CUSTOMER RESOURCES

TRIVIA MARKETING 101

Promote your trivia night on social media

Whether Instagram makes you jump for joy or roll your eyes, the fact of the matter is this: Social media is an important tool for promoting trivia at your location. If a player is looking for quick, digestible information about your event, there’s a good chance they’ll check your Instagram or Facebook page before they check the website.

Here’s what you’ll need to put together an effective social media post:

1. A good photo. You can go a couple of directions here — a photo of people playing trivia, the host reading questions, or a plate of yummy food are all good options. You can also use the social media graphics we provided to you!

2. A good timeline. It’s not just about what you post, it’s when. If you want to promote something a few days ahead of time, make an Instagram feed post where people can check all week leading up to trivia. Instagram stories are better for day-of promo. Facebook posts are also great for day-of promos, since recent content trends to the top of peoples’ pages. Post at least once a few days ahead, and once again the morning of your game.

3. A helpful caption. Being clever is great, but a straightforward caption that clearly communicated to people when and where trivia is happening is your bread and butter. It never hurts to include information on your food or drink specials, either!

   Examples:
   Get ready to use your noodle and not your Google, trivia starts tonight at 8pm sharp! Whether you form an unbeatable team or just come for the camaraderie, trivia at [your venue] is the place to be on Tuesdays at 8.

   Hump Day is surmountable thanks to Wednesday night trivia and $2 off domestic taps. See you tonight at 7!

4. A clear message. If your trivia night starts at a certain time, but you know that it’s helpful for staff, patrons, or both to have people arrive early, communicate that directly. If you list an earlier start time without context, you might be missing out on attendees who don’t think they can make it in time!

   Examples:

   QuizBang!! trivia every Wednesday night, starting at 6:30! Sign up starts at 6.
   Don’t miss QuizBang!! trivia every Thursday night at 7pm! Advance reservations strongly recommended to guarantee seating.

Get the Lay of the Land

It’s tempting to put your host in a corner to keep them out of the flow of traffic, but it’s hard to hold the attention of a crowd from behind a pillar. Here are a few questions to answer when situating trivia in your business:

• Does trivia have a designated space, or is it a trivia takeover? For particularly big spaces, restaurants with a separate bar, or spots with TVs for sports, you may want trivia folks seated in a special spot. Consider saving a seating section just for trivia.

• Where is that sound coming from? If you’re using a freestanding PA, your host will need to be near an outlet, for starters. Make sure the speakers can be positioned in front of where they will stand or sit. If you have an in-house sound system, make sure your host can access the controls or know who can, to adjust the volume and input levels.

• Can you even see them? When a patron walks in, they should be able to know where to go to find the excitement. Make sure your host can be seen from everywhere players will be seated, and if possible, where walk-ins will be able to pick up on the fact that something rad is happening!

OK, you’ve got the people… now keep them!

People are already gathering in your space, and trivia helps keep them around. Tempt them to linger beyond the announcement of answers with a few ideas we’ve learned along the way:

• Happy Hour
  The trick for piggy-backing Happy Hour with trivia is that it should overlap the end just a little or end right as trivia begins. So, if your usual trivia is at 7pm, the game would be ending between 8:45-9pm. Have Happy Hour start at 8:30pm, so the host can announce it during the game, and it’ll encourage players to linger over one more drink or eat as they go over the results of trivia! Conversely, Happy Hour could end half an hour before trivia, incentivizing early arrivals.

• Specials Tied to Scores
  For all those teams coming in fourth place or lower, you could offer a discount of whatever their score was off their next round of drinks. (Whether you make it 40 cents or 40 percent, people love to be acknowledged for their effort!)

• Sponsored Prizes
  If you’ve got a good relationship with one of your neighbors, ask them to pitch in and sponsor one of the prizes! It could be one of the regular prizes, at the $20 or $10 value level, or it could be a unique prize: Most Average, Best Team Name, or Most Optimistic (for last place). This is especially great for taprooms with regular food trucks or with nearby restaurants that deliver to the taproom. It rewards more players and gives them more reason to stick around.