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| Everyone's on social media nowadays, but how do you build a good presence there? |
If we’re not on social media, do we truly exist? This might sound too extremist when talking about real people (at least for now), but the reality is not so gentle with companies and businesses. Each day, more people are choosing to research products they’re interested in online before actually making a purchase. If your coffee business is nowhere to be found on the Internet, then you’ll be nothing but a stranger for a considerable amount of potential customers.
So once we’ve accepted this reality and decided to jump on the wagon of social media, one question remains: what is your business’ online presence going to look like? If you don’t define this and do it well, you’re bound to drown in a sea of coffee shops and specialty coffee houses that are fighting for a place in the minds and hearts of their customers. Which is the right way to do your online conversion? How do coffee shops should build their social media strategies? Take a look at some tips we’ve gathered today and start your true digital awakening (a kind that not even coffee can provide)!
Learn how to choose your battles
The first thing you need to define is your brand's identity. What kind of products and services do you offer and who are they intended for? Once you know your target and the kind of people you want to reach out to, you’ll have to pick which social media you’ll use to find them. As coffee shops have a huge visual potential (food and beverages are mostly sold visually), Instagram and Facebook are great places to start. Don’t try to cover more than you need by creating accounts on every social network in existence. Start with the most popular ones and see how it goes. Later, if you feel the need, you can then move on to other platforms.
Remember: it’s not about having as many followers as you can, it’s about creating a loyal community that can be easily turned into leads. Everything you do must be done with your potential customers’ interests in mind. Use geolocalization on your posts to allow people from your area to find you, spend time studying your competition and what they’re doing on their feeds. Think about ways in which your business differentiates from theirs and add extra value to everything you do. If your battles are local, stay local. This is where you’ll find new opportunities.
Coffee is an experience. Sell it as such
For many people, coffee is passion. For others, it represents a moment to enjoy alone, with friends or simply at work. For both, coffee is an experience. And to build a great experience, every little detail must work synergically: context, decoration, location, illumination, service, flavors, aromas, company, attention… it’s all part of what constitutes your coffee shop’s identity. It’s also part of what you should reflect on your social media profile.
Work to make that experience feel as real as you can online. Invest in professional photography so you can recreate the moments and feelings that are part of your coffee shop’s experience. Don’t forget spontaneity. People on social media love to feel part of something real. Sharing little glimpses of what a typical day in your coffee shop looks like using Snapchat or Instagram stories is a great way to do it. You can involve your workers as well!
You don’t need to sell your products so blatantly, nor to promote them on every single post. Forget about putting your brand’s logo in all your publications. Let people know how your coffee shop is like by telling its story through visual and text imagery. Create content, events, and promotions that fit this narrative, and invite everyone to have a taste of the experience.
Make social media something social
Coffee shops are great places to socialize. Why should your social media be any different? Interact with your community and let them know you’re there for them. Don’t leave any comments unresponded. Comments featuring questions, suggestions, complaints, and compliments should all be addressed. But don’t leave it just there! Create a special hashtag and encourage people to use it when sharing pictures and videos at your coffee shop.
People use cafes as places to reunite with friends, so they’re likely to document their time there. Take advantage of this by creating contests and prizes for your most loyal followers, or take your time to go through all pics and select some to share on your profile. This way, you’ll promote your customers’ social media and show them some love! That will encourage them to keep on sharing, using geolocalization and hashtags.
If you’re not sure about making changes on your menu, ask your followers what do they think about it! You’ve already created a community that has shown they’re willing to interact with you, so take their opinions seriously. Create surveys and remember to answer their inquiries and suggestions. Few things work better for building your audience than being open to receive comments and giving feedback.
Stay visually and thematically consistent
As we said before, it’s incredibly important to be able to communicate your coffee shop’s identity correctly. Once you know who you are, you need to create an image that fits that narrative. Colors, themes, language, shapes, and typography are some of the essential elements of your aesthetic. How does the brand speak to its customers? Does it use a familiar language or is it more elegant and exclusive? How often does it post? And how are pictures and videos taken? Plan a calendar full of content that your audience could be interested in and be sure not to let monotony take control over your feed. Always remember to have fun!
Fuse the best of both worlds
Social media is what everyone’s talking about. It’s very innovative and popular, but it really doesn’t mean anything if you don’t combine the best of both the online and offline world. Don’t only look for followers on social media, invite your in-store customers to follow you and interact with you! Create contests during events by asking people to share their pics and follow your account. Give prizes at the end and always make sure they are coherent with your identity and that they are things your real-life customers could be interested in, like coffee baskets, gift cards or coffee merchandise.
Keep an eye on your social media's statistics to find out who your most loyal and engaged customers. Then reward them by inviting them to your café to enjoy the best of your services. Never forget to share real-life experiences and stories. Offer incentives for people to share pictures at the coffee shop on their social media and don’t be afraid to ask them if they want to be featured on your profile. Let your creativity go wild! At That Coffee Roasters, we know there is no limit to all things you can do to have fun with social media!
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| Learn where your audience is hanging at. |
Phone Number: (305) 821-8811
