Running a coffee shop is no easy task. From having a high quality product to offering good customer service, owners strive for those 5-star reviews. For most coffee shop owners, marketing is one of the last things on their minds, but you don’t need ads or a giant budget to grow your sales and get customers in the door.
Simple marketing can go a long way. Our advice: create a simple and repeatable system that runs through your day-to-day operations.
Here are three of the marketing tips for coffee shops:
1. Turn your Instagram into a visual menu
Instagram isn’t just social media, it is often your customer’s first impression of your menu and your shop. Your feed should match the vibe of your brand and store.
- Try to think of Instagram as a menu with photos. You can showcase your best-selling drinks and seasonal specials. Include your baristas in this content as well, people love to attach a face to a brand.
- If you want to increase sales of a particular item, include that item in the first photo of a carousel or highlight them in your story in the morning.
- Coffee shops naturally operate earlier in the day so that is important to track as well. Why would a coffee shop be posting at 4 PM when everyone has had their coffee already? Try posting a story every day at 7 AM.
Pro tip: if you use an Iphone for your socials, wipe off your camera and turn HDR off for both camera and video content. This will make your content crisp and clean.
2. Create a series on your social media
Social media goes beyond just Instagram. Others include TikTok (very good for organic growth) and Facebook (great for organizing events and reaching local customers). One goal to have with these channels is to create consistent and quality content that makes customers want to see more.
- Create a series that keeps customers coming back for more. This is best done through videos on Instagram or TikTok. One example of this is Little Joy Cafe who are currently doing a series called 30 drinks in 30 days. Check it out here.
- These series aren’t just fun, they are marketing engines. Every time someone shares them, your coffee shop gets in front of a whole new audience.
- These series can also include mixed media campaigns. Create a carousel post with videos of the process of making the drink, photos of the drink by itself, and photos of baristas with the drink. Get creative with your new drink menu and have fun with it.
You cannot only be known for your amazing product and gorgeous coffee shop, but also offer a fun experience outside your shop from people’s phones.
3. Automate loyalty to turn visitors into regulars
The most valuable customer isn’t always the new one, rather the one that returns. Dripos’ new marketing suite allows you to lure customers back in with loyalty incentives.
- A simple loyalty program can increase repeat visits such as Buy 5 drinks, Get the 6th free. Or double points for customers who come in on your slowest day.
- With Dripos, customer information is automatically stored in our system and shop owners can sift through that information to create target audiences that can be reached through email or text messaging.
- No more paper cards or counting. You can reward your best customers and bring back customers who haven’t been in months.
Find our complete guide on how to use Dripos Marketing here. For all other questions, our customer support team is standing by ready to assist. Please reach out any time via text or email for anything you need.
