Planning a promotion is time-consuming, but the return on your investment is a crowded bar and ringing register. To help you get a serious jump on this crucial work, we’ve assembled our 2012 Promotion Planning Guide, including a calendar of events and holidays around which you can build sales-sparking promos and some expert how-to advice.
Some holidays are well-known and important: The day before Thanksgiving, for instance, is one of the busiest bar days of the year, and you can always score sales on Super Bowl Sunday or St. Patrick’s Day with the right specials. However, others are more kitschy, providing ample opportunities to pull patrons into your establishment for some unexpected fun.
The key is to plan ahead, and we don’t mean a few days. Look through our 2012 Promotions Planning Calendar, then open your own calendar and mark a start date of when you’ll begin developing your promotion for each event you want to capitalize on next year; figure four to six weeks in advance. Don’t miss out on the dollars that important sporting events, holidays and days that celebrate spirits, such as rum, bourbon and vodka, can bring into your bar. With this calendar in hand and our constant updates to the Promo Calendar on nightclub
.com, you’ll attract crowds almost every day of the year.
Map Your Program
By Mark Vidano
Successful promotions come from solid planning, but it seems even holiday and calendar promotions sneak up on us. While a few weeks prior seems like plenty of time, you’ll need to figure out what you’re going to promote, get point-of-sale (POS) material produced and then let customers know in plenty of time to make plans to attend. A promotion should attract new customers or get another visit from an infrequent customer, one that comes in once every few weeks. So, you need to have materials out three to four weeks in advance of a promotion or special event. Think about it: Even if you can plan quickly (two to three days) and get something designed and produced in five to seven days, you still need to start planning your promotion at least four weeks in advance and that doesn’t include the extra time needed if sponsors are involved.
So how do you do it? First, designate someone on your staff — DJ, head bartender, assistant manager — who will get behind the program and drive it.
Next, give them an outline we call a Promotional Execution Guide (PEG); over time, this process will become easy to manage. Include the following:
- What — A summary of the promotion and goal(s).
- When — Pertinent “headline” dates (start, end, contest dates, finals, etc.).
- Who — Who is doing what and by what date? Sponsorships, POS materials, drink development, running the contest (if there is one)/contest rules, media, staff, food, etc.
- FAQ — Think of all of the things a customer or server may ask and make sure you have an answer. Can someone reserve a table? If so, who and how? Who handles reservations, and is there a special reservation list? Is there an employee incentive? How does it work? What are the prizes? Are there food specials? What are they? A FAQ list can be hung on the employee bulletin board or attached to paychecks to make sure everyone is aware of the event as well as when and how it works for staff and guests.
Most important: Keep it simple. If it takes more than a sentence to explain, it’s too complicated. Commit to proper planning, and the result will be a fun and profitable promotion!
Brainstorming That Works
By Annie Akin
When it comes to promotions, it’s all about ideas, ideas, ideas. So, start by brainstorming, and keep this in mind: Be honest and realistic about who you are and who your customer is. Many of us in the industry try to be all things to all people, but this only leads to confusion for the patron.
Embrace your niche and feed your differentiating factors. If your bar is the local college hangout, run amuck with senior-year frat boys — own it! Martini-and-Manicure Mondays are not for you, but Beer Pong and PBR Keg Parties are right up your alley!
Promotions are a team sport. You need backup and reinforcements. Create a team for brainstorming and the proverbial gut-check, involving someone from each aspect of your establishment, as well as a mix of people in the target market. This team is responsible for researching, ideating and creating, as well as implementing and executing the promotions. A well-rounded team is able to develop and attack a promotion idea from all angles to give you better perspective. Also, buy-in is a lot easier to achieve when your execution team is part of the idea team.
Dig for data. The data-gathering part of the creative process often is overlooked but actually is the most important factor in developing a successful promotion. It has three components:
1. Hit the streets: Research the competition. Again, honesty is key here. What are they doing now, and what was successful for them in the past?
2. Look in the mirror: What have you done in the past, and what were the results?
3. Dig up the data: What data supports your promotion? This could include hot trends, flavors or news about what other bars and restaurants around the country are doing. Any backup you can provide to assist your team in developing a well-thought-out promotion is invaluable.
Now share all of your information with the team and start brainstorming. Hey, who said this was easy? It takes time, creativity and a whole village to pull off a successful promotion, but it’s my guess you’ll do just fine... as long as you start with a strong idea.
Scoring a Sponsor
By Richard Verrecchia
So you want to put on a promotion, and you want to get a supplier involved. A promotion should be considered from the retailer and the supplier sides; the business proposition needs to work on both ends. Look at your promotional idea from the supplier’s point of view and ask yourself, “Would I invest in this idea?” That is what you ultimately are asking suppliers to do.
Here are a few easy steps to ensure a successful promotion for all of the parties involved:
1. Plan in advance. Don’t be calling supplier partners three weeks before the promotion starts. Late notice does not allow sponsors to plan their budgets accordingly, so plan at least four to six months ahead! Project anticipated sales volume — such as an increase in spirit sales of 10% — and identify what that means to the supplier, i.e. how many cases are needed. Case volume equals support dollars, so your promotion budget will be based on how many incremental cases you can sell. Also, a promotion can have multiple supplier partners; many times, the most successful programs do.
2. Appoint a staff member to spearhead the program. Give him or her instructions, timelines and checklists along with some free reign to get creative and make the program as successful as possible. Track the progress and support him or her along the way.
3. Train, train, train! Your staff needs to know the who, what and when as well as how the program works. From managers to hostesses, all involved personnel should be aware of the promotion details. Keep the supplier involved and use a local distributor network to help train your staff.
