7 Tips To Brew Up A Social Media Strategy That’s The Perfect Blend For Coffee Business
Cultivating a successful internet presence for coffee shops can be a bit of a grind. With many platforms to choose from and countless competitors vying for your patrons’ attention, it can be hard to know where to focus your energy for the best results. However, a strong social media presence is key to drawing in new customers and retaining existing regulars. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Read on for seven tips to get the most out of your socials.
Market In-Store
You’ve already got a captive audience in people who visit your coffee shop. Once they’ve experienced for themselves just what you’re offering, they’re much more likely to be interested in your business than people who have only seen it online.
Use this to your advantage and advertize your social media handles in high-traffic places in your shop. Menus are a great place to start, and if you have a board with your Wi-Fi details, this is also a fantastic place to put anything you want to be noticed.
Maintain A Consistent Brand Image
To pique the interest of potential customers, you have to carefully craft the exact tone you want to convey. High-end coffee spot perfect for working lunches? Showcase sleek, professional images. Fun, chilled hang out? Focus on brighter, more lively pictures. If a huge part of your business is delicious food, then fill your accounts with mouth-watering foodie shots. Whatever vibe you have in mind for your coffee shop, it has to be consistent across your social media platforms.
Hold Competitions
Competitions are a guaranteed way to increase engagement. Who doesn’t want a free coffee?
How you run the competition is completely up to you, so have fun with it and pick something that fits your brand and customer base. If you know that your shop is a favorite hangout for an arty crowd, a poetry or photo content could be a winner, with the added bonus of providing content for your page.
Opening a prize-draw and entering users who tag a certain number of friends or leave a comment is another popular type of competition. As well as increasing engagement, this is sure to increase the reach of your socials.
Hype Up Your Business
Make sure to geotag your shop to help locals find you. If there’s an event in the area, such as a festival, which is getting coverage online, lean into that by posting about the event and using the hype to your advantage.
Get Chatting
Nobody is interested in following a stale social media page. Engagement is much more likely if the brand gets involved. “Make sure you don’t just pay lip service to this, either – if you ask a question in your caption, make sure you interact with the responses, or followers will easily see that your attempt at interaction was just a ploy for engagement,” warns Robert Spencer, marketer at Essay Roo.
The beauty of this is that, once a certain number of people begin posting content featuring your coffee shop, your customers are effectively marketing on your behalf.
Have Fun
As a local cafe, it can be hard to compete with the giant chain down the road. However, while they might have a bigger budget and enviable brand recognition, you have the ultimate superpower – the ability to truly inject your personality into your shop and create something unique.
Use your social media presence to have fun and showcase your personality. If a cute pet visits your shop every day, ask the owner for a photo. If it’s a special day, celebrate online!
Use The Right Hashtags
Before getting hashtag happy, do some research into which hashtags would bring the most traffic to your socials; being location specific is particularly helpful. “While specific, pinpointed hashtags are generally better than broad hashtags, don’t get too detailed or you risk nobody finding your content” advises Donald Halcomb, business writer for Paper Fellows and Boom Essays.
Social media is an important tool to market your coffee shop and bring in new customers, as well as tempt regulars to return. Ramping up your social media efforts can be overwhelming, but with the tips above you’re well on your way to a successful internet presence.
