What’s your morning look like? If you’re like 67% of Americans, it includes a cup of coffee, whether it’s an espresso, cappuccino, latte, or regular ole cuppa joe. As a coffee shop owner or manager, you’re uniquely positioned to capture a portion of the coffee-loving audience near you. But you might face some stiff competition from well-known chains and locally established shops. That’s where coffee shop marketing can help.

Coffee shop marketing helps you elevate your store’s presence in the area. It boosts awareness and helps connect you with new potential clients. The right strategies can help you build a devoted fanbase of customers who prefer your shop over competitors. In this guide, you’ll learn the how-tos of effective coffee shop marketing.
Understanding your coffee shop’s brand
Your first step is determining what sets your coffee shop apart from the competition. Why should customers come to you rather than another place they’re already familiar with?
There are a few things that might stand out about your store:
- The quality of the coffee you use
- Foods or bakery products offered
- Space for clients to enjoy their coffee
- Interior decor
- Pricing and menu specials
- Staff knowledge
Those are just some of the features to consider. As the shop’s owner or manager, you can probably think of many things that make your coffee shop special. All of those components figure into its unique identity and brand story.

You should also consider your logo and brand voice. Your marketing campaigns should use consistent colors and messaging, which will help clients familiarize themselves with your brand and what you offer.
Define your customer base
When you’re building your coffee shop or expanding your audience, who do you envision sitting at the tables or standing in line to place an order? Probably people who enjoy coffee, but you can drill down further. Think about other characteristics they might share:
- Location: Do they live or work within a few miles of your shop?
- Spending habits: Are they frugal or willing to pay for extras?
- Visiting frequency: Would you like to attract the same clients daily or be known as the specialty local coffee shop?
- Dine-in or to-go: Will most clients leisurely sip their coffee and enjoy a meal or take their drinks with them?
Factors unique to your coffee shop might help you further narrow down your audience. For instance, if you’re located near a busy university, your main clients may be students and faculty. Shops that open only in the mornings might cater to early birds and professionals on their way to work.
Digital marketing strategies for coffee shops
Over 94% of Americans have internet access, so it’s not surprising that a lot of marketing occurs online these days. It’s one of the easiest ways for a brand to reach its audience. Let’s look at a few ways you can use the internet to attract customers to your coffee shop.
Email marketing
Email is the perfect tool for staying in touch with customers and improving client retention. Once a customer gives you permission to contact them via their email address, you can send them marketing messages. Your emails might be promotional — like a discount on their next drink — or informational. The latter type of communication, newsletters, fosters connection with clients and keeps them up-to-date with your offerings.

