Pubs warned not to rely on discounts for January trade
That is the warning from Livebookings as the traditional quietest months of the year in the pub trade approach.
It suggests that there are ways of enticing consumers out to spend money without cheapening the offer through deals.
"When talking about bounce-back marketing, we typically think about time-sensitive vouchers and discounts," said group marketing director Gemma Carver. "It’s a proven strategy, and it’s certainly worth handing out some special January offers along with the after dinner mints and till receipts. But there are also many other ways of promoting bounce back offers and special events to fill your restaurant in an otherwise dour January."
Methods of loyalty discounting
Carver suggests using targeted marketing through Google AdWords to promote different offers to users based on their location and device, and using Google Display Network — Google’s new remarketing feature. It enables the user to display ads targeted at previous visitors to the website.
Popular social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter, can also win repeat custom. Email marketing remains strong, and free, as a means of drawing people to the pub and Carver estimates that thousands can be made from a single campaign.
She suggests rewarding loyal customers with loyalty cards or apps. These have the appeal of benefiting returning customers, rather than offering a blanket deal for all visitors. App options include Apple’s Passbook, BeepTreat and LoyalBlocks.
"Remember, whichever tool you use, your offer needs to be enticing enough to loosen purse strings at a time when they’ll be gripped tightly," says Carver. "Try and be generous, with a free dessert when they order an entree and main or allowing kids to eat for free, to maximise response.
