Social media ideas for bars

Are you a bar owner, wondering how to approach the ever-expanding universe of content production on social media? Maybe you have seen some competitors in your industry employ social media tactics to attract a customer base or perhaps want to incorporate some online elements into your offer. Look no further as this article will outline how to use social media to increase the success of your bar.

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What is possible – social media and its advantages for your business

In recent years, social media has proved itself to be the main point of contact for customers to find a business. Businesses that don’t have an online presence seem to be becoming less and less. Putting your bar on the map as an active social media channel might seem like a natural impulse at this point, but if it isn’t, we’ll help!

Knowing the branding, vision and goal of your bar can and will help you shape the online presence you choose to have. Do you want to act solely as an information point for your clients? Then maybe creating an Instagram account you are never going to use is not the best option. We also advise you to ask yourself – is information the only thing you want to share? We understand that social media might not be seen as much of a revenue-filled opportunity but investing a little time and effort can pay off through the strengthening of the connection between you and your existing customers and any friends they bring on their return.

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Which social media to choose from?

Now that we have set the foundation for what social media can do in terms of advantages for your business, let’s take a look at what options you might have depending on what you want to use your social media channel for.

Twitter is an option for you to set the tone of your business and interact with other businesses and individuals. Since the dawn of the digital age, we have seen cheeky interactions between some businesses on Twitter so that is definitely the place to go if you want to stir the pot and get people talking about your bar (maybe you offer stand-up nights, that’s a good way to advertise them – share a joke!).

Facebook is the social media which will help your bar in terms of being the information point as previously mentioned. These days, Facebook has a feature that enables customers to WhatsApp businesses directly. You can also upload the location, and opening times as well as share pictures from different events. People love to tag themselves in pictures from parties, so establishing a presence and then getting people tagging will drive more traffic to your Facebook page ergo more footfall to your bar. Easy, right?

The last social media platform I want to mention is Instagram, if your bar is more on the boutique side and you want to share that with your customers – Instagram is the place. Looking at your curated pictures of the venue and your cocktail menu, for example, can make your bar appealing to a larger audience base. It also gives you the opportunity to announce giveaways and happy-hour news, which every customer is on the look for when on social media choosing their next weekend destination.

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Customer-generated content

We can talk all about social media but what drives businesses is the content generated by its customers. This is so because, without the location tags, your business will be less discoverable. In its essence, customer-generated content is any content, created by the visitors of your social media channels, which was done voluntarily. This creates a following for your business that is organic and devoted.

This gives your business the credibility needed to drive more customers to your door and shows that you aren’t selling out, that your offer is worth it, and that people will share memories from your bar, without being prompted to do so.

In case you do want to prompt them though, an easy way to drive user-generated content in is through adding an element to your bar that customers can take pictures with. For example, adding a backdrop or a funky neon sign can drive your customers to take a picture for social media on that spot and then with them tagging your business, you can use that content further. With their permission (an example would be writing a comment along the lines of ‘can we share this photo to our bar’s page? Reply with YES if you do!’ would be enough to secure the legality of this transaction.

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Final thoughts

The scope of possibilities for your bar might not be enough to fit in one blog post (and we will make sure you get more examples and tips in future blog posts). What we hope you are aware of now is the possibility and the importance of having an online presence for your bar and which social platforms can be of used for the specific bar you own.

Customer-generated content is really the cherry on top when it comes to engaging online. If you can get people tagging, the content depends on you and what you want to share with your customers. Social media allows you to curate content specific to the demographic you want to appeal to and what is best, it allows you to expand your customer base solely by reaching more people than it would usually.

In conclusion, social media can be a very useful (and in latest years mandatory) tool for every business and delving into its world can make a change in how you present your bar and can work wonders if you become a hotspot just because of a smart social media campaign, so get thinking!

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