Coffee Shop Promotional Ideas: How to Really Draw In New Customers

 

 

Are you looking for coffee shop promotional ideas and ways to bring in more customers to your coffee shop?

Then you need to remember that your venue is about so much more than just buying a cup of coffee.

“The coffeehouse is good for genius, and the Viennese coffeehouse is a classic case. Freud had his favorite coffee shop, and so did Gustav Klimt.”—Eric Weiner

The best coffee shops create an atmosphere, have a special ambience, and offer customers an experience.

Drinking coffee is only one aspect of this experience. For most of us, it’s equally important to have a comfortable place to socialize and connect with other people.

Coffee shops serve as community hubs, and most of them have a regular clientele of local patrons.

Bringing new customers into your coffee shop requires you to actively promote your establishment.

In this article, we look at some of the top ways to market your coffee shop. These ideas will help attract new customers and grow your business.

 

1. Expand your online presence
2. Create your own flyers
3. Join a food delivery app
4. Upgrade your signage
5. Focus on a local business
6. Host live entertainment
7. Host local community groups

 

1. Expand your online presence

 

We live in a digital world and every business needs to have a website and a presence on social media.

This will act as a springboard for all your other promotional ideas. Your website should tell your story.

Explain how your business started and what it means to you.

Other vital information to include is your location, opening hours, and menu.

 

 

You should also link your website to your social media platforms.

By regularly updating your social media pages you can show new customers what you offer and invite them to events.

Another vital feature to include is a section for online reviews. Customers love to read about what other people think of your venue and service.

Each positive review is a vote of confidence in your coffee shop and will help to bring in new customers.

 

2. Create your own flyers

 

Is your coffee shop near a busy train station?

Maybe you have an office block nearby?

These areas are the ideal place to hand out flyers promoting your coffee shop.

 

 

Although this may seem like an outdated method of promoting your shop, it can still be extremely effective.

Make sure you include a discount on the flier to give your potential customer an incentive to visit.

Flyers are a great way to reach a large volume of local people who may not be aware of your coffee shop.

By targeting a specific group of people, you can maximize the potential of this affordable promotion technique.

 

3. Join a food delivery app

 

During the last few years, more people than ever before have started using food delivery apps like Uber Eats and Doordash.

These apps are a good way to expose your coffee shop to a large number of potential customers.

Everyone enjoys the convenience of scrolling through a menu and having their coffee or food delivered to them.

This trend is only becoming more popular.

 

 

By listing your coffee shop on these apps, you can easily take advantage of this.

Once you start serving coffee to more than just your local community the potential to grow is significant.

Delivering coffee to your wider community means you are no longer limited by the size of your venue.

 

4. Upgrade your signage

 

The front of your coffee shop makes a huge impact on potential new customers.

By creating a promotional banner, you can grab their attention and entice them to come inside.

Another way to bring customers off the street is to have a daily-special signboard.

 

 

This can be a simple fold-out chalkboard positioned on the sidewalk.

These are the perfect places to write something amusing to catch the eye of people passing by.

Try not to include too much information on your banners and signboards.

The most effective signs have a simple and direct message.

 

5. Focus on a local business

 

A different way to attract new customers is to identify local businesses that have a large number of employees.

You can expand this search to include local public services like the police or fire department.

You can then approach them and offer them a great promotion.

Hand out flyers printed specifically for that business.

 

 

By presenting the flyer the staff can then claim a free cup of coffee or some other special deal.

By offering these specials, you can network with a whole range of potential customers and give them a solid incentive to visit your coffee shop.

Once they have visited, the chances are good that they will come again.

 

6. Host live entertainment

 

Live music events are the best way to create an atmosphere.

These events give people the opportunity to sit back and enjoy a performance.

Having a weekly music night brings a range of different musicians into your venue, and some of them may even want to record themselves singing live.

 

 

Every one of these musicians will also have their own group of followers and friends.

By promoting these events on social media, you can use the musician’s reputation to bring in new customers.

Featuring popular local artists is a sure way to attract a crowd and bring people to your venue.

 

7. Host local community groups

 

Coffee shops have always been a meeting point for people to come together.

You can take advantage of this by offering to host local community meetings and groups.

Use social media to explore what groups are active in your area.

These may range from groups like book clubs to neighborhood associations.

 

 

Then invite them to use your coffee shop when you would normally have a quiet time.

By providing them with a venue you can become a useful part of the community.

This will help to grow your reputation and increase your word-of-mouth recommendations.

 

Conclusion

 

The most successful coffee shop promotional ideas will combine your real-world efforts with the leverage of social media.

By implementing the ideas discussed in this article you can be sure of reaching out to a large number of potential new customers.

Keep in mind that attracting new customers to your coffee shop is an ongoing process.

 

 

Ideally, it requires a marketing strategy that collates your ideas and gives each item a time frame.

This will help you to consistently promote your business in the future.