Effective communication between publican and customer is at the heart of a successful business and a thriving bar. But in an ever-expanding industry, relaying the right message to beat the competition and attract and retain loyal customers is always a challenge.
The average licensee today is well aware that the outside billboard promoting the weekly quiz night or specials menu cannot be relied on to attract repeat custom or passing trade by itself.
So how can a publican tap into consumer needs, successfully promote the delightful wares of their pub and stand out among the competition?
Traditionally, licensees have not been the quickest to embrace new technologies.
But that is changing as better use of communications technology is now viewed by many publicans as being key to securing consumers who demand more convenience, excellent service and greater value.
To survive and excel, publicans now need to deliver superior service even before the customer has walked into the bar.
Powerful marketing tool
Mobile communications have already made an impact on the UK leisure and entertainment industry. Text messaging or SMS, short messaging services, is now a powerful marketing and customer communication tool with many drinks companies running "text to win" campaigns to promote a particular brand and increase customer demand.
Such SMS campaigns benefit the big retail brands and the independent alike. For example, earlier this year tenanted group Enterprise Inns implemented a selection of UK-wide mobile entertainment initiatives including games and competitions to promote a number of drinks brands including Carling, Stella Artois and Foster's.
Because of the immediate nature of SMS, Enterprise chose to collect responses to the various games and competitions via text, cutting out the lengthy process and additional cost of traditional postal response methods.
Multi-channel communications specialists such as ourselves provide all the necessary mobile infrastructure to operate such promotions including everything from a five-digit short code for the SMS-based games and prize draw tools to manage the competition elements.
Pub customers, for example, were able to text in the co-ordinates of various buried treasure chests which were hidden on a map to claim a selection of cash prizes including a main prize of £30,000.
Successful entrants received a text informing them of their prize and telling them how to go about claiming it.
Unsuccessful entrants rec-eived a text message to tell them that as a consolation they could claim a free drink from the bar or even a mobile download such as a ringtone or logo for the promoted brands or venue they were in.
Financially self-supporting
This promotional activity increased sales of Carling, Stella Artois and Foster's by between six per cent and 22 per cent. Revenue generated was used by the company to underpin the costs involved in each individual campaign - a crucial factor in today's business environment where most business activities need to be financially self-supporting.
As well as offering an opportunity for an uplift in revenue, involvement in such promotional activity also provides access to valuable and secure customer data.
This segmented consumer data enables publicans to build a customer profile and target them much more cost effectively. For example, sending a text alerting customers about forthcoming events or promotions which they can then forward to interested friends and colleagues, could prove much more productive than paying for the production and distribution of hundreds of flyers that may end up in the bin.
SMS, then, has clearly been identified as a key channel for communicating real-time information to existing and potential customers. But by converging SMS with other communications channels the potential is even greater.
New location-based software is being developed to enable tourists and daytrippers to towns and cities to text a street name or postcode to a short code number to find the nearest pub or a particular type of restaurant. The tourist will then receive a WAP link via SMS which opens up a full listing of relevant venues for that area.
The recipient can select a pub, link to its website if there is one, view a map, opening times, list of house beers, a menu summary, special nights and entrance fees and even take a virtual tour of the venue - ideal if you want to promote private function facilities.
By linking with local tourist boards or entertainment guides that are set to adopt this technology, licensees can gain maximum exposure for their pub and effectively market themselves to new customers and passing trade.
Good licensees are expert at managing a business that is complex and demanding. When implementing any new system it is important to understand what is right and realistic for your pub.
Whether you are trying to attract new customers, aiming to foster loyalty from existing ones or generate quick revenue, embracing multi-channel communications will enable you to provide the best service available and increase revenue.
- Paul Terry is general manager of 2ergo Ltd, part of 2ergo Group plc, which is an AIM-listed global provider of interactive and multi-channel communications.