We all know that spending money on advertising for your bar or nightclub is a necessary evil. However, the last thing you want to do is throw that money in the toilet. Perhaps you really need to spend money on something to help your club bring in more customers. Obviously, you want to put that money into the tactics that will produce the best returns. Unfortunately, all too often I hear complaints from bar and nightclub owners about how much money they’ve wasted trying a certain type of advertising campaign. With all those complaints in mind, I present to you a guide of 3 advertising mistakes and solutions. Hopefully, you don’t fall prey to the errors of the past!
#1: Bragging About Your Company
One of the easiest advertising mistakes to make is not hiring a professional. Unfortunately, that can often lead to trouble. One common theme I see too often is companies bragging about how great their business is. The problem is that most people don’t care about your company; they care only about your products.
The solution is to advertise your products with a strong focus on how they can solve the problems of the potential buyer. Rather than boasting, try using real-word scenarios. Using science to prove that your product or service is always the best option. For instance, instead of “Established in 1997”, you could put “Home of the $2 Burger” outside your bar.
#2: Wait for Business to Come to You
Another big problem that I see a lot is businesses letting leads go when they should be pursuing them vigorously. Any time that you can track the habits of your customers and offer them a real value in exchange for their business, you can easily gain a repeat customer. Too often I see bars and nightclubs wasting these opportunities or trying to mindlessly push coupons on disinterested patrons.
Instead, implement tracking platforms such as social media and online newsletter subscriptions. That way, you can engage your customers directly and also see what they are most interested in when they visit your social media page or open a newsletter. Also, don’t just send an endless barrage of advertising mistakes to your customers; send them useful articles or news. Also, tack on a coupon to the bottom so you can advertise to them directly and they will be grateful for it.
#3: Cheapskate Advertising
Of all the things that I see through an average day, this one ticks me off the most. There is nothing sadder than a business owner who desperately wants to bring in more business but won’t spend the proper amount of money to do it. Sure, a penny saved is a penny earned, but there’s a big difference between being thrifty and cheap. And, when you’re advertising for your bar or nightclub you really need to know the difference.
What you need to come to grips with is that a certain amount of your advertising will not directly show you a return. These are not advertising mistakes! For instance, not knowing how many people that are in your bar checked out the website before they came in doesn’t mean you should scrap the website. Like all things in life, the more expensive a form of advertising is the more effective it will likely be. There’s a reason that the best types of advertising are more expensive than the others. Luckily, it’s because they actually work and will earn you tons of cash by bringing in more customers to your bar or nightclub. Whatever you do, don’t avoid spending money on the types of advertising that will work best.
