Notes from the Show
At the 2016 Nightclub & Bar Show, I partnered up with Brittany Oat to offer social media trends and tips to a packed room of managers and staff. They were fully engaged and interactive, and kept us on our toes through the presentation and questions and answers.
Three lucky (and dare we say brave?) establishments raised their hands for a Social Media Makeover. Over the next 3 weeks the site will feature their challenges and our recommendations. Even if we didn’t get a chance to meet you this year, you can benefit from our ideas. Enjoy and prosper!
The Challenge
The Anchor Bar and Grill is a small bar in Wisconsin that competes with larger chain establishments for customers. They wanted to know how to:
- Attract more women to their bar.
- Hone in on their brand voice.
- Figure out what types of advertising (online and conventional) to buy.
- Devote the “right” amount of time to social media and decide whether to do it in-house or outsource. (They were only posting weekly.)
- Manage their online reviews.
Our Recommendations
1. Plan Before You Post!
Having a clear plan (for your brand, your budget allocation for social media, and your online posting calendar) is the cornerstone of a social media plan. Adam Anderson of the Anchor Bar and Grill attended a few sessions during the Show and said that the need to plan was one of his main takeaways.
Our social media workshop also covered the basics of content marketing, and Anderson will be picking sources of content that appeal to his target (see below) and sticking to them.
A great social media plan includes: a content plan (what you’ll post and who you’re targeting), a resources plan (time and money), and a posting schedule. Bars can also leverage “traditional” media as part of their social media plans. When running radio advertising or participating in community events, be sure to have a tie-in to your social media sites as well. Post photos on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
2. Engage Your Audience
Because the Anchor is looking to attract more women to the bar, posts should be designed to attract that audience. We suggested they reach out to local women’s groups and people in the bridal industry, offering specials for “girls’ nights out.”
Previous posts were primarily pictures of food and beverages, but now The Anchor will be putting up more interactive posts, designed to start a conversation with customers and prospects. “Be different and be witty” is one lesson that Anderson absorbed in the workshop.
Not sure which social media your customers and prospects are using? Here’s a great source of social media demographics, but check back often. New media are cropping up and, once an older segment and big brands discover a media form, younger users tend to go elsewhere. Social media usage can vary widely by geography as well. Be sure to ask your best customers what social media they consume.
3. Take Reviews Seriously
Acknowledge and cultivate customers who write positive reviews and be sure to share them. Take your Yelp reviews very seriously and consider investing in Yelp advertising if you can afford it.
4. Be Visual and Telegraphic
The average human attention span is 8 seconds, so grabbing social media visitors with video clips and colorful images can be more effective than prose. We also recommended using “immediate” social media (like location-based apps and Twitter) to encourage people to drop by at specific times.
Above all, knowing who your best customers are and keeping them happy so that they’ll spread the word is a critical component of good business (social media and otherwise).
Want a customer social media makeover for YOUR bar or restaurant and missed our workshop? Be sure to get in touch! Just e-mail us at nancys@theonswitch.com.
Coming next week: A Texas bar that is using social media extensively but needs to know how to take it to “the next level.”