Once you have your coffee shop up and running, you get to the fun part: finding customers. You get to flex your creative muscle through advertising and face-to-face promotions; you get to organize and host events for the community; you get to delight prospective customers with excellent deals that they can’t pass up.

Unless you are a franchise, you can be as imaginative as you want with promoting your business. Here are a few thoughts on different strategies and how you can apply them:

1.1.           Print Advertising

Naturally you’ll want to advertise your business. Advertise in area daily and weekly newspapers, college newspapers (if applicable), and regional magazines. You can also use advertising space to announce your weekly or monthly special.

Advertising can be very expensive, but you’ll save money if you think strategically. Look for deals or specials. Also, don’t throw money at a slot. Look for promotional tie-ins. Watch editorial calendars of regional and travel magazines, for example. If you see an upcoming feature on your town, buy advertising space for that issue. Paying for a slot in that issue will stretch your dollars further than paying big bucks for monthly advertising in issues that don’t tie in to your area.

Inserts are another possibility. Check about including an insert in the local daily or weekly paper. You could print up a flyer on bright paper to announce your grand opening with the offer of 50 cents off an espresso-based drink for everyone who brings in the flyer.

Don’t waste your dollars on advertising in publications that don’t serve your area. For instance, advertising in USA Weekly probably is not going to draw as wide of interest for your shop as advertising in the local weekly.

1.2.           Radio Advertising

Radio advertising is another option, but probably not one that’s high on your priority list given your type of business. If you do want to advertise on the radio, know your audience. Don’t advertise on the local metal rock station if your shop isn’t appealing to that demographic.

If you have an upscale shop that appeals to readers, writers, and educators, consider sponsoring a slot on the local NPR station.