Over 1800 of Britain’s 60,000 pubs are forecast by industry experts to go out of business by 2012 as large stronger pubs drive out smaller pubs, the pub chains grow their market share, and, as a result of the smoking ban and any possible downturn in the economy, people choose to drink at home. But there are independent and smaller pubs across the country which prove that you can be highly successful whatever your size and wherever you are. While it is always easier to attract custom if you are in a prime location, there are many successful pubs which people make a point of visiting. So, your beer is excellent, the décor is as you want it, you already give customers a warm welcome – what more can you do?

Here are doNOWdo’s 10 suggestions.

1. Improve the food

Pubs which offer food do better than pubs which do not. Pubs which offer good food do better than pubs which offer bad food. Screamingly obvious but many pubs still offer tired sandwiches or stop serving food after 2pm. Sure good chefs are hard to find but you don’t need to be a trained chef to cut fresh bread into huge chunks, couple it with excellent cheeses, or slices of ham or salami, cherry tomatoes a handful of rocket and good quality crisps. There is a huge potential profit margin. Remember it is better to do a few items simply and well than be over ambitious. So, if your customers come to you hungry why not feed them? Saying the kitchen is closed at 2.10 means they will go somewhere else.

2. Cater for children

Some drinkers go to the pub to escape children. Having a child free bar for them is great. But according to figures from the latest census almost a third of households contain dependent children and one in nine households has children under-five. But many pubs still make the children’s room (if they have one) the bottom of the list for any refurbishment money. Having a pint in a room round the back that looks as if it has been forgotten for years can only encourage the “might as well drink at home” trend. An assortment of interesting toys/ books/ computer games in the corner and an inventive children’s menu could make the children suggest a trip to your pub.

3. Increase your special activities

Many pubs already have some kind of regular activity night but why not add at least one other; the list of possibilities is endless, pub quiz, music evenings, curry nights etc, murder mystery, karaoke, celebration of specific occasions – Bonfire night, Halloween, Easter, National Marmalade week (it takes place in the first week of March) Trafalgar Day, Wimbledon. For more possible dates to celebrate click here. You can even consider anti event; if your customers are not into the rugby final, a rugby final free zone. One possible danger with special events, they can make non regulars feel excluded – consider handing out invitation cards. Special activities are an excellent way of bringing in custom on quiet days.

4. Stage an event

Put yourself and your community on the map with a special event. Not all of the Great British customs date back to the middle ages. Just as the Ploughman’s lunch was invented in 1960 by the English County Cheese Council, so have some of the pub-centred community events been relatively recent inventions. Not sure what to do, then borrow an idea – look in our Weird Thing of the Week and see what’s on elsewhere; give it your own twist – there are any number of duck races but what about a frog race? snail race? Yes there are scarecrow festivals, kite flying festivals, dragon festivals. But are there any near you? Whose for a pantomime horse festival? The point about a special event is that while it may be a lot of hard work and may not make your fortune on the day, the effect of the publicity it generates can last all year. If you do stage an event, remember to add your entry to doNOWdo; we’ll publicise it and best of all it’s free.

5. Cosset your smokers

OK, so smoking is bad for you but the poor souls need somewhere to go. There is something about being one a band of outlaws which can be quite enticing – so the new smoking laws are not all bad news for pubs. Even if you have only a small outside area – make it welcoming and make it clear this is where the smokers hang out. Patio heaters will not do any favours for the environment but a brazier log fire is not only greener but is more in keeping with the rebel image. The Marlborough cowboy – remember him - wouldn’t have stood next to a patio heater – he would have had a camp fire.

6. Remember the mornings

What is a pub before 11.30 in the morning? Potentially it is a café. The French find nothing odd about dropping into the same place for breakfast as where they go for a drink in the evening. You may well not want to open up at 8.30am, specially if you have been up late the night before but keeping the pub closed at that time is a waste of an expensive asset. It may pay to bring in somebody else who could serve coffee, breakfasts, even takeaway rolls, sandwiches or papers. The additional profit may not be enormous but it will bring in new faces to the pub and give you an opportunity to encourage them to come to other activities and events.

7. Think Community

If your pub is the centre of the community, it will be the place that people will naturally visit. Some pubs have been really acting on this principle. A number of pubs have already opened post office branches. Other community projects which have been taken up by pubs across the country include library, playgroup centre, old people, internet centre, IT training centre, over 60s club, youth centre. If you have started an original community project, use doNOWdo's Self Service to upload details and we may feature it on the home page.

8. Get them home safely

The drink driving laws have had a long term effect on rural pubs. Helping your customers to get home safely will allow them to spend the evening in your pub without worrying about falling foul of the law. It may be worth teaming up with a local taxi firm to arrange a late Drive You Home service at advantageous rates, or simply organising the rota to be Des (designated driver).

9. Get on the tourist trail

Other pubs in your area are the competition but you can also join forces to increase the customers to you as a group. In London a number of pubs have joined forces to create the Dick Whittington trail. But there are countless possibilities depending on the part of the country you live in.

10. Publicity, publicity, publicity

However good you are, you need to let people know. You do not need an enormous marketing budget as there are plenty of cheap opportunities. Try your hand at PR – think of a good story and contact your local newspaper. Many local papers are desperate for copy. When you run a raffle or other competition make sure you collect your customers email addresses – that way you can email them if you have a special event. Make use of the internet – an entry on doNOWdo is completely free; remember to fill in all the sections so that people who search the database can find out whether you have a children’s licence, river frontage or pool tables or are about to stage the biggest pancake race in history.