When the colors on the leaves begin to change and the breeze brings a little chill, signals that it’s time to start gaming planning your promotions for the busy holiday season. The holidays are a busy time for everyone since it involves shopping, travelling, etc. Through all the hustle and bustle, people warm themselves up and get a kickstart on their errands by drinking a cup of hot coffee. Now you just need to make sure that people are drinking your coffee. Because of this, we’ve prepared eight different holiday promotional ideas you can run during the fall and winter months.
November 1st is when most malls and shops begin adjusting their holiday hours. Sometimes they extend them, other times they open early and on other days they shorten them or are closed on the actual holiday day like Christmas or Thanksgiving. Because of these hours, shoppers frequently check the opening and closing times of the places they’d like to go. By adjusting your hours to match to local shops or malls near you, you can take advantage of the early risers or the late shoppers during this time.
For example, most people will arrive to the mall early, even before they open to make sure they get the items they need before they run out of stock. By opening your nearby coffee shop an hour before the mall’s time, you can make sure that people get their coffee fix before the chaos ensues. You can also extend your hours later to accommodate the tired shoppers on their way out. Research local holiday hours in your area and game plan yours. Be sure to post on your holiday hours on your website and social media pages.
Speaking of your website and social media, you’ll want to pepper them both with some seasonal pictures and content. Customers won’t know what specials you have going on or what new goodies you have to offer if you don’t inform them about it. Businesses that don’t actively update their pages with current holidays or events can appear that they don’t have anything new or exciting going on at their shop - like it's just another day. Don’t be one of those coffee shops.
It’s also important to note that you should respond to any inquiries online ASAP. Many of your social media followers may inquire about your specials, gift options or hours during the holiday season. Lack of timely response can cost you some business.
Adjust the tunes you play at your shop to ones that get people into the holiday spirit. Don’t worry - these don’t have to be the traditional versions of the songs. Many artists put out their versions of this music that can be anything from acoustic, to pop. And of course, there is always Pandora if you don’t want to spend a ton of time or money researching the style you want.
Setting up a gift card display at your register will inspire people for what gifts to get for that work holiday party, a friend or even possibly someone that they forgot about until last minute. Besides, who doesn’t love coffee? Gift cards are always a great idea, so make sure that your guests can easily spot them while they’re paying for their drinks.
Whether you sell your own coffee mugs, coffee blends, baked good or chocolates, prepare some already-put-together gift sets or baskets for your customers. Once again, last minute shoppers will be grateful that you’ve put together a charming, wrapped set, that didn’t take much effort on their part. Not to mention, if the recipient of the gift enjoys it, you may have gained your coffee shop a new loyal customer.
Whether it be signage or a painted window display, you want to change this display to match the holidays. Include the specialty drinks or treats that you think will be the most popular selling items. Passersby won’t be able to resist the limited editions advertised and come in for a delicious cup of coffee.
Both Thanksgiving and Christmas are about giving and appreciating friends, family and the community. Sometimes connecting with your customers isn’t just about selling them a cup of coffee but building a relationship with them. By hosting a local food drive or participating in something like Toys for Tots, makes you an integral part of the community in which you live and will earn your business loyal customers.
Consider offering your business space after hours to local community groups. Whether they organize parades, feed the needy or anything similar for that matter, these groups are usually featured on the local news channels. This in turn will gain your coffee shop media attention simply by providing them a location. Of course, the terms of doing these will need to be reviewed carefully by you to make sure it will work to your favor.
We hope that this article has been of benefit for you. We‘ve been helping small businesses succeed since 2004 and provide them a variety of resources. To check out more helpful tools and tricks, check out our industry page for your business to see how you can continue to grow your business and reach your optimal potential.