you with content (product history, taste notes, and pictures), and assist in inviting their contacts to your event. If you are continually rotating products through your bar, it constantly gives you a fresh angle to keep your audience interested. Additionally, it keeps your vendors promoting your event as if it were their own.
Build Your Email List
Social media is a great way to drive traffic towards your email newsletter, where response rates are typically higher. According to a recent article in Adweek, although overall spending is increasing in social media, response rates are still higher from email marketing. Email marketing is making a resurgence because of the increasing effectiveness of spam filters, which block unsolicited messages. Others argue that email is a more transactional media, where users are more conditioned to respond to offers rather than on social media. This makes sense when you consider that social media includes mindless conversations and content not related to what you are selling. Moreover, conversion rates from email marketing are higher still when incorporating a double opt-in process which ensures the person agrees to receive offers from you.
Services like MailChimp, Infusionsoft and constant contact allow you to automatically build your email list by directing people to an online sign-up page. By featuring these links on all your social media pages and a good portion of your broadcasts, you get one step closer to depositing your message into their email inbox, where it is much more likely to get their attention.
Interested in learning more about restaurant marketing? Check this one about creating a VIP restaurant marketing program at your restaurant.