Author: Stewart Hindley

Running a pub can be a fun and exciting career, but ensuring a steady stream of customers isn’t necessarily the easiest thing in the world. There are a number of digital marketing techniques you can use to get more customers through your door.

Digital Presence

Before we get into the active digital marketing of your pub, let’s first take a look at your online presence. Providing a customer experience that is smooth, helpful and optimised is a trend that will continue to grow in 2023 as technology continually develops and supports customer-focused digital interactions.

Website

Your website is your digital storefront and lets your potential customers know what they can expect when they visit your pub. Whether you’re a sports bar that plays live football matches, a riverside pub ideal for a quiet drink, a family-friendly pub restaurant or an LGBTQ+ bar, your website visitors should be able to tell what kind of venue you are and what kind of evening they can expect if they go to your pub.

Your website can also help your customers get in touch with you, either by phone, email, live chat or an automated reservation system.

Your website is also likely to be the destination of much of your online marketing activity, so it’s good to have your website ready for any traffic you send its way.

Social media

A social media presence is virtually expected of businesses these days. In the case of pubs, customers want to see what’s going on at the pub, if any themed nights are coming up or any special promotions, what the venue looks like and ask any questions, such as if your pub is appropriate for a family meal with children.

Social media profiles can also direct your customers to your website, take bookings, show opening times, let a customer chat with you and show which of their friends also like, follow or otherwise interact with that pub.

Google My Business

This is a really simple but important digital estate to look after. Sharing your opening times, address, website and contact details with Google My Business makes it so much easier for Google to give your potential customers accurate information about your business.

It helps your customers find their way to you, find out when you’re open, reserve a table, see your reviews, get in touch with you, and more, all from the Google search results page.

Digital Marketing

Social media

Social media is what first springs to mind when people think of digital marketing, and for good reason: it’s accessible for pub owners, it reaches your audience wherever they are and it can be free. Yes, you can also choose to advertise on social media if you like, but there’s no need to pay to use social media if you don’t want to. Social media gives you a chance to chat and engage with your customer base even when they’re not in your pub.

Social media platforms

There are many social media platforms available these days and it’s certainly not a stagnant channel – there’s always a new platform or feature. Try not to get overwhelmed by the options.

Instead, focus on your audience – what social media platforms do they use? This is where you need to focus your attention. Facebook is almost expected so it’s likely your audience will want your pub to have a Facebook profile, but would they also look for, and interact with, you on Instagram, Twitter or TikTok? You may be able to use Facebook groups local to your pub, just be mindful of the group rules otherwise you may be removed by the admin.

A recent phenomenon that shows no signs of slowing is videos on TikTok being recreated, such as the Blinding Lights dance routine popularised during the pandemic and recently “Dance With My Hands” from Netflix’s Wednesday series. Recreating these videos can boost your brand’s visibility, and the ones that perform well add a unique twist to the original. These videos are not limited to TikTok and are spread across the digital ecosystem, so your content isn’t bound to one platform; Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have all adopted Reels (short-form videos) as a result of TikTok’s influence.

Social media content

After deciding on which platform(s) you’ll target, you should consider what kinds of content you’ll share. This will be partially determined by what kind of content your audience want, as well as the platform(s) you’ve chosen. There has been a shift towards simple, clear messaging recently, which is a trend that will continue in 2023.

Videos and photos go down well with audiences and showing the human side of your business is almost always a winner. Try to be personable and make genuine connections with your audience, rather than just pushing promotions at them.

Offers and discounts mixed in with other content such as videos of live performances or ‘meet-the-team’ snippets work well, as well as behind-the-scenes shots; it’s all about finding the right balance for your audience.

You can also share (with permission) photos or videos that your customers have taken while at your pub; this adds a layer of authenticity to your messaging that you can’t achieve on your own, and is known as user-generated content.

You can also use social media to tell people about new food and drinks that you’ll be doing, and upcoming entertainment, such as an open mic night, a live band, quizzes, sports games or cabaret performances.

You could run social media competitions where, for example, you ask your customers to comment on your post with their favourite photo or video from your pub for the chance to win a bar tab of £50. Your customers’ friends and followers will see their media comments on your post and your brand will be put right in front of them, promoting your business for a very modest fee.

Other uses for social media

An oft-overlooked use of social media is for research; you can use it to keep an eye on your what your competition is doing and, perhaps more importantly, how their audience is reacting to it. Are they doing something particularly well that you can recreate (without directly copying – you should always put your own spin on it), or did they try something that fell flat? Sometimes, your competitors take risks that you can learn from to make your business better.

