How to Market Your Coffee Shop to Reach Your Target Customers
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Whether at home, in the plane, at work, or at a coffee shop, nothing surpasses the enticing aroma of freshly roasted coffee. You will be shocked to find out that over $30 billion is spent on normal and specialty cups of the hot beverage each year by classic consumers who enjoy the flavor. Knowing your target market—the people who buy and consume coffee—can help you decide which products will sell best in your coffee shop and can leapfrog your newly started franchise to a level you would have only imagined.
Marketing your coffee shop to reach your target customers would mean that you know which customers you are targeting in the first place. That is the first thing to do if you are serious about the progress of your business. You cannot afford to just jump into a random set of people or market. It is pertinent to consider the who before the how.
Having said that, let us identify some of the markets you should look towards if you want to market your business.
Drip coffee drinkers
According to the most recent studies, roughly 75 percent of Americans consume coffee every day. Your target market may be college students and professionals who are commuting to work or attending class and are looking for a cheap cup of coffee to satisfy their caffeine cravings. Some students even take coffee to stay longer reading at night.
In contrast, you can decide to target the affluent market in an effort to draw in the middle and upper classes of coffee lovers who are willing to part ways with a substantial buck for a cup of quality and special coffee.
Worthy of note is the age of coffee users—it also counts. Research has proven that 40% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 and 54% of those between the ages of 25 and 39 regularly consume the beverage.
Coffee shop lovers
Another target market that is worth noting is the market of those who choose to spend time at coffee shops that provide a variety of specialty beverages. These customers seem to have a connection with the environment, probably because of the lingering coffee aroma, or for the fact that they have a cup of coffee with people like them. As of today in the US, more than 22,000 coffee shops are in operation, and together, they generate twelve billion dollars in revenue for the United States.
The fortunate thing about these insane figures is that it is NOT enough! In other words, more coffee shops are needed to cater to the demands of the ever increasing coffee lovers, and it will be a great idea to come into the picture.
Specialty coffee drinkers
If you are not penetrating the market as “just another coffee shop down the street,” i.e., if you are introducing or focusing on offering specialty coffee beverages, there are higher chances that you will have a smooth ride. Many coffee shops already offer the same thing; so you coming in with a different thing changes the game entirely, and so in your favor.
If you plan to offer specialty coffee beverages, lattes, mochas, espressos, and cappuccinos are just the beginning, to be honest with you. Coffee lovers who are picky when it comes to the ingredients that make up their cups of caffeine drink are more than willing to pay more if you can offer them their taste. Now, imagine if you can actually offer these set of coffee consumers their taste, you will not only penetrate the market easily, you will also be able to quickly build a strong base of loyal customers. This is why you should consider buying coffee shop franchises under companies like Papparoti’s, who are willing to cater to specialty coffee drinkers.
Whole or roasted beans buyers
People who purchase whole beans to brew at home or at the workplace make up another target market, and you should be on the lookout for them. Most coffee shop owners may sweep this simple thing under the carpet, but we reckon you do not. The rationale behind this is that it takes an ardent coffee lover to actually want to go through the stress of buying whole beans, grinding it themselves and making their own coffee at home. Appealing to such devoted coffee lovers would mean a lot to your business in the long run.
Now that you have an idea of who to appeal to, let us consider how to market your coffee shop to reach these set of customers.
Consider offering redeemable promotions in your café
Offering online promos that are only redeemable in-store is one of the most tested and trusted marketing gimmicks for coffee shops and the likes. The goal is to drive potential buyers in to your coffee shop. As a business owner, never underestimate the power of the eyes. Many philosophers have opined that the best way to a human’s mind is through the eyes. You can achieve this by sending out printable coupons. It may also come in form of QR codes that your clients can scan in-store to enjoy discounts.
If you are wondering how to reach customers in the cheapest way, then you should consider social media. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even Gmail can be utilized for this purpose. Social media remain some of the quickest and cheapest means of publicity, but they are never to be underestimated.
