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Planning a coffee shop opening for 2019? Got amazing coffee and an inviting interior? Do shops, offices and potential customers surround your shop? That&#8217;s a great start. But to keep your business busy, you can&#8217;t rely on passers-by wandering in off the street. Spend time establishing your brand online and get customers to come to you.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-your-coffee-shop-brand-needs-an-online-presence">Why your coffee shop brand needs an online presence</h4>



You may have been on a fact-finding trip to South America before opening your business. You might sell the best speciality coffee for miles, but have you translated this into your brand? How will you show this knowledge and passion to your customers and use it to win you sales? Establishing your brand&#8217;s ethos and personality online will help set you apart. Be easy to find and tell your customers what&#8217;s at the heart of your business and you&#8217;ll be on the right path.&nbsp;



When customers are looking for somewhere to eat and drink they grab their smartphone. They search for cafes, look at local food bloggers on Instagram, and snoop on review platforms. These are opportunities for you to get noticed. Use them to showcase the customer experience you offer and explain what you&#8217;re about. Here&#8217;s how you align your online presence to your customer to drive footfall&#8230;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-set-up-your-google-my-business-page">1) Set up your Google My Business page</h4>



If someone&#8217;s looking for somewhere to eat or drink and they search Google for a coffee shop nearby, can they find you online? Your <a href="https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/business/">Google My Business page</a> is a free marketing tool. It can help customers find you and learn more about you.



Set up your page to display your location, opening hours and contact details. Write a summary about your establishment that speaks to your target customer. Use words that tell them if you&#8217;re a comfy spot for casual coffee drinkers. If your shop is aimed squarely at coffee aficionados, make sure they know. Your target customer should identify with your coffee shop brand when they look at this page. 



Upload photos of your food, drink and your shop interior. Give potential customers a sense of what it&#8217;s like to visit you. Want to let people know about your launch party? You can <a href="https://support.google.com/business/answer/7342169?hl=en-GB">add a post</a> to let customers know about special events. Don&#8217;t forget to link to your website so customers can learn even more about you. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-invest-in-a-coffee-shop-website">2) Invest in a coffee shop website</h4>



Do you really need a website for your coffee shop? Not always, but coffee shop owners often overlook the benefits a website provides. A branded easy-to-navigate website can enhance a customer&#8217;s online experience with you. Plus, it gives you real estate you control to set out your store. 




What should be on your website? Start with an easy to find food and drinks menu, use great photography that sets the ambience for your shop. A website blog is a great place to share photos and facts from that fact-finding trip to South America. It&#8217;ll show &#8217;em you know your stuff. A website is a platform where you can share the stories, news and events that shape your brand for customers. Don&#8217;t forget to link your site to your social media accounts. This helps Google to identify your profiles and draw them into your Google My Business page. It also encourages customers to connect with you.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-begin-your-social-media-story-at-the-start">3) Begin your social media story at the start</h4>



If you want customers to wake up and smell just how good your coffee is, social media can help you to waft the scent. According to <a href="https://www.nationwidecoffee.co.uk/news/coffee-news-update-2020-and-your-best-approach-for-growth">research</a>, 45% of coffee industry leaders think social media is their most effective form of marketing. Coffee quality was identified as the biggest factor behind café success, but you need to lure those coffee drinkers in to taste what you&#8217;re offering. And the experts say you should get this strategy started before your launch. 



Simon Fogal, Creative Director at Food and Drink PR firm <a href="https://chapter81.co.uk/">Chapter 81</a>, spoke to Stampede to share his tips for launching coffee brands on social media. Yes, #latteart and #pastryporn play a part. But it&#8217;s those behind-the-scenes images that shape a brand and pique social media user&#8217;s interests.&nbsp;



&#8220;Our first port of call is great photography, images that can set a scene and really get the ambience of the venue through the lens. So we do simple set-up shots, product shots. But there are also basics like opening times,&#8221; advises Simon. 




Simon spoke to us about Chapter 81&#8217;s successful launch of Leed&#8217;s coffee shop, <a href="https://archiveleeds.co.uk/">Archive</a>. Behind the scenes teasers were used to generate interest in the brand well before the baristas got busy with any beans. 



&#8220;We helped launch their Instagram and did the shop build in sets of three. We had to do several shoots as the impact dates were very tight and it was still being built. Details of the shop and machines were used to create hype and intrigue and we did the sets of three to build up a quality Instagram feed.&#8221; 




When customers hear about new business launches, they&#8217;ll often head straight to social media to find out more details. Building anticipation by sharing your story so far can help strike the right impression with your audience. 




