Sports bars are amidst a very unique market. Promoting and marketing one allows for unique, informal, and outside the box ways of doing so. They can tend to come a dime a dozen so setting yours apart from others is very crucial. These methods can show that you mean business, and failure to do so can mean the end of yours.

SUPPORT LOCAL TEAMS

Show you customers that you are on their side. Fans want a place that feels like home where they can feel comfortable rooting for their favorite team. Make sure you know when the home team is playing and have the game ready to go on the big screen.

SPECIALS DURING BIG GAMES

If you aren’t offering drink special during the big games, you can bet that someone else is. You can also bet that the fans will be flocking to those who are.

FEATURE OTHER SPORTS EVENTS

If you have the arsenal, show other big sporting events on other screens even if the home team is playing. Stay on top of what is going on in the sports world. This can mean more customers than just home team fans.

UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA

This can be one of the biggest mistakes a sports bar can make. Many people rely on social media for much of their news and information. Make sure your presence is felt on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

FLYERS

Pass out flyers around town featuring deals and events coming up. This is a in your face way of promoting and can rapidly make your name known around town.

SIDEWALK SIGNS

Put signs out front of your restaurant with clever sayings and food and drink deals. This will catch the attention of anyone walking by. It may even persuade some customers to stop in right then.

DRINK SPECIALS

Once or twice a week, feature a half priced drink night, or two dollar draft beers. You will notice some regulars coming in for this weekly deal and word will get around town.

FOOD SPECIALS

What’s better than drink Specials? Food Specials! Plenty of places offer drink specials but not all feature great deals on food. This could be the finishing touch. Offer 25 cent wings once a week or half off appetizers.

CONTESTS

Everyone likes a chance to win something. Every once and a while throw a contest. Whether it’s a video games or a putt-putt competition, give people a reason to come out, have some drinks, and have some fun.

COMMUNITY EVENT

Show that you are part of the community. Make a statement by hosting events in the community to show that you care. It could be raising money for a charity or supporting a local kid’s sports league in town. Show your customers that you are a part of the community and here to stay.

RADIO SHOWS

Get attention of the work force. You can have advertisements featured on local radio shows, or even better try to have local radio personalities do a show from your restaurant.

WEBSITE

Make sure your website is up to date. Show your customers that you are with the times and make sure your website isn’t lacking. Make sure it also features links to all your social media sites.

HOST PARTIES

Not everything has to be about sports. Give people a reason to party. Host a party for the beginning or summer or Cinco de Mayo. People are looking for a reason to have a good time so give them one.

PERFORMANCES

Once a week or so, have a local musician come in and play a show. This could be a free or cheap way for you to host an event and draw in an extra crowd as some local artists are just looking to get their name out.

HOST CELEBRITIES OR SPORTS PLAYERS

See if you can get a local celebrity or athlete to come in a sign autographs and hang out for a while. You can bet this will draw an extra crowd. This will also show the area that if you can attract celebrities then your place might be worth their time as well.       

Sports bars have the ability to market to customers in a creative and fun way. Try these ideas to help increase the sales and foot traffic at your bar.

In what ways have you marketed your sports bar that has shown great results?