4. Reward and track your results. Efforts without results are meaningless. When you have great results, be sure to reward the staff. Did you meet the 10% increase you planned? If so, congratulations all around and rewards for all who contributed. If you didn’t meet the goal, why? Solicit input from the front-line folks on how to make it better.
5. Have a follow-up meeting with the supplier to evaluate the program. What went well? What did not? Learn from your mistakes and go at it again. A well-organized operator can have many promotions throughout the year. Once the suppliers know you can deliver, they will line up to work with you.
Good luck!
Patrons Say Promotions Matter
Don’t take our word for it: Consumers say promotions attract them to a particular bar or restaurant. According to a survey of 500 adult patrons of casual restaurants conducted in February by Next Level Marketing:
- 59% visited a bar or restaurant based on a promotional offer, up from 46% a year prior.
- 72% say Special Promotions are very-to-somewhat important when deciding what restaurant to visit, and this is higher for females and younger consumers.
- Consumers are equally interested in beer, wine and spirits promotions; males are more interested in beer and females are more interested in spirits and wine.
- 67% of consumers clearly prefer promotional offers with a fixed price vs. an offer of $1 off an unspecified price.
January
National Thank You Month
National Blood Donor Month
January 1
New Year’s Day
January 4
Trivia Day
January 8
Elvis Presley’s Birthday
January 9
NCAA BCS National College Football Championship at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans
January 11
National Hot Toddy Day
January 14
National Dress Up Your Pet Day
January 25
National Irish Coffee Day
February
American Heart Month
Chocolate Lover’s Month
Black History Month
February 5
NFL Super Bowl Sunday
February 12
54th Annual Grammy Awards
February 14
Valentine’s Day
February 15
Singles Awareness/
Appreciation Day
February 18
Drink Wine Day
February 21
Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday
February 22
National Margarita Day
February 26
NASCAR Daytona 500
NBA All-Star Game at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
84th Annual Academy Awards
February 29
Leap Day
March
National Women’s History Month
National Nutrition Month
National Peanut Month
March 2
Dr. Seuss’ Birthday
Employee Appreciation Day
March 11
Selection Sunday for NCAA March Madness
March 14
National Pi Day
March 13-14
First Round of NCAA March Madness
March 17
St. Patrick’s Day
March 27
World Whisky Day
March 31
NCAA March Madness
Final Four at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans
April
Alcohol Awareness Month
National Humor Month
April 1
International Fun at Work Day
April 2
NCAA March Madness National Championship at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans
April 5-8
2012 PGA Masters golf tournament
April 7
National Beer Day
April 15
Tax Return Day
April 15-21
National Volunteer Week
April 19
National Amaretto Day
May
National Bike Month
National Smile Month
Arthritis Awareness Month
May 4
Star Wars Day
May 5
Cinco de Mayo
Kentucky Derby
May 6
Carbonated Beverage Day
May 6–13
World Cocktail Week
May 13
World Cocktail Day
May 14–20
American Craft Beer Week
May 19
Preakness Stakes
May 25
National Wine Day
May 27
NASCAR Indianapolis 500
May 28
International Jazz Day
Memorial Day
June
National LGBT Pride Month
Great Outdoors Month
June (Date TBA)
NBA Finals
NHL Stanley Cup Finals
June 3
National Doughnut Day
June 4
National Cognac Day
June 8
Name Your Poison Day
June 9
Belmont Stakes
June 14
National Bourbon Day
June 14-17
2012 PGA U.S. Open Golf at The Olympic Club in San Francisco
June 19
National Martini Day
June 30
Tour de France
July
National Ice Cream Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Park and Recreation Month
July 1
International Joke Day
July 4
Independence Day
July 5
Bikini Debut: 66th
Anniversary
July 10
National Pina Colada Day
MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
July 12-15
Comic-Con Convention in San Diego
July 19
National Daiquiri Day
July 24
National Tequila Day
July 27
Opening Ceremony of 2012 Summer Olympics in London
August
American Adventures Month
National Golf Month
August (Date TBA)
Tennis U.S. Open
August 5
International Beer Day
August 10
Lazy Day
August 12
Closing ceremony of 2012 Summer Olympics in London
August 16
National Rum Day
August 29
Whiskey Sour Day
September
National Honey Month
September (Date TBA)
NFL Opening Day
September 3
Labor Day
September 11
Patriot Day
September 12
National Video Games Day
September 19
Talk Like a Pirate Day
September 22-October 7
Oktoberfest in Germany
September 23
International Hug a Vegetarian Day
September 25
National One-hit Wonder Day
September 28
Drink Beer Day
October
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
LGBT History Month
National Vegetarian Month
October (Date TBA)
MLB World Series
October 4
National Vodka Day
National Golf Day
October 8
Universal Music Day
October 16
National Boss’ Day
October 22
Make a Difference Day
October 31
Halloween
Carve a Pumpkin Day
November
Good Nutrition Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Aviation History Month
November 1
Mexico: Day of the Dead
November 4
Breeders’ Cup World Championship
November 5
Guy Fawkes Day
November 6
Election Day
November 8
National Harvey
Wallbanger Day
November 15
America Recycles Day
November 21
Thanksgiving Eve
December
Worldwide Food Service Safety Month
Write a Friend Month
December 1
World AIDS Day
December 5
Repeal Day
December 7
National Cotton Candy Day
December 10–16
Lager Beer Week
December 13
Ice Cream Day
December 20
National Sangria Day
December 21
Humbug Day
December 24
National Eggnog Day
December 31
New Year’s Eve
National Champagne Day