Embrace email marketing for your coffee shop

Local coffee shops (like yours) often create the local flavour and gourmet, which commercial coffee companies fail to incorporate. The variety of coffee flavours a niche coffee shop can provide is unsurpassable by a commercial coffee company because the flavours are authentic, unique and custom made to fit the taste of the localities. But, local coffee shops face fierce competition from cafes and commercialised chains (such as Costa Coffee and Starbucks), which have changed the way people consume coffee. 

However, one thing can be learned from the giants, and that is the value email marketing can provide coffee shops. In our particular environment, regarding COVID-19, it’s more valuable than ever. 

In our last post, we covered how your coffee shop can use social media positively throughout coronavirus. In this blog post, we’re going to cover the basics of email marketing and it can benefit your coffee shop business throughout the pandemic. 

What is email marketing

Email marketing is a highly popular digital marketing strategy of sending emails to prospects and customers. Successful email campaigns convert prospects into customers and turn customers into raving fans. 

How to: Email marketing

Despite email marketing being made up of multiple moving parts, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Here's how to break it down…

Start with your list. Start collecting email leads, whether that be through a sign-up form on your website (if you have one), drumming up emails through direct mail, or through an in-store promotion in your coffee shop. 

Choose an email service provider. There are hundreds out there, with the majority of them offering the same basic services and features. Mailchimp, HubSpot, Constant Contact, and Campaign Monitor are good options. 

After carrying out these steps, it’s a matter of refining your marketing lists and your messaging so that you’re reaching the correct audience and really engaging them. 

 

Benefits of Email Marketing for your Coffee business

1. Email marketing is cost-effective

Unlike more traditional marketing tactics, such as print ads and direct mail, there are very few costs involved with email marketing, making it a viable option for your small business in these uncertain times. 

Despite its low cost, email marketing yields one of the highest returns on investment (ROI). Data from Campaign Monitor highlights that for every £1 spent on email marketing, £40 is typically generated in ROI. 

 

2. Reach and engage prospects

Using email marketing, you’re able to grow brand awareness and awareness of your products. Making use of targeted content and persuading calls to actions, you’re able to convert these prospects into paying customers. If you have an e-commerce website, you can send prospects there to convert. If you don’t currently have an e-commerce website, consider creating one. In the meantime, positively you’ll be creating awareness around your coffee shop, ready for when you reopen - which whilst intangible, is very valuable. 

 

3. Reach and engage current customers

E-newsletters and special email offers can build strong relationships with your current customers that increase customer loyalty and result in repeat sales. The same tools can also attract new customers by increasing the awareness of your company and providing a platform for offering prospects additional incentives to buy your products. 

For a newsletter to be successful, it must provide some sort of value to those signing up for it. This may be in the form of sales notifications, industry news insights, or newsletter limited discount codes. 

Crucially, in the time of a pandemic, email marketing allows you to retain contact with loyal customers, maintaining relationships. A number of commercial coffee shop chains have used both social media and email marketing to engage their customers at home. Both Costa Coffee and Pret A Manger have released their product recipes for customers to try making themselves at home, to keep the spirit of their brands alive. 

 

4. Quickly and easily measure your email marketing efforts

Tracking the success of any digital marketing campaign starts with analysing the results. Email marketing metrics are one of the easiest to track and measure over time. This eliminates the need for guesswork about whether the tactics you’ve employed are working or not. 

Using email marketing analytics, your business can determine which recipients opened your emails, if they clicked any links or if they converted. You’ll also be able to keep track of how many people unsubscribe from your list after opening specific emails. 

For a small coffee shop, who may not have an abundance of knowledge in the digital marketing area, clearly defined analytics are immensely beneficial. 

Embrace email marketing for your coffee shop

Now that you know the importance of email marketing and how your business can utilise it throughout this period, it’s time to start making a plan for implementation. You need to consider how you’re going to start growing your email list, what content and value will you offer your subscribers, and how you can influence greater conversions.  

If you have any further questions about email marketing, contact us today.