Make your place social media friendly, for example, a feature wall full of curious quotes or unusual objects that may urge people to take a photo and post it to their own social channels, tagging your pub. You could also make the food and even the drinks you serve Instagrammable – think of The Alchemist, their customers love to take videos of their drinks bubbling away or changing colours and post that to social media. A well-presented plate can have the same effect.

Reviews

Encourage your regulars and other customers to leave reviews, whether this is on social media, on Google or dedicated review sites such as TripAdvisor. You could have cards printed with QR codes on them to make it easier for your customers to get to your go-to review destination.

Reviews aren’t just one-way though: be sure to reply to the people who leave you reviews so that other people see that you’re present and care about your customers. This means thanking people for their positive reviews and hoping you see them again soon, and addressing any less-than-positive reviews. These interactions can really help to build relationships in the long term.

Influencer marketing

If you’re running a 1-site pub, or perhaps even a small chain of pubs, you may think influencer marketing isn’t for you, but local influencer marketing can have a real impact.

If you were to take this route, you’d want someone (or multiple someones) that is already a loyal customer, is active on social media and has a large following – either larger than yours or has access to a particular audience demographic that you’d like to target.

You could also consider local influencers that aren’t customers yet but with whom there is a natural resonance, i.e. it wouldn’t be unexpected for them to promote your business. People don’t like being sold to, so influencer marketing works best when it feels genuine – when it’s like one friend would say something like “this pub has a great vibe and they do amazing cocktails” to another friend in casual conversation. Influencer marketing should feel genuine and not forced.

You can find influencers by searching Instagram for hashtags relevant to your industry and in your area, such as #pub, #beergarden and #cocktailhour.

You can also use hashtags in your own social media posts (although, please, not on Facebook) to help people discover your pub.

Influencer marketing is a two-way street – they won’t just do it for nothing. You’ll have to arrange an agreement with them where they benefit in some way, this could be a simple payment or could be a barter system where you give them a discount or free food/drinks. This should all be set up and agreed upon before they start their work.

Start a blog

A blog may be an unusual approach for a pub, but it can help set you apart, and a regularly-updated blog can help boost your search rankings and, subsequently, traffic to your website.

If you decide to start a blog, be sure to keep it updated regularly, at least one new article a month and, after a year or two, it’s a good idea to see if any of your older blogs can be brought up-to-date.

Some pub-related blog topics include:

• Differences between beer, lager and ale
• History of particular drinks
• How did darts become a pub favourite?
• The science behind cocktails
• How do pubs accommodate customers doing Dry January (beyond Coke and water!)?
• Why has the pub quiz remained a British staple?
• Celebrating pub landlords and ladies from film and TV
• What’s it like owning and running a pub?

Paid Digital

Organic marketing is great because it’s free (or very low cost) and can be genuinely fun to work on, however, if you’re looking for some quicker results, you can always pay to advertise. There are a few ways you can go about this:

Paid Search can place you in a prominent position on search engine results pages (SERPs) and can be tailored so you only appear against relevant keywords, i.e. your ad will appear if people search for “pubs near [location]” but not for “family days out in [location]”.

Paid Social works in a few different ways and can be as simple as boosting one of your existing social media posts to a new audience. You can even specify the type of person they’ll reach – their age, location, interests, behaviours etc.

Influencer Marketing has been mentioned in detail above but is worth highlighting again here. Using local influencers can highlight your pub to certain groups of people and can be a cost-effective way of promoting your pub.

Metrics

For any digital marketing activity you undertake, you can track it. You can track clicks from social media, search engines and any paid activity if it’s going to your website – read here for more information on how to do this. You can also look at how people navigate your website once they’re there.

If you’re considering buying and running your own pub, get in touch with a member of our skilled and experienced team who are on hand to help you discover your dream pub.

Breakfast is an important part of the overall experience of your guests’ stay at your hotel and it’s another way you can ‘wow’ them and set yourself apart from your competition.

Not only does your breakfast set your guests up for their day but, on the day of their checkout, breakfast is likely to be one of their final touchpoints with you and can leave a lasting impression.

What are the most popular types of breakfast?

English Breakfast

An English breakfast, also known as a Full English or a fry-up, is a hearty meal consisting of sausages, bacon, fried eggs, mushrooms, beans, a cooked tomato and toast. It may also contain fried bread or black pudding.

Continental Breakfast

A continental breakfast is a lighter way to start the day and can be traced back to the mid-19^th century. Instead of meats and fried foods, a continental breakfast typically contains pastries and other baked goods alongside fruit, toast and coffee. It’s not uncommon to see yoghurt amidst a continental spread.

