17 Easy Ideas for Promoting Beverages

There are lots of reasons to promote beverages, including boosting sales, introducing new offerings, engaging customers, and more.

Here are some simple ideas for accomplishing that:

1. Introduce a new beverage product, such as cold brew coffee, with a discounted special price for the first month (or other appropriate time frame).
2. Get employees and/or customers involved in a new beverage launch with a naming contest promoted via social media and in-store point-of-sale.

For more ideas on how to support beverage promotions, see below.

3. Expand the concept of the traditional Happy Hour with afternoon tea or juice specials or late-night snacks to complement specific beverages, such as a flavored cheese ball with wine-by-the-glass, or biscotti and other Italian-style cookies with specialty coffee beverages.
4. Host an event-based promotion during a traditionally slow period, such as Movie Night Monday or midweek Trivia with beer, coffee, and popcorn, or a hot cocoa and chocolate dessert special during the month of February.
5. Partner with a local charity, school, or other nonprofit to host a food-and-beverage fundraiser in which part of the proceeds go to that organization.
6. Don’t forget sports promotions like big game night, tennis championships, Little League, or a popular local event such as skiing. A fantasy sports team pool is another way that you can engage customers in a promotion, offering free food or drink or other prizes.
7. Use Facebook to get the word out about promotional events like wine dinners by encouraging people to RSVP online.
8. Offer unique flavor combinations in juices, iced tea, smoothies, and waters (such as peach iced tea or cucumber-infused water) to pique the interest of Millennials and others who are curious about trying new beverages.
9. Another idea that will appeal to adventurous patrons: let them customize beverages with buzzworthy on-trend flavors, such as coconut, acia, nut milks, blueberries or kale.
10. Test customer interest in new beverages with LTOs (limited-time offers), which can also be promoted as news in social media and point-of-sale.
11. Crowdsource new flavor and beverage ideas.
12. Market food and beverage pairings, such as a tropical fruit juice with a Caribbean-influenced menu item (jerk chicken and passionfruit-guava cocktail, anyone?).
13. Ramp up a standard bar program with interesting mocktails (muddle fresh fruit in iced green tea for example) to appeal to nondrinkers, designated drivers, younger patrons, and others.
14. Launch a customized beverage program by offering flavor shots (with syrups, flavored creamers, and other additions) for hot and cold coffee, tea, and even cocoa.
15. Let thirsty loyal customers skip the checkout line by offering reusable cups equipped with an RFID (radio frequency identification) code that is scannable at the soda fountain or self-serve coffee station. The cups can be loaded with a set number of prepaid refills and can be reloaded when that number is used up.
16. Consider putting cold brew coffee on draft, to promote sales and take the prep burden off service staff.
17. Offer grab-and-go or easily prepared smoothies and juices for snacks and portable refreshment.

^{The information provided is based on a general industry overview, and is not specific to your business operation. Each business is unique and decisions related to your business should be made after consultation with appropriate experts.}