These seven tactics below will give you a deeper insight into your question: “How do I make my coffee brand stand out?” Dig in, make a note, and be inspired.
If you’re just venturing out with your own coffee business, how to make your coffee brand stand out is the most crucial question. According to GlobeNewswire, the global coffee market in 2021 was valued at $107.93 billion. This can be overwhelming as there are so many competitors.
Designing a fully-optimized website, staying updated with the trends, and curating the best quality coffees are only a few ways to give yourself an edge. On top of that, you need to study your market and competitors, release your customer’s pain points, and develop the best coffee packaging. These are the key factors to make your coffee brand stand out.
Study Your Market And Competitors
Study your market to see if there’s any trend going on. Do people care about organic certification, or do roast profiles matter most?
Customers care about high-quality products, of course, but there are thousands of coffee brands out there that are doing the exact same thing. They offer the same variety, roast levels, flavors, and packaging designs.
To stand out from the crowd, study your market and dig into your competition. Learn what their reviews reflect as well as the gaps they haven’t tapped into yet and try to fill them.
Packaging is one of the most crucial factors. Spend time browsing the supermarkets to see what’s happening on the shelves. See how much they charge for the same item you offer at the same size and if there’s any promotion going on.
The best way to get ahead of competitors is to conduct a competitive analysis with the help of an expert. You can outsource a company or hire an in-house team to tackle that for you. Remember that numbers and reports are the best weapons to give you an overall outlook of your competition.
From there, a business analyst can sketch the right direction for your coffee brand to thrive.
Offer High-Quality Products
Many people are willing to sacrifice their product quality to compensate for the loss in profit or just to keep up with the rat race. You don’t want to be one of them. Think about what features of your coffee make your brand different from others and how customers can profit from that.
The coffee industry is ranked as one of the most competitive markets in the world. Make sure you invest in the highest quality in all of your products. Conscious coffee lovers are very serious about their purchases.
Competing in a niche market out of a small region may be easier than battling against long-established brands in the race for global market share. Therefore, venturing into the international market out there demands serious investment.
Don’t rush it. Take time to study, accept failure, try again, and keep going. Don’t let one bad coffee bag turn away a potential customer.
Learn Customers’ Pain Points
Everyone can master the roasting technique. But not every brand is dedicated enough to know what their customers truly want and what’s messing up with their expectations. Know what your customers’ paint points are and be upfront about solving them.
Some people are very simple. If your coffee tastes better than everything else, they will buy it. Many people don’t care that much about huge venture-backed coffee companies taking over the world; they only want to drink good coffee.
So the pain point here is not about the brand, the size, or the image; it’s how to ensure your customers can wake up and drink really good coffee. Consistency is the key here.
Another example I see from many of my friends is how badly they want to have a sample pack. While it’s easy for me to share a brand I love, they would feel intimated buying a whole bag of coffee only to realize they don’t like it.
That being said, your brand should have a small sample collection of five to ten flavors at a time to entice new customers. Not every brand will offer this. If you’re able to fill this gap, the customers will have a very good first impression of your brand.
Pick The Right Type Of Coffee Packaging
Pouches are the most common type of packaging these days. But it doesn’t mean you have to stick to the same old style everyone’s doing to ensure your coffee brand is well-received.
Be bold and dare to go against the current. Consider different types of packaging such as stand-up pouches, side-fold bags, Quadro-seal bags, or box pouches.
Is your target market into tall and skinny packaging, or are they looking for an environmentally-friendly material? Work closely with a packaging designer if you’re unsure. They know what works and what does not.
Invest In A User-Friendly Website
Social media is incredibly popular, but a well-established landing page that’s easy to navigate speaks the loudest. It’s like giving your coffee brand a house with all the essential details, designs, certifications, and a store.
The website is the first place your customers interact with your brand. We all want something intuitive, attractive, and transparent to deal with. Plus, don’t forget to invest in a smooth check-out process or subscription page.
Everything you put on your website needs to incorporate together to drive sales and make your customer’s life easier.
Don’t be afraid to invest in a web design expert. Share your ideas with them and let them come up with the most successful layouts, color palettes, typography, and tone. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly too and doesn’t take forever to load.
If possible, dedicate a section of your website for evergreen and useful posts. Optimize these articles to make sure they are enriched with valuable information as well as SEO-optimized.
SEO content is one of the best indirect tools to educate your customers and tell them your coffee brand cares about them. Learn more in our guide on the best hosting for a coffee shop.
Don’t Become Just “Another” Coffee Brand
Many people are likely to fall into this trap. Following the crowd seems like you’re doing the right thing, or it can be a double-edged sword that immerses you into the pool of thousands of other coffee brands.
Going against the current is fine, as long as your product is high-quality and your commitment to your core values and missions is transparent. Don’t be afraid to be different; there’s no winning if you try to emulate Starbucks.
Stay Posted With Trends And Social Media
Your coffee brand doesn’t have to follow the trends all the time. But special occasions and festivals are worth offering a holiday blend or limited-time deals and perks.
Staying up to date with trends means your coffee brand is evolving. Keep your brand posted with what’s going on with social media, what people say in their comments, and what coffee social media influencers are doing.
You can choose to stay away from trends and events, but it would be a red flag if your competitors are offering the latest creations that take social media by storm and you’re not. If you liked this post, you might enjoy our coffee shop business strategy.
