50 BestBar Promotions
Do you want to make your bar the hot neighborhood spot? Of course you do. But how do you bring in new customers and turn them into regulars? Truly great bar promotion is more creative and fun than just a basic happy hour. Here are 50 ideas to help your bar stand out and bring in the crowds.
1 Contests are a great way to get people
interested, and you can easily use social media to
maximize interest. Ask your customers to post a
photo of themselves hanging out at your bar on
Facebook, and encourage people to vote for
their favorites.
2 Encourage interaction on Twitter by asking
your followers a question. What do they want to
see on your menu? Or try asking them which of
three beers they’d prefer you have on tap.
3Offer up some freebies for every customer
who checks in on Foursquare. How about a free
appetizer or a few dollars off their bill?
4 Take the Foursquare or Twitter promotion
one step further and turn each check-in or tweet
into a contest entry! Select one winner to be your
Customer of the Month.
5 Your customers will love having a souvenir of
their night (even if they can’t remember much of
it!). Offer them a take-home glass if they order a
certain beer.
6Did you know that Pinterest is useful for more
than just crafts, recipes, and pictures of wedding
decor? It can also help you promote your bar!
Pin pictures of the beers and other drinks
you offer, and be sure to follow customers and
potential customers in your city.
7 Make sure to tweet your specials. If your
followers see a tweet about your happy hour
special while they’re on their lunch break, they’ll
be sure to stop by after work to take advantage
of the deal.
8 Host a beer-tasting event. This allows your
customers to step outside their comfort zone
and try a new brew they might not take a chance
on otherwise.
9 But don’t stop at beer…why not try a menu
testing? Bring in a small group of customers
to try out your new menu items and get their
opinions. Not only does this create buzz, but it
gives you valuable feedback on your new grub.
10 Sponsor a local adult sports team. Not only
will your bar’s name and logo be splashed all
over the t-shirts, but your bar will become the
default post-game hangout spot.
11 Offer a beer of the week or month special.
Try asking customers (via Twitter or Facebook)
which beers they’d like to see as specials. Your
customers like to know that you value
their opinions.
12 If your city has a newspaper or magazine
devoted to culture or nightlife, offer to host the
launch party for their next issue. Not only
will you draw in a crowd, but you’ll be
featured in the magazine when they run
pictures of the party.
13 Everyone goes out for New Year’s Eve or
St. Patrick’s Day, but you can corner the market
on more obscure holidays. How about offering
free chips and dip on National Guacamole Day,
half-off all cheesy appetizers during National
Cheese Lovers Week, or dollar off margaritas on
National Margarita Day?
14 Throw your bar a birthday party, but let
your customers be the guests of honor. Offer up
a free t-shirt or other promotional item to each
customer who comes in.
15Hand out punch cards and let customers
have a free meal or appetizer after their
10th purchase.
16 Use an online poll (using a service like
TwitPolls) and get your customers’ opinions
on what theme night they’d
like to see or what beer they
wish you had.
17Has one of your
bartenders mixed up a great
new cocktail? Let your
customers name the Mystery
Drink! Make sure to put a
picture of the person behind
the winning name on your
Facebook page.
18 Name menu items after local celebrities—
a burger named after the mayor, a
burrito named after a television
personality, or a drink named
after a sports icon.
19 Have something for your
customers to do while they hang
out with their friends. With the
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stay, the more they spend on food and drinks!
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20 Use table tents to showcase your upcoming
deals and specials. Customers will have to notice
your specials when they’re right in front of them!
21 Offer an extraordinary deal on the same day
each week. You’ll be known as the place with
25 cent wings on Wednesdays or 3 dollar
Cosmos on Tuesday nights.
22 Offer an extraordinary deal on the same day
each week. You’ll be known as the place with
25 cent wings on Wednesdays or 3 dollar
Cosmos on Tuesday nights.
23 Get your servers to be as specific as possible.
Instead of “How about a beer?” have them offer
up and describe their favorite selection on tap.
24 Offer bundled packages for your customers
in groups. That way, friends can order three
appetizers for slightly cheaper than the price of
each appetizer individually.
25 Turn your bar into a classroom with
bartending classes for interested customers.
