You may associate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish street parades and the opportunity for a pint or two but up until the 1970s, it was considered a religious holiday in Ireland – meaning all the pubs in the country were closed.
Over time, the opportunity to attract tourists with Paddy’s Day became a big draw for Ireland and the beer was suddenly free-flowing. Now it’s a consistent highlight in pubs’ calendars with many people enjoying a tipple to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland!
So now we can celebrate, we’ve got 7 ideas to get you started on your St. Patrick’s Day digital marketing plans.
Limited offers on Irish drinks
Offer deals on Irish drinks such as Guinness or Baileys or mix things up with Irish-inspired tipples like Jamaican classic Guinness punch or a White Russian or Espresso Martini using Baileys.
Use social media and your email database to let people know about this exclusive offer that’s available for one day only!
Exclusive St Patrick’s dishes
Launch a limited-edition Irish dish to celebrate St. Pat’s. Talk to your chefs about creating an exclusive dish like Irish stew, soda bread or Guinness cake. Make it available for a limited time, either on the day or perhaps even the whole of March. Make sure you take pictures of your new menu item and talk about it on social channels.
Go green!
If St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t fit with the vibe of your pub then modernise the message and go ‘green’ with an eco-friendly March. Come up with some ideas of how your business can better support the planet – change all your lightbulbs to energy-saving bulbs, banish plastic straws and single-use items, reduce your carbon footprint by using local sources, donate surplus food and use a coaster instead of napkins when serving drinks.
Even better, if you decide to adopt the changes permanently – let your customers know and encourage them to do the same
Hide lucky charms
Hide treasures around your pub on St. Patrick’s Day and give your guests clues on how to find them on social media. It might be vouchers for a free dish or drink, a pack of Guinness or a bottle of Baileys. Ask them to post pictures of their prizes on social media (using a hashtag of your choice) and one winner will get a true pot of gold… a meal for 4 with drinks! Be sure to re-post all the content and create a digital buzz while having fun.
Paint the town green!
Hold a green-themed party on St, Patrick’s Day and decorate your pub in Irish colours. Encourage your customers to wear green and pay homage to the Irish with Irish-themed music. Leave some fun props (think hats, beards and glasses) around the tables and encourage guests to tag you in any pictures the post.
Remember to talk about the event in your email and social media marketing in the week’s running up to the big day.
Use St. Patrick’s Day hashtags
Make sure you’re part of the conversation on social media both before the day, on and after St. Paddy’s. Here’s a list of hashtags you should try and include when talking about your plans….
#shamrock
#stpatricksday
#clover
#irish
#kissmeimirish
#stparicksparade
#stpaddysday
#paddysday
#gogreen
#fourleafclover
#guinness
#stpatricksdaydecor
#lucky
Track and evaluate your marketing activity
Examine the results of your marketing activity by tracking your digital activity. Which elements of your activity and which marketing channels worked best?
Track your traffic using this UTM builder and you can even see which specific posts on specific dates created the most engagement.
Bonus idea!
One last time-saving gift from us is a list of Irish and St. Patrick’s Day phrases for you to have a little fun with in your digital marketing….
- Irish you were here
- Top of the mornin’ to you
- Let’s get shamrocked!
- Luckier than a four-leaf clover
- Lucky like a four-leaf clover
- Richer than a pot of gold
- Get your green on
- Irish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day
- The paddy don’t start ‘til I walk in
- Time to sham-rock and roll
- You’re our lucky charm!
- Don’t worry, beer happy
- What a brew-tiful day!
- Get your charm on
Want a little help with St. Patrick’s Day marketing for your pub?
If you love the idea of introducing some fun digital marketing for your pub around St. Patrick’s Day, but you’re lacking in time and know-how then get in touch and ask us for help! We’ve worked with a wide range of pub brands in the UK to bolster their digital marketing, from All Bar One and O’Neill’s to Wadworth and Vintage Inns. We’d be more than happy to put a plan together for your business.