A Powerful & Customizable Coffee Shop Marketing Strategy (FREE)

A comprehensive coffee shop marketing strategy, covering the entire sales funnel and all digital marketing channels. Designed to you get more traffic and customers for your coffee shop business.
Prepared by: Eduardo Yi
Created on: March 5, 2025
Your Strategy
Primary Item (H2)
Primary Item (H2)

The Sales Funnel

The sales funnel is a visual way to understand the journey your customers take, from first discovering your business to eventually making a purchase. Imagine it like a funnel shape: at the top, many people might learn about your business, but fewer move down to become actual buyers.

Optimizing your entire sales funnel, you're able to increase the number of people who move smoothly from interested browsers to loyal, paying customers.

It helps ensure every part of your business—from your website to your follow-up emails—is designed to guide people toward buying. The clearer this pathway, the easier it is to boost your sales and grow your business.

The marketing plan below includes dozens of marketing ideas and tactics to optimize your entire sales funnel.

Your Target Personas

A target persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer, created by researching and understanding the behaviors, needs, and preferences of people most likely to buy your products or services.

Think of it as drawing a detailed portrait of your best customer, including details like their age, interests, job, daily habits, and the challenges they face.

By visualizing this customer, you're better able to understand what motivates them, how to communicate effectively, and how to reach them through your marketing efforts.

Rather than trying to appeal to everyone—which can lead to wasted resources and ineffective marketing—you can specifically tailor your messages to resonate deeply with the people most likely to become loyal customers.
😃
Your Target Persona #1: Café Clara
Age: 30 | Education: Bachelor's in Marketing | Occupation: Marketing Specialist at a Tech Startup
"I'm struggling to find a spot where I can focus and be productive while enjoying good coffee. Many cafés are either too noisy or crowded, making it hard for me to work effectively."
🥅
Visible Goals
These are the goals your target persona would tell you about.
Find a cozy place to work on projects
Take breaks with great coffee options
Network with peers in a relaxed environment
👀
True Goals
These are the real things they want to achieve.
"I want a comfortable space to boost my creativity"
"If I enjoy my time here, I’ll stay longer and connect with others"
"I need high-quality coffee to fuel my productivity"
🙅‍♂️
Purchasing Objections
These are your target persona's doubts about your product.
"I’m worried that the coffee won’t be worth the price"
"I'm not sure if the seating will be comfortable for long hours"
"Will the Wi-Fi be fast enough for my work needs?"
👍
Answer to Objections
These are your product's answers to your target persona's doubts.
Our coffee is ethically sourced and crafted by skilled baristas, ensuring a quality experience that justifies the cost
We offer cozy seating areas specifically designed for comfort, perfect for extended visits
Our free Wi-Fi is reliable and fast, catering to professionals looking to work efficiently
✨
Transformation
In your target persona's own words, here's how your product has improved their life.
"I now have a go-to café where I can work comfortably and enjoy top-notch coffee. I feel more inspired and connected with my peers, allowing me to balance work with socializing seamlessly."
How to use this information: You should think about your target persona every time you're working on any marketing campaign. Your landing pages, blog posts, social posts, ads, videos, email copy, new products, should all be targeted at your target persona.
😃
Your Target Persona #2: Study Sophie
Age: 22 | Education: Pursuing Bachelor’s Degree | Occupation: Undergraduate Student
"I often struggle to find a suitable place to study that isn't too busy or loud. Libraries are sometimes too stuffy, and I crave a more relaxed atmosphere with good snacks."
🥅
Visible Goals
These are the goals your target persona would tell you about.
Find a quiet spot for studying
Get a fresh pastry and coffee to stay energized
Meet friends for group study sessions
👀
True Goals
These are the real things they want to achieve.
"I want to excel in my studies without distractions"
"If I enjoy my environment, I'll focus better"
"I need affordable treats to keep my study sessions enjoyable"
🙅‍♂️
Purchasing Objections
These are your target persona's doubts about your product.
"I’m concerned about the price of coffee and pastries as a student"
"I worry that the café will be too crowded to find a seat"
"Will the ambiance encourage long study sessions or distract me?"
👍
Answer to Objections
These are your product's answers to your target persona's doubts.
Our menu offers great value with affordable coffee and pastries, perfect for students
There are enough seating options, and our peak times are well-known so you can choose the best hours
Our cozy ambiance is meant for both productivity and relaxation—students love it here
✨
Transformation
In your target persona's own words, here's how your product has improved their life.
"I’ve discovered a welcoming café where studying feels fun rather than burdensome. Now I can enjoy great coffee and pastries while achieving my academic goals in a friendly environment."
How to use this information: You should think about your target persona every time you're working on any marketing campaign. Your landing pages, blog posts, social posts, ads, videos, email copy, new products, should all be targeted at your target persona.

