Turn Your Sports Bar Into a Guest Magnet

By Jennifer Hahn Masterson, Contributor

As much as sports fans wind up and down their excitement and energy for their team, there’s never an offseason for sports bar managers and employees. The sports bar business planning and marketing is a year-round event, and its financial success can depend on how creative the leadership gets once in a while. After all, the game is always more exciting when there are a few curve balls thrown in.

Here are several ideas for your sports bar marketing strategy that can help you turn it into a guest magnet.

Dip Into the Heart of Fandom

The primary rule of sports bar marketing is to get the neighborhood sports aficionados as excited for the games and season as possible, so they associate their favorite team with your location and services. You want to turn fans passion for sports into business for your sports bar.

The secret to getting those fans excited about your bar is to learn to speak their language. This means naming drinks and dishes after the local sports teams, number the menu items with jersey numbers, print disposable menus with stats charts and similar. Whatever trivialities you can use to approach a hard-core fan, do it. And, if you manage to provide your clients with an outlet for their high energy, they’ll be more likely to return to your establishment to get more of that unique feel.

Take LTOs Into Consideration

Offers that are time-limited commonly attract returning customers who are in the mood to try something new but they also encourage additional spending along the way. Small plate specials and creative bar snacks can entice customers to stay a bit longer, invite their friends to join them and order more drinks in general. In this way, you’ll capitalize on alcohol sales that most likely drive your biggest profit margins.

These limited-time offers don’t have to be limited to the menus only. You can offer a local hero player’s jersey or a limited edition caps of the local big team to draw in the crowd. Organize a raffle on weekends or special nights – hand out tickets with ever drink order and raffle the prizes later in the evening. Everyone loves competitions, so this is bound to attract a crowd. On the plus side, it’ll drive up your drink purchases. It’s a great return on a less than $100 investment.

Establish a Theme

One of the most important decisions you need to make about your sports bar interior design is the overall theme. It will dictate the colors you pick and the sports memorabilia you will display around. You can find inspiration in popular local bars and sports journals. Pick the ideas you like and create a concept that will fit in with your vision and relate to your target customers.

As the experts behind this master’s degree in interior and product design nicely put it, great interior design produced both a comfortable and functional environment for different usage but it must also leave room for creativity. Therefore, good execution is crucial in designing the interior so make sure you take all the factors into account. For instance, if your bar is located near a stadium, you can bring in the team colors and display their memorabilia. To entice interest, divide the bar into different zones and make you memorabilia display varied – posters of legendary players, article clippings, and framed sports equipment.

Finally, offer the opportunity for your guests to watch sports events. This is usually a prime attraction in sports bars so make sure everyone has an unobstructed view of large screen HD television. And be sure to sign up for the SportsTV Guide so you always know what games you can show your guests, quickly and easily.

Rent Out Your Sports Bar for Private Parties

A great way to generate more income is to designate a part of your establishment where your customers can have their private parties such as birthdays, graduations, fantasy sports draft parties, or anything similar. And for a die-hard sports fan, there’s rarely a space more suitable than their preferred sports bar.

Renting out your back patio or party room gives you a chance to control the crowd, plan and assign your staff responsibilities more intentionally, and ensure a minimum amount of revenue for bigger parties. This will give your guests privacy to enjoy in their celebration without the fear of being outnumbered by other fans on their special day.

Outdoor patios and gardens are a massive attraction for guests who are looking for a way to enjoy the fresh air unhindered by a cramped and dark bar room. An outdoor space can also drive more interest and bar tabs, especially in the summer season. If you’re located in a very humid and warm region, make sure you provide suitable shades, misters, and open-air latticing so your clients can avoid heat.

Sponsor a Local Sports Team

Whether it’s a children’s baseball team or adult softball, sponsoring a local sports team and novice sports activities brings your bar closer to the people you serve. This type of sponsorship will bring you more appreciation from your community, lots of relatively cheap advertising, and incur eventually more business and more loyal customers.

The concept of a sports bar has evolved from the typical neighborhood bar whose owner always wanted to create a place where guests feel welcome and wanted. Incorporating the tips listed here will help you do exactly the same and help your sports bar become a true customer magnet!

About the Author
Jennifer Hahn Masterson is the Lead Content Strategist at Spread the Word Solutions, holding an MA degree in business communication. She is always doing her best to help her clients find their place in the ever so competitive business arena, insisting on long-term sustainability rather than on some questionable get-rich-fast scheme. You can check her out on LinkedIn.