Coffee shops: Brewing up success with branded coffee cups and social media

A branded coffee cup is literally the face of a coffee shop. The identity of the business is squeezed in the cup, connecting the minds of existing clients and potential clients to the business, sometimes without even having to see the name of the company. Branded paper cups coupled with a poignant social media strategy represent an incredible potential to allow even small local coffee shops to establish a solid reputation in their communities.

Branded coffee cups offer instant recognition

Simply offering a cup of coffee is not enough to make a coffee shop stay afloat in the market. To create and strengthen brand awareness, the business has to offer added value to its mindful customers as it is the latter who, at the end of the day, determine the genuine value of a brand and its products in the marketplace.

A coffee shop consequently has to spread its identity into the public eye. Branded coffee cups are a great means to achieve this goal as they are the visual cornerstone of a coffee shop. They represent the packaging defining how the coffee itself will be perceived and interpreted. Offering instant recognition, they are the Holy Grail of coffee shops. The perfect branded cup consisting of the logo, message or attractive design should be memorable and timeless, conjuring up the emotions a coffee shop would want its targeted clients to link to its brand. The takeaway branded paper cups also have the potential to pique the curiosity of potential clients.

Branded coffee cups are taking over Instagram

In the age of social media, aesthetics have the upper hand on flavour in many cases. Investing in attractive packaging has proven to be a boon for many small and large businesses as consumers massively share products and experiences on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. One example of a small business that gained massive popularity in such a manner is the French bakeshop Maman. It became renowned not for its tasty cookies but for its patterned white-and-blue coffee cups. As the company puts it, “it attracts 80% new customers on Instagram”.

Today, the winning strategy is for a product to look good on social media. Marketers consider it as a long-term investment on visual storytelling. Attractive and very “Instagrammable” packaging is a must. Coffee and Instagram seem to be tightly knotted together. Branded coffee cups are artworks and Instagrammers, addicted to caffeine or not, seem to have understood that and are always eager to showcase their findings and their favourite coffee brands and cups. If certain brands prefer to be associated with neat compelling designs, others choose to stand out through unusual sketches or doodles on takeaway branded paper cups. The social media platformpriding itself in its easily digestible format- presently has over 76 million posts with the hash tag #coffee.

Britons spend £2,111 yearly in coffee shops

On the average, Britons visit coffee shops 152 times yearly and spend £2,111 annually during these visits. This represents 8% of the average salary in the United Kingdom. The biggest coffee drinkers are located in the South West and East Anglia, according to the research carried out by Research Without Borders (RWB).

As the coffee culture is perking up, high street coffee market is expected to grow by 29% over the next five years, according to analysts at Mintel. The hectic life in the United Kingdom is not preventing Britons from enjoying their cup of coffee even during working hours. A recent survey conducted by the beverage firm Honest Coffees concluded that a Briton rushes out of office at least once per week to grab a freshly brewed frothy cup of coffee from a coffee shop. This gourmet getaway lasts about 22 minutes every time, on the average. Men are more inclined to leave offices, risking the wrath of their employers, to grab a coffee at least 10 times a week.

Responding to the demands of busy Britons with branded takeaway coffee cups

If certain clients love the comfortable lounges, free Wi-Fi and table service when enjoying their cup of coffee, others simply do not have time for that. As a matter of fact, the number of on-thego consumers is soaring in the United Kingdom, according to a paper published by the Oxford Farming Conference earlier this year. To grab this slice of the market, coffee shops undeniably have to respond to the needs of these busy clients by offering top-notch service. The key to extending the first-class service is to serve coffee in high-quality branded paper cups. As is the case with the giant Starbucks, the coffee experience is not limited to its coffee shops. Instead, the “Starbucks” experience transcends all barriers thanks to the branded disposable coffee cups that are easily distinguishable all around the world

Turning clients into content creators

Using attractive branded takeaway coffee cups is yet another means to promote brand awareness in the public eye. Those grabbing their cup of coffee before going to work or during working hours are most likely to consume their beverage in the office. This simple act of display serves as a solid marketing strategy for a brand as clients turn into content creators and influencers themselves.

This tactic is consolidated even further when consumers decide to post pictures of their coffee cups on social media. Generally, it is to share a personal experience, such as the need for a cup of coffee to carry on working, or a hot cup of coffee to fight the rainy cold weather and so on. Coffee, in this case, goes beyond the product itself and is associated with personal experiences, rendering it even more likeable. Timely campaigns on social media to use the best-submitted picture from followers do create excitement, keeping them engaged. They literally become the content creators for the brand. It is no surprise that Starbucks Coffee, wisely adopting this strategy, currently has 15.4 million followers on Instagram and 29.2 million posts with the hash tag #starbucks.