Top 10 marketing tips for pubs

. Decide what you want to achieve The first question you need to ask yourself is 'what will success look like'? Your marketing techniques will...

1. Decide what you want to achieve

The first question you need to ask yourself is 'what will success look like'? Your marketing techniques will depend on whether you are after a long-term standing in the community, or a quick profit.

2. Identify the right market opportunity for you

If you're going for the cash, 'pile it high, sell it cheap' food and discounting will pull in customers. But it won't endear you to the kind of people who are prepared to pay more for convivial surroundings. Decide what your proposition is.

3. Invest in PR

Public relations (PR) is one of the cheapest and most effective ways of spreading the word about your pub. Promotions are short-term fixes. PR - through building relationships with your local press, and community - builds slowly but has staying power.

4. Find out about marketing

Go to your local library and take out a couple of marketing books, or use Google. It's free and you will realise that it is mostly common sense.

5. What is your USP?

Decide what it is that makes your pub stand out from the competition. That's your Unique Selling Point and it should be the focus of any PR, advertising or promotion.

6. Give yourself credibility

The next stage is to add depth and credibility. If your thing is food, then enter awards; use the blackboards or menu to advertise the fact that you cook fresh on the premises. If it's live music, find your special angle.

7. Turn up the volume

When you feel confident that you have enough of a platform, you can go further. An easy and controllable way of publicising what you do is to produce your own newsletter.

8. Local press

If you have a story that you think the local newspaper might use, ring the news desk, speak to a reporter and give them the facts. If there is a picture opportunity, so much the better.

9. Advertising

Every pub is approached for advertising and prizes to support worthy local causes. You can get extra mileage by using the advertisement or sponsorship to support your platform - "The Pear Tree, the Home Counties' premier jazz venue, is pleased to ….

10. Taking control

The fact is, your business will be sending out messages to the public all the time. With PR and marketing on the agenda, you can begin to control how people view your pub.