Outside of your regulars, coffee is an impulse buy because the customer saw your sign. Aside from your regulars, most folks do not set out to ‘go to the coffee shop’ like they would to a restaurant (unless you ask them to so more on this later). You need a steady stream of customers outside of your normal morning commute business.

The morning commuters are your bread and butter, the rest helps fill in the revenue holes. These are your impulse buyers. They are going to come to you mainly via your sign outside, so instead of sending out 10,000 post cards to your neighborhood residents, spend that money on a premium location, visible sign and branding your image. You’ll be glad you did:

As far as your signage, get one that is AS BIG AS POSSIBLE. That is, as allowable by your city ordinance and landlord, without being tacky! The bigger the sign is, the more visible it is.

By branding your image, you are identifying your existence within your community. Be sure you have a unique logo. If you cannot design it, get one custom made by a professional! I have seen a lot of cheap looking logos that do not help the image.

Another step in branding your image is to secure your shop’s name on the world wide web by registering the domain name. Try to get all the domain tags: .com, .net, .org, etc. This is for email, and your website. You will be glad you did because it gives you a more professional image. Remember, the more common your business name is, the more difficult getting it registered online is going to be because the name may be taken.

As for your website, get one! If you can do this on your own, more power to you here too. I know just enough to be dangerous but you can get a nice website, even with online sales capabilities done economically. Check around locally, I bet there are a few web gurus in your area.

Here is where you have the chance to have every customer take your name with them when they leave allowing others to see it. Whether you have sleeves custom printed or you use stickers and put one on each cup or protective sleeve, they are all part of your branding. Be sure the design is clear and defines your shop well.

The same goes for stamps. You can have a rubber stamp made to stamp your whole bean coffee bags with. Note that the brown Kraft paper bags are what you’d need for this. If you use the foil bags, your stickers will work well for this too.

Press releases are an inexpensive way to tell the world what you are doing. A carefully crafted press release sent to the right person at the right news outlet can be the best form of advertising for you. Just be sure that whomever is on the press release as the contact person is actually available to be contacted.

Another great form of marketing is your use of tee shirts, caps and other wearable’s. These are walking billboards for you courtesy of the folks that buy them. You can give them away if you want, it’s all good advertising. Yes, they are expensive but I consider this great advertising and an expense under that category. Better, yes if you can make up the cost on them. But put this cost into your advertising budget. See if you can get them locally, if not there are several reputable companies on the internet. You will pay about $15.00 each in the end, but again the investment is very well worth it.

Where would we be without business cards? Think about it: how many people have you run into that do not have a business card for whatever it is they do for a living? Not many that I can remember. This is your time to tell everyone you meet that you are in the coffee business. Everyone you meet should get one of these and a few to spare. Do not be shy about handing them out!

Menus are a great example of simple marketing. These are the take out type so try to keep it simple. Under four pages, printed on an 8.5″x11″ sheet of BRIGHT colored paper and folded in half is best. You can leave them at area businesses if they allow it. You can also put them on your counter by the checkout and anywhere else your customers will see and take them. You can have them copied at any copy place, or see if you can have a local copy shop do them. They should cost about .10-.15 cents each. All you need is a place to make them on a copy machine. Menus printed on a printing press will be more expensive in most cases.

Support materials are also a good way to advertise your products. You can usually get POS materials FREE from any supplier you are using. This goes for tent cards to put on your counter to full color posters to hang in your windows. Check with your distributor. If they do not keep these kinds of materials on hand, a call to the manufacturer can usually get them in your hands relatively quickly.

Vinyl lettering on your vehicle is another form of advertising, and another type of moving billboard. There are several places online that will allow you to use a particular vehicle template to design your lettering. Again, check around locally for better service and pricing. I had vehicle lettering made for my SUV: rear window and both rear side windows or under $100.00. Your vehicle will essentially become a moving billboard.

Vinyl lettering can be gotten for your store windows too, which will be similar to your vehicle lettering. Check with the same source.

Word of mouth is an excellent source of marketing. Customers can be your biggest and best marketing source for you. It can also backfire on you if you tick someone off or if a customer ends up having a bad experience at your shop, for whatever reason.

Make every effort that all customers are satisfied before they walk out of your door. You may never have the chance to do it again and everyone that that dissatisfied customer meets may be told of the unfortunate incident at your store. They may not come to your store if there was ever that chance they would.

Talk to the world online via your blog. This has got to be the best invention since a website and the internet itself started. Where else can you talk about nearly anything and let the world read it? You may just develop a following not only locally, but around the world.

Have event nights. This is great for weekends and ‘dead’ times. Earlier, I spoke about customers coming to your shop if you asked them to. This is where you have that chance. Events that will bring in business are almost plentiful. A few examples are trivia night, open mikes, singer-songwriter and other music performances, book signings and poetry. It can also be just about anything else you can think of that is of interest to others.

