{"id":30265,"date":"2020-12-21T09:42:47","date_gmt":"2020-12-21T17:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/?p=30265"},"modified":"2022-04-18T13:05:48","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T20:05:48","slug":"coffee-marketing-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/coffee-marketing-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Coffee Marketing, Part 3: Building Out Your Coffee Brand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So you want to start a coffee brand\u2014welcome to the world of coffee entrepreneurs! We are a world of eccentric and wonderful people who are all convinced that the struggle and challenges of owning our own businesses are worthwhile, because we love coffee and we love coffee people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to sell coffee, you need a coffee brand. Now, this brand can be simple or it can be complex\u2014but you will only succeed with your new coffee business if you intentionally create your brand and perform outreach in a cohesive way. Luckily the process isn\u2019t too complex, and you can differentiate yourself simply by working to present your coffees well to your ideal customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would argue that business success comes from intentionally fulfilling your promises (both spoken and implied) to your customers, over and over and over. It\u2019s that simple. However, I would guess that if you think about any successful business, you can identify the promises they are making and keeping. In order to fulfill<\/em> your promises, you need to know what<\/em> you\u2019re promising, and in order to do that, you must know who you are as a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Are You?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I always argue that if you do it well, marketing\u2014creating a brand and using targeted outreach to connect with your ideal customers\u2014is a true expression of who you are as a business owner and the aspects you choose to share; thus, it is one of the most authentic things you can do as a human. To actively engage people, you need to be clear on who you are and how that is conveyed in the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example: any brand I lead will have to be an earnest, story-driven, ethical one. My coffee importing company, Catalyst Trade<\/a>, doesn\u2019t spend much on branding or marketing, but we are proud to have an intensely connected group of coffee roasters who buy our traceable Ethiopian coffees because of our ethical and responsible focus. Plus, the coffees are great! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CFe7SMvhpT4\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s imperative to take the time to really tap into your vision as a business owner and choose how you want to convey that through your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Do You Want to Reach?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Again, many new coffee business owners overlook that they are going to be (hopefully) selling their product to actual people with likes and dislikes, and that these people may be overwhelmed so they will default to the most clear branding. Trying to sell to everyone is the best way to sell to no one. You will treat your brand differently if you\u2019re reaching art students than if you\u2019re marketing to modern offices. Make sure that the demographic you are aiming at actually has the money to buy your coffee, then really dig in to learn what they look for when purchasing anything<\/em>. Those learnings will apply to your coffee. You will want to find a sweet spot where the identity of your brand dovetails with your customers\u2019. Onyx Coffee Lab is a fantastic example; so is Starbucks. Look at your competitors, evaluate who they are reaching and how well they are doing it, and use that information to inform your own approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What You Will Need<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n