A Powerful & Customizable Bar Marketing Strategy (FREE)

A comprehensive bar marketing strategy, covering the entire sales funnel and all digital marketing channels. Designed to you get more traffic and customers for your bar business.
Prepared byEduardo Yi
Created on: March 5, 2025
Your Strategy

The Sales Funnel

The sales funnel is a visual way to understand the journey your customers take, from first discovering your business to eventually making a purchase. Imagine it like a funnel shape: at the top, many people might learn about your business, but fewer move down to become actual buyers.

Optimizing your entire sales funnel, you're able to increase the number of people who move smoothly from interested browsers to loyal, paying customers.

It helps ensure every part of your business—from your website to your follow-up emails—is designed to guide people toward buying. The clearer this pathway, the easier it is to boost your sales and grow your business.

The marketing plan below includes dozens of marketing ideas and tactics to optimize your entire sales funnel.

Your Target Personas

A target persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer, created by researching and understanding the behaviors, needs, and preferences of people most likely to buy your products or services.

Think of it as drawing a detailed portrait of your best customer, including details like their age, interests, job, daily habits, and the challenges they face.

By visualizing this customer, you're better able to understand what motivates them, how to communicate effectively, and how to reach them through your marketing efforts.

Rather than trying to appeal to everyone—which can lead to wasted resources and ineffective marketing—you can specifically tailor your messages to resonate deeply with the people most likely to become loyal customers.

😃
Your Target Persona #1: Party Pete
Age30 | EducationBachelor's in Marketing | OccupationMarketing Executive at a tech startup
"I'm struggling to find a bar that matches my taste for diverse craft beers and a fun atmosphere without being overly crowded or expensive."
🥅
Visible Goals
These are the goals your target persona would tell you about.
Find new places to unwind with friends after work
Enjoy happy hour specials on craft beers
Attend events featuring live music on weekends
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True Goals
These are the real things they want to achieve.
"I want to build stronger relationships with my colleagues outside of work"
"If I discover a great hangout spot, I will look like a social leader among my friends"
"I need a cozy place where I can relax and temporarily escape from work stress"
🙅‍♂️
Purchasing Objections
These are your target persona's doubts about your product.
"I'm not sure if the prices will fit within my budget for nights out"
"I've had bad experiences with places that promote happy hour but have limited selections"
"I worry about the bar being too noisy during live music events, making it hard to socialize"
👍
Answer to Objections
These are your product's answers to your target persona's doubts.
Our bar has affordable drink specials, especially during happy hour, offering great value for quality
We pride ourselves on a wide selection of beverages, ensuring that every happy hour includes a variety of options
We have designated quieter areas for those who want to enjoy live music without it disrupting conversation
Transformation
In your target persona's own words, here's how your product has improved their life.
"Now that I've found the right bar, I feel confident inviting my coworkers there after a long week. I can unwind with a craft beer, while knowing everyone will have a good time enjoying the live music, strengthening our bond."
How to use this information: You should think about your target persona every time you're working on any marketing campaign. Your landing pages, blog posts, social posts, ads, videos, email copy, new products, should all be targeted at your target persona.
😃
Your Target Persona #2: Social Sally
Age22 | EducationBachelor's in Psychology | OccupationSenior College Student
"Finding a bar that is both fun and budget-friendly is tough, especially when most places attract crowds that are either too rowdy or not my vibe."
🥅
Visible Goals
These are the goals your target persona would tell you about.
Hang out with friends in a casual, fun environment
Discover new drinks during themed cocktail nights
Find a popular spot to celebrate special occasions
👀
True Goals
These are the real things they want to achieve.
"I want to create lasting memories with my friends before we graduate"
"Being in a lively place makes me feel happier and more connected with my peers"
"I need an affordable option for celebrating milestones without breaking the bank"
🙅‍♂️
Purchasing Objections
These are your target persona's doubts about your product.
"I’m concerned that the prices may be higher than I'd like for my student budget"
"I'm worried that I'll miss out on a place that only caters to older crowds"
"I've had bad experiences where bars are too packed during busy nights"
👍
Answer to Objections
These are your product's answers to your target persona's doubts.
We offer student discounts and happy hour specials that allow you to enjoy quality drinks without overspending
Our themed nights focus on appealing to a wide range of ages and interests, ensuring there's something for everyone
We manage crowd sizes by offering reservation options for special events, so you can enjoy a relaxed experience
Transformation
In your target persona's own words, here's how your product has improved their life.
"After discovering this bar, I can finally relax with my friends. We love trying new cocktails during themed nights, and I feel like we're creating the memories we’ll cherish long after graduation."
How to use this information: You should think about your target persona every time you're working on any marketing campaign. Your landing pages, blog posts, social posts, ads, videos, email copy, new products, should all be targeted at your target persona.

