Riding on the music and lyrics of that popular Christmas song, the 8 days of Christmas couldn’t get any more exciting for you, as a cafepreneur; for your staff and for your customers.
One of the greatest things about the holiday is that your customers will be in nothing less than a celebratory mood. While you don’t necessarily need to prepare the grandest of events, they will come to your cafe or browse over your online menu in hopes of experiencing something different. Simple ideas, if promoted and executed properly, can bring you the exposure, sales and long-term benefits like big promotions do.
Here, we round up 8 days worth of ideas to reinforce your cafe marketing plans. As you go through this list, treat every idea as a starting point and feel free to get creative in your execution.
On the 1st day, since it’s the gift-giving season, this is a perfect opportunity for your cafe to connect with a charity of your choice.
Are there any causes that you support and whose mission identifies with what your cafe represents? If there is and if you can, get in touch with a local charity. You can drive donations or hold a simple gift giving event with the beneficiaries.
The idea is not to use them as a marketing ploy but to live the essence of your cafe brand and in the process, draw attention from your customers to the charity you support. Partner with a charity or an organization and run a 2-week or even a month-long promotion where you can use your cafe as a place for promotional events.
On the 2nd day, give freebies for your loyal customers or rewards program members
In our previous article, we emphasized the importance of making loyal customers feel appreciated and valued. Freebies can be as simple as a free drink or food. Extend the merriment of Christmas to those who have made your coffee and food a part of their everyday living.
For example, loyalty programs that show customers who come in more than once a month, or to young professionals who frequent your cafe to work or even to students who extended their study rooms and libraries to your cafe. This will attract budding customers, too!
On the 3rd day, hold simple online games on your social media with a hashtag or a caption for this event.
Who doesn’t like fun activities that come with a token? No matter how small that may be, your customers will appreciate the effort you put in connecting with them. Gamify your content ang select the best submission. You can provide a discount or a prize they can redeem in your cafe or on your website. This can bring additional sales for you, too!
On the 4th day, invite your customers to post their best moments in your cafe in exchange for a free drink.
What are their best memories or experiences with a drink they bought from your cafe? Are there any moments or events - say a simple birthday - they celebrated in your cafe that they are fond of recalling? Make this one an immersive and engaging experience for them. Offer a free drink to the Top 5 entries that tugged your heartstrings!
This activity also serves as a way for you to get reviews and see how your customers see themselves in your brand.
On the 5th day, draw in more walk-ins to your cafe with Christmas promos.
Those Buy 1 Get 1 Drink for Free or the Free Upsize promos never get old. Not only do they bring people together because of the saving factor but they encourage more spending. If you can, advertise promos for your cafe to draw in purchases.
On the 6th day, extend your cafe hours online - but with a twist!
Hold an open-to-everyone or by-invite only theme-nights where you and other coffee lovers and foodies can simply get together to bond over your common love for caffeine.
On the 7th day, honor the frontliners who are making your cafe’s online deliveries possible.
Promote the efforts of your cafe’s partner riders who are braving the road to deliver your customers orders at the safety of their own homes. This is a way to tell your audience that your brand cares.
On the 8th day, host a best photo-op challenge or a trivia game. This can be a month-long activity, too!
It is often assumed that Christmas marketing ideas for cafes will always revolve around the drink and the menu. But as the creative owner that you are, you can build on this idea and expand from there.
You can use IG stories or FB My Days to create quizzes about your cafe’s history or trivias about the origins of coffee or of your special ingredient. You can also hold a holiday foodie challenge where your audience will participate by posting photos of their Christmas trees with one of your cafe products. You can pick a winner or winners daily and hang a photo of them on your cafe’s wall.
Own the Christmas game by utilizing all your pages and market on all fronts.
We already explained in previous blogs why online presence is a necessity for your cafe. Whether you are budding or you already have an established offline following, the current landscape is changing consumer behavior and their decision-making process.
Stay on top of your marketing and promotion this holiday by maintaining consistency in your branding, on your cafe merchandise and even on the frequency of your posts. While you do not have to be on all platforms at the same time, go the extra mile by promoting your products in different formats like we explained here.
Do you want to up your marketing game this holiday? Talk to us here.
Reference:
Palanchuk, K. (2020). Christmas Marketing Ideas for Restaurants: Christmas Restaurant Promotion Ideas | Poster POS. Joinposter.com. Retrieved 23 August 2021, from https://joinposter.com/en/post/christmas-marketing-ideas-for-restaurants.