Orange cardamom latte with traditional latte art in a white mug on a gray table shown as an example of coffee shop content ideas.. — These coffee shop content ideas can be fleshed out into multiple blogs and could keep the average local coffee shop owner rich in content for a couple years!
Over and over, I hear from clients that they have no idea what to blog about! So, if you own a local coffee shop, cafe, or deli this blog post is going to be your new best friend.
Image: laciwrites.com
Coffee: Orange Cardamom Latte from Blueprint Coffee

The local coffee shop survives when they have darn good coffee, but it thrives when the locals make it a point to stop in weekly or daily for their cup of joe. Coffee is everywhere, but people make very intentional choices about where they get it from.

Your thriving local coffee shop will have a community where customers feel comfortable, recognized, and at home within your space. Your website, your email marketing, and your social media content all work together to make your best customers feel like they are a part of something. This keeps them coming back over and over.

Coffee Shop Content Idea: Menu Items

Any single menu item, or group of items can be profiled into an informative and compelling blog post. You can profile a single vanilla lavender latte, or you can discuss your entire latte menu. If you think you can get 500 words out of the care and thought process that goes into your vanilla lavender latte, I think you should go for it! But, if it seems like a stretch - one blog post devoted to your entire latte menu will also work just fine.

This goes the same for a sandwich or a baked good. Your customers really do care about your WHY and your behind the scenes. Who developed the sandwich, where do you source the ingredients, what staff members or customers order it religiously? Is it a throwback to something your Grandma made? Don’t leave out any juicy details. This is your chance to pretend you are on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and people want to know the how and why behind your food. Obviously some photos of the menu item, or with any staff & customers ordering it would be a fantastic add in.

Coffee Shop Content Idea: Anything Seasonal

If you have seasonal drinks, seasonal menus, or any kind of blue plate special - a menu item that is only available on a certain day of the week - make sure you are highlighting this with a blog post. Even better if you can be organized and get it posted in advance!

Any kind of regular occurrence, like a Happy Hour or Mom Meet-up deserves its own post, too.

Coffee Shop Content Idea: Profile the Owners and Staff

Just like Cheers, we all want to go where everyone knows your name. Your staff likely knows and greets some of your best customers by name. That is part of why they come back week after week.

The truth is, they like knowing you, too! Writing a profile post about each owner and staff member is another way to let customers get to know you and start feeling like part of your community. (Of course, you may have some staff members that want to opt out of this which should be respected! You can also use only first names, or write the post in a way that is more superficial and not personally revealing.)

Asking questions like:

What will we find in your morning cup?
What menu item of ours is your favorite?
What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis when you aren’t at work?
Where is your favorite place to make a dinner reservation?

These questions are going to give you opportunities to link out to items on your menu and other local spots. For instance, if Joe drinks your dark roast, loves the bacon breakfast sandwich with apricot jam, hits up the Farmer’s Market at Tower Grove Park, and celebrates special occasions at Polite Society that gives you four opportunities to link out. Two links within your own website and two external links to your local area. This is fantastic for boosting your SEO.

Coffee Shop Content Idea: Customer Spotlight

Along these same lines, you can even do customer profiles! You will know who your regulars are that wouldn’t mind a bit of the spotlight. Take a look at your fellow business owners and entrepreneurs, because they will usually understand what you are trying to achieve with your marketing and be happy to help. You can ask the same kind of questions that were shared above and get some excellent internal and external link opportunities.

Coffee Shop Content Idea: Answer a FAQ

Like any business, a coffee shop or cafe can use their blog to answer any Frequently Asked Questions. If you aren’t sure what questions are asked, buy your staff a pizza and invite them to stand around and brainstorm together. I promise you’ll end up with a great list.

This could also be an area where you can discuss any myth or misconception that people have about your business. It doesn’t have to be controversial!

Coffee Shop Content Idea: Highlight a Local Purveyor

If you get any of your food or materials from another local small business, take some time to highlight them in a specific blog post. This could be anything from the bread that you get from a local baker, to the tables that were built by a local craftsman.

If you use the bread to make the killer bacon breakfast sandwich, make sure you link from the breakfast sandwich post to the local baker’s post that you wrote.

Coffee Shop Content Idea: After They Leave the Shop

Most coffee shops sell bags of coffee, mugs and more. Make sure your customers know how to brew that perfect cup and enjoy it at home. You can also use a blog post to show them how they can surprise a friend, or one of their kid’s teachers with a gift card. Think through what you offer that can be enjoyed outside your shop and then show them exactly how to get the best result.

Why Blog For My Coffee Shop?

You might see now that all your blog posts will start looking like a huge interconnected web, which is exactly what we want!

Not only will you be able to dive deeper into the WHY behind your business decisions but linking out to these folks shares the love and creates local SEO wins for you. Google will learn exactly where you are and who you serve by linking to all these legitimate area businesses. (Bonus points for you if you can get them to link back to you from their website, as well!)

We are going to use blog posts to create a warm and inviting vibe. You want potential customers to feel like they already know you, know your mission, know your food, know your drinks, and maybe even know some of their fellow customers. They will feel like they are at home before they ever walk through the door. They will start to picture themselves in your shop.

Your seasonal or limited availability posts will make them feel like they need to get in there or they are going to miss out. And all the linking that you do out to other local businesses will show Google exactly where you are. Not to mention create a little goodwill! All the linking that you do within your own website will just create a strong SEO presence to Google. Regular posting will show Google that you’re active, you’re in business, and that you are trying to help your future customers to know more about you. Google loves all this and there is no way that this type of content could be considered spamming or could be created with AI. This is firsthand, user generated content that Google finds valuable and - most importantly- your customers will, too.

Pushing Past Writer’s Block

I know, I know. You are already thinking this is too much work. I hear you, but I challenge you to think differently. One blog post a month is enough to begin making a difference. Especially if you do it with some optimization in mind.

Repurposing Blog Content

Additionally, don’t think about this as “extra work.” Creating a quality piece of blog content for your website and then create a checklist for easily repurposing it for your other marketing channels:

Google Business Profile update
Instagram
Facebook
Tiktok
Pinterest
Email list
YouTube

Make these blogs work for you! Get them out there and let them guide you or your staff to create multiple pieces of content in the channels that are working great for you. Don’t think of it as extra work, think of it as the first step in guiding all of your coffee shop content ideas!

Laci Writes Blogging Services

I truly believe anyone is capable of becoming a competent blogger for their own business. But, if you have your doubts, I do offer Done-For-You blogging packages or a custom 2 session Zoom class where I can teach you how to blog for yourself. You will end up with your own blog post ready to publish at the end of our 2 calls. Plus, the skills and the checklists you need to do it yourself in the future.

You can grab a PDF of my very own SEO Blog Post Checklist! Just share your email address and the orange button will take you to a Google document you can download and use over and over.

Don’t have time to write your own blogs, but think you might want me to?

Let’s hop on a complimentary call to see if we are a good fit.

Coffee shop content ideas: Start blogging!