Top of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Top of the Funnel: Awareness
At this stage of the funnel, your marketing persona isn't aware of your product and isn't even necessarily looking for a product. They just know they have a problem. Your objective at the top of the funnel is for them to be aware of your business by providing value (without trying to get them to buy right away.)
New visitors to website
Total views on Instagram
Blog post shares
📝
Content Marketing
Content marketing is all about creating the assets you'll promote and optimize on through the different marketing channels (SEO, social media, email marketing, and ads.) At the top of the funnel, you're creating your mass-market content, aimed to attract as many people as possible.
Content ideas:
Blog post: 'Top 10 Craft Beers You Must Try This Summer' featuring local breweries to attract beer enthusiasts like Party Pete.
Video: 'Behind the Scenes: Our Happy Hour Specials' showcasing the bar's vibe and creativity, appealing to Social Sally and her friends.
Infographic: 'How Music Enhances Your Bar Experience' discussing live music's effect on socializing, targeting both personas.
Seasonal email campaign: 'Discover Our Favorite Themed Cocktail Nights' inviting readers to local events without a sales pitch.
Social media stories: Daily polls about favorite drinks, encouraging user interaction and segmentation between craft beer lovers and cocktail fans.
Live stream: 'Virtual Tour of Our Bar' allowing potential customers to experience the atmosphere before visiting.
What to measure:
Pageviews
Social shares
Average time spent on page
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SEO
With SEO, you can get your content to rank on the top of search engines for the keywords that your marketing persona is typing into Google. At the top of the funnel, the keywords you'll target will likely have a higher search volume and will be harder to rank for.
Keyword ideas:
Best summer craft beers
Affordable bars for young professionals
Cozy bars with craft beer selections
Local breweries near me
Happy hour specials near me
Themed cocktail nights in [City]
Live music events at local bars
Budget-friendly bars for students
Bars with outdoor seating
Casual bars for hanging out
What to measure:
Organic traffic
Keyword rankings
Bounce rate
🎯
Paid Advertising
When it comes to ads, targeting is probably the most important predictor of a winning campaign (closely followed by ad creatives.) At the top of the funnel, you'll be looking for brand new audiences who have never heard about your company — these are called "Prospecting" campaigns.
Target audience ideas:
[Prospecting] Facebook Ads: Target young professionals aged 25-35 interested in craft beer and social events.
[Prospecting] Instagram Ads: Focus on college students aged 18-24 who follow lifestyle and drink-related accounts.
[Prospecting] Google Ads: Keywords targeting searches like 'best happy hour in [City]' to attract those actively searching.
[Remarketing] Facebook Ads: Target users who visited the website but didn't convert, showcasing new themed nights.
[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Promote upcoming events to followers who engaged with previous posts or stories.
What to measure:
Ad impressions
CTR (Click-Through Rate)
CPC (Cost Per Click)
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Social Media
The hardest part about doing social media as a brand/business, is that you should look to not behave like just another business on social media. Your social media content should be native to each channel in tone, format, and style. Because of its mass usage, social media is perfect for top of the funnel content.
Social media campaign ideas:
Instagram Story Polls: Ask followers their favorite craft beer styles to engage with the audience and gather content ideas.
Facebook Event Promotion: Create events for themed cocktail nights and invite friends to share in their networks.
Weekly Live Q&A: On Instagram or Facebook about drink recommendations, encouraging participation from followers.
Engagement Posts: Share fun facts about craft beers or cocktails and ask followers to share their experiences.
Monitoring mentions and hashtags relevant to the bar, responding to reviews and comments to create an active community.
What to measure:
Engagement rate
Social media reach
Comments and shares
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Marketing Experiments
For whatever campaign you launch, there will always be room for improvement. It's a good idea to pick a few experiments ideas and launch split tests designed to improve your most important metrics.
Experiment ideas:
A/B test blog headlines to determine which ones generate more clicks and shares.
Run a split test on call-to-action buttons on the landing page for event sign-ups.
Experiment with different visuals on social media ads to see what resonates most with each persona.
Test the timing of social media posts to find when engagement is highest among target demographics.
Evaluate audience segmentation strategies by analyzing the success of campaigns aimed at Party Pete vs. Social Sally.
What to measure:
Conversion rate for landing pages
Click-through rates on social ads
Engagement rates on A/B tests

