Part Three: eSports Marketing for Sports Bars

By Nick Vener and Andrew Jaffee

Now that you understand who you’re targeting with eSports, the fun begins. You will need every arrow in your proverbial marketing quiver if you are going to build an eSports following from scratch. This installment on creating an eSports experience in your restaurant will focus on the direct marketing you need to undertake to succeed with fans of gaming.

In modern marketing strategies, the majority of efforts take place digitally — on social media and online communities. If the social media followings of the top eSports personalities are any indication this is where their fans are as well. Consequently, you will need to rely heavily on social media to build your new eSports audience, but you can’t stop there.

You will need to include good old fashion traditional marketing like email (the original social media king) and in-store marketing materials. It will require a mix of social, email, and those in-store efforts to get the attention of gaming fans and keeping them coming back.

Consequently, we offer these six strategies to get on your eSports fans, and gamers, radar.

6 eSports Marketing Tips for Sports Bars

Mine Your Own Business

The best place to start marketing your business is in your business. Traditional POP in-store marketing is a terrific place to start. A perfect way to get the ball rolling is with a guest check stuffer that delivers a survey of guests to identify their favorite eSports game. Lead with your desire to begin featuring eSports as a way of introducing the concept and simultaneously getting feedback on the games they want to watch.

Once you have determined what games you will feature for viewing, use your email list to give your guests a schedule. Any regular TV broadcasts are included on your SportsTV Guide schedule, but Twitch and YouTube schedules can be found here and here. Email is also your best bet because it doesn’t cost you anything to reach out to your audience and they want to hear from you especially if it’s about sports, eSports included.

Finally, you have to be consistent as well. If Wednesday night is League of Legends night, then you have to make sure it’s on screens and present. Otherwise you are confirming what gamers already believe — that you don’t’ want them.

Show eSport Tournaments at Your Bar

Showing eSports events airing on TV and streaming online is an easy way of demonstrating to eSports fans that you see them and are interested in catering to their interests. It provides them with the content they’re looking for in a traditional sports-viewing setting and with all the perks and amenities your sports bar provides.

We recommend starting with Twitch sports (essentially digital sporting events), where you have access to a variety of eSport-specific content that you can stream right in your bar. Some major eSports events are aired on traditional broadcasting channels, though online streaming is where most eSports events live. It also wouldn’t hurt to stream big gaming events such as the League of Legends World Championship to boost your reputation as a gaming-friendly establishment.

By showing eSports events in your restaurant, it allows you to quickly gauge whether there is enough interest in eSports in your area to continue showing games as well as possibly hosting your own gaming-specific event. It also gives your current bar guests some alternative content to enjoy.

Make it Social

If you choose a specific evening to feature eSports, start by creating a Facebook Event page. Include a link to it in any email communication you share about eSports to your list. Also, join any Facebook groups near your location for gamers. You can post your events to them, offer them specials, and generally become a part of their community. If the group is substantial, you can even offer to become a sponsor of their page or group.

Another platform that gamers access for social communication is Twitch. Build a presence on it to communicate where potential guests are already congregating. You can post there about your events and get feedback on the games you have chosen to feature.

If you are focused on Instagram then Stories is the best place to promote your efforts with eSports. Build a story that displays the journey of your eSports efforts. Sharing your process and including your audience in the process will make them feel like insiders. The key is to get their support in promoting your eSports program.

Create a Snapchat Geofilter for an eSport Tournament

Whether you’re just showing the event on your TVs or a hosting and executing a tournament yourself, creating Snapchat geofilters are an underrated tactic that is hugely beneficial for brand marketing. You can customize Snapchat filters with your logo and unique touch for your guests to add on their Snaps during a sporting event, dining at a table, or even sitting at the bar.

We show you, step by step, how to create a Snapchat filter here.

Partner with an eSport Social Media Influencer

Influencer marketing is a combination of old and new marketing tools, utilizing the idea of the celebrity endorsement and aligning it with a modern-day content-driven marketing campaign. With one of the highest success rates, influencer marketing is a direct path to your audience and will likely make the most significant impact.

eSport influencers are essentially “local celebrities” that you can use as a liaison to the gaming community. Like with other endorsements, influencers often require “perks” or fees associated with their endorsement, so it’s important to research early and build any fees into your budget. If influencer marketing is of interest, you can find a list of top eSport influencers in the gaming community here.

Stream Your Guests Watching eSports

Facebook Live and Instagram TV are interactive ways to share what you’re doing while you are doing it. Both options are standalone iOS or Android apps and are built directly into the Facebook and Instagram platforms.

Once you begin showing Twitch tournaments or hosting your own events, you can livestream fans watching the big events with food and drink in hand, or stream players competing in your own tournaments. You can use this strategy to boost brand visibility within your target audience. Not only will gamers notice, but your current guests will also be able to jump on board as well.

Remember the Three Gets

The age-old marketing model is applicable here as well. We like to call them “The Three Gets” which showcases the entire value of the program you’re planning. The Three Gets to determine marketing success, includes “Get People to Come”, “Get People to Spend,” and “Get People to Return.”

Emphasis on the third “Get” is the most important. As your marketing strategies are in development, it is essential that you ensure your new guests return. Once your following begins to take shape, the best way to get people to return is hosting a reoccurring event — monthly or even weekly.

As with many restaurants, Monday through Thursday can be relatively slow. Many of your current weekday promotions can incorporate eSport events to bring home that third “Get” and keep the gaming community eager to return to your establishment. Once you learn the basics of hosting your first tournament, it takes little time to feature a smaller scale event where gamers can play, compete, or watch eSports at your bar.

Overall, as in any event, reaching the right audience will be a significant marketing win to help give your event the momentum it needs, the rest will follow. The eSport audience is looking for tournaments to partake in either as practice, for fun, or serious competition within the gaming community. The hard part of the event mostly lies in planning and executing phase. But with the right message targeted to your audience, marketing should be a much lighter lift in the scheme of the event when done correctly.