Many bar and nightclub patrons use cell phones and other mobile devices for text messaging, which provides an opportunity to connect with these customers through text alerts. Bar and nightclub text alerts are a form of short message service (SMS) text message marketing that offers many ways to increase business for bars and nightclubs.
The popularity of text messaging among the niche marketing of bars and nightclubs has made bar and nightclub text alerts a form of marketing with a potentially very high return on investment. Bar and nightclub text alerts can be effective because they:
- Are targeted to a specific, interested audience
- Reach customers nearly instantly, allowing bars and nightclubs to get their messages to customers exactly when they need to
- Can feel more personal or exclusive to customers than many other forms of marketing or advertising
Bars and nightclubs can use text alerts to connect with their patrons in several ways:
- Send text alerts to remind customers about special events
- Offer exclusive discounts or deals to customers who are signed up to receive text alerts to encourage them to come in and bring friends
- Use text alerts to confirm that customers are on the guest list
- Notify customers of last minute changes through text alerts, such as a change in bands or a guest appearance by a celebrity DJ
- Text customers with special offers to encourage more customers to come in when the bar or nightclub is below capacity
- Set up several different text alert groups to target messages to specific groups, such as having a text alert group just for salsa night or for open mike night
- Allow customers to interact with the bar or nightclub or give feedback through texting, such as voting on whether or not they like the current band or DJ or what their favorite drink is
One of the potential drawbacks of bar and nightclub text alerts is that customers need to sign up to receive them. Bars and nightclubs can encourage customers to sign up for text alerts by offering special deals to customers who receive text alerts. This encourages patrons to sign up for text alerts and to come in to the bar or nightclub to take advantage of the deals they receive. Customers who belong to a text alert VIP group or receive special deals through text alerts may also develop a stronger sense of loyalty to the bar or nightclub, making them more likely to show up and to advertise the bar or nightclub through word of mouth.
It is fairly simple for a bar or nightclub to set up a text alert campaign:
- Sign up for a text alert service, such as an SMS text messaging service or a short code service, which allows the bar or nightclub to choose keywords that customers send to a special short code to receive text alerts.
- Spread the word to patrons about the text alerts through signs, announcements, or other forms of marketing. Make sure customers know that they are signing up to receive text alerts and that they will receive exclusive deals and information for doing so.
- Start creating and sending text alerts. The text alerts should be short, clear, and should always offer something interesting to customers and encourage them to do something, for example, “Ladies’ night tonight at Club ABC. Women text ‘Dance’ to 20000 for an exclusive code to get $10 off cover charge. Good tonight only, so hurry over!” Vary the deals offered to customers to keep them interesting.
- Find the right frequency of text alerts to keep patrons interested without sending so many text alerts that customers start ignoring them. Bars and nightclubs may want to start with sending text alerts once or possibly twice a week per text alert list.
- Keep track of the traffic generated by text alerts and make adjustments based on the results.