The internet has revolutionised how businesses advertise, and the specialty coffee sector is just now understanding the power of a strong social media presence.
Every day, over 4.62 billion people around the world use social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Furthermore, these people spend an average of 2.5 hours browsing through social media pages.
A strong social media presence can help those in the specialty coffee community reach a wider audience. This, in turn, may directly translate into increased brand awareness and a boost in bottom line revenues.
Social media platforms allow roasters to connect with individual home brew consumers, and coffee shops who are looking for suppliers. Social engagement can help build trust, authority, and show a brand’s personality. That said, roasters need a solid plan for creating engaging content to use across the various platforms available.
Read on to find out how roasters and coffee shops can benefit from a strong social media presence.
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The value of building a social media presence for roasters
Social media holds immense value for those in the specialty coffee market.
These platforms can help a roaster build a loyal following of customers who are genuinely interested in coffee and how it is processed, roasted, and brewed.
By consistently posting engaging and branded content, roasters and coffee shops can introduce their offerings to a wider range of customers – many of whom would never have seen the brand otherwise.
This can help keep a brand at the forefront of a customer’s mind, helping boost brand awareness and recognition metrics, and ultimately, increasing repeat purchases.
Additionally, social media allows roasters to advertise their brand in a way that feels authentic, sincere, and personal. In a world of digital interconnectivity, social media platforms allow businesses to communicate directly with customers.
By giving customers a glimpse behind the scene and into what a brand stands for, roasters can build genuine trust with their audience.
Several reports demonstrate the impressive value of achieving this level of consumer trust. A 2018 survey revealed 62% of consumers are drawn to brands that display authenticity and ethical values.
Furthermore, the survey showed 94% of consumers remain loyal to brands that are transparent in their practices.
The value of social media extends beyond advertising. These platforms can show roasters and coffee shops how their target audience is behaving, their interests, and reveal what the latest consumer consumption trends are.
By gaining insights from popular social media posts, roasters can target their brand towards achieving maximum consumer appeal.
A good example is the recent speculoos biscuit trend, and how a simple, well-known biscuit went viral over several social media platforms.
Despite having been around for almost a century, consumers began sharing videos of hospitality businesses that were offering speculoos products. In the midst of the hype, these videos were shared with larger audiences, further fuelling the trend.
Encouraged by this, more businesses introduced speculoos products to their range, and more consumers filmed and shared videos of their speculoos purchases.
Through social media, roasters and coffee shops can identify trends such as these early on. Then, they can adapt their products or advertising strategy accordingly in order to get maximum advantage out of the trend.
What type of content will help roasters build a strong social media presence?
When it comes to social media posts, 83% of marketers argue quality is more important than quantity.
Therefore, roasters and coffee shops should feel no pressure to fill their social media pages with content in order to get their brand noticed.
Instead, they should focus on creating informative and engaging content they know will interest their target market.
One of the largest benefits of advertising for the specialty coffee sector is the majority of businesses know their audience.
Specialty coffee consumers share a passion for quality, enjoy coffee as an experience, and are interested in the complexities of specialty offerings. Roasters can fuel this by giving them a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what their business does.
Roasters and coffee shops can create content sharing a coffee’s origins, roast profile, and flavour notes.
Furthermore, they can use their digital presence to bring attention to important issues or developments within the industry, helping to educate consumers around the world.
This educational content can be partnered with posts that help consumers feel something towards the brand or product.
For instance, coffee shops can create content that revolves around coffee being brewed and consumed. This provides the audience with a sense of it is like savouring a coffee within that shop.
Both roasters and coffee shops should experiment with videos, images, and polls, as each type of content has unique strengths.
Images are easy to create and can provide pages visitors with an immediate understanding of the brand. A quick scroll through a business profile should display what products are available for sale, what makes the brand unique, and what personality it has.
Polls are an effective way to encourage customer engagement, and are equally easy to make. They help spark conversations about a brand and can allow roasters to communicate directly with their audience.
For instance, roasters can use a social media poll to ask customers to choose the next limited edition coffee they should launch. By interacting with customers this way, they are likely to feel more connected to the brand, and be reminded their purchases support the livelihoods of real people.
Videos have been proven as the most effective type of social media content, from the perspective of marketing brands. While some may be deterred by making this type of content, video marketing is well worth investing in.
How can roasters maintain a strong social media presence?
The specialty coffee scene is, by its very nature, a community.
Therefore, a roaster’s social media presence should be personal, open, and true to who they are. They should not be afraid to take the audience behind the scene and show them unscripted insight into their operations.
While this may not be the same content style as other coffee giants, such as Nescafé, that is not a problem.
Notably, that is precisely the point. A growing number of customers are choosing to support smaller businesses and try something new, over buying from industry giants.
If a roaster’s content suggests their brand and products are the same as other multinational coffee companies, customers may choose to go elsewhere.
Whatever content a roaster or coffee shop creates, it should always be a direct reflection of the business and its ethics.
One roaster who does this well is Onyx Coffee Lab. Their content descriptions are highly educational and reflect the quality and innovation the brand represents.
It is important to note they only post once or twice a day, and have a strong social media presence with a 170+ thousand following.
Furthermore, the brand’s social media feed displays real people from their team. This immediately marks them out as an ethical and independent brand.
Opening up on social media allows customers to see the creativity, passion, and unique skills a roaster has. This may encourage them to buy into the coffee to see what trademark elements the roaster brings to the table.
Roasters can use social media to show what makes their roastery unique, as well as educate potential consumers about why the specialty coffee sector is worth supporting.
Moreover, using social media can help roasters and coffee shops create an advertising strategy that is full of personality. By posting images of your coffee bags, roasters can ensure their products are at the forefront of a consumer’s mind.
The team at MTPak Coffee can help roasters and coffee shops reflect their brand personality on sustainable coffee packaging.
Our range of coffee packaging is 100% recyclable and made from renewable resources such as kraft paper and rice paper. Our line of coffee bags contains recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable options to boost your eco-friendly credentials.
Additionally, we are able to digitally print custom coffee bags to convey your brand’s personality. We offer a 40-hour turnaround and 24-hour shipping time, as well as low minimum order quantities (MOQs) no matter what packaging size or material used.