Top of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Top of the Funnel: Awareness
At this stage of the funnel, your marketing persona isn't aware of your product and isn't even necessarily looking for a product. They just know they have a problem. Your objective at the top of the funnel is for them to be aware of your business by providing value (without trying to get them to buy right away.)
New visitors to website
Total views on Instagram
Engagement rate on blog posts
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Content Marketing
Content marketing is all about creating the assets you'll promote and optimize on through the different marketing channels (SEO, social media, email marketing, and ads.) At the top of the funnel, you're creating your mass-market content, aimed to attract as many people as possible.
Content ideas:
Blog Post: '10 Coffee Types Every Coffee Lover Should Try' – engaging content that targets coffee enthusiasts.
Infographic: 'The Journey of Your Coffee Beans: From Farm to Cup' – visually informative for eco-conscious customers.
Video: 'A Day in the Life of a Barista at Our Coffee Shop' – showcasing the craftsmanship behind the coffee.
Podcast Episode: 'Tips for Finding the Perfect Study Spot' – appealing to students looking for productive environments.
Social Media Challenge: 'Share Your Coffee Moments' – encouraging followers to post their coffee experiences at the shop.
Seasonal Email Campaign: 'Fall Specials at [Your Coffee Shop]' – highlighting new products and inviting customers in.
What to measure:
Page views on blog posts
Social media shares
Video view count
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SEO
With SEO, you can get your content to rank on the top of search engines for the keywords that your marketing persona is typing into Google. At the top of the funnel, the keywords you'll target will likely have a higher search volume and will be harder to rank for.
Keyword ideas:
Best coffee types for productivity
How to find a cozy study spot
Ethically sourced coffee advantages
Benefits of organic coffee
Quiet cafés for studying in [Your City]
Top pastries to pair with your coffee
Café ambiance and its effect on work/study
Why choose local coffee shops
Coffee brewing methods explained
History of coffee culture in [Your City]
What to measure:
Organic traffic
Keyword rankings
Bounce rate on new content
🎯
Paid Advertising
When it comes to ads, targeting is probably the most important predictor of a winning campaign (closely followed by ad creatives.) At the top of the funnel, you'll be looking for brand new audiences who have never heard about your company — these are called "Prospecting" campaigns.
Target audience ideas:
[Prospecting] Facebook/Meta Ads: Target adults aged 25-35 interested in coffee and working remotely.
[Prospecting] Google Ads: Search ads targeting phrases like 'best coffee shops for studying.'
[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Retarget users who engaged with our coffee-related posts but didn’t visit our site.
[Prospecting] YouTube Ads: Target local audiences interested in food & drink topics.
[Prospecting] Facebook/Meta Ads: Lookalike audience of individuals who frequent coffee shops.
What to measure:
CPC (Cost per Click)
Impressions
Click-through rate
📱
Social Media
The hardest part about doing social media as a brand/business, is that you should look to not behave like just another business on social media. Your social media content should be native to each channel in tone, format, and style. Because of its mass usage, social media is perfect for top of the funnel content.
Social media campaign ideas:
Instagram Stories Poll: 'What's your go-to coffee order?' to engage followers.
Facebook Live Session: 'Coffee Brewing Tips' – interactive session attracting live viewers.
Weekly Coffee Fact Tuesday posts – fostering community knowledge sharing.
Twitter Thread: Customer testimonials on work experiences in the café.
Monitor social channels for brand mentions and relevant discussions about local coffee shops.
What to measure:
Engagement on posts
Follower growth
Reactions and comments on polls
🧪
Marketing Experiments
For whatever campaign you launch, there will always be room for improvement. It's a good idea to pick a few experiments ideas and launch split tests designed to improve your most important metrics.
Experiment ideas:
A/B test on blog post headlines to see which drives more clicks.
Split test promotional images for seasonal campaigns on landing pages.
Experiment with different calls-to-action on social media posts.
Test various content formats (video vs. infographic) to see which performs better.
Run a survey on website to gather visitor interests for future content creation.
What to measure:
Click-through rates on tested elements
Engagement rates on A/B tests
Bounce rate changes from experiments