Your customers will learn what it’s like on
the other side of the bar and get to know
your staff at the same time.
26 Your TVs can be used for more than
just football—hold a screening party for
a popular TV show. What about zombiethemed shots and snacks for The Walking
Dead? You can even offer table service so people
don’t have to miss a second of the show.
27 Costumes aren’t just for Halloween!
Encourage your customers to dress up by offering
no cover charge for those who dress according to
the night’s theme.
28 Instead of a traditional happy hour, try a
flash happy hour. Every time your bartender rings
a bell, happy hour lasts for the next five minutes.
Your customers won’t be expecting it, so the
surprise will be extra exciting!
29Play matchmaker and host a speed dating
event. Who knows—someone might meet the
love of their life in your bar!
30 Bring in a local celebrity (like a professional
athlete) for a meet and greet. Be sure to take
plenty of pictures and post them to your
Facebook page.
31 Encourage your clientele to step up their
fashion game by awarding prizes for Best Shoes
or Best Dressed. Hand out a gift card to the
fashionable winner.
32 Who can say no to free food? Draw in the
crowds by having a hungry hour instead of happy
hour. If you offer free finger foods from 5-7pm,
your customers will more than make up for your
food costs by buying drinks.
33Try a two-for-one cocktail special. Many
people are afraid to venture away from their
signature drink, so why not give them a risk-free
chance to find a new favorite?
34 Your customers love beer, but they probably
don’t love beer bellies. Offer up a drink special for
anyone who ran in a local 5K that day and you’ll
find yourself with a thirsty crowd.
35 Put the spotlight on ingredients that are
fresh and in season. How about a fresh strawberry
cocktail in June or muddled herbs in your drinks
when they’re in season?
36 Put your focus on what’s local. If your city
has a stellar brewery or distillery, feature their
products. Create a special cocktail using locally
made vodka; your customers will love trying
something they couldn’t get anywhere else.
37 Try using YouTube for something other than
just watching cat videos. Challenge your customers
to create a commercial for your bar, and have
everyone vote for their favorite.
38 Cheers had a theme song, why shouldn’t your
bar? Have a contest to see who can write the best
theme for your bar. Let each musician play his/her
tune and have the crowd vote for the best one.
39 Encourage a little Man vs. Food motivation by
offering a larger-than-life menu item. If a customer
can finish the concoction, offer them a prize and
their picture in your Facebook album.
40 Bring in a local musician on a slow night.
They’ll be happy for the exposure, and they’ll
promote their performance and bring along
their fans.
41 Support a local charity by giving them 10%
of your profits for the night. Your customers will
appreciate having a good time and doing good at
the same time.
42 Let people know what specials you have coming
up by putting your calendar on the wall or on your
table tents. When your customers see the great
drink specials you’re offering next week, they’ll
be back!
43 Personally visit businesses near you and hand
out coupons for free appetizers. You’ll generate
goodwill among a group of people who will be very
likely to visit you for their next happy hour.
44 Organize a neighborhood scavenger hunt that
begins and ends at your bar. Award a gift card to the
team that finds every item on the list first.
45 Get your whole team together and volunteer to
work at a charity event. Make sure everyone wears
t-shirts with your bar’s name on them! You’ll get
your name out there and show that you’re part of
the neighborhood.
46 Host a networking event. Hand out name
tags and introduce your city’s professionals to
one another.
47 Bring in a dance instructor to offer up
lessons. Line dancing, hip-hop dancing, belly
dancing…it’s up to you!
48 Host a fundraiser for your city’s food
bank. Let people in for free if they show up
with a canned good. The food bank will
stock their shelves and you’ll end up with a
packed bar!
49 You might not have room for a balance
beam, but host a bar Olympics with games like
beer pong and flip cup. The winner gets a
medal, a gift card, and bragging rights until
next year.
50 Partner up with a local charity and put
on a date auction. Your city’s most famous and
fabulous will agree to be sold off if it’s for a
good cause, and customers will come in for the
chance to spend some one-on-one time with
their idols.
Promoting your bar takes more than doing the same old thing. You don’t need a huge budget—just creativity, consistency, and a focus on your customers. Use social media, build memorable experiences, and most importantly… make it fun.
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