While social media has undisputedly become a necessary marketing tool for successful nightlife operators, the sheer number of sites and options in the spectrum has itself become quite daunting. We look at a few new entries into the field, but more importantly, how you can better manage your multiple marketing platforms in this ever-expanding online universe.
Have you ever heard of Photopon? How about Hopify? Do you know what Spotlight does? How about an easy one—Twitter? The fact is, all of these companies are part of the rapidly growing social media technology world, and despite the fact that you may only be familiar with one of them (and if you’re not familiar with Twitter, you can probably stop reading here), there is no denying that these means of communication are peaking as we speak. So how many can help you and your bar business? And how do you manage them all?
The nightlife industry is a social animal, thus its very survival hinges upon people creating a buzz about one bar or another. In this modern age, there is no better tool to do so than with social media. And while there are plenty of options—and new ones arriving everyday—the trick is in understanding which ones will work for you and which will appeal to your customer base. Once you’ve determined that, managing your suite of online marketing platforms, however, can become challenging to even the most disciplined bar owner and operator. A certain level of time commitment is required to update your events on Facebook, announce nightly drink specials on Twitter, post party videos on YouTube—and you don’t event know what Photopon, Hopify, and Spotlight offer! But help has arrived.
With a seasoned staff of 29 retail sales and promotion experts, Moving Targets (www.movingtargets.com) is a company that provides targeted and cost-effective neighborhood promotions for all types of business. Since 1992, it has helped more than 20,000 local retail businesses attract high-quality new customers and encourage current customers to buy more often. But in the last three years, Moving Targets has begun working more in three growing areas of marketing—text messages, e-mails, and social media. Today, they can practically run your online marketing program for you.
Has all this social media supplanted the regular marketing outlets, specifically for the nightlife industry?
“I wouldn’t say 100%, but close to it,” says Natalia Morais, Social Media Manager at Moving Targets.
To read the complete article on navigating the social media maze, click on the November 2013 issue of Bar Business Magazine.
