If you want your bar to be popular among young people, you will have to employ a strategic and effective marketing plan that targets the audience you intend to pursue. When it comes to bar marketing, it’s all about offering your customers an experience.
This is especially true for Gen Z and Millennial customers, who are not just looking for good food and drinks, but also an experience that they and their friends can enjoy. This experience can be in the form of special events, decor, or exclusive deals and promotions.
There are a number of ways you can bring a younger audience into your bar. Young people tend to go out a lot, which means that if your marketing plan is effective, you’ll see a huge rise in sales as younger customers pour into your bar. In this blog post, we’ve compiled a number of effective marketing strategies for you to promote to a younger audience.
1. Build a strong presence on Instagram
Studies show that 59% of Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 use Instagram regularly. This means that if you want to market to a younger demographic, Instagram is the place to be.
So, create an Instagram page for your bar if you haven’t already and stay active on it constantly. A good tip is to build engagement – that’s how you get more dedicated followers and a bigger reach online. Reply to your followers’ comments and DMs. Other ways to build engagement that you should definitely try are as follows:
Host an Instagram giveaway: Ask your followers to like, comment, and share your post to get the chance to win free drinks for a week or a special discount on a meal.
Post engaging posters advertising your deals: Colorful graphics get a lot of attention on social media and will catch your followers’ eyes. Sites like PosterMyWall have tons of engaging retail sale poster templates that you can customize and upload to your page in minutes.
Ask questions through stories: Use Instagram stories to run polls, ask questions, and get feedback and opinions from your followers. For instance, ask them what new drink they’d like to be added to the menu.
2. Make TikTok videos
TikTok is one of the most popular forms of social media right now. Millions of young people flock to the app every day to post 60-second videos about anything and everything. Considering so many people, especially from Gen Z are on TikTok constantly, it would make sense for you to have a TikTok strategy for your marketing.
Here are some ways you can create exposure about your bar through TikTok:
Make exciting narration videos: These are videos that have a voiceover accompanied by a compilation of pictures and short clips. Make videos titled “Happy Hour at Moe’s Tavern” or “Football Friday at Moe’s Tavern”. Show relevant content that people can engage with.
Display your menu: Simply uploading a menu card to your page is so 2015. Instead, create fun short videos that highlight different items on your menu. Have a delicious, juicy burger that goes great with a special drink? Make a video on it. For instance, Groovy Beast’s steakhouse shows you how you can advertise your menu items in a fun and engaging way.
Show your drink or food-making process: This can be a tutorial of sorts in which you show your followers how to create unique and delicious food and drinks. This will have people asking questions and sharing the video on their own pages. For example, Rocca shows its customers how to create a mozzarella side dish through a short TikTok video.
3. Host special events regularly
Remember how we mentioned the importance of creating an experience for your customers earlier in this article? Well, the way to do that is through events. You don’t have to organize anything too fancy. Just ensure it’s something your audience will love and you’re golden.
Here are some events you should try out:
Trivia Night Thursdays: Invite people to sign up for Trivia Night as teams so people can come with their friends. They’ll be competing against other teams. The questions can be about anything. In fact, you can pick a category based on which one gets the most votes on social media.
Game Days: Whenever there’s a big sports game on that you know a lot of people are into, leverage that opportunity to bring people into your bar. Get a giant TV screen and play the game. People will come in with friends and order drinks and food.
Happy Hour Wednesdays: A lot of young people are looking for an escape after their 9 to 5 jobs, especially when they’re stuck in the middle of a workweek. Offer special discounted deals on food and drinks, and invite people to come in and unwind. You can even have some board games set up that people can play.
Open Mic Nights: invite young musicians to come and showcase their talent. They’ll bring their friends and you’ll have a full house.
4. Leverage the power of word of mouth
Word of mouth is a surprisingly effective promotional tool that a lot of people often overlook. This is especially true when you’re marketing to a younger audience.
Young people tend to belong to active groups and communities, whether it’s through college, workshops, work, or otherwise. They also have very active social media accounts that they can use to spread the word about your bar effectively.
Of course, you’ll have to give them a reason to do this. So make sure you offer your customers the very best food, drinks, and service, and create an environment of fun and relaxation for them. Then, encourage them to share their experience on their college forums or on their personal social media.
As more and more satisfied customers take to social media or tell their friends about your bar, you’ll see it fill up with customers in no time.
Final thoughts
Social media is your best friend when it comes to promoting your bar to a younger audience. If you employ the right Instagram and TikTok strategies, you’ll see a huge increase in foot traffic in your bar. Moreover, hosting the right events will help you establish a name for yourself. People will share photos and videos of their fun night, and this will help you get more exposure among young people.
