How to promote a pub in the UK

If you already have your business up and running or are planning to open soon, it's always a good time to come up with ideas for attracting customers to the pub.

But how to do it? With so many different options for people to choose from, what can you do to make your space stand out from the crowd and make customers choose you over other pubs?

The focus here is to think of ideas for bars that can stand out from the rest. Offer a unique experience that arouses people's curiosity and makes them feel good and comfortable. So it's not just an interesting menu that will draw the attention of customers to your space, but a whole set of ambience, service, marketing and product.

In addition to offering a quality service, the important thing is to provide such a good service that people come back again, calling their friends and even family to enjoy the place.

Create an ideal place for people to relax and enjoy, where both they and you can show it to the public through social media.

Below are some simple pub ideas for making this happen and attracting new customers to your establishment.

Ideas to attract customers to your pub

Obviously, no one would like to spend time in a disorganized, dirty and poorly maintained place, would they? To know how to make a pub attractive, you must plan each corner with the ambience, offer entertainment to your customers, good service and, of course, count on attractions, such as promotions.

Some ideas can also be adopted as pub ideas if you have a more versatile environment. Anyway, check out what you can't miss in a pub!

Atmosphere

Creating a good atmosphere is essential for your restaurant to be successful. A comfortable, well-lit and pleasant space will make customers come back and bring more and more people along with them.

The planning phase is one of the most important to ensure a successful business. But how to make a pub attractive?

First, you need to think about the environment, planning some details, such as:

• what kind of tables and chairs will you use;
• how you will distribute these items throughout the salon;
• whether there will be a lounge with sofas;
• whether there will be a pub with benches for waiting;
• what is the style or theme of the decoration; and
• where the lights will be.

Investing in strategic frames and lighting can be a good idea too. Finally, if you have a proposal for your establishment (with themed drinks or a sports bar, for example), work with decor accordingly. Customers love practical and different things!

Entertainment

Going out to dinner and listening to good live music is quite pleasant, but going out to dinner and not even being able to communicate with the waiter is quite frustrating.

If you're going to offer a form of entertainment such as live music, ensure you're doing a good job and not disturbing your customers, with adequate volume and tables far enough away for those who aren't there for the music.

Going deeper into the entertainment issue, there are many options that you can use to attract the attention of the current audience and still attract a new audience to your establishment.

Look:

• provide card and board games;
• make a space with pool tables;
• install arcades;
• provide a karaoke night; or
• broadcast sporting events.

The good thing about having greater diversity with these types of entertainment is that you can adapt and do different things for each experience!

Self-service

In addition, you can also invest in digital menu technology. This self-service platform makes it easy for customers to browse the entire menu and place their order without waiting for the waiter.

The order made by the self-service totem still goes directly to the kitchen, making it produce and serve the customer more quickly and efficiently.

Social Networks

For places that deal with entertainment and sales, it is essential to keep social networks active and interactive with the public. Promoting menu, events, and promotions is the best marketing strategy you can follow (in addition to working with your own website/blog).

More than that always try to respond to reviews and comments (both positive and negative); this will show how much you care about opinion and value the customer.

Share relevant content, especially using the company's website or blog. People want to have fun, but many people also like to learn new things. By sharing relevant content, you attract attention by showing that you really know what you are dealing with.

The good idea is to have customers advertise your pub themselves, offering benefits to those who are most engaged on social networks.

Use custom hashtags and ask for customer interaction. For example, try a promotion like "post a photo using hashtag X and get a discount on your order". This is good to motivate the customer to consume more and still give visibility to your restaurant!

 Don't forget to always repost your customers' mentions to your profile. Like and share good reviews. All this makes you seen not only by the followers of your bar or pub but also by the followers of the customers who post content in your venture.

You can still use social networks as a means for satisfaction surveys. For example, making simple posts in which the client can only select one of two options is already a way to know your audience's preference.

Make Promotions

Aside from happy hour, promotions generally are great for increasing your average revenue and more: they prove to be quite effective in attracting (and keeping!) customers around.

Daily promotions on commemorative dates or special event days (if your establishment broadcasts a sporting event, for example) are always welcome.

There are several ideas for promotions that you can adopt in your bar. Below are a few options to inspire you.

Happy Hour

Those who manage pubs know that happy hour is one of the best investments. Double drinks, complementary portions and group discounts are just some of the common ideas you can use. But you can also innovate with personalized promotions according to your business proposal.

Loyalty card

Promotion for a loyalty card is also an excellent option for your establishment. Everyone usually has a favourite bar or restaurant, and if you invest in a promotion for loyal customers, they will frequent the place even more!

Just think of something you can offer as a bonus to those customers who are always supporting your venture.

How about offering a drink on the house for every ten purchases at the establishment?

Thus, you motivate your customers to constantly be consuming, returning to your establishment, and, who knows, even bringing some friends, right?

Discount time

How about separating a time slot to offer drinks with special discounts? You can offer 20% off drinks during off-peak hours, for example. Measures like this help bring customers to your establishment at times that are usually not very busy.

This helps to reduce operating cost losses at times when your bar or pub is emptier.

Final Words

Attracting customers to your pub involves creating a unique experience that is comfortable and enjoyable. This is achieved by providing a quality service that makes customers want to return and recommend your establishment to others. Atmosphere, entertainment, self-service, and social media are all important components that can be used to attract customers. Creating a comfortable and well-lit space with a themed decoration, using strategic frames and lighting, and offering entertainment such as live music, card and board games, pool tables, arcades, karaoke, and broadcasting sporting events can attract customers. Self-service platforms like digital menus make it easy for customers to browse and place orders. Active social media accounts with promotions and relevant content, using custom hashtags, reposting customers' mentions, and conducting satisfaction surveys can attract customers. Finally, daily promotions, happy hours, loyalty cards, and personalised promotions can increase revenue and attract customers to your pub.

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