Who doesn’t love coffee? In fact, it is so popular that every major city (most small towns too!) has their very own Starbucks and you won’t find a Walmart on the face of the earth that doesn’t have several styles of pajamas mentioning morning coffee. You know there is a market, it’s just being able to tap into it which can get a bit tricky when contending with big names like Starbucks, Peets Coffee Shops (hugely popular on the West Coast) and yes, you got it, Dunkin Donuts, with their very own coffee brands in stores everywhere.
Now you know there is a market, but how to tap into it is the issue. Focus on marketing leading up to a huge Grand Opening, complete with gifts for the first so many customers, live music and of course, the press. Here are a few tips to jumpstart that amazingly successful Grand Opening.
Start Early Online
If you want a successful launch of your new gourmet coffee shop, marketing is a major player. Not only should you set up a website, but you should also start a blog. Perhaps open your blog up to guest writers so that you don’t spend your days trying to populate it with content.
Let them post about the best countries exporting coffee, recipes with coffee ,different varieties of coffee beans – literally everything and anything coffee related. You can reach the biggest audience online, so tap into that resource even months before you launch. Don’t forget about Google Local! You’ll want those customers to find you quickly.
Grand Opening Giveaways
It may cost you a bit, but those freebies are a huge draw. Bear in mind that when you market as a gourmet coffee shop, customers will expect high end gifts. This isn’t as hard (or as expensive) to do because you have most of what you need right there in your shop. Start with a gift basket for the first 10 people to enter your shop.
These can include an assortment of little 4 oz bags of coffee beans, a few pastries you’ll be serving, a specially crafted ceramic mug (with your logo, of course) and other bits of related treats. After that, the next 90 people in the door can receive one of your custom mugs from amazing artisans like Grey Fox Pottery and everyone else goes home with a little 4 oz bag of the coffee beans of their choice. Who doesn’t love to get something for nothing? This will be a main attraction, so do it right.
In with a Grin, Out with a Shout
Many Grand Openings have a local radio station outside with live DJs and music blasting out of the station’s giant speakers. Anyone who hadn’t already seen your marketing online or in local ads will surely hear the music and wonder what all the excitement is about. They’ll go in with a grin but certainly be out with the shout of local DJs drawing them in as they pass by.
The key is to start early and crescendo up to the big and highly advertised Grand Opening Gala. Just remember to order those mugs and 4 oz bags early and plentiful enough for the crowds you can expect. Have fun and good luck going forward. What an amazing accomplishment!
