The Bar Blogger

When businesses first put signs outside their door, they had a couple of goals in mind:

1. That passers-by would read what was written on the sign
2. That these people would then become customers based on what the sign was offering.

The first sign must have been a surprise to potential customers! Such a novelty!

But things have changed considerably from those days (whenever they were!) and we are now bombarded with advertising from every angle: radio, TV, internet ads, email, text messages, twitter, in the middle of movies, roadside signs, newspapers, beermats, glassware, etc to the point where we have now become blinkered to the messages being shot at us from every direction.

Our tolerance for advertising has lessened and it is taking more creative methods to get us to pay attention. With that in mind, what is your advertising saying that sets you apart? Are your methods creative and thought out or do you follow the same well worn path as every other bar or restaurant?

One area to consider is the signage you put up outside your bar or restaurant to entice customers in. Before I go on, I am going to take for granted that your spelling and grammar is correct….

1. Be eye catching and colorful. Don’t blend in with the surroundings. Stand Out!
2. Don’t write a long paragraph in a tiny font. Use short snappy phrases like: “Fresh fish caught this morning”
3. Avoid phrases like “Bar Food Served All Day”. It is neither informative nor enticing. I assume by now 90% of bars serve food anyway so be different.
4. Instead of the usual “Vacancies” sign, why not try something like: “For you, we’ll always have a room”
5. Be a talking point. Following up from point no.3, instead of offering “Bar Food” on your sign, offer “The biggest burgers you’ve ever seen” or “beer so cold you’ll get a headache”. If it’s not different or catchy, it won’t be talked about.

Any other suggestions?

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The great thing about traveling to different towns and cities as part of my job, is the characters and places I come across. If the last few weeks is anything to go by, this blog is going to be choc-a-bloc with pictures, encounters and tips from some of the most creative and unusual places I have ever seen!

Take today as an example. I’m in Delaware, Ohio and on the recommendation of Lewis Howes who grew up there, I went to the Hamburger Inn for my lunch. What greeted me as I opened the door was as Americana as you are likely to get. Old wooden wrap around wooden benches and counters that snaked around the room with the grill and kitchen right in front of you as you ate. Clearly, not having been subjected to a lick of paint or a duster in quite a while, you still knew you were part of something special. Something so unaffected by modern developments and changing tastes that you know it will be the same in 50 years as it was 50 years ago!

What I wasn’t prepared for was the most unusual twist on advertising that I have ever seen!

Not only was the glass wrapped in advertising, but the inside of the menu was covered in advertising, their coffee mugs were covered in advertising. Though I hadn’t checked their toilets, the chances are that the toilet seat was also advertising excavation services and central heating.

Whether they make money from this or whether it’s just a local gesture is unclear, but what is clear is that the next time you want a great burger, home cooked fries followed by a side of Roofing, a Heating & Cooling System and Building Contracting, the Hamburger Inn is the place to go.

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