A word of caution about playing DVD’s and TV/cable shows: Most of these are copyright protected and although you may not think you are breaking any laws, it can be construed as such. It’s a royalty issue because you are making money on your beverages, in your establishment showing a DVD bought for ‘personal’ use. Just be careful here.

It’s been my experience that this coupon mailers are usually a waste of money in the specialty coffee industry. There are way too many coupons in most of these mailers and most recipients throw them out. I know I do.

Internet advertising is good if you can limit to advertising locally using your zip code. You can reach a captive audience on the internet. It’s relatively inexpensive because you choose what to spend on each ad and only pay per click. This is also good if you choose to sell whole beans online, however if you do not roast in-house this may be cost and inventory prohibitive.

Be careful when using coupons in any form. Coupons tend to cheapen the specialty coffee industry so I do not recommend using them. Bogo’s (buy one get one) are ok for some advertising, like opening a new coffee shop but, you will get your bargain seekers that wait for those coupons in order to patronize you. You could create more monsters!

You will also, occasionally get regulars that bring in the coupons. Even though they are as deserving of the coupon as anyone else is, your aim is to get NEW customers so the ‘coupon’ doesn’t always work. The only way I recommend a coupon is for a first time customer. You can usually get mailing addresses of new residents from your chamber of commerce and do a select, targeted mailing to the new residents only. So there are some easy, mostly economic ways to effectively advertise and market your coffee shop.

Remember, your customer service and quality will always have to be top notch but you can skimp on some advertising dollars by being crafty and conservative.

Tony DiCorpo is a coffee shop owner, operator, barista and entrepreneur. He is also a coffee shop business consultant. He has authored many articles on the specialty coffee business and a business plan package that can be found at tonys-coffee-shop-business-plan.com

In order to successfully operate a coffee shop you need to offer only top quality products. It is a good idea to offer very competitive prices, but not if you must sacrifice the quality of the products in order to do so. Coffee drinkers expect only the best and they will get it some place else if you don’t offer it. They aren’t going to care if they must pay a quarter more per cup in order to get it either.

The efficiency of your operation is going to also determine your success. This means you have all of your equipment operating like it should. Make sure you do routine maintenance on the machinery. Replace it when you start to experience too many issues rather than allowing it to completely break down. You don’t want to turn customers away because you can’t create the drinks they wish to order.

When you operate a coffee shop, selecting your staff is very important. Every one of them is going to represent your business. Therefore you want to make sure they have basic skills to do so positively. You can teach them how to make the various products you offer in the coffee shop. However, basic hospitality skills are something that they should already have when they apply for the job.

In order to operate a coffee shop effectively you need to have the process set up in order to move quickly and smoothly. Customers aren’t going to be willing to wait very long for their product. Assemble your process so that they can place an order and get it as quickly as possible. This means you need to keep a good eye on your supplies and never run out of them.

There will be other issues that arise over the course of operating a coffee shop. They include problems with suppliers, bills to cover, customer complaints, and more. Are you willing to take care of such issues in a calm and logical manner? It is imperative that you are able to do so if you want to have a very successful coffee shop operation.

It is possible to be very successful with your efforts to operate a coffee shop. Doing so means you are willing to take a look at all of the various aspects of the business. You need to be willing to move forward as the needs of consumers change. You need to have a great looking business with friendly staff. This way customers can be confident that each time they step into your coffee shop they are getting the very best available.

Karyn Lewis is passionate about great coffee. If you are thinking of buying a coffee shop, and avoiding the common mistakes new owners make, you can read more at her recommended at her coffee business website.

They will really appreciate being able to choose the size of coffee, tea, or cappuccino that they purchase. They will also like being able to choose the types of additions they get inside of such drinks. Pay attention to what customers ask for though. There are plenty of additions and substitutions to deal with at any coffee shop.

You do have to be careful with this concept though. Keep in mind that the more selection you offer to customers, the more your employees have to learn too. You definitely don’t want them to be overwhelmed by what they have to learn in order to do their job accurately. You will find that consumers respond well to a wide menu selection when they can read what is in each drink. They will also respond well to drink specials.

You should have to decide if you want to offer foods in addition at your shop. While doing so can increase sales, it is also going to require more work on your part. There are many different types of foods you can choose to offer in your coffee shop though and they will likely sell very well.

You can offer packaged foods to your customers or homemade ones. Make sure you display what you have to offer in a way that is quite appealing. They may not have walked in wanting a slice of apple pie, but after seeing it, they are going to be very tempted to order it.

