International Coffee Day: 8 Marketing Ideas for Cafes, Restaurants & Coffee Shops

International Coffee Day (ICD) is about more than just having an excuse to celebrate a great, authentic cup of coffee. For cafes, restaurants and coffee shops, it’s a useful marketing opportunity that can be used as a way to attract new customers and reengage existing ones. 

ICD should be made to work for you, generating content that can keep working long after the day itself. With the right digital marketing strategy, ICD can become a campaign as opposed to being a simple one-day promotion. With this in mind, here are eight marketing ideas for cafes, restaurants and coffee shops alike so that you can make the most of ICD.

1. Create an International Coffee Day (ICD) exclusive offer

One of the simplest ways to generate interest on ICD is with a limited-time promotion. Establishments that sell coffee and other hot beverages can benefit, in more ways than you might think, from an ICD exclusive offer. What you need to do is provide your customers with promotions like:

• A free upgrade to a larger coffee 
• Buy one, get one free
• A discounted speciality coffee
• A free pastry with selected drinks
• A loyalty-card bonus
• A limited-edition ICD drink

The important part here is to give the offer a digital hook. It’s no good having an ICD offer on if no one knows about it. Before the big day, promote it across your website, your Google Business Profile (GBP), e-mail newsletters and social media accounts, as opposed to relying on posters in your premises. A time-limited offer also creates urgency, encouraging people who have been meaning to visit to actually make the trip, as this would be the perfect time to do it. 

2. Launch a limited edition coffee

ICD is an ideal opportunity to create something customers just can’t get at any other time throughout the year. If you want to launch a one-day-only limited edition coffee for ICD, then give it a memorable name and create a strong visual identity around it. Then you should use social media to build anticipation around it before it actually launches. 

Think about a special blend, seasonal latte, unusual brewing method or signature coffee that’s inspired by a particular coffee-growing region, for instance. You could also follow this up with behind-the-scenes content, ingredient reveals and a final product video for good measure. This turns a product launch into a mini digital marketing campaign. 

3. Run a social media competition or giveaway

A competition can help cafes increase engagement and reach people beyond their existing followers. Ask customers to enter by answering a coffee-related question, posting a video from your cafe or coffee shop or even by sharing their favourite coffee order that they can get at your premises. 

Here’s an example: “What’s your ultimate coffee order? Tell us below for the chance to win coffee for a month”. You can then use the campaign to generate user-generated content. It’s this that’s particularly valuable for local businesses, as it provides authentic social proof. 

Make the prize relevant to your business as opposed to offering a generic cash prize that they could win anywhere, at any time. Instead, make the prize relevant to your business. Some relevant prizes you could offer for ICD include:

• A month of free coffee
• Free coffee upgrades for a month
• A brunch for two
• A coffee tasting experience
• A latte art class

4. Put your barista at the helm of your content

If your barista is alright with being on your marketing channels, then this can be a great way of connecting with people and not just connecting with brands. Introducing your baristas through your social media platforms will help to create personality around your brand and give customers another reason to engage with your content. Also, you could ask your baristas and other workers fun questions for good measure. You could pose questions like:

• What’s your favourite coffee?
• What’s the biggest mistake people make when making coffee at home?
• Which drink should every customer try?

5. Put together a coffee quiz, with prizes to be won

A coffee quiz is a great way to get people talking and to bring people together. The winner can receive a prize, such as the ones we mentioned above, like free coffee for a month, free upgrades for a month, a coffee tasting session or a latte art class, for instance. You could host two different quizzes: one on your website to drive traffic to it, and another on-premises. 

The quiz hosted on your website, and advertised through your social media platforms, is a great way of attracting people who are searching for information about different types of coffee, brewing methods and coffee culture. 

The quiz you host could be something fun and quirky, like “What coffee drink are you?”, with a flow chart and personality questions to answer, but it could also be a simple quiz with questions about coffee, such as “Where was the Americano invented?”. It’s remarkably simple, but highly effective when it comes to attracting website traffic and footfall, especially if you host the quizzes onsite. 

6. Utilise e-mail marketing

E-mail marketing is a great way of getting people’s attention in this digital world. It can help you to get hold of both new, existing and prospective customers. As such, your email database is one of your most valuable marketing assets, so don’t overlook it in favour of social media. 

Create a dedicated ICD email that announces your offer, special drink or an exclusive event. Keep the message focused on one action: visit the premises, claim the offer, book a table or try a new drink. 

You could also segment your audience. Your regular customers might receive a loyalty offer, a new customer could receive an introductory offer, and customers who haven’t returned for a while could receive an incentive offer.

7. Reward your loyal customers

We’ve just touched on the importance of rewarding loyal customers with exclusive loyalty offers via e-mail. But ICD is an excellent excuse to make existing customers feel valued. If you have a loyalty scheme, offer members an exclusive reward. An example of a good offer could be “ICD is better with friends. 

Loyalty members get a free coffee for a friend”. This will turn the campaign into a customer acquisition strategy. Your existing customers are rewarded, but someone new gets introduced to your business in the process. If you don’t already have a digital loyalty scheme, ICD could be the perfect time to launch one, so don’t waste any time. 

8. Create shareable coffee content

Not every ICD post needs to sell something. Create content people will actually want to share. Humour, relatable observations and useful information can increase organic reach while keeping your brand visible. Ideas for this include things like:

• Signs you’re a coffee person
• Coffee orders ranked from mild to chaotic
• Things every barista wishes customers knew
• The unofficial guide to ordering coffee

Kumo is pleased to provide a wide range of digital marketing services, including content creation, SEO, PPC, website design and more. You can rest assured that our team of dedicated experts can set you apart from your competitors with excellent content creation and copywriting services. If you’d like further information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our friendly, specialist team – we’re always happy to hear from you.