Here’s a article that was written about the transformation that took place with one of Nick’s clients, Valerie’s Lounge in Florida. If you’d like to know how to use the marketing strategies Nick used to help them build their sales by 86%, click here and receive’s Nick’s newest book for free. Just cover shipping & handling. Limited time.
Bar Manager Takes
Business To The Next Level
How do you take a bar that is all but ignored by locals and tourists, and turn it into a year round success?
Is it possible to move the needle quickly, and establish a stream of loyal patrons that give life to your establishment year after year?
Running a successful bar is not easy. Throw in the two-punch combo of a slow season and dwindling customer base, and you have an establishment that is desperately aching for something new.
Valerie’s Lounge in Fort Meyers, Florida was struggling. Low growth in sales and a lack of door-swings was taking its toll. The bar manager, Lena, a thirty year veteran of the bar industry, was increasingly overwhelmed as she tried everything to get customers through the door. On top of that, the bar resides in a heavy tourist area that only sees substantial traffic during “in-season” times of the year.
Feeling compelled to try something new, she turned to Nick Fosberg at Bar Restaurant Success, a highly-lauded marketing expert in the restaurant and bar industry to guide her through the process of getting the bar growing and expanding.
“Felt Like We Were Wasting Money”
She explained that she had tried everything she knew, from posting regularly on Facebook, to radio and television ads, with zero results. She said she felt like they were wasting money on marketing. Underwhelmed with the lack of impact on the customers she cares about, she shifted her focus to figuring out the problem once and for all.
Although experienced, she felt she didn’t fully understand the market and where it was headed. A change was a must, otherwise Valerie’s Lounge was resigned to its fate as a stagnant business.
Hesitant and unsure that she would see any results, she handed the reigns over to Fosberg, who assured her he could create substantial growth in a short period of time. It was vitally important to get this right, otherwise she would continue spinning her wheels in the mud.
Even a small increase would have been a blessing, but what ended up happening was far better.
The First Step To
Adding New Customers
Fosberg began by focusing on creating new loyal customers. The way he did this was he made irresistible offers to new customers that he’d promote on Facebook, in exchange for customer’s contact information. On Facebook you can target people based on “purchase behavior”, meaning he created ads targeting people who were buying beer, wine, liquor, and meals at other bars and restaurants in the area.
By creating valuable offers that target consumers who are already buying what Valerie’s Lounge was selling and getting their contact information in exchange to deliver the offer, this created a connection between the bar and its new customers that could be built upon month after month.
Within the first 60 days of running these Facebook ads on a two hundred dollar budget, they saw around 50 brand new customers walk in the door. That was less then $5 per customer with Nick’s strategy, and after thew new customers began spending money at Valerie’s Lounge, they paid nothing for the ads, and began making a profit.
Building Trust
& Credibility
Most important, was a key strategy Fosberg put in place after receiving the contact information of the people signing up for these offers. He made sure that when the offer was delivered, he’d built instant trust and credibility with the new customers through personalized follow up marketing messages that let the customer know what Valerie’s Lounge stood for and what Lena stood for as a manager.
Lena expected little, if any, results from this first Facebook promotion, but was pleased to see a spike in foot traffic immediately. Within the first 60 days, Lena said they had at least 20 new daily repeat customers and another 30 who’d come in once week. Compared to the year before, Valerie’s Lounge’s sales were now up 86%, keeping Valerie’s Lounge thriving during the seasons when most other bars were struggling to stay afloat.
Fosberg recommended staying in contact with the customers, showing them that they were vital to the spirit of Valerie’s Lounge by listening to their concerns and ideas to make the bar a better place. By actually seeking their opinions out, and communicating in unique and effective ways, she showed that Valerie’s Lounge and their staff deeply cares about its customer’s experience.
Doubled Tuesday
Sales In Just 30 Days
Lena’s next goal was to boost Tuesday night sales, their slowest night of the week. So Fosberg put a new promotion in place based off the information gathered through surveys from the people who signed up for her offers. Within 30 days after sending out some e-mails, texts, and Facebook posts, their Tuesday nights doubled in sales with the new promotion.
With the increase in loyal repeat customers, Lena was pleasantly surprised to find that she was forced to hire additional staff in order to keep up. Most of her operational duties she had to delegate to other personnel, and continues to be astonished by the growth spurred on by having one of the industry’s leading marketing and promotional consultants by her side.
Valerie’s Lounge now enjoys a consistent flow of loyal patrons, whether it is heavy tourist season or just a regular Friday evening. The bar continues to grow, due to placing relationships first, and focusing on actionable items that make Valerie’s Lounge a favorite for locals and tourists alike.
If you’d like to get a FREE copy of Nick’s newest book “Bar & Restaurant Success – How To Attract New Customers, Turn Them Into Raving Fans, & Become Unbeatable In Any Market!” Just click here to receive your free copy. Just cover shipping & handling. This book sells on Amazon for $29.95 but you can get the book for free, for a limited time, on his website.
