Does your pub offer free WiFi for paying patrons? It should. Does your bar feature cool or quirky things people just always want to take a photo with? It should. Why? Simple mathematics…

People having a good time + smart phones with cameras (over 50% of us carry them) + access to WiFi internet + something to take a photo of x social media = absolute promotional gold for your establishment.

Hopefully you have social media in your business plan and marketing strategy? If you don’t, get involved immediately. If you do, you’re already in the race and we commend you.

Bars, pubs, clubs, pool halls and other social venues are at a HUGE advantage in the ever-evolving game of digital marketing, because the people in control of social media – the people – are drinking at your pub, eating at your restaurant or playing shuffleboard in your bar because they want to. They’re at your venue by choice and they’re going to share their experience with their ever-expanding network online, positive or not.

Facebook Status updates, Facebook Check-in, Foursquare, Twitter, Flickr, personal blogs and customer review sites like Yelp.com (coming soon to Australia) give people the tools to publish a photo of themselves in your venue with a comment about their experience in the space of 10 seconds. Your patrons have the ability to promote and market your venue faster and more effectively than you do. Here are some examples…

The hospitality world is a fiercely competitive one and you often need a point of difference to get people in the door. Something unique that gets people talking. Talking now translates to posting, blogging, reviewing, liking, sharing, polling, etc.

You’re not too late to take advantage of this revolutionary moment in time, more likely right on cue. Engage your customers, give them something to talk about, give them a unique experience and help them do it… Free WiFi with password protection is easy and affordable!

As a final note, this article was obviously written for Southern Cross Shuffleboards and hence this is the part of the story where we suggest getting a shuffleboard table into your venue as that point of difference mentioned above. It’ll work. It does work. See the pics atop the page!

Shuffleboard is the most social of all bar games, because anyone can play. It’s a simple game to learn, but a hard one to master, meaning anyone with a competitive streak is addicted the moment they shuffle their first puck. And what’s in it for you? Simple, your customers can play and win an entire game of shuffleboard without ever putting their beer (or camera phone) down! Go on, get your shuffle on…