Market your Restaurant or Bar with Posters

Having worked with a number of bars and restaurants around Seattle, I have learned about the importance of bringing in customers who normally wouldn’t have thought to come to you. We are going to look at the effectiveness of marketing your business in a similar way to how online advertising is done. The more people who lay eyes on your ads, the more people have your name or logo imprinted in their memory. Many times all it takes to get a new customer is them seeing a reminder that you are an option.

The real world application of online advertising is posters or flyers. They are relatively cheap, mass produced, and covered in fun. You will want to find a designer that you can build a relationship with. This produces consistency in your products, and viewers will start to associate your business with that style. There are a few key points to remember when creating posters for your bar or restaurant.

The higher the quality, the more interesting you are. Many businesses will hire a low-priced friend or take the “do it yourself” route when designing a poster. This is usually the wrong way to go, even if its cheaper. One problem is that the creative process takes a lot of work, time that could be more effectively spent managing other aspects of your business. Trying to wear too many hats will wear you out, and reduce the quality put into all of your tasks. If you find someone who designs for a living or just has a damn good portfolio, they will have the time and skills to make a product that you like.  They will also have the expertise needed to avoid simple mistakes that sometimes turn print marketing into trash.

To find your designer, look for someone who has done print advertising before, and ask to see examples of their work. If you don’t like it or get a bad vibe from them, there are plenty of fish in the sea. You don’t want to spend your money on printing something average – because it won’t stand out against the competition.

After you hire someone, use your first poster as an introductory run. This will help you get a feel for their workflow, and what kind of work relationship you can expect in the future. If they are slow to get back to you, try to nickel and dime for every extra effort, or provide a sloppy product you may want to consider ending the relationship.

A very common request and important aspect of poster design is to provide the copy and assets. This means that all the words on the page from the title of an event to the location of the business will need to be sent to the designer. Also your logo, and any logos of sponsors for an event will need to be sent to the designer. This helps prevent any complications with misspellings or phrasing that may be inappropriate for your market. Once you have a working relationship with someone, common things like the address and your logo they will obviously have, but you will still need to tell them to put it on there. Also let them know any design limitations or requirements you may have from sponsors or your own branding guidelines.

The second decision will be for printing the posters or flyers. This is an aspect that you may want to handle yourself to control cost, but many designers will have business accounts that may come with a discount. Ask your designer if they have a relationship with anyone, and make sure to shop the price around on your own to compare with other printers.  Short run prints are pretty common, and there are many online print shops that have amazing prices. Make sure you coordinate with a print shop and your designer on details like bleed, color limitations, and size. If it is your first time using a print company, you may want to ask for a digital proof showing the lines where the products will be cut, making sure all of your text is within the safe zone.

Follow these tips and you will be drawing in new customers by the handful.