American Breakfast

An American breakfast shares some similarities with the English breakfast in that it features eggs, sausages and bacon, but may also include pancakes or hash browns.

Regional Breakfast

If your guests typically travel from further afield, such as overseas, they may be looking forward to trying local delicacies. Offering a range of foods that use local ingredients or recipes can be the deciding factor for some guests.

Ways to serve hotel breakfasts

How you serve breakfast can be as important as what you serve. Some guests may be expecting full table service with a number of courses while others would prefer to serve themselves so they can choose exactly what they want and not wait for their food to arrive, and some may prefer to skip the dining room completely and have their breakfast brought to their room.

Buffet Breakfast

A buffet breakfast allows your guests to choose exactly what they want and it also often means they have to wait for less time.

Having your guests serve themselves means your staff are free to do other things, which may include ensuring your guests are happy and satisfied, keeping an eye on the food levels, and clearing empty tables.

A la carte

Some guests may prefer a meal that has been cooked specifically for them and brought to them once it is ready, rather than serving themselves food that has been kept warm for an undetermined amount of time. The guest can also ask their waiter for expert recommendations on the food.

A benefit to you as the hotel owner is that less food will be wasted by serving only what is ordered.

Room service

Some guests may prefer to eat in their rooms, for any number of reasons including illness, hangover, disability, social anxiety or they may just simply want to eat breakfast in bed. Offering room service requires additional time from your employees but provides a keener service to your guests for which you may choose to charge a premium.

How to make your breakfast top-notch

Food safety regulations

Paying attention to all food safety regulations is important for your guests – not to mention your reputation! On top of the regular food safety regulations used in your kitchens, you and your staff should do the following to keep your buffet areas hygienic:

• Keep food covered until it’s ready to serve
• Provide separate serving utensils for every dish to avoid cross-contamination
• Dispose of food after 2 hours at room temperature (and after 1 hour on hot summer days)
• Clean the buffet area before, during and after serving times
• Consider a sneezeguard
• Provide handwashing options for guests before they start touching the serving utensils

Pay attention to details and aesthetics

You’ll want to make sure your food is served in a way that appeals to your guests, and your serving dishes and utensils should be in keeping with your hotel’s brand aesthetic.

Clear labelling

Labelling your food clearly and simply is not only helpful for people who may not be familiar with a particular dish, but it can help people with allergies or severe dislikes avoid foods that may not agree with them. It can also tell people who try that food and enjoy it exactly what they’re eating so they can order it again in the future.

It’s a good idea to include any allergens on the label. For more information about your legal requirements around allergen information, read here.

Group similar foods together

Grouping food together means your guests can find what they want to eat more easily. For example, they may know they want cereal but haven’t quite decided what kind of cereal they’d like that morning, so having it all together helps them see all the options at once and they can make their decision more easily. It also means you can group the cereal bowls and milk together for easy serving.

Having a section for pastries, a section for cereals and a section for hot food means people can go directly to the area that interests them.

Decide what food items need to be served individually and what can be served in bulk

Some foods, such as baked beans, make sense to be served in bulk; it makes it easier for the kitchen staff to prepare and guests can take as much or as little as they like.

Other food items are better off being presented as individual portions. For example, you could serve a block of butter and have people serve themselves but it would quickly look unappealing.

Some items, such as cereal, may be served either way, but you’d need to consider how you present them. If serving cereal in bulk, you’ll need to use particular dispensers that will stop the cereal from going stale. Alternatively, you can serve individual packets of cereal.

Pay attention to your diners’ surroundings

Depending on the size of your hotel, your guests may eat breakfast in the same room as they eat their dinner, and it’s nice to create a different atmosphere so they’re not reminded of their lasagne al forno at 8am.

Using different tablecloths and bright flowers can help to create a different kind of ambience, alongside the smell of fresh coffee and some soft but lively music. You may have more subdued lighting for dinner but opt for brighter lighting in the morning. Combining these subtle touches can give the same room a completely different vibe.

How do you set up a breakfast buffet table?

Firstly, you need to decide where your table will be going. Will you have it in the middle of the room so it is central to everybody, or over to one side? If it’s near a wall, will you keep it out a few feet so people can serve themselves from both sides, or will you have it up against the wall?

Once you’ve placed your table, you can dress it. You may opt for a large tablecloth or smaller, individual mats under each serving station, you may even choose both. Many hotels choose white tablecloths, however, you may prefer a checked tablecloth, or floral, or bold, bright patterns. How you dress your table, including the colours, materials and any decorations, should reflect the aesthetic of your hotel’s brand.

Now you can begin to lay your table. You should provide plates at the “start” of your buffet table so your guests can pick these up first, alongside napkins and cutlery. You may choose to roll cutlery into napkins so guests can easily pick up one bundle.

