Marketing Ideas for Pubs and Bars in 2024

There are many ways to market a pub or bar. Traditional methods such as print advertising, word-of-mouth, and flyers can be effective, but they can also be costly. For businesses on a tight budget, there are a number of inexpensive and even free marketing strategies that can be just as effective.

One of the most important things for any business is to have an online presence. Creating a website and social media accounts is a great way to reach potential customers, and it doesn’t have to cost anything. Once you have a website, you can also start a blog or create online content such as videos or podcasts. This content can be used to attract new customers and also to keep existing customers engaged.

Another way to reach potential customers is through local events and partnerships. For example, you could sponsor a local sports team or host events at your pub or bar. You could also partner with other local businesses to offer discounts or joint promotions. These types of activities help to get your business name out there and show potential customers that you are involved in the community.

There are many different marketing ideas for pubs and bars, and the best approach will vary depending on the business’s goals and budget. However, by taking advantage of some of the techniques listed above, you can make sure that your pub or bar is getting the exposure it needs without breaking the bank.

Bar and pub marketing strategies

If you’re looking to attract more customers to your bar or pub, there are a number of marketing strategies you can try. First, consider hosting special events such as trivia nights or live music. This will give potential customers a reason to come in and check out your establishment. You can also offer drink specials or other promotions to help lure people in.

In addition, it’s important to make sure that your bar is visible and accessible. Make sure your sign is well-lit and easy to read, and ensure that there’s plenty of parking available. By taking a few simple steps, you can make your bar or pub more inviting and increase your chances of attracting new business.

Here are the things you can do as a business owner to get bums on seats in your public house or bar:

1. Take Advantage of Social Media

Our first tip for marketing ideas for your pub or bar marketing is to start using social media to your advantage. If you’re not maximising the number of views on your posts or follows on your account, you’re missing out. Here are just a few of the best ways to take advantage of social media for your hospitality business:

• Post a wide variety of content with great interactive posts on social media. This could be anything from videos to pictures, discounts, infographics on relevant topics… Anything, or at least anything that can grab a reader’s attention.
• Use keywords in your posts. These are terms like ‘bars in Manchester’ or ‘pubs in Lincoln’. They’re going to help your Google search ranking, which will mean more people find you and come to you instead of a competitor with google my business..
• Run raffles and prize draws through social media to create a buzz around your bar or pub, and get more people to follow or join your group.

Focus on just one or two platforms for the time being, and think of your audience when you’re considering which platforms to use. If you cater to a younger audience, choose Twitter and Instagram offer an influencer a free meal in your restaurant as payment in return for them to promote your business. If you’re thinking of an older audience, go for Facebook. We suggest go with all three and use a social media management app called ‘Hootsuite’, Don’t forget to update your businesses website on a monthly basis.

2. Encourage reviews

As the owner of a public house or bar, it is important to encourage customers to leave reviews – and not just any reviews, but positive ones! There are several ways to go about this.

First, make sure that you are providing excellent service. This means being attentive without being intrusive, providing a clean and comfortable space, and having a well-stocked bar. Secondly, let your customers know that you would appreciate a review by prominently displaying signs or setting up a tablet near the exit with instructions on how to leave a positive review.

Finally, offer an incentive for customers who leave a review, such as a discount on their next visit or a free drink. By taking these steps, you can encourage more customers to leave positive reviews, which will help to attract new business.

3. Google My Business

In the United Kingdom, a public house is more commonly known as a “pub.” It is a drinking establishment where people gather to drink beer, socialize, and play games such as darts or pool. While pubs have been around for centuries, they are now facing stiff competition from bars, which are often seen as more modern and upscale.

To stand out from the crowd, many pub owners are turning to Google My Business to show details about their businesses. By creating a business profile on Google, pub owners can provide potential customers with information about their hours of operation, menus, and special events. They can also use Google My Business to post photos and videos of their establishments. With so much competition in the market, pub owners need to take advantage of every tool at their disposal to attract new business. Google My Business is an essential part of that effort.

4. Community involvement

As a local pub or bar, there are many opportunities to get involved in the community. For example, you could host a fundraising event for a local charity, or sponsor a little league team. You could also offer discounts for customers who participate in community service activities. In addition, you could partner with other local businesses to hold a community-wide event.

By getting involved in the community, you can show that you are more than just a place to drink. You are an establishment that cares about its neighbors and is committed to making the community a better place.

5. Influencer marketing

You may be wondering what influencer marketing is and how it can help your pub or bar business. Influencer marketing is all about working with individuals who have a large following on social media to promote your brand. It’s a great way to reach a wider audience and generate interest in your business. There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re planning an influencer marketing campaign for your pub or bar. First, it’s important to choose an influencer who is a good fit for your brand.

Make sure they have an engaged audience that is interested in the type of products or services you offer. Second, you’ll need to create content that is both interesting and informative. The goal is to educate potential customers about your business and what sets you apart from the competition. Finally, don’t forget to measure the results of your campaign so you can adjust your strategy as needed. With a little planning and creativity, influencer marketing can be a great way to increase visibility for your pub or bar business.

6. Theme Nights Make Money

This is a classic trick to get people through the doors, especially on quiet nights are a great way to market your pub and build your customer base. Having themed nights- whatever the theme might be- is going to put you on the radar of a whole host of new customers who might never have thought of visiting, word of mouth will soon get out there.

You have a choice when it comes to theme nights. You can either focus on one, and be the karaoke bar, real ales or the singles bar. Or you could have a rotating schedule, with Ladies Night on the first Friday of the month, and Karaoke on the second Friday of the month. Both approaches can work, so there’s no problem with just jumping right in and setting one up as soon as possible. Have an offer on the open mic, who ever dare do it get a free drink!

