Monday July 13: Get social with Twitter and Facebook
Think you're too busy with running your pub to be sitting on the internet?
What about if there was a new technology which offered a genuine way of attracting new customers, cementing your relationship with your regulars and keeping both up to date with all the new food and drink at your pub? All for free - and with little more than a modern mobile phone to keep it updated.
Wouldn't you be interested then?
This is what establishing your own identity on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook could offer you. And Proud of Pubs Week could be just the time to put that to the test.
This is why we are urging publicans to make Monday July 13 the day they get fully up to speed with social networking for the benefit of their business.
Why use Twitter?
Since The Publican became fully active on Twitter earlier this year we've seen a growing number of pubs waking up to the full value of using the service.
Twitter, which has grown by more than 1,000 per cent in the past 12 months to an estimated 10 million users, is often described as a "microblogging" site, where users post 'Tweets' of 140 characters or fewer (around the same as a mobile phone text message). Tweets can contain anything the user wants, as long as they fit within the character limit.
Facebook is more versatile, meaning users can add more information to their area of the site.
Both offer a great forum to put out bits of information to your 'followers' (Twitter) or 'friends' (Facebbook) - other users who have elected to keep up to date with you - or even to pose questions.
And so it was that we recently asked the question 'What are the benefits of using Twitter for pubs? Is it good for business or a distraction?'
A variety of answers came back - but all suggested positive uses for the service.
The Thatchers Arms in Mount Bures, Suffolk - where licensee Mitch Adams has a 'follow me on Twitter' spot on his home page to 'Keep up to date with our guest ales and specials boards' - the response was effusive.
"I only have praise for Twitter," says Mitch.
"Since using the service I am more up-to-date with industry goings on, through news Tweets and through contact with other licensees.
"I am generating PR for my outlet through contact with journalists also on Twitter, and my customers are starting to follow our ales, pies and specials on Twitter too."
Rob Sterowski - a pub customer - suggested 'Tweeting your guest ales induces beer geeks to visit your pub more often!' in a very succinct Tweet.
Kate O'Neil of the Coctailstars.com website and cocktail bar service meanwhile suggests publicans use Twitter as a search engine for products they are interested in selling. If people are talking about them on Twitter it'll give you a good idea of how in vogue a product is.
At the Castle Inn in Lulworth, Dorset, licensee Alex Halliday said he had received bookings for his restaurant through the site - although he added: "It's more useful as a communication tool between pubs."
Mitch Adams also cited this use as a major benefit of using the service, in that it has brought him together with other licensees around the country, and they are now regularly swapping experiences on current trading.
Further uses come from using the #ukpubs 'hashtag' - a term you include in your 'tweets' to make it easier for other people to find them - which will get your Tweets on The Publican website, and can also be used as a search term to find out the latest in the UK pub industry; while advanced users can utilise the service to link readers back to their own website or blog.
So there you have it - just some of the benefits of joining the social networking.
What are you waiting for?!