Middle of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Middle of the Funnel: Consideration
At this stage of the funnel, your marketing persona is aware of your product but isn't ready to purchase. They are still doing research and comparing your solution against competitors. This is the time to build trust by giving them more information and provide answers to questions they might have. Your main objective at the middle of the funnel is to turn a stranger into a lead.
Returning visitors to website
Lead conversion rate
Total downloads of informative materials
📝
Content Marketing
The content you'll create for the middle of the funnel is typically called a "lead magnet." This is usually a free (or very cheap) piece of content that you'll offer to your marketing persona in exchange for their contact information (e.g. email address or phone number.)
Content ideas:
Webinar: 'How to Create a Cozy and Productive Work Environment' – targeting professionals like Café Clara.
Blog Post: 'Top 5 Coffee Brewing Methods for the Perfect Cup at Home' – catering to both Café Clara and Study Sophie.
Case Study Video: 'How Our Café Supports Productivity in the Community' – showcasing real testimonials.
E-book: 'The Ultimate Guide to Brew the Best Coffee at Your Study Spot' – appealing to students and professionals alike.
Interactive Quiz: 'What’s Your Coffee Personality?' – engaging users and educating them about different coffee options.
Blog Series: 'Customer Spotlight: Meet Our Regulars and Their Stories' – helping foster community engagement.
What to measure:
Webinar registration rates
Download rates of e-books
Time spent on blog posts
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SEO
At the middle of the funnel, your marketing persona is likely specifically searching for information about the solutions to their problem (without looking into any specific product, yet.) These keywords are considered to have "higher intent" (aka, more valuable) than the ones at the top of the funnel, but they will have smaller search volumes.
Keyword ideas:
Best coffee practices for productivity
Academic performance tips with coffee
How to choose your study snacks
Benefits of working in cafés
Coffee brewing comparisons
Customer testimonials about our café
Quiet places to work outside your home
Affordable coffee options for students
Café ambiance effect on creativity
Finding local cafés for studying
What to measure:
Number of organic leads generated
Time on page for relevant content
Increase in organic backlinks
🎯
Paid Advertising
At the middle of the funnel, your paid advertising campaigns will zoom into people who are already aware of your brand somehow, but haven't yet become leads. "Remarketing" campaigns are great for this (although, you might also sometimes experiment with prospecting campaigns that try to convert strangers to leads right away.)
Target audience ideas:
[Prospecting] Facebook/Meta Ads: Target students aged 18-24 focused on education and coffee culture.
[Prospecting] Google Ads: Search ads targeting phrases like 'best cafés for productive studying.'
[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Retarget individuals who engaged with the webinar registration but didn’t sign up.
[Prospecting] YouTube Ads: Target videos related to student life and productivity tips, featuring our café.
[Prospecting] Facebook/Meta Ads: Target young professionals interested in networking or co-working spaces.
What to measure:
Cost per lead
Ad engagement rate
Click-through rate (CTR)
📱
Social Media
The social media campaigns at this stage of the funnel are designed to get your marketing persona off of the social media channel and into your own platform (e.g. your website), where you can actually capture their contact information.
Social media campaign ideas:
Share behind-the-scenes videos of the café's preparation for the webinar – creating anticipation.
Post testimonials from customers about their productivity while working at the café.
Host a live Q&A session on social media around coffee preferences for effective studying.
Create infographics sharing statistics on how caffeine affects productivity and focus.
Monitor social media mentions of the café and engage with anyone expressing interest in studying there.
What to measure:
Engagement rate on testimonial posts
Comments and interactions during live sessions
Content shares
📧
Email Marketing
Email marketing is an often overlooked channel that's critical for the middle of the funnel. Email is a very effective way to reach your marketing persona directly. The most common mistake businesses make is underutilizing email in their marketing (you should think beyond just email newsletters.)
Email marketing campaign ideas:
Webinar invitation email sequence for 'How to Create a Cozy and Productive Work Environment'.
Follow-up email to attendees of the webinar with additional resources and blog content links.
Monthly newsletter featuring customer stories and café events to keep subscribers engaged.
Discount offer email for new loyal program sign-ups post-webinar attendance.
Email campaign for students featuring affordable study snack and coffee combo deals.
What to measure:
Webinar attendance rates
Open rates of follow-up emails
Conversion rate from discount offers
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Marketing Experiments
For this stage of the funnel, your experiments will be designed to maximize the number of leads you get from your campaigns.
Experiment ideas:
Run a split test on webinar landing page designs to determine which layout converts better.
A/B test email subject lines for the newsletter to optimize open rates.
Experiment with different content formats in newsletters (videos vs. images) to see what resonates more.
Test different call-to-action buttons on blog posts to drive more leads.
Compare engagement rates between posting testimonials and educational content on social media.
What to measure:
Conversion rates from tested landing pages
Email click-through rates
Engagement rates on varying content types