It is also possible to offer a nice lunch menu in your coffee business. Customers can come in and enjoy something light. A sandwich with a cup of soup or a bag of potato chips is a better option than visiting the local drive up window for a greasy burger and French fries. It is also going to give them the chance to sit in a nice environment to eat their lunch than trying to drive back to work and eat it at the same time.

If you prefer to keep it simple an only serve drinks at your coffee shop that is fine. You may have your hands full just taking care of that part of your coffee shop business. Maybe in the future you will be able to choose to expand your menu. It is better to start out small though if you are worried about being overwhelmed by it.

The menu offered for your coffee business is important. It needs to be enticing enough that customers will come back again and again. Some coffee shop locations get enough traffic to be profitable all day long. Others aren’t in such a prime location for that to happen. Make sure you take the time to carefully evaluate the possibilities for your particular coffee shop.

Karyn Lewis writes about the ups and downs of the coffee shop business. Avoid the rookie mistakes many new operators make when they buy a coffee shop and read more coffee related articles at her site.

These days, many people also enjoy the ability to choose from organic blends of coffee. They are often a light roast type of coffee that doesn’t result in a person getting jittery after they drink it. They also want to help promote a safer environment and this is just another way they do so. This type of coffee offers a very good taste so they don’t have to sacrifice their morning drink in order to feel their best all day long.

Some types of coffee are light in color while others look almost black. This color is going to affect how strong the taste of the coffee is. Some people like their coffee very weak so they need a lighter on. Others want the dark looking espresso that will really give you a jolt of caffeine to start the day. Mocha java is another one that is dark but it also have a very wonderful taste to it.

Vienna blends of coffee are very popular as well. This is because they don’t contain very much oil in them. This is why the beans have a sweeter taste associated with them. You will notice Vienna coffee has a unique smell to it but one that you will likely find to be very nice.

It is important to offer a wide selection of types of coffee at your business. This way you will have all you need in order to keep customers coming in. You will also have what they want in order to keep them coming back on a regular basis. You need to take your time selecting what you will offer though.

There are plenty of vendors out there that cater specifically to the needs of coffee shops. They offer plenty of supplies for you to choose from, including types of coffee. You can ask them for samples of various blends that you may be interested in offering. This way you can see for your self what they will taste like.

As the owner of a coffee shop, you should be open to the suggestions of your customers. If they are looking for a particular type of coffee consider offering it. Chances are they aren’t the only one out there that will be interested in it. You will also discover paying attention to their requests will make them very loyal to your business.

Pay attention to the prices on various types of coffees too. You will need to set your cost for sales accordingly. Customers are willing to pay premium price though for premium types of coffee though. The problem comes in when you start offering lower quality coffee at the same high processes. Don’t let this be something that leads to the downfall of your coffee shop.

Karyn Lewis is passionate about great coffee. If you are thinking of opening a coffee shop, and avoiding the common mistakes new owners make, you can read more at her recommended at her coffee business website.

You definitely want to use coffee beans that offer the two most frequently drank types of gourmet coffee. The Arabica coffee beans is pure in itself as it is never mixed with any other types of coffee beans. They are grown in locations all over the world so you won’t have to worry about paying to more for them due to the cost of importing.

Arabica coffee beans have a tan color to them and they offer a very smooth taste. They also smell very delicious and that can result in people coming in off the street to try out the gourmet coffee you offer. Robusta coffee beans are much darker in color and they have a stronger flavor. For the serious coffee drinker this is the way to go.

Don’t get fooled into buying lower quality coffee though just because it has a good price. In the end this is going to discourage your customers from ordering from you again. There are enough coffee shops out there that they can take their pick of where they want to spend their money. It is the wise coffee shop owner that never forgets that fact.

To get samples of possible gourmet coffees you can offer in your business contact a supplier. They will be willing to work with you in the hopes that you will commit to buying all of your supplies from them. Once you find a good supplier you should work to negotiate prices with them so you can save money but not sacrifice quality at all.

The way in which you mix the coffee will be important as well. It will affect the taste more than you know. Make sure you have equipment that works well to mix the right amount of coffee with the right amount of water. You always want to use clear and delicious tasting water to make gourmet coffee.

Of course the opinion that really matters when it comes to the quality of your gourmet coffee is that of the consumer. You will be able to track what they are buying and what they aren’t. You can entice them to try new gourmet coffee though by having daily specials. They may try one and decide they really like it but without your promotion they would never have tried it.

As the owner of a coffee shop, you need to always focus on the quality of your products. This is an area where you never want to waiver. Customers have to know they can rely on you to serve them gourmet coffee that is hot, fresh, and delicious every single time that they come in to order a cup.

Karyn Lewis is passionate about great coffee. If you are thinking of opening a coffee shop, and avoiding the common mistakes new owners make, you can read more at her recommended coffee business website.