How To Increase Summer Traffic To Your Bar

Summer is a great time for bars to boost business and increase bar sales. People want to be out and about enjoying the longer daylight hours, tourists are looking for local flavor, and people want to take advantage of the festive summer atmosphere.

Below, we’ll talk about how to attract more customers to a bar in the summer, including ideas and important things to consider when coming up with summer bar promotions.

Choosing The Best Summer Marketing Ideas For Bars And Restaurants

When it comes to summer bar promotions, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. That said, you’re not just trying to choose the best summer marketing idea as much as you’re trying to choose the best summer marketing idea for your business.

There are a few considerations you’ll need to take into account, including:

• Who Is Your Ideal Customer? If you’ve already chosen a target clientele and you’re happy with how that’s going, you’ll want to choose promotions that will appeal to your current audience. If you’ve never considered who you’re marketing to or you’re looking to make a change, you’ll need to do market research and find an existing – but ideally, underserved – demographic.
• What Are Your Strengths? What assets can your bar capitalize on? Think about your location and available space. Can you attract foot traffic? Does your area see a lot of tourism? Do you have private event spaces? What kind of crowd can you accommodate? Do you have a patio? A stage (or space for one)? Pool tables? By examining what you have to work with, you can narrow down the best possibilities for your winning bar promotions.
• What Promos Are Legal? Establishments that sell alcohol sometimes get extra scrutiny and regulation in terms of what kinds of sales or promotions are allowed, especially in states with strict liquor laws. Free drinks are a common no-no, but the rules are all over the map. Do your homework on state, county, and municipal regulations before you commit to an idea – this will help you avoid legal trouble and unpleasant surprises.
• Is Your Promo Responsible? As an important part of your community, you need to be responsible with your marketing and promotion practices. If an illegal sale is made and you’re found to be using marketing tactics that encourage underage or excessive drinking, it’s harder to defend it as an accident.

Examples of Summer Bar Promotions

If you need help coming up with ways to attract more customers to a bar in the summer, we’ve got you covered. Check out the bar marketing tips and ideas below!

#1: Spruce Things Up

Before you try to attract new customers, you might want to give a critical eye to the first impression you’re making. Do you need to overhaul your look or just spruce it up for summer?

Improving your curb appeal is an important step. Think about freshening up the paint, adding colorful planters, putting out a sandwich board, and even updating your signage.

Next, look at the inside and outside spaces. What can you change or add to make things more appealing? Patios are especially popular in summer, so you should see what you can do to make them as inviting and comfortable as possible.

#2: Expand Your Food Menu

When asking how to get more customers in a bar, next you need to think about food. Aside from the value of a food menu in preventing intoxication, people are likely to stay longer and spend more if they can get a bite to eat in addition to the alcohol.

If you already have a kitchen, look at the menu and consider what can change. Think about adding dishes that people find refreshing and fun in summer. Look at what other bars have on offer and see if you can make a splash with something unique.

If you don’t have a kitchen of your own, that’s fine – summer is food truck season! Pair up with popular favorites to offer a convenient food option on the premises.

#3: Offer the Best Summer Drinks

Summer is a season that comes with iconic cocktails, so you should capitalize on that by adding some of the best summer drinks to your offerings.

Think cold temperatures, seasonal ingredients, and a vacation vibe.

If you’re aiming for the kind of crowd that can be wowed with custom cocktails, look for ways to add your own spin on old classics. Hold a mini mixology competition for your bartenders to see what they can come up with.

Have so many ideas you don’t know where to start? Introduce a new cocktail every week! If they’re good enough, you can inspire a loyal following.

#4: Host an Event

While you’re looking for bar promotions that increase sales in the summer, you can test-drive ideas that will increase bar sales all year long. This includes launching a regularly scheduled event that can become a touchpoint for the community.

There are so many possibilities: live music, trivia, singles mixers, bingo, open mic night, game tournaments, karaoke, watch parties, drag events, crafting nights, and more.

You can hook into existing organizations like Geeks Who Drink, Puzzle Pint, or Think & Drink, who create content for competitions and collaboration. Another low-effort option is to collaborate with a popular local Meetup group. There are all sorts of interest groups that may be looking for a friendly place to host their hangs. Find a group that matches your ideal customer and create magic together!

#5: Leverage Social Media

If you choose any of the summer bar promotions above, you’ll want to support them with social media campaigns to get the word out.

If you’ve never done much with online marketing, now’s the time to learn how to promote a bar on social media, including reputation management and community building.

Make use of seasonal themes to highlight food offerings, best summer drinks, new events schedule, and any other bar promotions you use to increase sales in the summer.

Prep for the Crowd with TIPS Online

Once you’ve crafted a strategy to increase bar sales, you’ll want to make sure you can support a new crowd. Get your inventory squared away, hire summer staff if needed, and make sure everyone is fresh on the principles and practices of responsible beverage service with TIPS training. It’s important for ensuring legal compliance, reducing risk and liability, and protecting your reputation.

Our online TIPS training focuses on the skills and strategies your employees need to avoid sales to minors and intoxicated persons. It’s accepted by many state and local compliance programs. It may be able to reduce your insurance premium and serve as evidence of your commitment to obeying the law should an illegal sale take place.

Best of all, it’s available at bulk purchase through our Passports program specifically to help businesses like yours. Enroll today!