Are you looking to increase traffic to your bar, but you’re having trouble building a positive reputation online? Here are some ways you can strengthen your bar’s credibility through social media marketing.
Bars tend to operate in a traditionally organized way. The primary focus would involve customer satisfaction via in-person attendance. Following the rise of digital marketing on social media and increasing usage, bars have realized that their online presence strongly affects their external reputation. Bars must use social media to create a desirable reputation for their business, both on and offline.
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Marketing for Bars Online
One of the quickest ways your bar can build its reputation online is by implementing social media marketing. Social media marketing has become central to any bar’s overall marketing plan. In fact, it is where many bars do the majority of their marketing today. It is now the norm for potential patrons to use online reviews and social media to help them decide which bar they want to check out. With this in mind, bars must craft a clear and concise plan.
Decide Which Platforms to Use
The biggest mistake a bar can make when beginning its social media marketing journey is to create accounts with no clear purpose. Creating a social media account just for the sake of it can be incredibly detrimental to your bar’s overall reputation. It sends the message to patrons that your bar has no personality, which leads to less engagement with posts and comments.
So, it is essential that you choose which platforms you want to use wisely. Since each social media platform calls for different formats, you must choose what you will post to each and why. For example, Instagram works well for general brand awareness, TikTok is great for product advertisement, and Twitter is commonly for handling complaints. Knowing the target audience for each social media outlet aids in optimal engagement. Due to each platform’s unique function and audience, incorrect usage could increase negative reactions to your bar. Generally, your social media presence can help to determine or aid in your bar’s external reputation.
How to Use Each Platform
Successful social media marketing for bars involves knowing how each platform works. Here’s a brief review of how to operate some of the most popular social media platforms today:
Facebook for Bars
Creating a business page on Facebook is the first step to engagement. Aim to make your best content, including photos, polls, and videos. This content helps to build a community around your bar and your reputation with patrons. The organic reach on Facebook has declined rapidly in recent years. This decline has negatively impacted users who have previously relied on Facebook shares to garner traction on their pages. This decrease in users doesn’t mean that your bar shouldn’t create good content on Facebook, but the quality should override the number of posts.
Quality posts help your bar’s business page have a “page rank”. The page rank tells Facebook whether a user is interested in your content. One like is equal to 1 point, one comment equals 2 points, and one share is the equivalent of 3 points. Quality content makes a difference but doesn’t stop there. Facebook Ads can be made via your Facebook page and are a guarantee to reach local target audiences. However, Facebook’s largest audience is those 35 and up, so creating content geared toward the youth would hinder your bar’s image and reputation.
Instagram for Bars
Because of its size, engaging with customers on Instagram is a necessity. The platform’s success is due to the increased demand for visual marketing, which you can take advantage of. Users share their best content to a feed, which includes photos and videos. Instagram also has Instagram Stories, which are content that disappears within 24 hours.
It is one of the most used apps for building a following and engaging with customers. Customers taking pictures at your bar are the most likely to post them to Instagram. Generally, users will tag your bar in its locations, which in turn has the chance to pop up with many users for your pages. Take this as a chance to show appreciation through a witty response to the post. Make sure to take advantage of user-generated content while creating strategies for your content.
Since Instagram’s audience ranges from ages 12-50, with an active audience of 18-30, this platform will have the greatest user engagement. When posting your bar’s marketing content on Instagram, make sure to curate a beautiful feed that is representative of your bar’s actual aesthetic.
Twitter for Bars
Twitter’s popularity is still high, but it’s tough to build a following on the platform. Engagement is even more difficult. Despite that, your bar still may have use of Twitter. Using Twitter to handle customer complaints and questions could be a great option for bar owners. Your bar can also use Twitter for announcements and updates. A consistent schedule for social events will ensure your current customers’ satisfaction. The press, content creators, and journalists frequent this app the most, so Twitter is useful for networking with the press. Following the right people and engaging with them frequently will help to build your bar’s credibility online.
TikTok for Bars
TikTok is a video-based social media platform that made an everlasting mark in 2016. Since then, TikTok’s influence on the younger generation is undeniable. It is currently the world’s most downloaded app. With such a large user base, this platform should be on your list to increase your bar’s reputation. On TikTok, creators put out video-based content. The app’s algorithm aids in the creator’s posts through tools like filters that make video editing fun for all users. Since this app is trend-heavy, bars should utilize trends creatively to connect with the core audience of the app. Consider asking employees to upload trend-based content for your bar. You should also use TikTok to build your brand’s image through fun videos made in your bar by patrons.
Bars on Social Media
A bar’s credibility will be the most affected by its social media imprint compared to its competitors. Steering clear of events or theme nights on the same night as your competitors can help get customers. While it’s worthwhile to be aware of what competitors are posting, the information you share online is of far more importance, especially when it involves customer retention and the bar’s reputation.
There are many things your bar can post, but what’s of equal importance is what they should not. Researchers have discovered that the most annoying actions brands commit online are too many promotional posts. Promotional posts can give the message that the bar is only in it for itself with no cares about the desires of its customers.
Type of Information to Share
One thing bars should post on social media to help build their attendance is a complete schedule of events, performances, and hours of operation. Update all information on all of your social media pages to reflect your bar’s current calendar. Businesses overlook this process due to the traditional function of a bar, which relies heavily on word-of-mouth experiences from regular patrons.
You need to show your bar’s success online. Documenting where your bar went right will attract potential customers. Winning awards like “Bar of the Year” generate positive traffic to your accounts. If done tastefully, this type of promotion will generate traction all over your social media accounts. Utilizing your employees and their accomplishments can be shared by close friends and family of the employee, creating a positive image of your bar.
Social Media for Bars
You must regularly engage with your patrons online to ensure a positive social media reputation. Creating unique and tasteful content will increase your social media imprint. This work requires routine posts on each social media platform and simultaneously engaging with followers. Because of this need for continuous posting and responding to comments, consulting services are important for a bar’s successful use of social media marketing. SEO Design Chicago helps design an effective marketing strategy, and a carefully constructed marketing strategy leads to increase engagement online.
Go and Build Your Bar’s Credibility Now
Building your bar’s credibility online involves a thorough plan and intentional follow-ups. Working with a digital marketing agency like SEO Design Chicago will ensure a smooth transition into the digital sphere and a positive reputation for your bar.
FAQ:
- Should bars be on every social media platform?
- How do I use Facebook for my bar?
- How do I decide which platform my bar should be active on?
- What kind of content should my bar post on TikTok?
- What kind of information should I share on my social media?
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