Live music is always a winner on the quite nights of the week, most up and coming groups would offer their services for free just to get the gig! Happy hour does it work? possibly if your bar is in a central location near offices and there is a good footfall for potential customers.

7. Sell Unique Drinks

What you choose to sell is up to you. But the more unique items on your menu in your bar or pub, the better. The best way of making your establishment unique is by offering for and drinks that you can’t get anywhere else. Most drinks distributors offer free marketing materials and retail point of sale displays for pubs & bars, just ask all they can say is No!

As a bar, sell a variety of cocktails. Maybe even have some with secret recipes, so that your customers have to keep coming back for more for new menu items!

As a pub, stock a wide variety of beers, not just Heineken or Carling. Give a chance to some local startup microbreweries to showcase their unique good beer and ales at your venue.

8. Pay-Per-View Nights Make Even More Money

Not quite a theme night, but just as important, Pay-Per-View can make your bar or pub a shedload of cash over the course of an hour or two. The cost can be hefty- a couple of hundred pounds or more- but the money you’ll bring in will dwarf that.

Take the David Haye v Tony Bellew fight last year: Sky estimated that 600,000 people watched the fight while they were out on the town. Some landlords report double, triple and even quadruple their normal Saturday night takings. That’s nothing to sneeze at.

The trick is to show fights (or whatever else might be on Pay-Per-View) regularly, rather than just as special one-off occasions. That way, people will know that your pub or bar is the place to go whenever there’s a big sporting event. The work cup was an amazing opportunity for pubs & bars across the United Kingdom to show what they could do with the help of a little marketing.

8. The ‘Shop Front’ is Key

Again, this is something that’s so important, that people just don’t think about. Your signage is the public face of your business and a great free marketing. It’s the first thing that people see before they come in, and the last thing they see at night. It’s also the only impression that people get of your bar or pub if they don’t come in.

Pubs are, funnily enough, the best example out of any industry. So many pubs have old, creaky signs, maybe one or two boarded up broken windows, and a desperate need for a lick of paint or two. When somebody walks past your pub, well, let’s not publish what they’re probably thinking!

Bars suffer from the same problem. If you’re marketing your pub or bar to a younger audience, it has to look good on the outside, well-lit and interesting. If you’re marketing to an older audience, they’re probably in the mood for a more easy-going time. Your ‘shop front’ can help you capture whichever market you prefer.

10. Develop your Business & Investment

Finally, once you’re on your feet, you might want to start thinking about developing your business further. Whether this involves taking on new pubs or expanding an existing one, there’s plenty of options. Whether you’re running pub quizes or booking events in the back room of your existing venue, or exploring the local chain model perfected by groups like London’s Antic Pubs, there’s a huge range of ways in which you can develop your pub, bar and its brand. All this comes at a cost sadly and to grow a successful pub or bar you need to make an investment.

Develop with other hospitality business owners with the help of your local council something like Newcastle does twice a year. Restaurant week Newcastle offers people the chance to try new food and experience when all the local food establishments join forces the offer the public a great experience. This will really help your business and local community attract customers with amazing food and drinks. Try to get the local press involved on this one.

Making a significant change to a business often requires an injection of capital. Up until 2008, most pubs and bars would have had relatively little trouble securing the necessary funding from their bank. However, as banks started to reduce their lending to SMEs following the recession, pubs and bars suddenly found themselves in the ‘high risk’ category. This meant that many pub owners were unable to secure the finance that they needed to survive, let alone thrive. Along came PDQ Funding, we offer funding to pubs and bars with its merchant cash advance product.

Over the years pubs and bars have chosen and trusted PDQ Funding as their finance provider. This is due to the speed and flexibility of our business loans for pubs and bars that provide the ideal fit for publicans. Funding solutions from PDQ Funding can be used for any purpose, from a major refurbishment to marketing of a new pub or bar. This all comes with flexible features as standard.

• Pub & Bar Business loans of £5,000 to £200,000
• Unsecured borrowing on a flexible term of up to 24 months
• Apply online in minutes
• Quick approval and funding, often within 48 hours
• Repayment holidays and funding top-ups
• No early repayment charges or upfront fees

11. Stay Consistent

Ideas for your Pub after lockdown

Whether your city has completely lifted lockdown restrictions or is still in the early stages of reopening your pub, you should be thinking about how to market your return to business, so we have came up with a few ideas after lockdown. A restart marketing plan is what is needed here with new marketing idea for 2021.

The plan doesn’t have to be solid right now, but putting some marketing ideas for your pub together could help you open up more quickly, when the restrictions are officially lifted and you’re comfortable serving guests and patrons again.

Though Public House re-opening will look a little different across the United kingdom, consider the following ahead of your official reopening:

• Communicate with customers about any new safety precautions you’re taking and the government rules and regulations you need to follow (mandatory reservations, gathering information for contact tracing, etc.)
• Update your website with any changes to your operation ( hours of operation, any new layouts, outdoor only etc.)
• Beyond table service, provide information about other ways customers can order from you, including online ordering or any third-party delivery apps
• Share any major menu adjustments or changes
• If you’re using reservations software, get feedback from diners about their experience
• Publicise any deals or special promotions you’re offering as part of your reopening

Conclusion

Marketing ideas for pubs and bars can include a variety of strategies, such as creating a strong social media presence, running promotions and specials, collaborating with local businesses, and hosting events and live music. It is important to find the right mix of tactics that will appeal to your target audience and help to attract new customers.

Additionally, it can be helpful to regularly gather feedback and adjust your marketing efforts based on what is and is not working. By implementing these strategies and staying up-to-date with industry trends, pubs and bars can effectively promote their business and drive foot traffic.