Having Trouble Getting Mobile Bartending Clients? Here's What I Would Consider.
One of the biggest challenges about running a mobile bartending business is finding clients and getting booked. I wish I could tell you there's one specific thing you can do to get inquiries coming in constantly, but that wasn't my experience.
Over the years, I got bookings from Google, which directed people to my website. Instagram, referrals, networking events, and even people I met while working events were other ways people found me.
Some worked better than others. Some worked for a while then slowed down. Some brought in a lot of inquiries but very few bookings. But there's a difference in getting people interested in your services and getting them to actually book you.
So if you're having trouble getting booked, there could be a variety of reasons why. It might be your pricing, visibility, the way you're presenting your business, how you're communicating with potential clients, or even the time of year. It could be one or a combination of any of those things. Or it could be something else.
Rather than tell you to post more on social media (though that could help your visibility problem) or lower your prices, I'm going to share what I experienced running my own mobile bartending business, and what I'd encourage you to look at if you're struggling to book events.
First, Where Are People Finding You?
For a good portion of the time that I operated my mobile bartending business, Google was one of my biggest sources of inquiries.
If someone searched something like "mobile bartender in Atlanta," my business would show up in the top results. At one point, I was ranking in the top five. I was number two to be exact. 😊
That visibility led people to my website where they could learn more about my services, and reach out about their events.
When someone is actively searching for a mobile bartender in their area, there's a good chance they're already planning an event and looking for someone to hire. That's different than someone who casually came across your Instagram page.
I received some inquires through Instagram, but a lot of those people weren't my ideal clients. My pricing was often more than they wanted to spend.
This is not to say that Instagram isn't helpful. It definitely has it's place and serves its purpose. It just wasn't where most of my conversions from inquiries to bookings came from.
In the very beginning, I used platforms like Thumbtack. I got some bookings from it but I also spent a lot of money to connect with potential clients just for them to not hire me. It was more often a frustrating waste.
It's set up for you to pay for an opportunity to speak with someone without any guarantee that they'll actually book you. For me, that conversion just wasn't high enough to justify what I was spending. Putting time and money into my own website made more sense for me.
Now, I'm not saying platforms like Thumbtack don't work. I've seen people have great success. I'm just saying that they didn't particularly work for me.
What I'd Suggest:
Pay attention to where your inquiries are coming from, but also track which ones actually turn into bookings.
You can get 20 inquiries from one platform but could get five from another that actually turn into bookings.
Are You Attracting the Clients You Actually Want to Serve?
This was something I realized I needed to focus on because not every person looking for mobile bartending services was looking for the kind of service that I offered.
The foundation of my business was built around fresh ingredients, mixers I made from scratch, sustainability, and being more eco-conscious about how I provided bar services. I wasn't trying to be different, but that's what made my business different.
I wasn't trying to offer the cheapest, most affordable bartending service. I learned to become better at communicating what people were paying for.
My website, photos, service descriptions, and overall aesthetic helped people get a sense of what I offered, before they contacted me. The clearer I became about my services and the type of experience I wanted to provide, the more I noticed that the right people were finding me.
Now that didn't mean every inquiry turned into a booking, but it did help me spend less time trying to convince people who weren't looking for what I offered.
If people are constantly telling you your prices are "too high," I wouldn't automatically assume your prices are the problem.
I'd look at whether you're reaching the right audience and whether you're clearly communicating what makes your service worth the price.
Of course your prices still need to make sense for what you're offering because good marketing won't fix pricing that doesn't account for your costs or that isn't appropriate for your market. But lowering your rates shouldn't be the first thing you do anytime someone says "you're too expensive."
What Is It Like for Someone to Inquire About Your Services?
Something else I paid attention to was how easy I made it for people to work with me.
I wanted potential clients to have a good idea of what the experience would be like before they booked. That meant being clear about what I offered, communicating professionally, answering questions, and making the process as straightforward as possible.
I thought about it from the client's perspective.
They're planning an event, probably communicating with several different vendors, managing a budget, and trying to make decisions. If they have to keep asking me basic questions about my services, can't understand what pricing includes, or having trouble getting a response, that can make their decision harder than what it needs to be.
I did my best to keep things simple.