<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-provide-reliable-and-free-wi-fi">Provide reliable and free Wi-Fi</h4>



The rise of remote workers has driven demand for free Wi-Fi in coffee shops. Yet there are extra benefits beyond promoting you as a freelance friendly spot. With a <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/the-ultimate-beginners-guide-to-wifi-jargon/">captive portal</a> your customers login via a personalised branded screen. You can collect data to help turn first visitors into valuable repeat customers. Insights help you to craft targeted marketing. You get a fuller picture of your customer.&nbsp;



Offering free Wi-Fi also makes it easier for your customers to act as <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/building-customer-loyalty-with-blackbx/">ambassadors for your brand</a>. They can tag your coffee shop&#8217;s Instagram profile in photos of their fantastic flat white or fluffy pancake stack. And a good Wi-Fi connection makes it simple for guests to submit a review before they leave your venue.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-be-proactive-with-your-review-strategy">Be proactive with your review strategy</h4>



When you&#8217;re the new coffee shop on the block, online reviews are super important for boosting business. Your Google review score sits within your Google My Business page. Potential customers can read reviews with just a few clicks. This helps them to decide whether to visit you. Reviews on platforms such as TripAdvisor and Google and responding to reviews can increase your visibility. They help to build your brand&#8217;s reputation.&nbsp;



You don&#8217;t need to be pushy in asking customers for reviews but you can say you&#8217;d appreciate one if they give a compliment. You’ll need to be mindful of how you respond to reviews. Aim to address them in a timely fashion. Thank guests for feedback and show empathy when issues arise. A genuine attitude and personal touch can go a long way in building your coffee shop&#8217;s brand online.&nbsp;



If you&#8217;re considering introducing Wi-Fi for your coffee shop customers, find further reading here:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://stampede.ai/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Stampede-Factsheets-Coffee_Shops.pdf">Coffee Shop Factsheet</a></li>



<li><a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/four-fab-benefits-of-free-wifi-for-coffee-shops/">Benefits of Free Wi-Fi for coffee shops</a>&nbsp;</li>



<li><a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/brew-lab-drips-success-with-coffee-shop-wifi-blackbx-success-story/">Brew Lab coffee shop story</a></li>
</ul>



<a href="https://calendly.com/stampedeae/stampede-demo-request?month=2020-02">Schedule a chat</a> with one of our team for more advice

post

Establishing Your Coffee Shop Brand Online

The Easter countdown is officially on. Time to get your digital assets and marketing promotions Easter ready to&nbsp;bring in some extra revenue.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Many businesses will opt for a traditional brunch or roast lunch offer. Take a twist this year with a new approach to some traditional dishes. What about <a href="https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/hot-cross-scones/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hot cross scones</a> for your brunch menu? Or introducing customers to some <a href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-easter-foods-from-around-the-world-4161077" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dishes from other countries</a>?



But there is more you can do to create an Easter experience your customers will remember&#8230;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-easter-marketing-elements">Easter marketing elements</h4>



Sprinkle some&nbsp;Easter themes on your digital assets&nbsp;to build your customers&#8217; excitement.&nbsp;Seasonal elements, illustrations and images&nbsp;are the quickest way to get started.



Easter and Spring is all about vibrant and cheerful colours, so focus on using <a href="https://icolorpalette.com/palette-by-themes/easter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pastel colours,</a> including pinks and yellows, to make your Easter marketing instantly recognisable.



Ready-made <a href="https://unlayer.com/email-templates/easter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Easter templates </a>can help you save lots of time when it comes to designing email campaigns too



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">8 Easter social media ideas</h4>



Easter offers lot of great opportunities for fun and engaging social media campaigns too.&nbsp;Mix and match different formats&nbsp;(posts, stories and reels) to reach a wider audience.



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Caption this &#8211; use&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.countryliving.com/life/a30717299/easter-puns/" target="_blank">Easter egg puns</a></li><li>Share fun Easter memes</li><li>Host a virtual egg hunt across your socials and website</li><li>Share your staffs’ Easter traditions, favourite meals …</li><li>What’s on your Easter brunch table</li><li>Short video/reel &#8211; make your own DIY Easter decoration</li><li>Easter sneak peak &#8211; coming up at your venue</li><li>DIY bunny ears competition</li></ol>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">8 Easter in-venue event ideas</h4>



Easter-related activities are not exclusively for kids, grown-ups can have a lot of fun as well. Get the whole family involved:



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Egg hunt or scavenger egg hunt</li><li>Egg and a spoon race</li><li>Competition &#8211; egg decorating</li><li>Guessing game &#8211; jar filled with easter eggs</li><li>Host an <a href="https://quiz-questions.uk/easter-quiz-questions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Easter-inspired pub quiz</a></li><li>Easter baking class</li><li>Team up with a local florist for a wreath-making workshop</li><li>How to set your Easter table &#8211; decoration ideas</li></ol>



Easter marketing content ready but not sure how to set up your email campaign? <a href="https://stampede.ai/company/#contact" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get in touch</a> with our team who are happy to help.