Some brands have loyalty programs for regular clients, which are perfect for coffee shops trying to develop a devoted client base. You can reward people with points or special offers based on their visits or spending. Consider using email to notify clients about their loyalty status and available rewards.
Social media marketing
Use social media to showcase your coffee shop and entice people to visit. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can help you build a loyal following through the pictures and videos you post. They’re also great communication tools, letting you engage with your audience through comments and direct messages.
Local SEO and online presence
As a local business, you want people to know you exist. One of the best ways to do that is to create a Google Business Profile that will appear on Google Maps and to anyone searching for a nearby coffee shop. The profile can include critical information such as opening hours, menu choices, your website URL, and contact details.
Plan on setting up a Google Business Profile early to attract new customers. You can also encourage your regulars to leave reviews of their experiences. Positive reviews can entice more people to stop by and see why people love your coffee shop.
Keep a close eye on your profile and update it as needed. For instance, if you plan to close for a holiday, you should change your business hours accordingly. You can also upload photos of new offerings and seasonal specials.
Website and mobile marketing
When you run a physical storefront like a coffee shop, you might not think much about your website. But even if you’re not selling products online like an ecommerce store, a website can work to your advantage.
In addition to showing off your menu and photos of your interior, your coffee shop’s website can serve as an extension for online ordering and reservations. Busy customers looking for a quick coffee pick-up could use your website or mobile app to place orders and pay in advance. If your shop tends to be busy at certain times (like Saturday or Sunday brunch), you could activate a reservation system for clients to book a table.
Cross-channel marketing ideas
Your coffee shop marketing activities don’t have to occur solely online. You can encourage in-person visits by advertising promotions and events. For example, you might promote weekly in-store specials via email and social media, encouraging your followers to visit and take advantage of the savings. You could also run a special event — like a holiday brunch — and invite customers to reserve their spot.
If you know any local influencers, consider asking them to promote your business on social media or other platforms. You might offer an incentive, such as a fee or free meals at your coffee shop.
Content marketing for coffee shops
Digital marketing involves more than ads and emails about your latest discount or menu change. While ads and emails can attract attention, they might not strengthen customer relationships like other types of content strategies can.
Develop your content strategy
Brainstorm ways to engage your audience via your website and social media. You could use your website to share blog posts relevant to all things coffee — how it’s made, the best types, and why people love it. Your blog can help you rank for keywords via search engines and position your coffee shop as the expert in all things Java.
Some companies repurpose their blog content into shorter, more digestible social media posts. You could turn a 1,000-word article into a short series of infographics to get more mileage out of it. Or, you might create a video highlighting info in the blog and share it on social media.
Create shareable, engaging content
You’ll see more engagement with blogs and social media posts if you give your followers a reason to interact with them. Try using captions that encourage people to respond with their thoughts and ideas. Social media posts with lots of comments, likes, and shares tend to get more traction. That’s good — you want your audience to engage so your coffee shop gets more visibility.
Use video and visual content effectively
Remember that any content you share reflects on your brand. You want it to be top-notch, just like your coffee is. Before sharing any pictures or video, take a close look at it. Could it benefit from some minor editing or better lighting? Is the audio clear to anyone listening to it? A little time spent with photo or video editing software can help you move your content from amateur to professional.
Customer loyalty and retention strategies
Coffee shops tend to inspire loyalty among their customer base because of the products they serve. If people try your coffee and like it, you can quickly convert them into regulars with a few simple strategies.
Listen to your customers
Pay close attention to any comments your clients have about your coffee shop or its offerings. Their feedback can alert you to opportunities for improvement.
For example, say you overhear a client complaining about the lack of sugar or stirrers on their table. That’s an easy and cheap fix — just add them to the tables so customers have them available.
Email marketing campaigns
Email marketing is one of the best ways to improve client retention. Customers already appreciate your brand enough to share their email addresses, so it’s up to you to keep the relationship going through regular messages.
You can leverage Constant Contact to manage your coffee shop marketing email campaigns. Our tools help you easily design and create emails using a drag-and-drop editor. You can schedule emails in advance and benefit from professional templates that enhance the look of your messages. Constant Contact can also turn your emails into social media posts, saving you time and helping you reach more people.
Leverage customer data and insights
Consistency will help your marketing campaigns gain traction. You can expedite the process by analyzing engagement with social media posts and emails. What content drives the most likes and shares? Do you see an uptick in on-site visits with a specific message or promotion?
Constant Contact’s email tracking tools and social media tools provide instant insights into your marketing campaign. Use them to track your open rates, click-throughs, views, and other helpful details. Then, leverage those insights to deliver similar content your customers enjoy.
Promotional tactics and seasonal marketing
People love coffee every day, any day. But you may see increased traffic at different points in the year. Try to take advantage of those opportunities via well-crafted promotions.
- Seasonal drink specials: Introduce a pumpkin-flavored latte when the leaves start falling or a summery coffee milkshake in peak summer.
- Holiday and event-based promotions: Is Mother’s Day approaching? Create a special brunch menu for the weekend and invite your customers to reserve their spots. You can try a similar concept on other popular holidays as well.
- Community engagement: Consider partnering with other local businesses and promoting each other’s services (as long as they are not competitors).
- Limited-time offers: Offer special discounts on coffees or menu items. To encourage customers to stop by, let them know the offer is only available for a few weeks.
Analyze and improve your marketing efforts
When you begin coffee shop marketing, how do you know what’s working — and what’s not? There are a few tools that can help.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) for coffee shops
Try to set a few KPIs relevant to your coffee shop performance and marketing campaigns. A good one to start with is the sales growth rate, which tracks your revenues over a set period so you can see if your marketing efforts are resonating with new clients.
You can also look at metrics specific to digital marketing. You might track open and read rates for emails, engagement on social media, and website clicks. If you introduce a mobile app for reservations or takeout orders, monitor downloads and activity. That tells you whether clients are taking advantage of it.
A/B testing marketing strategies
Little changes to your social media posts or emails can improve engagement. Try switching out minor elements to see what gets the most traction. You might experiment with different subject lines or images or modify your calls to action (CTAs) to encourage more clicks.
If you find a combination that works better than others, use it in your official marketing campaign.
Drive business to your coffee shop today
Hopefully, these ideas will inspire you as you begin marketing your coffee shop. Once you start, you may find it pretty exciting—the combination of growing sales and an enthusiastic following can be a testament to your hard work growing your company.
Constant Contact offers lots of tools for small businesses that need marketing support. Our email and social media tools can help you build your audience and create content that resonates. They include all the features you need, from automation to easy integration with software and services you already use. We also offer a free knowledge base and an extensive community of Constant Contact users who can help you along the way. Tune into our Be a Marketer podcast for exclusive tips on promoting your business.
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