Middle of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Middle of the Funnel: Consideration
At this stage of the funnel, your marketing persona is aware of your product but isn't ready to purchase. They are still doing research and comparing your solution against competitors. This is the time to build trust by giving them more information and provide answers to questions they might have. Your main objective at the middle of the funnel is to turn a stranger into a lead.
Email list growth
Return visitors to website
Lead conversion rate
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Content Marketing
The content you'll create for the middle of the funnel is typically called a "lead magnet." This is usually a free (or very cheap) piece of content that you'll offer to your marketing persona in exchange for their contact information (e.g. email address or phone number.)
Content ideas:
Webinar: 'Craft Beer 101: The Best Pairings for Small Plates' to engage Party Pete and Social Sally.
Blog post: 'Best Themed Cocktail Nights to Try This Month' highlighting the upcoming events at the bar to retain interest.
Video testimonial series: Sharing stories from satisfied customers who love the bar atmosphere, showcasing a sense of community.
Interactive quiz: 'What's Your Perfect Happy Hour Drink?' that can capture leads through email subscriptions.
Behind-the-scenes Instagram stories showcasing the preparation for cocktail nights to intrigue prospects.
Email newsletter featuring a 'Weekly Featured Craft Beer' that educates readers about different selections available at the bar.
What to measure:
Webinar sign-up rate
Time spent on blog posts
Newsletter open rate
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SEO
At the middle of the funnel, your marketing persona is likely specifically searching for information about the solutions to their problem (without looking into any specific product, yet.) These keywords are considered to have "higher intent" (aka, more valuable) than the ones at the top of the funnel, but they will have smaller search volumes.
Keyword ideas:
cocktail night events near me
craft beer tasting long week-ends
budget-friendly drinks events
socializing spots for young professionals
drink pairing ideas
themed night events for students
best local bars for live music
bars with cozy atmospheres
affordable places for casual gatherings
happy hour bars with craft beers
What to measure:
Organic lead conversions
Average session duration on blog
Keyword visibility
🎯
Paid Advertising
At the middle of the funnel, your paid advertising campaigns will zoom into people who are already aware of your brand somehow, but haven't yet become leads. "Remarketing" campaigns are great for this (although, you might also sometimes experiment with prospecting campaigns that try to convert strangers to leads right away.)
Target audience ideas:
[Prospecting] Facebook Ads: Target age group 22-30 interested in craft beer and college lifestyle events.
[Remarketing] Google Ads: Users who visited the bar's event page but didn't sign up for newsletters or register for events.
[Prospecting] Instagram Ads: Creatives promoting themed cocktail nights to reach young adults and college students around special occasions.
[Remarketing] YouTube Ads: Advertisements targeted to users who engaged with live music videos from the bar, enticing them back with new events.
[Remarketing] Facebook Ads: Promote customer testimonials to create social proof among those who have previously interacted with the bar online.
What to measure:
Cost per lead
Click-through rate on remarketing ads
Lead conversion cost
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Social Media
The social media campaigns at this stage of the funnel are designed to get your marketing persona off of the social media channel and into your own platform (e.g. your website), where you can actually capture their contact information.
Social media campaign ideas:
Instagram Live session: Q&A about favorite cocktails and what to expect during upcoming events at the bar.
Host Facebook polls asking followers which craft beers they'd like to try next and feature those in future specials.
User-generated content campaign: Encourage customers to tag the bar in their photos for a chance to win free drinks.
Share weekly 'throwback' photos of previous events to stir nostalgia and prompt new visits.
Regularly post updates about live music line-ups to entice followers to stay engaged with the brand.
What to measure:
Engagement rate on polls
User-generated content shares
Instagram story views
📧
Email Marketing
Email marketing is an often overlooked channel that's critical for the middle of the funnel. Email is a very effective way to reach your marketing persona directly. The most common mistake businesses make is underutilizing email in their marketing (you should think beyond just email newsletters.)
Email marketing campaign ideas:
Weekly newsletter featuring upcoming themed nights and special promotions to keep subscribers informed.
Follow-up email after event registration reminding attendees of the event details and reinforcing the community vibe.
Monthly highlight of a local brewery whose craft beers are featured at the bar, creating deeper customer connections.
Invitation to exclusive tastings for frequent customers, encouraging loyalty and relationship building.
Surveys sent out to recent customers asking for feedback on their experiences to improve offerings and satisfaction.
What to measure:
Email engagement rate
Click-through rate on event invitations
Survey response rate
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Marketing Experiments
For this stage of the funnel, your experiments will be designed to maximize the number of leads you get from your campaigns.
Experiment ideas:
Test different subject lines in email campaigns to see which ones boost open rates the most.
A/B test landing pages for the webinar with distinct visuals and calls to action to maximize sign-ups.
Analyze the impact of time of day when sending out newsletters to determine when engagement is highest.
Experiment with different offer presentations in advertising to assess changes in lead conversions.
Track performance differences on social media posts about happy hour vs. themed nights to understand audience preference.
What to measure:
Conversion rates on tested landing pages
Email open rates by subject line
Engagement metrics on A/B tested posts

