How to Tweet-talk your pub customers with Twitter

Pubs are well known as hubs of their local community, where locals and licensees hold court, offering opinions on the issues of the day and sharing gossip. So you may think that a website where the idea is to do exactly that is yet more bad news for the industry.

Yet many licensees, breweries and pubcos have harnessed the power of this new tool to promote themselves and learn more about what customers want.

If you haven't yet heard of Twitter, then you are probably in a minority - the online social network has been courted by the national press and has grown by more than 1,000 per cent in the past 12 months to an estimated 10 million users.

Twitter is 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.

For instance, a quick search of Twitter for #ukpubs (Twitterers use the hash symbol to group and tag their posts) turns up links to a Publican story on a pub that sells 45p pints, an announcement that the Wetherspoons in Edinburgh Airport had run out of Deuchars IPA and a mini review of Northern Restaurant & Bar Show ("not as big as in previous years & not a free pen in sight," if you were wondering).

Buzzing about beers

Jeremy Mitchell, head of marketing at St Austell in Cornwall, believes it was the first regional brewer to use Twitter. He says Twitter provides a novel way to "generate a buzz" around its beers and pubs and allows them to listen and communicate with customers.

"From having our pubs Tweeted as pub of the day by the Good Pub Guide through to Tweeting with local beer writers, the site has been an ideal platform to get our news out there - and get instant feedback on stories like winning Regional Brewer of the Year at The Publican Awards," he explains.

"The philosophy around social media gives you as a business the choice as to whether you want to engage and be part of the online conversation. We've made the decision to be part of that dialogue.

"Unlike other social networking sites, the applications developed to support Twitter mean we can more closely keep up to date with what people are Tweeting about and be a part of industry debate."

But Twitter can also be integrated with these other sites, such as Facebook or your own website - a feature utilised by Mark Daniels, Publican blogger and licensee of the Tharp Arms in Chippenham, Cambridgeshire.

"It offers a quick, easy, one-stop-shop solution that means you don't have to log in to Facebook

to repeat everything you've just written on Twitter," he says.

"Messages, announcements and information can be easily displayed on your main site as well as your social network pages."

Not satisfied with one account, Mark uses two, one personal and one for the business. "The first I use either for my own thoughts or something more direct about the pub trade," he explains. "And the second one I use for information on the pub itself."

From that second account Mark has seen a good response to Tweets about guest ales and upcoming events. "It is a quick and easy way to keep people informed of what is happening and it is a good way of seeing what is happening at other pubs and maybe implementing similar ideas in mine," he says.

The next generation

Mark feels a strong online presence is vital for pubs hoping to attract the next generation of customers.

He says: "For those who are now coming of age,

if you don't have a net presence you aren't worth them thinking about. While, to many of us, the thought of appearing on internet social networking pages is an anathema, to the next generation of our customers it is a must."

Carole and Steve Currie have been running the Helsby Arms in Cheshire for three-and-a-half years and have started using Twitter because it's a quick and easy way to contact current and potential customers.

"I can do it from the office, my laptop in the pub or from my iPhone when I'm out. It's just like sending a text message but to 230 followers. I love that I can post photos quickly too," enthuses Carole.

"I've put a feed on our website home page so it's not just our Twitter followers who have access to the latest pub news, so do the 800-plus visitors to our website each month. I post menu changes, today's blackboard specials, the real ales on the bar and how busy we are, along with a few jokes and pub trivia."

Community spirit

Carole also points out that, unlike emails sent to a mailing list, followers don't have the option of deleting them without opening - "so if you Tweet short, interesting snippets with links to more details, you can get the same message out".

The Curries say that Twitter has actually strengthened the local business community - they have found local suppliers through Twitter and Carole uses the site's search function to see who is saying what about the local area and the pub world.

"We're definitely better informed about what's going on in the trade," she says. "We can always find time to read 140 characters, but, although we always intend to, we never quite get through all the journals, newsletters, emails and newspapers that pile up."

But its not just about what pubs get from the site, customers also benefit, in terms of picking up information, but more importantly a sense of belonging and, as Carole puts it, an "easy, informal way of contributing" to the pub.

"We definitely have some new customers who mention Twitter when they come in, and, interestingly, feel like they already know us," she says.Have a conversation with your customers

The idea of moving from a traditional advertising platform, where you shout your message at potential customers, to a two-way communication process also appeals to brewing giants Wells & Young's (W&Y), where Paul Smith is marketing manager.

"What's great about Twitter is that it provides a completely open, two-way dialogue that anyone who's interested can see," says Paul. "Being open and approachable through sites like Twitter is helping us to better understand our drinkers' needs."

Currently around half of W&Y's 800-plus followers write their own beer blogs. Valuable ears to have the attention of, says Paul. "These are the people who really live and breathe beer and Twitter has given us a new way of talking to this key group."

But he admits the real strength of Twitter lies with the pubs and clubs. "A Twitter account is free to set up and requires no technical knowledge to keep updated," he says. "Many pubs don't have a website, and those that do don't usually get much traffic.

"However, signing up takes no time and you can advertise upcoming events such as quiz nights, meal deals or beer tasting events and be sure that local Twitter users will see your message."

So it would appear that, harnessed correctly, Twitter can benefit, rather than damage, the social life of #ukpubs.

• Sign up and Follow The Publican on Twitter: @ukpubs​

• Find out how publicans are interacting with The Publican​, and each other, in real time on The Publican Twitter Feed​