e-Ficient Marketing
Are You Utilizing the Web Correctly?

Bars have been too worried about getting people onto barstools. They will spend $1,500 on a radio spot but not spend that much on their Web sites. In today’s industry, you are absolutely going to reach people on the Web, and it doesn’t need to be as hard as it once was. Technology has become very accessible,” David Gibson of Zeekee Interactive says. Gibson is the president of the 4-year-old Web development and e-mail marketing company, based Birmingham, Ala., but before that he was a bartender for a decade. He knows first hand how shy operators in the food and beverage industry can be about approaching Web-based marketing. “It used to be, that people didn’t rely on the Web at all, but now consumers use the Web to find out if you are open, band schedules, specials –– really, all sorts of things,” Gibson says. “Owners who aren’t on there are missing out.”

Freebies
There are several interchangeable ways to reach your prime demographic and your peripheral demographics at the same time with little to no cost on the Web. The easiest and least expensive are free networking sites such as MySpace. com, YouTube.com, Facebook.com and Friendster.com, but Gibson believes that they work best as part of a marketing program with other elements. “The trick with having a useful social networking site is constantly changing it,” Gibson says. “It is a full-time job to maintain those sites, and time is money. It’s part of the mix, but I wouldn’t advise people to solely rely on those.”

Your Own Site
As for an actual bar Web site, Gibson and others agree it is a crucial, one-time fee that every owner needs to budget for. Your Web site reiterates and strengthens your brand, allows for daily specials, band advertisements, new cocktail listings and a whole list of possibilities. Prices for these can range widely. The more your demographic relies on the Web in their everyday lives, the more important it is for your venue to be a part of what they see on the Internet. Microsites are particularly useful for bars and restaurants that have a heavily Web-driven patronage. Micro-sites are temporary Web sites that are linked to the venue’s main site. These offer specific information on a festival, event or promotion. The sites are perfect for extra advertising, posting information and creating an overall feel for that particular event. And they drive traffic to and from the owner’s original site.

E-mail and Text Lists
E-mail messages to customers concerning new ownership, holiday events, gift certificates and spirit tastings are possibilities, and texting, while it suits a certain type of venue, is also increasingly important. Gibson says he sees aggressive e-mail marketing on the rise. “Texting and e-mail are so easy and cheap to utilize in sending reminders,” he says. “The trick is to build a good e-mail list. You can do this by giving out free stuff in exchange for addresses. Offer a cut-the-line coupon at your nightclub or a free drink at your bar.” Offering something in exchange for an e-mail address allows the customer to feel he or she got something for nothing, when in reality, you have a permanent way to advertise personally to that consumer for zero cost. 

Web Cams
One of the newest methods of Web marketing on-premise is via Web cams installed inside bars and nightclubs. Most of the places implementing these cameras offer live entertainment that would appeal to a person at home, keeping the bar’s excitement level visible and spurring future in-person patronage and spending. Charleston, S.C., has one company that is working in effort to link all of city’s towns bars and restaurants. Charlestoncrystalball.com is a 2-year-old Web cam marketing company that offers owners high-tech video cameras for participating venues. Patrons around the world can click on links to the linked bars on the site and get a live feed of 32-frames per second of all the action inside each. Venues such as The Music Farm in Charleston are getting permission from bands to broadcast their live performances on the Charlestoncrystalball site. It allows a sold-out show to be seen by a larger audience, providing free advertising and extra visibility. “Web cams play into overall Web marketing these days,” says Richard Brendel, director of marketing for Charlestoncrystalball.com. “The first thing they have to do with is visibility. Visibility is your biggest thing, because it adds the ability to display your establishment on a larger scale and to broadcast your niche. It shows people exactly what they can expect to see and do in your bar.” Gibson adds that these cameras work well in bars with some sort of live movement and performance better than they work in a quiet, low action setting. “One opportunity with the cameras is to have the actual camera sponsored by someone,” Brendel says. “If you have one, you should go out and get it sponsored. It’s the same thing with the e-mail blast. At the bottom of the e-mail, plug a band, list a cocktail or have a logo of your newest beer.”

Tabletop Service
The future holds technology we cannot even comprehend yet, so it is crucial to stay up-to-date now to reap the benefits possible tomorrow. “The most futuristic form of Web marketing is Microsoft.com/surface,” Gibson says. Microsoft Surface is an interactive table surface designed by the company for a number of uses in schools, homes, offices –– and in the future, onpremise in the food and beverage industry. Basically, customers are able to access a digital menu, drink lists and even send orders directly to the kitchen and bar from the tabletop touchscreen. “With these types of interactive devices,” says Gibson. “You can drag items onto your bill from another bill. It also has options for virtual wine lists.” A virtual wine list would help customers pair available selections with certain dishes and even download their favorite wines onto a list to take home.