You want “sticky” customers. No, not customers who have doused themselves in honey or glue, but those who continue to return, whether that’s for wing night, game night or just to enjoy a meal with friends or family.

Retaining your bar’s guests is generally cheaper than acquiring new ones, so it’s important to have a robust retention strategy.

If you’re thinking about creating a new strategy or modifying your sports bar’s current retention strategy, look no further than this blog post. We’ll walk you through four steps to get you closer to the perfect plan of action.

Enroll Patrons in Loyalty Programs

Template design for a March Madness wing loyalty program

Loyalty programs are a great way to keep people coming to your sports bar.

What’s great about loyalty programs is that you don’t need to have a complicated, digital solution! If you want to get started right away, create punch cards that offer customers a discounted app after 10 visits or a free drink every 5 visits.

If you’ve already implemented a print solution, like a punch card, and are looking to up your game, it’s time to create a digital loyalty program.

Digital loyalty programs let you do a whole lot more than traditional ones. With a digital loyalty program, you gain access to valuable customer data, like:

  • Email address
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Favorite foods
  • Spending habits
  • Average check size

Plus, you increase the number of channels available to you to talk to customers. With the data you get from loyalty programs, you can send email blasts ahead of big games and events, send push notifications to customers about promotions or special offers, and even make menu adjustments.

All this means you’ll have greater access to your guests — and more access yields higher responses.

Turn Game Days into Big Events

SportsTV Guide for Digital Signage - on UPshow

Your most loyal customers are almost certainly aware of when the next big game is on, and they’ve already planned to get wings and a beer with you. But you can get other patrons in on the fun, too.

How?

Use your television screens to broadcast future events — and give customers the ability to RSVP to an event.

QR codes can serve as an easy means to get your event on someone’s mobile calendar. Even if you keep the event private (that way no one can see anyone else’s email address), you’ll be able to see how many people have scanned the QR code and have a better idea of attendance.

You can go one step further by offering an incentive. Anyone who scans the QR code to register for the event gets a free app when they show up.

This is a great way to bring a casual diner back for a repeat experience.

Increase App Downloads

A soccer fan, holding a soccer ball, looks at his phone as he gets a push notification reminding him that the big game is being shown at his favorite sports bar

When a customer downloads your app, they’re giving you permission to market to them directly on their phone via push notifications.

This means your app is an incredibly powerful retention tool.

Set up your app to nudge diners into coming back. Keep them updated about events and deals — and if awareness plays don’t work, incentives almost always do. Push diners with lunchtime or happy hour specials right before the lunch rush or the end of the workday to bring them in.

Solicit Customer Feedback

A bartender talks to a patron while looking over a tablet

One of the most foolproof ways to keep customers engaged is to ask for feedback — and then act on it. When people feel like they’re involved in something, the stakes become personal.

Don’t get us wrong: we’re not telling you to let your customers control your menu or dictate your hours. You know your sports bar, your guests, what works and what doesn’t.

Instead, let your bar’s guests have controlled input on planned changes. If you know you want to update your menu but can’t choose between two new sides, ask your customers. Before playoffs begin, ask customers to rename dishes in honor of the competing teams.

You can collect paper submissions or use your in-venue TV screens and digital signage to accomplish this — maybe even both, allowing you to maximize responses. If you want to use your screens, you’ll need to generate QR codes. Simply ask your customers to scan a QR code and take them to a form so they can offer their feedback.

Get Stuck on Your Screens

We’ve only looked at four ways to increase retention at your sports bar, but there are plenty more. And it’s never too late to adjust your strategy.

If you’re interested in using your sports bar’s TV screens to help drive retention, you should consider reaching out to UPshow. UPshow works in tandem with the SportsTV Guide to make event planning before big games simple.

Want to learn more? Schedule a custom demo today.