How The Loft Bar Built a Following From Zero and Hit 745 Organic Followers Before Opening Day
Launching a Brand With No Audience, No Content and No Ad Spend
When The Loft Bar began working with Digital Influence (alongside branding and website partners Commonsensical), the venue didn’t yet exist. There were no finished interiors, no menu, no social presence and no warm audience to tap into. With only weeks until opening, our job was to build anticipation, grow a genuinely engaged community and ensure Christchurch locals were excited to visit – all using organic content alone.
A Content-First Strategy Designed to Spark Pre-Launch Excitement
With no paid media available, we focused on creating unmissable social content that would build curiosity and connection.
What We Delivered
• Social Media Strategy: A structured rollout designed to grow an audience from scratch and position The Loft as a must-visit bar before opening day.
• Short-Form Video Content: Street interviews, behind-the-scenes clips, teaser moments and personality-led videos designed to capture attention and tap into local culture.
• Photography: A clean, cohesive image library covering the fit-out, team and early menu concepts to support storytelling across social platforms.
• Community Engagement: Responding fast, encouraging user participation and creating content people wanted to share – building a true sense of “buzz” around the venue.
This approach allowed us to reach thousands of locals with no media spend and create genuine anticipation for opening night.
A Full Bar, an Engaged Audience and Momentum From Day One
The Loft Bar grew to 745 organic followers in its first month – without running a single ad. More importantly, this audience turned into real customers. Opening week saw a strong stream of visitors, user-generated content, tags, and shares, giving the new venue powerful social proof from the very beginning.
