The message in the headline is as clear as a star on top of a Christmas tree.Today marks the start of our campaign to encourage customers to return to your pub in those quieter months of the year.
For while pubs up and down the country are preparing for what we expect will be a prosperous festive season, we know that things have a tendency to tail off once the decorations come down.
This is borne out by a YouGov survey of 2,000 people, commissioned exclusively by Inapub, which reveals that just two per cent of Brits are more likely to visit the pub in January than December.
But, crucially, the survey has also revealed areas that could help pubs drive more trade at the start of 2013.
Findings show that:
• 58 per cent of all people – and 63 per cent of women – would be more likely to visit a pub in January if it was running a meal deal
• One in four people (24 per cent) would be more tempted to visit if a pub was holding a live music night
• A quarter of men (23 per cent) are more likely to visit if live sport is being screened
So how can our All We Want campaign help you capitalise on these findings?
Firstly, we have sent awareness posters to pubs with copies of Inapub magazine. We urge you to display the poster in your pub to raise awareness among customers. If you haven’t received a poster and would like one, email editorial@inapub.co.uk
We will also be spreading the word via national and regional media, online at inapubnews.co.uk, Inapub.co.uk and by various social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. We will also be hosting an industry event on the campaign later this month.
Secondly, we are running our own Christmas and January offer. Register in November at inapub.co.uk and you can use of our range of customer loyalty tools for free until the end of January. This means you can raise awareness of your events and offers in the New Year by:
• Uploading your pub details events and offers at www.inapub.co.uk. You can then encourage customers to iLike your pub on the Inapub apps or website, for the chance to win an iPad in time for Christmas, with everyone who likes a pub before December 17 put into a drawer.
• Create exclusive offers using our voucher system. All of your details will appear on our Android and iPhone apps which received 90,000 hits in September alone!
• Spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, SMS and email by using the Inapub platform
Running online offers is a major way of driving trade, as Deloitte’s Taste of the Nation report revealed earlier this year.
Findings included 37 per cent of people saying they use social media when deciding where to go out for drink and food and one in five (24 per cent) using social media to search for discount vouchers.
Inapub founder Robin Brattel explains:“It’s clear from all the evidence that customers are now going online via the web and mobile to decide where to go out.
“Offering customers an incentive to come out is vital to help fill the tills in January and February and Inapub is built to help achieve that.
“We’re totally focussed on helping pubs reach prospective customers. We make sure that the pub, its events, offers and other information are discovered.
“Most importantly we capture the customers information, whether they iLike a pub or download an offer, we can convert that “online trade” into a loyal customer base.”
IDEAS PLEASE!!!
On top of the social media side of All We Want, we also want you to tell us how you intend to drive trade in your pub in the New Year. We will spread the word by featuring the most original and quirky ideas in January’s issue and online. As the below shows, some of the best in the business are already thinking ahead.
Keris De Villiers, award winning licensee at The Old Sergeant in Wandsworth, South London
“It is very important to plan ahead and give people a reason to come to the pub. We are doing a bounceback offer where customers get 20 per cent discounts if they book for January and February now. We are also going to have a ‘summer’ party where will import sand, turn the heating up and have everyone in bikini tops and beachwear.”
Anthony Pender, Yummy Pub Company
“The best place to get over those January blues is in a pub with people you like, great food and a cracking pint erred with a smile!”
” There are a million special offers you can do in January, but all are pointless if you don’t let your potential guests know about them. The best way to ensure lots of people know about any activity or events you are running in the new year is to have plenty of communication in your pub over Christmas. Footfall should be high over the festive period and if you deliver on your offer and then give people the info to come back in January they will come.”
Steve Wilson, The King’s Head, Wells, Somerset
“It’s great to see Inapub really trying to help pubs get through these challenging times. I hope lots of pubs will get on board with this latest campaign. We’ll be looking at some super-value deals, to make it cheaper to eat here than at home. And we’ll be trying some unusual takeaways. If only a handful decide to have a drink first it’ll be worthwhile. This allows us to keep the kitchen working and keep staff hours up without going into the red.”
• For more information on the campaign visit www.inapub.co.uk/allwewant