One of the first questions I receive about social media marketing, especially in relation to coffee companies, is: “How do I get started?”

There is so much information out there. Where do you begin on social media marketing for your coffee company?

But what I say to these people and my clients, is to start small. There is a proven record for establishing small goals.

The biggest mistake that I see people make is trying to do too much at once.

People tell you that you have to have Facebook. That Instagram is a must. That you need to jump onto the Snapchat train. But if you don’t have the time or energy to devote to all of these channels, then your entire strategy has crashed before it even launched.

1. Find your audience

Take a look at where your audience is and figure out which network is best for you.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/update-a-breakdown-of-the-demographics-for-each-of-the-different-social-networks-2015-6

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/update-a-breakdown-of-the-demographics-for-each-of-the-different-social-networks-2015-6

This is a very thorough article on the most popular social media networks’ demographics.

2. Find your brand idols

Next, once you’ve chosen one network, find the brands that are executing well. Figure out how they are executing well. When I say “how,” I mean, examine how often they’re posting, what their audience is interacting with, and the type of language they use.

I have never purchased from Everlane, but I admire how on-brand each of their photos is.

3. Check out what your competition is doing

What is working for them? What isn’t? How can you do any of this better? How are they responding to customer complaints?

I very much dislike Taco Bell, but their humor is enticing.

4. Figure out your own content

Based on your previous steps’ research, take a moment to decide what you need: photographer, writer, curator, customer service person.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJVqiF6B_OL

 

Someone at Four Barrel has an eye for black & white photography.

5. Set one small goal

This is where you need to focus. Set a goal so small that you have no excuses to not do it. This strategy can also apply for those of you who want to “do better” at social media. Here are some examples of tiny goals:

  • Post every Monday on Instagram. Post about the single-origin espresso for that day or about any coffee drink of your choice.
  • Post on Twitter at 9 am every day about a food-pastry pairing
  • Post once a month on Facebook about one staff member. Make it a live video interview.

After you accomplish these small goals and you’re feeling good about this, add on another small goal!

My current small goal is to send my newsletter every other Wednesday (this has been working for two months now!).

You can also learn more about social media strategies through the rest of my blog or through my suggested Feedly feeds.