Pub digital marketing that fills the bar midweek

Decide which nights the marketing is forLink

Friday sells itself. The budget exists for Tuesday.

Most pubs market the whole week the same way, which means the busiest nights soak up the attention and the quiet ones stay quiet. A useful brief is narrower: name the two or three sessions that lose money or sit half-empty, and make every channel work for them first.

That changes what counts as success. Followers and likes stop mattering; covers on a Tuesday, quiz teams on a Wednesday and food spend per head on a Sunday become the scoreboard. Write them down and track them weekly.

• Name the quiet sessions you want to fill, by day and time.
• Track footfall, covers and spend per head for those sessions weekly.
• Judge every channel on bodies through the door, not reach.

Win the 'pub near me' momentLink

Most pub decisions are made on a phone, within a mile, within the hour.

Searches like 'pub near me', 'sunday roast near me' and 'dog friendly pub [town]' are decided almost entirely in Google Maps. The pubs that appear first have a complete Google Business Profile, accurate hours (including bank holidays), recent photos, a steady stream of reviews with replies, and a website that confirms what the listing claims.

Then build a page for each true and specific thing about the pub: the beer garden, the roast, the quiz, live sport, dogs welcome, the function room. Each page answers its own search and gives the listing something to link to.

• Google Business Profile complete, with weekly photos and posts.
• Ask for reviews at the bar with a QR code; reply to every one.
• One page per bookable feature: roast, garden, quiz, sport, function room.
• Menu as text on the site, not a PDF or a photo.

• The ranking detail is in how to rank in the Google local pack
• and paid options in pub advertising

Turn the events calendar into a reason to comeLink

A regular weekly fixture beats a one-off big night.

Quiz nights, open mics, curry clubs and live sport build habits because people can plan around them. Market each one the same way every week: a listing on your own events page, a Google post, a social post two days before and a reminder on the day. Consistency is what turns a fixture into a ritual.

Big dates — the Six Nations, Christmas, bank holidays — deserve a dedicated page live six to eight weeks before, with booking or table reservations built in.

• One weekly fixture per quiet night, promoted on the same rhythm.
• An events page on your own site that is always current.
• Landing pages for big dates live six to eight weeks ahead.

• See how to market a pub quiz

Use email and social to bring regulars backLink

The cheapest pint you will ever sell is to someone who has already been in.

Collect emails through table bookings, Wi-Fi sign-in and the quiz entry sheet, with clear permission. One short email a week — what's on, this week's special, a reason to come on the quiet night — is enough to move regulars between sessions.

On social, short real video of the garden on a sunny afternoon or the roast coming out of the kitchen does more than polished graphics. Run paid posts only behind a specific event or offer, targeted within a few miles.

• Capture emails at booking, on Wi-Fi and at the quiz.
• One weekly 'what's on' email aimed at the quiet nights.
• Short real video; paid only behind a specific event, locally targeted.

Measure the till, not the feedLink

If a channel cannot show people through the door, cut it.

The metrics that matter fit on a beer mat: footfall and spend on the target sessions, food covers, bookings from your own site, review count and rating, and email list growth. Review them monthly, drop what cannot show a result within a quarter, and put the money into what can.

• Monthly scorecard: target-session takings, covers, direct bookings, reviews.
• Cut any channel that cannot show footfall within a quarter.

• We run this system for pubs — see pub marketing
• or read the pub marketing FAQ