Branding & Marketing Tips

Undeniably, Instagram has become the social media platform of choice for the craft beer industry over the last ten years.

Creating a consistent marketing strategy that includes posting gorgeous beer shots, shouting out new releases, marketing merch, and more has become essential to a brewery or bar’s business.

To put it simply: It’s hard to exist in craft beer culture without a presence on Instagram.

If you’re still perplexed by Instagram and looking for a good place to start, we recently wrote a piece called “A Beginner’s Guide to Running a Successful Brewery Instagram.”

But if you’re a little more seasoned and looking for fresh ideas, consider these seven top tips to drive more traffic to your Instagram page.

Whether you’re a newbie to Instagram or a long-time veteran looking to polish your skills, here are the top seven tips for driving traffic to your Instagram page.

As of April 2022, the Brewers Association recorded a record number 9,118 breweries operating in the United States. In such a crowded marketplace, how can you make your establishment stand out from the crowd? Sure, you can opt for traditional print or digital marketing. And social media should certainly be an essential part of your marketing strategy. But what are those one or two tips and tricks you can use to push your taproom ahead?

If you’re looking for a new, creative way to potentially drive extra foot traffic into your space. It might be easier than you think. Creating a clever or memorable sign can give your bar or brewery a distinct advantage over other businesses in the area.

Witty or humorous signs immediately establish a connection with potential customers. Plus, it leaves a memorable impression in patrons’ minds. And it’s an instant Instagrammable moment that people can post, helping you virally market your business for free!

Below you’ll find a list of 36 witty, funny ideas for bar signs to help increase foot traffic into your bar or brewery. Consider hanging these phrases up around your taproom, writing them on a chalkboard, or setting them out as their own sign on the sidewalk.

Use these clever repartees to draw potential customers in to drink, entice new patrons to check out your place, or as a way to directly increase your sales.

You shouldn’t use all of these ideas. This is more of a find-the-right-fit approach…quality over quantity. Take some time to comb through all the ideas, finding one that fits with your brand and your personal identity.

But once you find that buzzword, go to town discovering new ways to get this message out to your community, attracting new customers, and hopefully garner some free attention on social media.

For centuries, bars and taverns have been a gathering place where folks from all walks of life can gather and bond over a pint any time of the day. And today, you can add taprooms to that list of gathering spaces. There are many times you can count on your bar or taproom being a little busier, like on payday or during happy hour. But what about the days when business tends to be a little slow? How can you continue to drive traffic to your establishment during those off-peak hours of the week?

To cultivate customers, you must give them a reason to stop by any day, whether it’s a Tuesday afternoon or a Friday night.

If you’re a bar owner struggling to find creative ways to drive customers in the door, keep reading.

Promoting your bar doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep it simple by following these fresh takes on increasing foot traffic to your bar.

Over the last half decade, Instagram has become the social platform of the beer industry. Consumers have created their own craft beer subculture where top influencers have thrived. For breweries, posting gorgeous beer shots and announcing releases have become crucial to their marketing strategy.

With over 9,000 breweries around the country, it’s imperative to find a way to make your brewery, bar, or restaurant stand out. Cultivating a current, consistently updated Instagram profile is imperative to reach your target audience.

But where do you start?

For example, how many times a week should you post? What time should you post? What should you post? What about those “hashtags?” Should I hire a social media manager? And how about Instagram influencers? We’re breaking it all down and more to tap into what makes people double-tap.

Here is a beginner’s guide with all the basics to help you build a foundation for the best Instagram account for your business.

Designing your restaurant, bar, or brewery sets the tone for your entire establishment. How you outfit your space speaks to your larger brand and will attract potential customers. We have several top tips on how to design the overall look of your brewery or restaurant, but often it’s the smallest of details that matter, such as your lighting.

What may seem like a very tiny detail such as lighting can actually have a big impact on your business. The lighting sets the mood of your operation and illustrates your brand to your potential customer base.

For example, if you are a family-friendly space operating during the day, your lighting should be different than a twenty-one-plus space that sees most of its traffic come through at night. All these factors contribute to the type of lighting that you’ll use in your brewery or restaurant.

Seems like a lot?

You’re a business owner and you are about to open your own restaurant, bar, brewery, or brewpub. You’ve gone through all the legwork of building the best business plan, securing investment, finding the perfect location, developing your brand and logo, designing the interior and exterior, planning the menu, and dealing with millions of other little details.

You can see the finish line looming in front of you with that grand opening datecircled on the calendar. And while a grand opening does seem like the grand plan here, have you considered a soft opening?

If you’re not even sure what a soft opening is, that’s totally fine because we’re here to help.

Consider a soft opening another weapon in your arsenal. It’s a chance to sharpen your knives (literally and figuratively), hone your operations, generate early buzz, and receive consumer feedback before you even open your doors.

If you haven’t already, here are the reasons you should consider a soft opening for your establishment.

For many business owners, cutting the ribbon and throwing open the doors to your brewery, bar, restaurant, or bottle shop will be a dream come true. Most likely, your grand opening will be the most exciting and simultaneously scariest day of your life.

We understand that building a business from the ground up can be stressful. You’ll be faced with many challenges and hurdles along the way. But your grand opening is your first shot to shout from the rooftops that your establishment is ready to rock n’ roll.

And while planning the perfect grand opening can certainly be fun, it’s actually a very important day for many reasons.

When done well, hosting a grand opening will generate buzz for your establishment and set the tone for months to come. For that reason it should definitely be a part of your overall business plan.

But like we said, it can certainly be a fun day if you implement one of these seventeen grand opening ideas for your brewery, bar, restaurant, or bottle shop.

Untappd’s Analytics gives you unlimited access to a wealth of data on the world’s largest social networking platform for craft beer drinkers.

For instance, are you interested in learning what beers Untappd drinkers are consuming in Portland, OR, Untappd’s second most checked-in city of 2021? We can show you.

With over 9 million registered users, Untappd can easily tap into the trends and insights of drinkers in your city, state, region, and beyond.

Understanding the buying behaviors of your target consumers can help you make important business decisions. Everything from what beers to brew next to what styles to stock on your shelves to what to keep flowing on draft.

Learn what craft beer consumers are drinking in your area. Give Untappd for Business a try without talking to anyone—no credit card required.

To show you the power of Untappd’s analytics, we’re breaking down the most checked-in beers in Portland, OR, over the last ninety days.

Attracting consumers to your bar or taproom on busy days like Friday, Saturday, and even Sunday is one thing. But don’t overlook driving foot traffic into your establishment on slow days during the week.

Bringing folks in to drink Monday through Thursday puts pints in hands and boosts your bottom line when you need it most.

Luckily, it isn’t that hard to find ways to increase your foot traffic with events. Just follow these handy tips. Plus, sixteen of the best event ideas we found to help increase traffic and revenue to your bar.