Optimize your site for local searches
As a business owner, you should know too well the importance of optimizing your site for local searches. In fact, it can never be over emphasized. Most users accomplish just about anything on their internet enabled devices nowadays. Task like searching for the nearest hotel, airport, club or coffee shop could be easily done on a smartphone. You don’t want to miss the opportunity of your business popping up when a coffee lover searches “nearest coffee shop around me.” No, you don’t want that, and that is why you should ensure that your website is well optimized so that it pops up when relevant keywords are included in a search.
Register your business on Google My Business, Yahoo, Yelp, as well as other local databases. While at it, make sure that you supply only accurate information about your business, especially the address, phone number and email address. Google My Business will even let you include your business hours; utilize that too. With your business on the internet, be prepared to welcome customers from your neighborhood and beyond.
Host an event
Giving out something for free to potential customers is another good strategy to consider, particularly if they frequent your coffee shop. To do this, arrange events such as new roast tastings, get-togethers for nearby remote workers, and other social activities that will entice and encourage people to visit your café.
During this event, generously avail to the attendees the flavors that your coffee shop sells for sampling and tasting. If the flavor being tested is a limited-edition variety, provide a discount on it or give out vouchers that consumers may use when they visit the store again after your event.
What is an event without publicity? Once again, social media is your friend. Run targeted ads on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that will advertise your event to coffee lovers that live in your area. You can even use the help of a few TikTokers.
Create hyper-local ads
For the umpteenth time, social media! To reiterate, social media is convenient and affordable and you should not hesitate to utilize it as a means of advertisement. Promote your café by investing in sponsored posts on Facebook, Instagram, and maybe LinkedIn if you think it is worth it for you.
One good way to create eye-catchy sponsored posts is through taking mouthwatering pictures of your products. It’s not too much to invest in a local photographer if you know you cannot handle it yourself. Remember that the way to a person’s mind is through their eyes.
Attach incentives to in-store visits
Make visiting your shop worthwhile for your customers. Offer discounts or promotions that can only be used at the register to attract clients. Consider starting a loyalty program such as a punch card that customers can use to redeem products for free after buying coffee worth a certain predetermined amount. The majority of customers are inclined to endorse a company with a strong loyalty program.
Partner with local influencers
Celebrities have long been employed by businesses to boost their credibility and increase sales. Influencer marketing has increased to a value of roughly 13 billion dollars because of the growth of social media. Customers will most likely perceive your coffee shop in a positive way if someone they trust is representing your brand.
Fortunately, local influencers are usually affordable for coffee shop advertisement owing to the fact that they typically have a smaller following. The best influencers for you will be easy to uncover depending on your goals. Therefore, set your marketing goals first, before selecting your influencer.
Do you wish to target a certain group of people? Do you wish to increase your social media fan base? Or do you wish to get in touch with folks who are passionate about specialty roasts and handmade coffee? These are some basic questions to ask yourself before collaborating with an influencer.
Lend an ear to your customers
If your café has a suggestion box, use the comments from patrons to enhance their subsequent experience. If you don’t have one, take a look at your social media interactions and online reviews, on Google, Facebook and Instagram, for example, to see what you can improve. Perhaps, clients feel they wait too long at busy periods. Some customers may even suggest new flavors; you never know what you may gain just by listening to your customers.
Create a mailing list
If you already run a website for your coffee shop, you may want to consider including a signup box on its homepage. Encourage visitors to sign up so they can enjoy exclusive offers. You can also approach customers physically in-store. Part of your “thank you” message can include words encouraging your customers to join your email list.
Once you are able to achieve this, make sure you provide only relevant and quality content so you don’t end up in their spam list. Don’t blow up your chances.
Jump on holidays
Holidays are perfect times for coffee lovers to have coffee toasts with their loved ones. It would also be a good opportunity for you to set your café to that effect. It could mean redesigning your shop to match the holiday, or providing specialty coffee. Little things like this could be the distinctive factor between you and the other coffee shops around your vicinity.
Parting Words
A cup of coffee in the morning is a common morning routine for many Americans today. It gives them a jumpstart to the day, and keeps them going all day too. Even though the majority of people now work from home, many continue to patronize neighborhood coffee shops for their daily brew or purchase fresh bags of coffee roast to brew at home.
The demand for coffee keeps increasing, and you can be sure of having a soft landing, especially if you know what you are doing. With the tips above on how to market your coffee shop to reach your target customers, you are good to go.
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