Bottom of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Bottom of the Funnel: Purchase
At the bottom of the funnel, your marketing persona already knows your product and is ready to make a purchase decision. They already have all the information they need. Your objective at this stage is to address purchasing objections and convince them to take that last step and become a paying customer.
Conversion rate from leads to customers
Average order value
Customer acquisition cost
📝
Content Marketing
The content you'll create for the bottom of the funnel is purposely design to get your marketing persona to purchase. You don't have to be afraid to be sales-y or about talking about your product directly.
Content ideas:
Customer Testimonial Video: 'Why Café Clara is My Go-To Spot for Coffee and Productivity' – featuring real experiences to build trust.
Blog Post: 'The Benefits of Joining Our Loyalty Program' – detailing the savings and rewards for repeat customers.
Interactive Live Stream: 'Let’s Brew Together' – showcasing barista skills and inviting audience interaction during live coffee preparation.
Email Campaign: 'Exclusive Offer for First-Time Visitors' – incentivizing new customers to make a purchase with a discount on their first visit.
Promotional Social Media Post: 'Meet Your New Favorite Study Spot' showcasing cozy seating and free Wi-Fi – highlighting comfort for long hours.
Infographic: 'Our Coffee vs. Competitors: Quality and Value Comparison' – focusing on ethically sourced benefits and cost-effectiveness.
What to measure:
Video view counts
Read-through rates on customer testimonial blogs
Engagement on promotional materials
🔎
SEO
At the bottom of the funnel, your marketing persona will be searching Google for information about your product (for example: reviews, pricing, features, etc), which is why you'll be optimizing for a lot of "branded" searches — these are searches that include your brand/product name.
Keyword ideas:
Café loyalty program benefits
Best coffee shop for remote work
How to choose a study-friendly café
Customer testimonials on our café experience
Coffee quality comparison chart
Affordable coffee options in [Your City]
Free Wi-Fi in coffee shops
Comfortable coffee shop seating
Cafés with great ambiance for studying
Why our coffee is worth the price
What to measure:
Conversion rate from SEO traffic
Number of keywords ranking on first page
Organic lead-to-customer conversion rate
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Paid Advertising
At this stage of the funnel, you'll be running conversion campaigns to get purchases. These will be your highest revenue campaigns, where you will be keeping a close eye on your return on ad spend (ROAS.)
Target audience ideas:
[Remarketing] Facebook/Meta Ads: Target previous visitors who have not made a purchase, offering a limited-time discount.
[Remarketing] Google Ads: Search ads targeting individuals who previously searched for coffee shops with features like 'comfortable seating'.
[Prospecting] YouTube Ads: Target local audiences interested in café culture, emphasizing unique offerings like specialty drinks and loyalty.
