How Do I Attract People to My Coffee Shop - The 10 Best Ideas
- Hookle
- Feb 6, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 20
Discover 10 great ideas to boost buzz beyond your coffee cups and build a loyal fan base of coffee lovers. Plus, see how AI-powered social media management apps like Hookle helps you do it effortlessly.
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You're working hard to make the perfect latte, but getting people into your coffee shop might not always be as easy as you’d like.
Fortunately, with social media marketing, it’s possible to get the word out about your business and attract more customers through your doors. Let's dive in!
Why Is Social Media Important for Coffee Shops?
With social media marketing, you can reach more of your local audience simply by sharing all of the things that make your coffee shop amazing. You can use social media to connect with customers and create a community around your brand. This way, when people are deciding which coffee shop to visit, they’ll think of you before your competitors.
Social media has become even more important in light of COVID-19
Social media has become even more important in light of COVID-19. Euromonitor International reports that the pandemic had a severe impact on coffee shops, reducing foot traffic by 20% in 2020, given the rise in remote work.
Although many communities have returned to some form of normalcy, some coffee shops are still struggling to recover. The shops that are continuing to bounce back and thrive are those that have embraced new ways of doing business. That is, they’ve adapted to ordering via drive-through, mobile ordering, takeaway, group orders, and online ordering.
How Coffee Shop Owners Use Social Media
So where does social media fall into this equation? With social media, you have a quick, easy, cost-effective way to reach more of your local audience - people who are already online and using their smartphones to order, find new coffee destinations, read reviews, and discover photos of innovative drinks.
The fact is, if your coffee shop is not active online, your competitors will be
The fact is, if your coffee shop is not active online, your competitors will be - and it won’t be long before you’ll be struggling to keep your doors open. Most coffee shop owners and other food and beverage entrepreneurs tend to use Facebook, Instagram, Google Business, and TikTok for the majority of their posts.
One Hookle client who runs an ice cream business uses these channels, posting at least once a week on Facebook and Instagram and on Google Business every couple of weeks. Using a social media scheduling platform like Hookle can help you get your content scheduled in advance on multiple platforms, so you never run out of content.
To continue attracting coffee shop customers, leverage the following social media content ideas and start rallying people around your brand.
1. Encourage People to Tag Friends
Post a photo or a contest that invites customers to tag their friends! This will help other people find your coffee shop, and it will also give you access to an audience that might not have seen your business before. Just like Owlverick's Coffee did above.
2. Share Photos of Your Latte or Cappuccino Art
Golden State Coffee nailed it above! There’s something so alluring about a perfectly styled latte or cappuccino. Baristas have created an artform all their own, and it deserves a spot on your social media pages.
These photos are enough to get coffee shop customers standing in line for a beautiful drink - one they are sure to capture on their own social pages (tagging your business location in the process!).
3. Post About Special Events
Does your coffee shop do pop-up events - if not, do how Wild Flower Honey Coffee did above. Be sure to let your followers know where to find you and when! Your loyal customers will follow you to the ends of the earth to enjoy their favorite drinks and interact with their coffee community.
4. Share Your Fur-Baby Photos
Lots of coffee shops have a furry “mascot” who hangs out and greets customers. Yes, also Frame Coffee used this opportunity above.
If you have one of your own, snap a few photos of your fur babies for your followers to enjoy. Nothing gets people liking and commenting like a photo of a cute dog or cat!
5. Share Behind-the-Scenes Photos or Videos
People love seeing what goes on behind the scenes at a business - just like Klatch Coffee demonstrated as shown above. Coffee entrepreneurs and small-business owners can give people a taste of what it’s like to run a coffee business by sharing photos and videos of day-to-day operations.
You can also share sneak peeks and other fun videos that get people excited about visiting your shop.
6. Share Other Parts of Your Business
Does your coffee shop offer more than just coffee? Make sure to highlight all the delicious food and drinks you serve!
Whether it’s a flaky pastry or a signature sandwich, snap a few photos and share them with an enticing caption that tells the story behind your creation - just like Okayama Coffee did above.
7. Spotlight Team Members
Yes, an awesome example from Portola Coffee as shown above. Your baristas are the ones who make the magic happen, so why not give them a shout-out on your page? Highlighting team members shows you appreciate your crew, and it also gives you a chance to show another look behind the scenes.
8. Work with bloggers and influencers
If a blogger or influencer is willing to write about your coffee shop, like Creative Babe Market above, then promote it on their social media channels, this will give you incredible reach.
Use social media platforms like Instagram to search for these people in your area who have influence over others. You can then offer free products in exchange for their promotion of your business.
9. Make It Kid-Friendly
Many parents bring their kids along to coffee shops, whether to get out of the house or meet up with friends. If your coffee shop caters to the littlest patrons, announce it on social media.
If your coffee shop caters to the littlest patrons, announce it on social media
Let your followers know if you have any special drinks made just for kids - you can do it the same way as Confianza Coffee did above.
10. Help Your Audience Find You
It might sound simple, but it’s so important to let your followers know how and when to find you, especially around holidays - just like Coffee Dose Cafe did above on Instagram.
If you’re going to be open (or closed) on a major holiday, make sure you announce it on your social pages. Pair it with a fun photo and a few words about what the holiday means to you.
Since people search for coffee shops also on Google it's equally important to keep your business info and opening times updated there too. Read how to do it on Google Business Profile.
Use AI-Powered Apps for Planning and Scheduling Posts
Whether you run a cozy café or a high-end coffee shop, social media marketing is the perfect way to attract more customers.
Tools like Hookle help you create fresh, engaging content in seconds and schedule posts in advance - keeping your pages active and inviting. Powered by ChatGPT, Hookle’s AI generates relevant posts tailored to your audience, so you’ll never run out of content ideas again.
Plan, create, and publish to all your social channels effortlessly - and focus on what matters most: serving great coffee. Download Hookle free and try it today!
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