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Are you thinking of opening a prohibition styled speakeasy serving custom-crafted cocktails flavoured with the latest Scottish gins? Or are you starting a pop-up cafe specialising in the latest trend? What about bucking all the hype serving up good old fashioned diner grub? No matter what type of food or drink you plan to serve your customers. There’s going to be one thing that your customers demand as soon as they enter your place: <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi/">WiFi</a>. 



As a matter of fact, a recent survey showed that the most <a href="https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/restaurant-management-statistics">important technology feature for customers is free WiFi</a>. It&#8217;s a vital part of their overall experience and can influence their decision to come back or not. 







In order to give your customers the best guest experience, you need to get everything right. Including your decor, your staff, your food and, yes, your WiFi. With that in mind, here are our top five tips on how to set up WiFi for your restaurant or pub.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-use-professional-wifi-equipment">Use Professional WiFi Equipment</h4>



You’ve poured your heart and soul into your new business. So are you going to let your customers sign in to the same crappy WiFi router that your internet company gives to pensioners downloading pictures of their grandkids? No. It’s time to put on your big boy pants and pay for a decent router. But buying the best doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean you&#8217;ll need to empty your bank account.



Our top <a href="https://stampede.ai/supported-hardware/">hardware recommendations</a> for seamless integration with Stampede include popular brands like:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>TP-Link</li><li>Ubiquiti UniFi</li><li>Cisco Meraki</li><li>D-Link</li></ul>



The <a href="https://www.netspotapp.com/blog/wifi-security/explaining-wifi-standards.html">standard that WiFi</a> uses for connections is called 802.11, appended with letters to reflect the WiFi generation. For example, when WiFi was first released to the public, way back when in 1999, it was known as 802.a. As of 2022, the most widely used standard is 802.11ax or WiFi 6, coming with an even greater data transfer speed. 



But don’t sit around waiting for the latest standard to come out before you purchase your equipment. Since WiFi devices are backwards compatible, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting outpaced by technology.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-place-go-mesh">Big Place? Go Mesh</h4>



If you&#8217;ve got a large pub or restaurant with lots of hidden nooks and crannies, then you&#8217;re going to want to go with a mesh network. The idea behind mesh networks is to provide all-around coverage for your pub or restaurant. Even better it eliminates any WiFi blind spots. A mesh network typically consists of a number of WiFi separate broadcast units. Usually, between two to four, that seamlessly integrate into one network. 



Hooking up mesh networks isn’t as difficult as it sounds. The router software usually takes care of the integration for you. Even though you may have up to 4 devices bouncing a signal around your business, customers only have to worry about connecting to a signal network. <a href="https://www.techadvisor.com/test-centre/network-wifi/best-mesh-wi-fi-network-systems-3661110/">This article in Tech Advisor </a>is a quick read and gives you a nice overview on some of the best mesh routers out there.



Here&#8217;s a <a href="https://stampede.ai/resources/bar-tonic/">case study we did with Bar Tonic</a>, one of our customers who rely on a good WiFi signal due to their special location.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Succeed with Stampede - Bar Tonic" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SVpZWzhhNBY?start=4&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-setup-a-captive-portal">Setup a Captive Portal</h4>



Alright, so you’ve got your network all set up and broadcasting. You’re getting a great signal from every location in your place of business. Even in the most distant bathroom stall. Now all you need to do is write up your network password on all the walls so your customers can connect, right? WRONG. 



You’ve just spent some bucks paying for a professional WiFi network for your business. So why give it away for free? By using a software product like Stampede, you can set up what is known as a <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi/">Captive Portal</a>, to give your customers access to your shiny new WiFi network.



Here&#8217;s how it works: After a customer connects, they’re prompted to register for your network with their email address or using their social media account. Once they’ve verified their email, they’re logged in. No passwords to remember and no chalkboards on the wall. Just a much smoother customer WiFi experience.



The other cool part about a captive network is that it will <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/get-your-customers-to-login-once-keep-them-always-connected/">automatically re-connect your customer</a> next time they pay you a visit. No more logging in! And the best part &#8211; at least for your business? You now have your customer’s email address that (with their permission, of course) you can use for our next tip &#8211; automated marketing.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-use-automated-marketing">Use Automated Marketing</h4>



You’re providing free WiFi for your customers and, in return, you’re getting their data. So use it! When you have a customer login to your WiFi with Stampede, in addition to an email address, you can ask for other details on the <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi/#portal">Captive Portal login screen</a>. Name, age, gender &#8211; anything you can think of. You can even add custom questions. This is a great place to ask your customer opinions about new menu items or specials you’re thinking about offering. And not to forget about the fact that you can customise the log-in screen to your own branding.



