Your sports bars social media probably sucks.

Wait, what? 

It’s probably your fault, too.

Hold on a minute. 

Let me give you some background into why I’m qualified to say that, and then we’ll get into why that is and what you can do to solve it.

I’m an ideal customer for sports bars. I’m a 36-year-old male who drinks beer, loves sports, and has a healthy social life. I’m brand loyal and when I have a good experience, I share it with my network of friends.

I also have 12 years of digital and marketing experience, and run a sports comedy and men’s lifestyle blog, Bacon Sports. Over the years I’ve been both a consumer of sports bar content as well as a creator of content for sports fans and brands (like NASCAR, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Hormel Bacon.) Because of this, I have a very high standard for what I expect out of the way brands market and engage with me.

Treat others like you would want to be treated.  

There are several problems that I see with sports bars social media.

The content is overly self promotional

We get it. You have TVs with games on and a special on beer. It’s not necessary to post the same message on an endless loop. At no point does this type of social media post offer anything of value to the customer as it’s entirely about you.

An easy way to see if you are promoting too much is to count the number of promotional posts each week vs your total number of posts. If that number is 50% or more then we need to talk. The real number should be more like 25% or less – think the 80/20 rule.

The content lacks engagement

At no point in most sports bar social media is there a question asked that gives the guest an opportunity to respond back. If you ever wondered why most of your posts have little to no likes, shares, or comments this is why.

It’s not social media’s fault that you get no organic reach and no one responds back to your messages. It’s your fault. You have to ask a question or deliver something fun and entertaining in order to get engagement.

Here’s an example of how I was able to create engaging content and reach over 1 million sports fans.

The content is boring

When people are on social media, it’s a no-holds barred fight for attention against every other cat video, Presidential rant, viral video, baby picture, sports highlight, funny meme, and tropical vacation photo. If your content isn’t good enough to compete with that then your results will suffer.

This is why it’s important to have a content mix that includes pictures, videos, live streaming. And it should be presented on brand, in a fun and entertaining way.

Don’t think I didn’t notice that you are posting the same content on all your social media platforms as well. What’s the incentive to follow you on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter if I see all of the same content?

Here are a few other types of content that you can add to your mix that’ll help out.

A lack of priority

I believe for a large majority of sports bars social media is just another box to check off, and often times it is seen as a pain in the ass. You have a bar or restaurant to run, not play AOL chat room with a bunch of people you don’t know, right?

Social media has the opportunity to be a very powerful form of marketing that gets people to look forward to engaging with your brand, and ultimately delivering revenue for you. Making it a high priority to do it right has an immediate positive impact on your bottom line.

A lack of knowledge

Budgets and time are tight, so social media is often given to someone who lacks true social media experience and knowledge. Unfortunately this lack of knowledge ultimately affects your guests & followers as social media is one of the top ways of communicating with them.

They are on their phones and social media 24/7, so it’s vital that every opportunity you get to interact with your customers is a good one. The bar has been raised for what consumers expect out of brands they support. If you aren’t at that level then they are going to find someone who is.

A lack of accountability to the results that matter

There is a misconception that just because you are posting on social media means you are doing it right. That’s incorrect as your focus is on the wrong metric.

Posting content is only half the equation; now you need to turn that awareness into action (which is the ultimate prize.) When I go to your Facebook page and I see 10 consecutive posts about your chicken sandwich special and little to no likes, shares, or comments the results speak for themselves. The first step is admitting when you have a problem. The next step is to solve that problem so your brand can grow.

The good news for you, the sports bar owner or general manager, is that all of these problems are solvable. It just takes a little self-awareness, creativity, and executing the right strategy.

The key is putting your customer first, providing value to them, and doing it in a fun and engaging way. When you do your customer will thank you and look forward to hearing from you again.

If you are looking for a social media specialist to help your brand grow and engage your sports fan audience then shoot me an email to rob@cressmedia.com. I’d love to talk. You can also check out my Digital Marketing Principles For Delivering Excellent Results, which I think will deliver some value to you.