MARKETING: How Sports Bars Can Build an Influencer Marketing Campaign to Beat the Slow Season
While the professionals all have an off-season, sports-themed restaurants and bars don’t have that same luxury. Bringing in cash flow year-round is not an easy task, but influencer marketing could be the key ingredient to help sports bar operators and owners beat event the slowest nights. Here are a few tips in the influencer marketing front that can boost the popularity and customers of your sports bar.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Shipwreck Beer
Last week Serious Brewing Company announced it was teaming up with SUNY-Cobleskill to recreate a beer found in a 133-year-old shipwreck. But as it turns out, they weren’t the only ones. Saint James Brewery has already been working on recreating the 1800s-era English ale via bottles found at the same shipwreck. Serious Brewing has since scrapped its plans to bring the 19th Century ale back to life, but we’re looking forward for history to come back to life.
US High Speeds Stalled
Last week's announcement was a body-blow to America's high-speed rail ambitions and it already trails other countries in terms of miles of operational track. China has made rapid progress in developing a high-speed rail network over the past 15 years and it has the longest length of track globally, accounting for about two-thirds all operational high-speed rail in commercial service with over 19,000 miles. Japan was in second place with 1,890 miles while the U.S. is far behind with 457 miles.
A+E and NWSL Split Ways
A+E Network has left its National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) early. The original contract was for three years but A+E has opted to exit that deal a year early. This means they won’t be airing any more matches; it also means NWSL has assumed full control of NWSL Media. NWSL president calls it a “win-win” but right now NWSL has no TV partners, which doesn’t bode well for the fledging league. NWSL can be streamed via the NWSL app and at NWSLSoccer.com, while some games will be streamed on Yahoo! Sports.
DESIGN TRENDS ON DEMAND
Why it matters to you: Staying with design trends doesn’t have to mean a full renovation.
Design trends are a great conversation, but in application they can be expensive to emulate and quick to fall out of vogue. But that’s not a reason to discount them. Take these restaurant chairs that were designed by Gaurav Nanda called Bend. They are simple wire chairs, but they have a modern look and can be easily integrated into many restaurant designs. These aren’t only cool furniture trends. Things like counters surfaces have changed dramatically over the last 20 or so years. New trends include alternative materials like concrete and bamboo for hard services and flooring. And of course, there is all the cool lighting. Fixtures can be changed out and a space can be transformed by the simple edition of new or different lighting.
While you should consider a remodel every 10-15 years, in the interim you don’t have to suffer without staying on trend. Besides, guests love to see these simpler types of renovations. It tells them the restaurant is doing well, thus confirming that their choice of enjoying it was a good one. Plus, when you catch a trend correctly, you create the conversation about the trend in your location and you are the reason it’s being discussed. Yes, that is sort of meta, but the concept is that the more people see you as leading, the more they will want to follow. Consequently, adding some trends or at least a coat of paint once in a while will make your guests and staff realize you’re the one setting the styles as well as catching the trends.
[Source: Eater]
HAIR, LONG BEAUTIFUL HAIR
Why it matters to you: Know what you can and cannot demand of staff regarding their personal grooming.
File this one under the “difficult topics” category. NYC passed an ordinance protecting employees from discrimination with regard to their hair. Is this the regulation we needed or is the regulation we deserve? As a restaurant owner/operator, it is your right to choose the people you want to work for you. However, our society has determined that some people’s interests are influenced by biases that aren’t in the public good and cause discrimination against minority population. This is one such law, as most of the complaints were that generated the ordinance were driven by restaurant managers mismanaging discussions about personal grooming.
Specifically, this rule was written because the city determined that black employees who wore braids or groomed their hair naturally we suffering discrimination by potential and current employers. While there may be those among us to don’t care for hair styles that aren’t considered traditional by their standards, it doesn’t change the law. You can dictate that someone cover or control their hair while working, but you can’t dictate style or format. Let’s be honest, how many of you are in a position to turn away a talented person because they have braids. Staffing is already such a bear, should you turn away a perfectly capable employee because you don’t like their hair? That sure sounds like a self-inflicted wound, IMHO.
[Source: Restaurant Business Online]