Once registered, you can import your customers&#8217; email into mailing list software like Mailchimp. Use software like Zapier to do thousands of different tasks, like importing emails into a Google Docs spreadsheet. 



Or, you can save time and have all your data conveniently in one place with <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/marketing/">Stampede Marketing</a>. Automated text or SMS messages are a great tool for <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/a-5-step-recipe-that-creates-profitable-personalised-marketing-part-1/">personalised marketing campaigns</a> to bring customers back. Want to reward <a href="https://stampede.ai/resources/8-tactics-to-increase-customer-spend/">loyal customers</a>? Send them a message with a <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/new-stampede-marketing-feature-unique-voucher-codes/">voucher</a> for a dessert on their third visit. Haven&#8217;t seen a customer in a while and want to get them back? Drop &#8217;em a coupon for a free drink &#8211; who can resist that?



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-social">Get Social</h4>



So you’ve got an awesome WiFi network with a Cative Portal set up in your pub or restaurant and your customers are loving it. Now it’s time to spread the word! Put your Instagram, Facebook and TikTok handles EVERYWHERE &#8211; menus, the walls, even on your receipts. Encourage your customers to share their experience and, more importantly, their photos. 



Take it one step further and use automated marketing to gather customer feedback with ease. Reviews help you build trust and attract new customers. With <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/automations/#reviews">Stampede Reviews</a> you can send an automated message after your customers have left the venue and ask them to leave you a review and write about their experience. What&#8217;s even better, you can access all major review platforms (Tripadvisor, Facebook and Google) from one dashboard, allowing for a much easier reputation management.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-awesome-wifi-in-your-restaurant-or-pub-set-up">Awesome WiFi in Your Restaurant or Pub Set Up</h4>



Now you&#8217;ve got awesome WiFi that your customers love. They&#8217;re spreading the word about you all over social media and you&#8217;re keeping them loyal with automated marketing. That wasn&#8217;t so hard now, was it?



So, if you&#8217;re thinking about taking the plunge and opening up the restaurant or pub of your dreams, and see the importance of offering awesome WiFi. Why not give us a try? <a href="https://h.stampede.ai/meetings/stampede/demo">Get in touch</a> to find out how this could easily be implemented at your venue.

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Do you have control over your automated online reviews? Imagine this, your customer has booked a table at your venue through your booking platform. The actual booking never takes place as the customer is a no show. However, as far as the booking platform is concerned, the booking went ahead. Which then resulted in an automated review request&#8230;&nbsp;



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



 Some customers might just ignore those requests, but others might still rate you. But what do they rate their experience on? Certainly not based on their actual in-venue experience. And there are many examples of customers leaving reviews purely based on their pre-visit customer experience.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-online-reviews-the-problem">Online Reviews &#8211; The Problem</h4>



Whether or not the customer came in, a bad review still affects your overall score, and ultimately how potential new customers form an opinion of your venue.



Booking and review platforms usually ask for reviews without knowing that a physical interaction takes place. That’s just the way they’re automated, as the trigger for the request is the booking date itself. They won’t question if it went ahead and if those customers came to your venue at all.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Online Reviews &#8211; The Solution</h4>



So how do you ensure that only people who actually visit your business get an automated review request after they’ve left? It’s pretty straightforward.&nbsp;



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Trigger The Review Request via Your Guest WiFi</h5>



How does that work?&nbsp;



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Their initial connection to the WiFi signifies their presence in the venue.</li><li>When they disconnect, and stay disconnected for a period of time, that’s the signal that they’ve left.</li><li>An automated system then uses this information to send a review request.</li></ol>



Systems that can do this (<a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/automations/#reviews" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">like Stampede</a>) are a much more reliable way of gathering valuable customer feedback.&nbsp;



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Get The Timing Right</h5>



The right timing is another advantage of this immediate post-visit review request. Customers can better recall their experience and are also more likely to leave a review straight after their visit. With automations, the timing can always be right.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">Use Text Messaging</h5>



Another tip to boost your reviews is having them requested not only via email but also via SMS. After all, your customers spend a good amount of time on their phones and will probably check them when they leave.&nbsp;



Get in touch to find out how our Guest WiFi solution can help your business to better control your online reviews. <a href="contact@stampede.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reach out to one of our team now.</a>

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