I wanted my business to feel organized, professional, and approachable, from the website, to the inquiry, to the actual event.
What I'd Suggest:
Go through your own booking process as if you were a potential client.
Can someone easily understand what you offer? Is it clear how to inquire? Are you explaining what's included? Are you responding in a timely manner? Does the experience feel professional?
Sometimes you don't need more people finding your business. You need to make it easier for the people already finding you to book.
Referrals Were My Best Source of Bookings!
Out of everything I tried, referrals were the most valuable source for my business.
Not for just getting booked, but for getting booked by clients who were willing to pay for the services I offered.
When someone referred me to a friend, family member, or colleague, the inquiry was usually promising. I think it's because the person reaching out already had some level of trust. They weren't just looking at my website and trying to decide whether I was worth it. Someone they knew had already told them about their experience working with me, or they may have met me while already working an event.
I also connected with people like event planners through networking events.
Even though I've retired from bartending, I still occasionally hear from past clients and people who were referred to me. I think that says a lot about the relationships I built while operating.
But the thing about referrals. You can't expect to build that kind of reputation overnight. It came from showing up and doing my best at every event.
Being reliable, professional, approachable, knowing what I was doing (or at least doing my best), and making sure people had a good experience, mattered just as much as the cocktails. And I know that because I also received business from people who had bad experiences with other bartenders. Sometimes the bartender didn't show up. They weren't friendly or helpful. Sometimes they lacked the experience or professionalism that the client was expecting.
Those experiences not only made people more mindful about the bartenders they hired, but also willing to pay more for the right help.
You can have a beautiful website and great marketing, but if you're not delivering a good service, it's going to be harder to build the kind of reputation that brings people back.
Sometimes It's Just a Slow Season
I also want to mention something I think can get overlooked when you're trying to figure out why you're not getting booked.
Sometimes, business is just slow.
The were periods where my website bought consistent inquiries from Google search, and then there were other times where referrals were keeping me booked and busy. Sometimes both were working. Other times nothing happened at all.
The time of the year can affect how many people are planning events, what kind of events they're hosting, and how much demand there is for mobile bartending services. So if you're going through a slow period, I wouldn't immediately assume there is something wrong with your business. I would look at the bigger picture.
Have inquiries slowed down everywhere, or just one platform? Are you getting inquires but not converting them? Is it that time of year when people are typically booking fewer events? They're all different situations and will probably require different approaches.
What I Did When I Wasn't Booked
One thing I did was use my down time to work on my business.
When I wasn't booked, I looked for ways to improve my chances of getting booked.
Sometimes that meant working on my website or learning more SEO (search engine optimization) strategies so people could find my business through Google. Other times I focused on my service offerings, pricing, business structure, or the way I would communicate.
I also made an effort to network and connect with people who worked with the types of clients I wanted to serve.
I wasn't always doing things perfectly, and I certainly didn't have a guaranteed way to keep my calendar full. But I used the time I had to improve something rather than sitting around waiting for the next inquiry.
There Is No One Way to Get Booked
I don't think there was one thing that made my mobile bartending business successful at attracting clients. It was a combination of things.
✓ Being visible when people searched for mobile bartending services.
✓ Getting clear about the clients and events I wanted to serve.
✓ Having a website that represented my business well.
✓ Communicating clearly.
✓ Making the booking process easier.
And I think most importantly,
✓ Building a reputation through the work I actually did.
Some brought results faster than others. While some, like referrals, took time.
If you're struggling to book clients right now, I wouldn't say change everything about your business. I would start with where the disconnect might be.
❓ Are people having trouble finding you?
❓ Are they finding you but not inquiring?
❓ Are they inquiring but not booking?
❓ Are you getting booked but just not by the kind of clients you want to work with?
Once you have a better idea of what's happening, you can be more intentional about what you try next.
There isn't a fail proof way to getting mobile bartending clients. You win some, you lose some. It's just part of running a business.
However, from my experience, the more deliberate I became about how I presented my business, communicated my value, and treated the people I worked with, the better my chances were at attracting clients I actually wanted.
Do your best to show people what it would be like to work with you before they book you. That's something I always tried to do, and looking back, I think it made a difference.
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