Bottom of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Bottom of the Funnel: Purchase
At the bottom of the funnel, your marketing persona already knows your product and is ready to make a purchase decision. They already have all the information they need. Your objective at this stage is to address purchasing objections and convince them to take that last step and become a paying customer.
Conversion rate
Average order value
Customer acquisition cost
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Content Marketing
The content you'll create for the bottom of the funnel is purposely design to get your marketing persona to purchase. You don't have to be afraid to be sales-y or about talking about your product directly.
Content ideas:
Video: 'A Virtual Tour of Our Bar During Happy Hour' showcasing the vibrant atmosphere and unique drink options to entice visitors like Party Pete and Social Sally.
Blog post: 'Exclusive Offers and Packages for Group Celebrations' highlighting affordable ways to celebrate special milestones at the bar.
Testimonial videos featuring regular customers sharing their experiences during themed nights and live music events, reinforcing social proof.
Infographic: 'The Perfect Happy Hour: Craft Beer and Cocktail Pairings' providing insights into drink choices to help customers make confident decisions.
Limited-time virtual offers advertised through social media that encourage immediate bookings, emphasizing exclusivity and urgency.
Post-event recap articles or videos that highlight the fun moments from previous events, encouraging leads to consider attending future gatherings.
What to measure:
Conversion rate on promotional content
Engagement on testimonial videos
Time spent on offer pages
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SEO
At the bottom of the funnel, your marketing persona will be searching Google for information about your product (for example: reviews, pricing, features, etc), which is why you'll be optimizing for a lot of "branded" searches — these are searches that include your brand/product name.
Keyword ideas:
Best craft beer deals in [City]
Event packages at bars
Happy hour specials near me
Bar with live music events
Group package deals for celebrations
Quiet bars for enjoying music
Unique cocktail offerings in [City]
Casual bars to unwind after work
Popular bars for celebrations
Exclusive drink promotions at local bars
What to measure:
Conversion rate from organic search
Keyword rankings for promotional terms
Clicks on event package pages
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Paid Advertising
At this stage of the funnel, you'll be running conversion campaigns to get purchases. These will be your highest revenue campaigns, where you will be keeping a close eye on your return on ad spend (ROAS.)
Target audience ideas:
[Remarketing] Facebook Ads: Target visitors who engaged with event details but did not make a reservation; include enticing visuals of past successful gatherings.
[Prospecting] Google Ads: Keywords like 'book a bar for group events' targeting those looking to arrange outings similar to Party Pete's needs.
[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Show images and stories from previous themed nights to create FOMO (fear of missing out) for those considering coming back.
[Prospecting] YouTube Ads: Promo videos showcasing happy hours and live events, targeting users interested in nightlife entertainment.
[Remarketing] Facebook Ads: Feature customer reviews and testimonials to build trust among potential customers reflective of both personas' concerns.
What to measure:
Cost per conversion
Return on ad spend (ROAS)
Ad engagement rates
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Social Media
The bottom of the funnel campaigns will usually only make up a small minority of your social media content.
Social media campaign ideas:
Re-share customer stories and photos from recent events to highlight community engagement and trust in the bar's offerings.
Host an Instagram Live Q&A focused on customer objections, such as price concerns and noise levels during live events, demonstrating transparency.
Share posts detailing special promotions with a countdown to create urgency and encourage immediate bookings.
Create engaging polls or questions about preferred drinks and event themes, allowing customers to feel involved in future offerings.
Respond actively to feedback on social channels to maintain ongoing engagement with customers who have expressed concerns.
What to measure:
User engagement on promotional posts
Comments and interactions on customer story shares
Social shares of offer announcements
📧
Email Marketing
Email is perfectly tailored to run bottom of the funnel campaigns. After you've provided value to customers via your other email campaigns, you can run sales and promotional campaigns to get conversions.
Email marketing campaign ideas:
Exclusive email offering limited-time drink packages for groups, reinforcing urgency to book a visit soon.
Follow-up emails with personalized thank-you notes to recent visitors, including discounts for upcoming events to foster repeat visits.
Invitation for VIP tastings or private events specifically targeted toward loyal customers, enhancing the feeling of being valued.
Email series featuring success stories from previous group reservations to showcase the fun and benefits of booking with the bar.
Seasonal promotions announcing new drink menu items or events designed specifically for returning guests.
What to measure:
Conversion rate on promotional emails
Open rates for exclusive offers
Click-through rates on event invitations
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Marketing Experiments
Your bottom-of-the-funnel experiments will have the objective of maximizing your profits. That could be by getting more first-time customers or increasing the amount of money you get from each customer on their first purchase.
Experiment ideas:
Analyze different landing page designs for event reservations to determine which layout converts better.
Run A/B tests on call-to-action buttons in promotional emails to find the most effective wording.
Experiment with varying lengths of promotional content on social media ads to see what garners higher engagement.
Test limited-time offers vs. ongoing promotions to measure which incentivizes more immediate bookings.
Evaluate the effectiveness of subject lines in emails promoting events and special offers to boost open rates.
What to measure:
Conversion rates from A/B tested landing pages
Engagement on ad variations
Email open rates by subject line

