People usually don’t need a lot of convincing to go out for happy hour. Hordes of tired office workers make their way to their favorite bars and restaurants after work to unwind and have a good time.
But with so many options and almost every business looking to take advantage of it, marketing is the make-or-break tool when it comes to bringing customers into your door for Happy Hour. You need to show people that your establishment is the ideal place to hang out with your office buddies after work.
If you’re a small pub or restaurant, it might seem impossible to compete with bigger chains to get a Happy Hour customer base. After all, how can you afford their crazy discount prices?
This blog post shows you that it is completely possible to market your happy hour without breaking the bank completely. Of course, all marketing requires some investment, both in terms of time and money. But these tried-and-tested strategies will help you accomplish your marketing goals without feeling like you’re going broke.
1. Create a special Happy Hour menu
Prove to your customers that you’re committed to helping them have a good time at your bar or restaurant by dedicating a special menu to happy hour. Introduce some exciting dishes and drinks that you know people will love, especially at that time of the day.
You can add anything you want to to your special menu. Since people are tired and hungry after a long day at work, meat options like steak or chicken wings are great options to add. You should also add vegetarian options to diversify your menu.
Of course, don’t forget to pair each dish with a drink. Introduce combo meals so people don’t have to think too much about what to get. Suggest drink pairings with each menu item and advertise the most popular ones.
You can create menus for a very low cost through various menu makers online.
Also make sure your special menu is budget friendly. According to one study, 46% of customers are drawn to happy hours by good prices on drinks. So keep your rates economical. As you get more customers, you should easily make a profit and become a popular happy hour station at the same time.
Conner’s Fort Wayne is a restaurant that has a special happy hour menu called “Why Wait”. It has special discounted prices and two-for-one cocktails that keep people coming back for more.
2. Put up posters
Posters are a great way to advertise your happy hour deals around your neighborhood. It is understood that your customer base is largely going to be people living and working in your locale. After all, no one is willing to travel long distances for food and drinks especially after work.
This is why your best bet is to market to people hanging around near your establishment. Hang up posters close to office buildings and in other public areas like malls and parks. Your poster should show where you’re located, and it should advertise all your exciting happy hour deals.
Make sure your poster is colorful and visually appealing. Don’t clutter it too much with unnecessary information that may put people off. Remember, the goal is to get people to show up to your bar or restaurant for happy hour. That’s the main message you need to get across.
You might think creating and distributing posters is an expensive task. However, there are a number of websites that allow you to make posters yourself, without any reliance on costly graphic designers. For instance, PosterMyWall has an incredible poster maker that you can use to customize your ideal poster according to your needs. Just keep our poster guidelines in mind when you create.
3. Offer coupons
Happy hour coupons are used excessively by people who are looking to relax and hang out with friends after work. Your coupons don’t have to have big discounts to attract customers. Something simple like a “buy one beer and get one free” coupon will go a long way in attracting customers.
Starbucks offers happy hour coupons all the time and it’s always a big hit. People looking for a relaxing time after work to catch up on their social obligations usually go to starbucks and order a drink or two. Coupons result in them spending more and staying longer. And it gets them to keep coming back every time.
Advertise your coupons on social media (more on social media marketing in the next section) or hand them out around your locale. You should try giving them to office managers, who can hand them out to employees as incentives. Everyone will want to cash in on a free coupon, and it’ll get more customers through your doors.
4. Use social media
The advantages of social media marketing cannot be stressed on enough. You need to have a valid social media presence so you can reach new and existing customers. The best part of all is that being on social media is free.
Your main focus should be Facebook and Instagram. Both have over 1 billion active users, many of whom will make up your target audience. Upload the posters you create to your accounts, and use hashtags (location specific and otherwise) to attract people to your bar or restaurant. Ask them to tag friends and coworkers so that you increase your reach.
Also upload coupons, vouchers, and special deals on your social media. Use a local hashtag to capture relevant people. Keep all your content engaging and informative, and routinely post about events and other stuff to keep your pages active and to increase the amount of interactions you get.
5. Host happy hour events
Invite a local band to perform at your bar or restaurant. Smaller bands and musicians are always looking for exposure and many would be more than willing to perform for free at your place. Or do a screening for a popular sports game. This could be football, baseball, or any other sport that’s popular in your locale. Screenings also cost very little and they provide people with a great excuse to come to your bar.
There are so many event ideas that you could implement one after the other to bring more people to your restaurant. Who doesn’t love an evening of music, drinks, food, and fun? Invite budding performance artists to put on a show.
Hosting events tips the scale in your favor when people are trying to decide between your bar and someone else’s. It gives you an exciting edge that your competitors may not have. Advertise your event through word of mouth, through social media marketing, and by hanging up posters and distributing flyers in your neighborhood.
These are just some of the key strategies that you can employ to market your happy hour easily and in a cost effective way. Remember, the goal is to get customers through your door. Use whatever platforms available to you – whether offline or online – to do this. Your marketing should also send the message that you’re a place of culture in your neighborhood. You don’t just offer drinks and food at happy hour, you provide a whole experience.
