By Toby Patrick, Contributor
Otley, a market town in West Yorkshire, is home to 24 pubs despite a population of around 15,000 people. That’s a pub for every 625 people. While competition in your local area might not be quite as fierce, prying people away from their favorite local pub or bar is a difficult ask for a new venue.
If you’re looking to open a new venue, you’ll need to get people talking. Here are five ways new hospitality venues can use social media to shout about their arrival on the local High Street.
5 Social Media Marketing Tips for New Bars and Restaurants
Be Consistent
The first thing you need to do as a new bar or restaurant is to ensure you’re posting regularly on social media. When a new venue opens up — whether it be a bar, pub, or restaurant — there’s a good chance that people in the local area are talking about it and are keen to learn more online.
Make sure when they do, they’re not met with sporadic, inconsistent posts that don’t entice them to come and try out your new spot. Set yourself the challenge of posting at least once a day on your social accounts, especially at the beginning.
You may even want to take residents on the journey before opening by sharing updates on things like your refurbishment and menu choices.
Be Different
Standing out on social media today isn’t easy. It’s not a new phenomenon anymore and you’ll find that most, if not all, of your competitors are on social media. Many different methods and ideas have been tried and, as a result, it’s harder to come up with original, creative ideas that haven’t been seen before.
However, it’s worth remembering that hospitality venues compete locally rather than nationally or internationally. This means you can look further afield for inspiration as these ideas probably won’t have been seen by the people in your area.
For example, The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Texas has become famous for its 72oz steak challenge. While it may not be a completely original idea, you’re unlikely to find many competitors offering this in your local area.
Showcase Your Menu
There’s an old saying that “you eat with your eyes first.” If you’re a restaurant or bar serving good quality food, there’s no reason why this shouldn’t be a focal point of your social media accounts. Instagram in particular has changed the game for any business that offers aesthetically pleasing products or services.
It doesn’t matter whether your specialty is a Sunday brunch or authentic Italian pizza, people LOVE pictures of food. So, play on this if you’ve got delicious grub on your menu. Similarly, many people finish the working week craving a refreshing pint of beer or glass of wine, so put it in front of their eyes while they’re on the train home!
Get Followers Involved
Social media is a great way to bring your customers closer to your business. As a pub or bar, social media polls are a great way to get your clientele involved in decision making around the menu, new products or new offers.
This is a great way to ensure any decisions align with what your customers want. Additionally, it promotes regular interaction with your venue on socials which should keep the venue in the minds of potential visitors and increase their chances of visiting the venue.
Create An Experience that Breeds UGC
People are more influenced by their friends and the people they follow than by businesses. As a result, it’s imperative that your customers share their experience on their stories and newsfeeds. In the era of TikTok, this type of content is more useful than ever to businesses. The best way to do this is to create an environment and experience that aligns itself with user-generated content (UGC). This is content your guests make about your restaurant and share on social; you can, in turn, re-share in your own stories.
This could be incredible live music that people feel the need to share, talented cocktail makers that put on a show, or offering self-pouring technology for your customers to try.
Final Thoughts
While these are useful tips, it must be acknowledged that there’s certainly no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to making people aware of your new venture. A UX agency will tell you that the key lies in the usability of your website or product, while an advertising agency would believe in the power of online and offline ads. But the important thing is: what do your customers feel?
Consider carrying out some market research to identify what your guests or potential customers feel is missing from their local area. Ask why their favorite spot is their favorite spot and why their least favorite spot is their least favorite spot. This should allow you to refine the above list and tailor your social media strategy.
