If you own a business, you’ll find that repeat customers are often the people who keep you going and support you through the tougher times as well as the good ones. These customers tend to spend more than new customers and cost less than acquiring new ones, too, so focusing on bringing them back to your establishment is a must.
One industry where this is particularly true is the pub sector – with such an incredible density of establishments in the UK, establishing a base of customers who’ll come back no matter what is vital for finding your feet.
The fast-approaching festive season is a good opportunity to try out some changes. If you do consider big ideas to alter your operation, it might be worth checking that you have suitable levels of pub insurance for what you intend to offer.
But there are methods both simple and complex to engender loyalty in customers and bring them back for more. Here are just a few ideas.
Foster a welcoming atmosphere
One of the easiest ways to make customers feel welcome is to be kind when they walk through the door. Make sure your staff smile, try to learn their names and figure out what their usual order is. This will help to speed along the process and get them with food or drink in hand more quickly but, more importantly, it will create a personal connection and make customers feel at home.
Additional experiences
If you don’t want your pub to feel one-dimensional, you could consider putting on special nights to attract customers more regularly. The fear of missing out is real, so a quiz or raffle night can prove an easy draw, while holding happy hours on certain days is a proven winner.
The holiday season is a good time to try out such ideas if you haven’t before. You could put on a one-off quiz filled with Christmas-themed questions to see how your customers respond or hold a New Year countdown party.
Deals and offers
Customers are more likely to make repeat purchases or visits if they feel rewarded for doing so – so consider a loyalty or referral programme. You could offer a free drink after every 10, for example, by ticking off slots on a loyalty card, or introduce a half-price offer on drinks for people who bring a friend to your pub for the first time.
Encourage feedback
Opinions matter when it comes to pubs, and you can enlist your most regular customers to create positive word of mouth. The first step towards becoming a repeat customer is to become a first-time one, so being able to point to good reviews online will make it easier for that to happen.
Those who genuinely feel a connection to your pub should be more amenable to offering feedback if asked, but you can encourage it further using a few methods:
- Offer a reward for completing a survey – a free drink, perhaps
- Promote your feedback offer using your social media channels
- Review your feedback methods to make sure it’s as simple and quick as possible
How will you turn your pub into a home away from home for your customers?