[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Showcase posts featuring satisfied customers enjoying coffee to instill trust and encourage visits.
[Prospecting] Facebook/Meta Ads: Target individuals who follow similar coffee shops or productivity content, presenting our café as a top choice.
What to measure:
Cost per acquired customer
Return on ad spend (ROAS)
Click-through rate on remarketing ads
🚀 Help me execute this paid ads strategy
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Social Media
The bottom of the funnel campaigns will usually only make up a small minority of your social media content.
Social media campaign ideas:
Host a social media giveaway for a free coffee for a week for those who share their favorite study moment at the café.
Post daily customer stories highlighting positive experiences, prompting user-generated content.
Run an Instagram story series called 'Behind the Cup' showing the coffee-making process with customer testimonials.
Monitor local forums and social media groups for mentions of the café and proactively engage with comments or questions.
Create polls asking followers about their favorite café snacks to gather insights and promote popular items.
What to measure:
Engagement rates on post interactions
Increase in followers from promotional activities
Traffic to website from social media links
📧
Email Marketing
Email is perfectly tailored to run bottom of the funnel campaigns. After you've provided value to customers via your other email campaigns, you can run sales and promotional campaigns to get conversions.
Email marketing campaign ideas:
Follow-up email sequence for customers who visited but didn't purchase, providing additional offers and reminders.
Monthly performance report email for active loyalty program members, showcasing their rewards and how to maximize benefits.
Personalized thank-you email for first-time customers, inviting them to review their experience and return.
Special event promotion email for coffee tastings or brewing classes to keep engaged customers interested.
Flash sale email offering discounts on select pastries for the week to convert subscribers into buyers.
What to measure:
Conversion rate from follow-up emails
Open rates on promotional emails
Customer retention rate through loyalty communications
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Marketing Experiments
Your bottom-of-the-funnel experiments will have the objective of maximizing your profits. That could be by getting more first-time customers or increasing the amount of money you get from each customer on their first purchase.
Experiment ideas:
A/B test different call-to-action phrases on landing pages to see which leads to more conversions.
Experiment with loyalty program highlights in emails to see if it influences purchase decisions.
Split test pricing strategies for promotional items to identify optimal price points.
Test frequency and timing of retargeting emails to find out when conversions are highest.
Run surveys for feedback post-visit to refine the customer experience at checkout.
What to measure:
Conversion rates from A/B tested elements
Customer satisfaction score from feedback
Engagement levels with varied promotional strategies