Retention

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Your Goal at the Retention Stage: Increase Lifetime Value
In the retention stage, your marketing persona is already a customer of your product. Your objective is to increase the value you can extract from them directly by generating repeat purchases, upsells, or reducing churn; or indirectly by improving brand image or promoting referrals.
Customer lifetime value
Repeat visit rate
Net promoter score (NPS)
📝
Content Marketing
The objective of the content you'll create at the retention stage is to keep your existing customers happy by providing ongoing value (even after purchasing.)
Content ideas:
Monthly spotlight video series featuring customer stories and experiences at the bar, boosting a sense of community among patrons like Party Pete and Social Sally.
Blog post: 'Top 5 Craft Beers You Need to Try Again!' encouraging returning customers to revisit fan-favorite beverages from previous visits.
Interactive social media polls asking patrons about their favorite moments or future events they’d like to see, actively engaging them and informing future offerings.
Behind-the-scenes look at upcoming drink creations and cocktail experimentation to keep loyal customers excited about new offerings.
Seasonal email campaign highlighting exclusive offers for returning visitors, including loyalty rewards for repeat customers during happy hour.
Customer appreciation event: An invitation to past patrons for a special night with discounted drinks and live music to strengthen community ties.
What to measure:
Engagement on customer story videos
Shares of blog posts highlighting returning favorites
Poll participation rates
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SEO
At the bottom of the funnel, you'll want to make sure your marketing persona can find all the information she needs to get the most of your product (e.g. knowledge base articles), or to solve any problems that may arise (e.g. support/contact page.)
Keyword ideas:
bars with customer loyalty programs
happy hour deals for repeat customers
ways to earn rewards at local bars
craft beer lovers community events
best bars for celebrating milestones
popular cocktails for summer gatherings
exclusive bar events for members
affordable group package deals for reunions
local breweries participating in loyalty offers
upcoming bar events to rekindle interest
What to measure:
Returning visitor traffic
Number of loyalty program signups
Keyword rankings for retention-related terms
🎯
Paid Advertising
At this stage of the funnel, you might choose to be run campaigns promoting of new features, upgrades, or promotions.
Target audience ideas:
[Remarketing] Facebook Ads: Target individuals who visited the website and engaged with previous offers but haven't returned in a while, spotlighting exclusive loyalty rewards.
[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Aim at past event attendees to showcase upcoming themed nights and limited-time promotions that motivate return visits.
[Prospecting] Google Ads: Target keywords such as 'best local bars for loyal customers' to attract new diners who appreciate commitment and rewards.
[Remarketing] YouTube Ads: Feature testimonials from loyal customers discussing and enjoying their experiences at the bar to reinforce community engagement.
