It’s no secret that running a bar or restaurant is tough business. In fact, according to Cornell and the National Restaurant Association, 60% of restaurants fail in the first five years of operation! You don’t want to be a statistic, of course—but what can you do to make sure you don’t suffer the same fate of that unfortunate 60%? While you could spend all day reading advice and tips, let’s focus on two areas. Here are two big promotion mistakes your bar or restaurant should avoid.
Forgetting about your brand.
Not to get all existential, but who are you? What’s your restaurant all about? What are your values and what do you have to offer your community? If you can’t answer those questions, chances are you don’t have a defined brand…and that could be a huge problem. If you don’t know who you are, your customers definitely won’t, which means they probably won’t be coming back.
Simply having great food and service just isn’t enough to get customers in your door. You need to have a clearly defined brand and stick to it. Your brand informs every single promotional detail, from the type of advertisements you run to the font on your menus. And if you don’t pay attention to your brand, everything can fall apart.
Avoiding the Internet.
If you want to attract customers, you need to go where they’re hanging out…and, increasingly, that’s on the internet. And social media is no longer just an option—it’s mandatory if you want to reach customers.
First things first: you need to have a website. If you don’t have a central location online to promote your restaurant, customers will have a hard time finding you. You also need to have an active presence on social media platforms–this means that simply signing up for an account and then checking in on it every few weeks isn’t going to cut it! You need to update frequently and, even more importantly, interact with your customers. Whether it’s answering customer questions on Twitter or responding to negative reviews on Yelp, engaging with your customers is a great way to make sure they’re happy. If you don’t use the internet to promote your business, you’re missing out on a simple way to reach your customers.
Promoting your bar or restaurant can be tough, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it! By avoiding these major pitfalls, you’ll be on your way to promoting your business successfully!
Article provided by Buzztime.
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Trusted by over 3,200 bars and restaurants in North America since 1985, Buzztime integrates trivia, card and sports games with in- and out-of-venue messaging and communication tools. With over 4.2 million player registrations on the Buzztime platform and over 52 million games played each year, Buzztime players spread the word and invite friends and family to their favorite Buzztime location to enjoy an evening of fun and competition.