Retention

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Your Goal at the Retention Stage: Increase Lifetime Value
In the retention stage, your marketing persona is already a customer of your product. Your objective is to increase the value you can extract from them directly by generating repeat purchases, upsells, or reducing churn; or indirectly by improving brand image or promoting referrals.
Customer lifetime value
Churn rate
Repeat purchase rate
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Content Marketing
The objective of the content you'll create at the retention stage is to keep your existing customers happy by providing ongoing value (even after purchasing.)
Content ideas:
Monthly newsletter featuring exclusive updates about new menu items and upcoming events to keep customers engaged.
User-generated content campaign: 'Share Your Coffee Story' encouraging customers to post about their experiences at the café.
Blog series: 'Coffee Recipes You Can Replicate at Home' to engage customers even when they’re not visiting.
Loyalty spotlight: Highlighting customers’ stories and their favorite orders to foster a sense of community.
Seasonal coffee tasting events: Inviting loyal customers to experience new flavors and providing feedback opportunities.
What to measure:
Open rates of newsletters
Engagement on user-generated content posts
Participation rates in tasting events
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SEO
At the bottom of the funnel, you'll want to make sure your marketing persona can find all the information she needs to get the most of your product (e.g. knowledge base articles), or to solve any problems that may arise (e.g. support/contact page.)
Keyword ideas:
Customer loyalty program benefits
Best cafés for return visits
Local coffee shop rewards programs
Affordable coffee subscription options
Café ambiance improvement tips for productivity
What to measure:
Customer retention rate from organic traffic
Ranking improvements for loyalty keywords
Traffic to loyalty program pages
🎯
Paid Advertising
At this stage of the funnel, you might choose to be run campaigns promoting of new features, upgrades, or promotions.
Target audience ideas:
[Remarketing] Facebook/Meta Ads: Target previous customers who haven't visited lately, highlighting loyalty program perks.
[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Feature testimonials emphasizing the community aspect and inviting loyalty sign-ups.
[Remarketing] Google Ads: Search ads targeting terms like 'best coffee shops with loyalty rewards.'
[Remarketing] YouTube Ads: Showcase customer experiences and benefits of the loyalty program.
[Prospecting] Facebook/Meta Ads: Target individuals looking for warm community spots and coffee places.
What to measure:
Click-through rate on remarketing ads
Cost per repeat customer
Engagement rates on loyalty ads
📱
Social Media
Retention campaigns on social media revolve around building a sense of community with your existing customers. You'll do a lot of monitoring of brand mentions on social media.
Social media campaign ideas:
Host an Instagram Live Q&A with the baristas discussing coffee tips and encouraging engagement.
Share customer highlights and coffees of the week photos to maintain interest and inspire visits.
Run a customer referral program campaign on social media, encouraging followers to bring friends.
Monitor social media mentions of the café and interact with customers sharing positive experiences.
What to measure:
Engagement rate on community posts
Mentions of the café in conversations
Referral sign-ups from social interactions
📧
Email Marketing
Retention email campaigns will be a mix of educational emails (onboarding, activation, etc), transactional emails (reports, receipts, reminders, etc), and promotional emails (upgrades, upsells, etc.)
Email marketing campaign ideas:
Monthly performance report for loyalty members showing their rewards and progress.
Exclusive members-only event invitation email, such as coffee tastings or special brewing classes.
Flash sale email for loyal customers offering them discounts on popular menu items.
Personalized thank-you emails after additional purchases encouraging more visits based on past likes.
Feedback request email after visits, connecting with customers on how to improve their experience.
What to measure:
Open rates on loyalty emails
Event attendance rates from invitations
Response rates to feedback requests
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Marketing Experiments
Your retention experiments will have the objective of maximizing lifetime value of existing customers.
Experiment ideas:
A/B test different loyalty program benefits in emails to see which motivates more visits.
Run split tests on promotional emails for best-performing offers to drive further customer engagement.
Experiment with checkout optimization by adding links to the loyalty program to encourage sign-ups.
Test frequency of follow-up emails post-visit to determine optimal timing for return visits.
Conduct customer satisfaction surveys after visits to capture experiences and identify areas for improvement.
What to measure:
Conversion rates from tested loyalty program offers
Customer satisfaction scores from surveys
Engagement levels with follow-up strategies

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