Because hot food will start to cool once it’s on your guests’ plates, it is better to have cooked items near the end of the serving selection, so after the plates and cutlery should come your cold offering, which may include cereal (as well as cereal bowls and milk), fruit (either individual fruit or a fruit salad in a large serving bowl) and pastries. Fill your serving dishes so people know there is enough for everyone and make sure everything has its own serving utensil.

After your cold food comes the hot food, and you’ll need to make sure that it stays hot – nobody wants cold scrambled eggs. Lay out your chafing dishes with enough space between/around them so that people have space to put the lids while they are serving their food. Try to group similar hot foods together, such as meats, then eggs, then potatoes.

You’ll also want a drinks station and ideally, this will be slightly separate from the food; perhaps at the end of the buffet table, or on a different table. Here you’ll have your tea and coffee kept warm in dispensers, as well as cold fruit juice (orange and apple are standard). The rest of your drinks section should include cups, glasses, saucers, sugar, milk and teaspoons.

If you’re considering buying your own hotel, get in touch with a member of our skilled and experienced team who are on hand to help you discover your dream hotel.

Whether it’s changing careers, updating your home, or taking up a new hobby, a new year presents the perfect opportunity to say “out with the old and in with the new”.

And this applies to renovating a hotel too!

With 2023 upon us, now is the perfect time to start thinking about renovating your hotel and giving it a fresh lease of life, especially if it is looking and feeling a little dated and in need of some TLC.

However, renovating a hotel is no easy feat and it’s important that you plan your renovation project with meticulous attention to detail so that you can achieve your vision, without going over budget.

Whether you’re in the midst of a renovation project or about to begin one, you’re in the right place. Here are our top renovation tips.

Always plan ahead

Thorough planning is the key to any successful renovation project and it’s important that every element is planned out carefully to minimise disruption and keep your guests happy.

Review your hotel booking system to determine the quietest times of year for your hotel, so that you can map out when to start and finish your project. And you should always let your guests know if any renovation work is planned during their stay.

Set your goals and nail down your budget

Renovation work begins with a vision. Once you have an idea of exactly what you want to achieve, write down your goals and map out how you will achieve them.

If you’re carrying out a particularly big renovation, you might need to get a project manager, builders and designers on board.

Your planning should also include all costs so that you know where you stand financially. You don’t want to get halfway through your renovation project to realise you don’t have the money to complete it.

Conduct a full-scale survey of your hotel

Before starting your renovation project, you should complete a full-scale survey of your hotel to determine if there are any areas that urgently need to be addressed.

If you’re working with a strict budget, for example, you might have to prioritise areas of your hotel that need updating or fixing first. A survey will help you to fully understand what needs to be prioritised.

Choose durable, long-lasting styles

Renovating your hotel is a costly business. With this in mind, when it comes to choosing your furnishings, wall colours and accessories, you should opt for styles that are universally appealing and won’t go out of fashion.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can’t put your individual stamp on your hotel – far from it! You just need to ensure that the colours and patterns you use will offer optimum longevity and won’t look dated in a few months.

Always consider your guests

Finally, a renovation project is impossible to complete without major work taking place at some point.

There are, however, steps you can take during this period to minimise disruption to your guests, including ensuring that any rooms surrounding the construction zone are empty and informing your guests of any works prior to their arrival. This means that they can decide whether or not they stay with you during this period.

If you’re considering buying your own hotel, get in touch with a member of our skilled and experienced team who is on hand to help you discover your dream B&B property.

Hotel and hospitality businesses face a raft of challenges and, while issues such as reducing costs and increasing footfall may seem like the priority, it’s important to keep cash flow at the forefront of your business operations.

Cash is king in any business. So, it’s vital that you keep on top of your cash flow if you want to ensure that you are in a financially sound position, now and in the future.

And, if you take your eye off your cash flow, you can quickly run into problems.

We’ve taken a look at why staying on top of your cash flow is so important.

Make better plans and decisions

If you stay on top of your cash flow, you will always know where you stand financially, meaning you will be able to make better plans and decisions, and avoid putting your business at any sort of risk.

Understanding your income and outgoings will help you to plan ahead, avoid risk, and gain an accurate insight into your current situation.

Expand at the right time

If you’re hoping to grow and expand your business, it’s important that you can establish whether you are in a sound position to do so. After all, expansion can pose a huge threat to a business if it’s not carefully planned.

Whether you’re taking on new members of staff or looking for bigger premises, any form of growth requires you to have cash behind you and it’s important to be sure that you will be able to afford the additional costs.

