First, you open a coffee shop or cafe, then it’s time to get local customers to try you out and come back. To find new customers (and keep current customers coming back) you need a marketing plan for your coffee shop. The marketing plan for a coffee shop is based on a specific market or target audience. We have put together a few ideas that you should add to your coffee shop marketing plan:

1. Google

The first thing to do when using Google to market your coffee shop business is to ensure that people will find you on the search engine. Google is the place where most searches begin. A Google listing in “Google My Business” is a must if you want to promote or make customers aware of your businesses.

2. Make your place attractive

Maybe it sounds obvious, but it is really important that your door and façade is visible and attractive. Many local entrances are dark, not very visible, hidden from the public and in some cases, it is not clear where the entrance is located. Worst of all, it is not always immediately clear what is being offered. Many people discover new shops just by passing in front of them. They find them by chance. Here are 3 simple ways to make your signage more visible and appealing:

• Put the signage facing in the right direction from where the traffic will be coming
• Not all places are visible or located in the middle of a busy crossroad, some of them are more hidden so good signage can easily direct traffic to your way
• Offer a complimentary drink and gain new customers
• A complimentary drink and a great smile is always a good way to activate word of mouth

3. Flyers

Flyers are very efficient and useful in covering the local area. Flyers give a quick insight to your store, they are best handed out to passers-by in the hope that they advertise your shop to someone who may not already know you exist or a polite reminder to those who haven’t visited you for a while. If your coffee shop is in a town or city then the daily commuters are your target market, assuming that your store is easy to get to for busy workers.

4. Search Engine Optimization/SEO

To market your coffee shop successfully on search engines, you need to pay a lot of attention to search engine optimization (SEO).
The trick is to find the main phrases people type into Google to find coffee shops and include those “keywords” everywhere your business is listed in a natural, unforced way.

Implementing these tactics in your coffee shop marketing plan will position you well.