Unique Ways To Market Your Coffee Shop

Back to Blog

We analyzed some of the top trends in coffee shop marketing to determine some of the most effective marketing tactics to help your coffee shop stand out.

Something pretty cool about the team at SimpleTexting is that we are all 100% remote. We’ve got team members in seven different countries at this very moment! So, in addition to being experts at text marketing, we’d like to think we’re also kind of experts on coffee shops. After all, we’ve all worked in hundreds of them.

From big chains to local shops, we’ve seen coffee shops market and brand themselves in some pretty neat ways. As your number one fans, the SimpleTexting team

How to Use Marketing to Help Your Coffee Shop Stand Out

When it comes to coffee shop marketing, the competition is pretty stiff. Like, over 20,000 coffee shops in the US alone kind of stiff. Factors like location, convenience, price, and quality all factor in to your customer engagement. While your shop may excel at one or all of these things, if nobody knows about it, where does that leave you?

Here are a couple quick and easy ways you can make your coffee shop marketing intentional and pack a measurable punch.

1. Invest in touches that cater to a visual consumer base

From unique cups to artfully decorated lattes. It sounds silly, but people will come in droves for a unique product. There are over 1.1 million photos using the hashtag #coffee on Instagram. It’s reported that 69% of millennials Instagram their food before eating it. With a visually appealing product you can turn your customers into your best marketers.

If you’re into a no-frills coffee approach, try some snappy pavement art or statement decorations that people will be drawn to as well. The more opportunities to land the perfect shot the better.

2. Loyalty cards, they’re not just for Starbucks

Coffee shops are practically made for loyalty programs. While walk-in business is always great, it’s a steady stream of regulars that can really support your shop’s bottom line. In high volume or high competition areas, like a college town, loyalty programs are a great way to turn your shop into someones “spot.”

3. Using Social Media With A Purpose

One does not just “do” social media. Merely having a presence online doesn’t constitute a successful platform. In order to foster the community feel at your coffee shop, allow your social media to perform as an extension of your space. Plan to feature not just your products, but your customers! Look at the success of the Humans of New York page. People love to hear and have their stories told.

Love it or hate it, but millennials and social media go together like coffee and croissants. And if there’s one place millennials can be found, it’s on Instagram. With 41% of 18 to 23-year-olds spending more on coffee than investing in retirement, it’s not a space you can really afford to be absent in. However, social media with a purpose will be the key to what sets you apart.

SMS Marketing For Coffee Shops

Opportunities to implement text marketing at your coffee shop are out there! Using SMS for coffee shops is a growing trend and, much like social media, when it’s used in unique ways it can really stick. Here are a few cool ways you can use SMS in your shop.

• Let your customers choose the daily special and deals with text to poll features.
• Customers looking for the WiFi password? Tell them to text in a keyword and send an automated text message to reveal the password.
• Use business texting to allow customers to text in orders and skip the line.
• Create a members club offering secret menu items exclusive to the people who opt in to receive your texts.

Explore these possibilities and more by text enabling your coffee shop. Be bold, try new things, and keep the dark roast flowing. Know you’ll always have a customer with the SimpleTexting team!