Understand what’s coming in and going out

Managing your cash flow effectively will instantly give you a better idea of what is coming into and going out of your bank. This insight will not only show you where you stand but will also help you identify areas of the business where you can cut costs if needed.

This is important as cash flow problems will impact your relationships with your employees, partners, suppliers and investors.

How can you manage your cash flow through challenging times?

Cash flow forecast​

A cash flow forecast is vital for any hotel and hospitality business as it outlines how your business is going to perform and grow at different milestones.

This will not only help you to ensure that you have enough money in the business to cover your operational costs but it will also help you to make realistic revenue projections and manage your inflows and outflows, which is critical to establishing a healthy cash flow.

Cash flow support apps

Cash flow support apps are expertly designed to give businesses of all shapes and sizes a real-time view of their cash flow. Using one of these apps will help you optimise your monitoring and gain accurate, up-to-date insights into where your business stands financially.

Review your cashflow forecast

There’s no denying that the last few years have been challenging. We have not only had to manoeuvre a global pandemic, but we are now in the midst of a cost of living crisis which is also taking its toll on all UK businesses.

With this in mind, it certainly pays to regularly review your cash flow forecast, as well as your profit and loss reports, and adapt your business strategy accordingly.

Why choose Stewart Hindley?

If you’re considering becoming a bed and breakfast host, get in touch with a member of our skilled and experienced team who are on hand to help you discover your dream B&B property.

As pubs face high costs due to increased energy prices and global supply chain issues, it’s only natural that landlords and bar managers are looking at ways to save costs when running their pub.

It is estimated that some pubs have seen their bills increase by 500% and with it not being a viable option to pass the huge price hikes onto consumers, pub managers and pub owners are exploring how they can cut back on operational outgoings.

As energy bills continue to rise, we have put together some money-saving tips. Here are three ways to reduce the running costs of your pub.

Research energy providers and explore your options

Energy bills and overheads are large outgoings that should be managed closely and after an expensive year, it may be beneficial to research your provider to explore your options.

Fixed-term contracts may seem more expensive, but they provide pubs with a stable price over the contract period. However, energy provider EDF advises checking the terms and conditions to avoid any unexpected changes or charges.

If your pub is already committed to an energy contract, you should receive an energy renewal letter from your supplier around three months before the contract end date. This is when you should begin research to drive down costs and lock in a lower energy price.

Aim to use less

Energy

Heating, lighting, and electricity are costly necessities when running a pub, but managers and landlords should look to use less energy and pay less for it.

Around 18 per cent of heat is lost through open doors and windows so keeping doors and windows closed when the heating is on can help to reduce energy costs. Draught-proofing windows and doors can also help to stop cold air from entering as well as stopping heat from escaping.

According to the energy giant EDF, energy is priced based on 48 half-hour time slots throughout the day with the price of energy varying for each 30-minute period. The most expensive time of day is between 4 pm and 7 pm so by reducing energy consumption during these hours of the day, you could save money.

Being energy conscious is a great energy-saving tactic that helps you understand where costs can be cut and where your money can be clawed back.

Wastage

Using less doesn’t just refer to energy though, you can minimise wastage in food and drink through ongoing training of your staff, ensuring they are cooking food and pouring drinks with fewer mistakes. Instilling processes where stock is regularly checked for expiry dates, and adjusting how much you or your team are ordering, also helps reduce the amount of product lost to wastage.

Review what drinks and meals are often not being sold and consider removing these from your offering. In terms of food, keeping these extra ingredients in stock can reduce inefficiencies and increase wastage, and for drinks, they take up space in your fridges or make little use of taps that could be used by more popular beverages.

Staff

Speaking of staff, it’s important to take care of your employees so they don’t leave. Recruiting and training new staff are costs you’ll want to avoid, so check in regularly with your teams to make sure they are happy at work and not thinking about leaving.

Listen to their feedback and keep them feeling satisfied and fulfilled. While it may seem counter-intuitive, incentivising your employees can go a long way to boosting team morale, raising productivity and efficiency, and retaining your staff longer.

Make sustainable swaps

Installing smart switches, using low-watt LED lightbulbs, and being aware of what appliances are being used and for how long can significantly reduce costs.

LED lightbulbs are energy-efficient and conserve up to 80 per cent more energy than traditional lighting. With 95 per cent of energy converted into light, only five per cent is wasted as heat compared to a traditional lightbulb that only converts 10 per cent of energy into light.

Smart switches act as any traditional switch but can be controlled via an app on your phone to create a schedule. This means you can programme the lights to turn on and off automatically throughout the day.

For more information, get in touch to discuss how pub finance could benefit your business venture.