Pub marketing
Pub marketing questions, answered plainly
The questions landlords and pub managers ask most — local search, quiet nights, events, reviews, costs and how the work is measured. No sales copy, just answers.
Where to start
- What should a pub fix first in its marketing?
- Search 'pub near me' on your phone from outside the door and see where you appear in Google Maps. If your hours are wrong, your photos are old or competitors show above you with more recent reviews, that listing is the first job. It is free, and it is where most pub decisions are made.
- Does a pub need a website if it has Facebook and a Google listing?
- Yes. Google uses your site to confirm what your listing claims, and a page for your food, garden, quiz and function room is what lets you appear for those specific searches. A social page only reaches people who already follow you.
- Can we do pub marketing ourselves?
- The basics, yes: an accurate Google profile, replies to reviews, a weekly what's-on post and a short email to regulars. What landlords struggle to keep up is the ongoing work — local search pages, event landing pages, ads and measuring what actually filled the room.
- How long does pub marketing take to work?
- Listing fixes, review replies and email can show in weeks. Local rankings for searches like 'sunday roast near me' or 'dog friendly pub' build over three to six months.
Getting people through the door
- How do we fill quiet weeknights?
- Give each quiet night a regular fixture — a quiz, a food club, live music, a darts league — and promote it on the same weekly rhythm. Fixtures build habits; one-off discounts mostly reward people who would have come anyway.
- How do we get more people coming for food?
- Put the menu on the site as text with prices, build pages for the roast and any signature dishes, add food photos to your Google profile every week, and make booking a table possible online in two taps.
- Should we market live sport?
- If you show it, yes — with a fixtures page that is always current and a post before each big match. Searches like 'pub showing the rugby near me' spike on match days and few pubs answer them.
- How do we market the beer garden?
- A dedicated garden page with photos, whether it is covered or heated, and whether dogs and children are welcome. Update your Google photos as soon as the weather turns, because that is when the searches arrive.
- Is it worth marketing the function room?
- Usually it is the highest-value booking you can take and the least promoted. Give it its own page with capacity, menus, prices and an enquiry form, and answer enquiries the same day.
Reviews, social and email
- How do we get more Google reviews?
- Ask. A QR code on the bar and on the bill, staff who mention it after a good night, and a reply to every review. Steady new reviews matter more to ranking than an old high score.
- What should a pub post on social media?
- Short real video and photos: the roast coming out, the garden in the sun, the quiz in full swing, this week's guest ale. Post what's on before it happens, not just photos afterwards.
- Do pubs really need an email list?
- It is the cheapest way to move regulars onto quiet nights. Collect addresses at table bookings, Wi-Fi sign-in and quiz entry, with permission, and send one short what's-on email a week.
- Should a pub pay for ads?
- Only behind a specific night, event or offer, targeted to people within a few miles, and judged on footfall. Brand-awareness spend rarely pays back for a single pub.
Costs and working with HMRA
- What do HMRA's pub marketing plans include?
- Both the £49.99/week Starter Package and the £999/year Super Deal cover the same scope: Google Business Profile and local search, pages for food, events and the function room, review management, email campaigns and monthly reporting. The annual plan is the same work paid once, around 62% cheaper.
- Is ad spend included?
- No. Any ad spend is separate and stays in your own accounts, so you keep control of the budget and the data.
- Am I locked into a contract?
- The weekly Starter Package has no minimum term. The Super Deal is a single annual payment.
- What kinds of pubs do you work with?
- Independent and free-house pubs, food-led pubs, community locals, pubs with rooms and small groups. Tenanted pubs can use us alongside anything the pub company provides.
- How do we get started?
- Run the free audit or book a 20-minute call. We'll look at your Google listing, search visibility, reviews and website and tell you the first fixes for your quiet nights.
Want the answers applied to your pub?
The full pub marketing service page covers what we build and manage, and the free audit shows where your quiet nights are losing trade first.
Still have a question?
Ask it on a free 20-minute call
Bring the question this page didn't answer, plus your quietest nights, and we'll tell you honestly whether marketing can move it.