[Prospecting] Facebook Ads: Promote new seasonal cocktail specials targeted to followers interested in craft bartending experiences.
What to measure:
Cost per acquisition for repeat visitors
Engagement rates on remarketing ads
ROAS on loyalty-driven campaigns
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Social Media
Retention campaigns on social media revolve around building a sense of community with your existing customers. You'll do a lot of monitoring of brand mentions on social media.
Social media campaign ideas:
Monitor social channels for positive mentions of the bar and respond to promote further conversation and community involvement.
Share highlights from customer appreciation events, showcasing feedback and builds excitement for future gatherings among followers.
Create a weekly themed 'Throwback Thursday' post featuring customer memories and experiences from previous events to encourage involvement.
Post regular updates about loyalty rewards progress and encourage customers to share their experiences using specific hashtags.
Engage actively with followers by responding to comments about experiences and recommendations on social media.
What to measure:
User engagement on community posts
Reactions on customer highlight stories
Reach of posts about loyalty rewards
📧
Email Marketing
Retention email campaigns will be a mix of educational emails (onboarding, activation, etc), transactional emails (reports, receipts, reminders, etc), and promotional emails (upgrades, upsells, etc.)
Email marketing campaign ideas:
Monthly newsletter to past customers offering sneak peeks at new drinks or bands coming up, keeping them connected without selling directly.
Personalized follow-up emails to patrons thanking them for attending the last event and inviting them back for future gatherings with added incentives.
Survey emails to gather feedback on favorite drinks and overall experience, helping align future offerings with customer desires.
Exclusive invites via email to member-only events, emphasizing perks and loyalty benefits that encourage repeat attendance.
Seasonal promotions sent out to returning guests with group booking benefits for milestone celebrations, reinforcing value.
What to measure:
Open rates for loyalty newsletters
Click-through rates on exclusive invitations
Survey response rates
🧪
Marketing Experiments
Your retention experiments will have the objective of maximizing lifetime value of existing customers.
Experiment ideas:
Experiment with varying incentives offered on loyalty signup forms to see which offers yield higher conversion rates.
Test different subject lines for email campaigns focusing on loyalty rewards to enhance open rates and engagement.
A/B test social media advertisements for member-exclusive events showing different visuals to find the most appealing creative.
Analyze the effectiveness of personalizing communication frequencies based on customer visit patterns to enhance retention efforts.
Review user flow on loyalty program sign-up pages to identify bottlenecks and optimize for smoother conversions.
What to measure:
Conversion rate for loyalty program sign-ups
Email click-through rates post-event invitation
Engagement metrics on A/B testing of advertisements

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