Marketing: Attracting and keeping customers

With competition for customers greater than ever, attracting them to your pub - and, more importantly, getting them to come back - is vital. By Phil Mellows.

Wherever you turn today, somebody is trying to sell you something. We are assaulted by sexy images, blinded by neon. Advertising has wormed its way into every crevice of life. So how is the humble pub to make itself heard above the din?

A trip to the local is no longer a daily, nor even a weekly, habit for most. A pub not only has to get noticed but also to give potential customers an idea of what it is offering.

Once they are through the door the hard work doesn't end. You have to give them a reason to go back, to somehow create a habit and continue to keep it alive.

In marketing language, you have to target a variety of consumer segments at the same time.

• First-time customer.​ Encourage "trial" or "sampling" of the pub by increasing awareness. You can use banners outside the pub or maybe organise leaflet drops around the local community.
• Occasional customer.​ Stage one-off events, such as themed evenings, scheduled over a period of time and advertised in advance. This encourages the occasional customer to visit more often.
• Regular customers.​ Organise weekly events, for example quizzes, usually on quieter nights during the week, so that even your loyal customers have a special reason to call in.

To attract those first-timers, you ought to be shouting about what your pub's got to offer. But it's important to shout in the right way.

Latest technology means that high quality, personalised publicity materials can be produced more quickly and cheaply than ever before - but not all licensees have cottoned on to the opportunity.

Ray Tunstall at Streaker Promotions has noticed a growing awareness among pubs of how banners and posters can promote events and seasonal offers, but he believes there is much more they can do.

"The problem is that a lot of pubs find technology a hindrance rather than a help," he said. "They find it a chore to use a computer but they insist on producing handwritten notices and chalkboards.

"If they would only spend £100 on a computer design programme they could produce professional materials that are easy to look at and grab the attention.

"We could do it in two minutes but it's something publicans should be doing for themselves."

For the bigger stuff, Ray recommends pubs buy banners to highlight seasonal offers or regular events, so they can be used again and again.

"You can use an A-board to advertise your Christmas menu but a car driving past isn't going to be able to read that," he said. "If you've got a 10-foot banner up, though, that will get recognition."

Ray quotes the example of a pub which increased take at its beer festival by 50 per cent after putting a banner up to advertise the event.

Once you've got people in your pub, the real trick is to build loyalty, and that means using events and mechanics to develop a relationship with your customers.

Tim Hawkes is sales and marketing director at promotions agency TDH, specialists in helping licensees make the most of through-the-year business building devices such as quizzes, fantasy football tournaments, loyalty schemes and theme nights.

"Quizzes can work in food houses and young persons' venues as well as community pubs," he said. "Any outlet can run a quiz as there are a number of skill levels you can use and a choice of themes.

"But you must use high quality, colourful answer sheets and posters to attract attention, heighten consumers' perception of the event and encourage them to take part.

"Many pubs make the mistake of stopping quiz nights in the summer," he added. "This only forces customers to find alternative places to go. A regular weekly quiz night eliminates doubt in the customer's mind about whether to turn up, keeps advertising costs to a minimum and avoids peaks and troughs in trade."

Fantasy football tournaments, such as TDH's own Championship Football can not only increase revenue by luring people into the pub to check their scores and standing in the league table, but can also promote a sense of community at the pub.

"Sport is one of the most important factors in the life of a local pub," said Tim. "It is important to appeal to the sporting interest of customers to encourage them to increase the frequency of visits and duration of stay, and offering a high-value prize will encourage more people to play."

While loyalty promotions are now bound by strict data protection laws, run properly and legally they have proved to be particularly effective in food-led outlets.

Building up a database among your customers enables you to send them mailshots about special offers at key times of the year, for instance on their birthday, and run a loyalty scheme.

Themed nights can also be successful but, Tim warns, you must take care to promote them effectively using flyers and both indoor and outdoor posters and banners.

"They provide the licensee with the ability to increase revenue throughout the year - provided the event is communicated in the best possible way," he said. "By using colourful eye-catching posters and flyers regular customers and passing trade alike will be made aware of the event."