Specialty Coffee Retailer is a publication for owners, managers and employees of retail outlets that sell specialty coffee. Its scope includes best sales practices, supplies, business trends and anything else to assist the small coffee retailer.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/41387
pan demetrakakes, editor W Care and feeding of the e-beast hen you think of running a coffeehouse, you think about ordering supplies, training and retaining staff, updating the menu, improving customer service— all the considerations, both grand and mundane, that go into any small business. Maintaining your Internet presence probably isn't too high on your list. If so, you're not alone. Some 44 percent of small businesses in the U.S. don't even have a website, according to Jason Falls, a consultant specializing in electronic media. Beyond websites lie the daunting terrain of social media like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Who knows what the future will bring—some 12-year-old genius is probably cooking up in his or her basement right now. It can all get to be a bit much for someone who just wants to sell a good cup of coffee. Yet coffeehouse owners would be foolish to ignore the power of Internet- driven marketing. Stats from the Specialty Coffee Association of America show that younger consumers make up the core of coffeehouse patrons. These are people who grew up using the Internet as their primary source of information for...pretty much everything. E-marketing is not just the best way to reach them; in many cases, it may be the only way. But Internet marketing is to print marketing as a ravenous pet is to a stuffed animal. Ideally, a webpage is a living thing that should be continuously fed with new content. But grinding out that content can quickly become just another chore—and one that usually doesn't have the same urgency as preparing for the next rush, or even cleaning the bathrooms. Our cover story this issue looks at how coffeehouse proprietors cope with the demands of electronic media. Some themes emerged: Start small. Remember that the Internet is just another marketing medium. One café owner told us that his webpage is "at its essence, a glorified Yellow Pages listing," and that's really all you need to start. If you don't have a webpage yet, take that first step and worry about building on it later. Break it down. New content doesn't have to mean new pages. Content refreshment can come one tweet or brief blog entry at a time, as long as it's steady. It's not all about hype. Yes, the ultimate purpose is marketing, but that doesn't mean every bit of content has to try to sell something. Webpages and tweets can communicate news and views, talk about things important to the community, share personal bits from the lives of staff and regular customers—encompass, in other words, anything and everything that people love to chat about over coffee. Call for help. Especially at the beginning, a pro can make a world of difference. There are a lot of web designers out there, and one of them may very well be sipping a cappuccino in your shop right now. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go tend our own webpage. I've been neglecting it a little, and... What? You've never heard of "Do as I say, not as I do"? 4 | September 2011 • www.specialty-coffee.com EDITORIAL OFFICE 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230 Park Ridge, IL 60068 • (847) 720-5600 Visit us online: www.specialty-coffee.com E-mail: specialtycoffee@m2media360.com EDITORIAL STAFF Editor PRODUCTION STAFF Art Director Production Manager CIRCULATION STAFF Vice President of Circulation & Collateral Services SALES STAFF Sales Manager List Rental & Reprint Services EXECUTIVE STAFF Group Publisher CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Dan Bolton, Maura Keller, Ann Meyer, Brenda Russell EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Jason Burton, lab5702 Desiree Farden, Big Train, Inc. Jack Groot, JP's Coffee And Espresso Bar Wes Herman, The Woods Coffee Meghan Hubbs, Equal Exchange Rob Jeffries, North Atlantic Specialty Bag Craig Min, LAMIL Coffee Lon LaFlamme, Dillanos Coffee Roasters Kate LaPoint, Sound Provisions, Inc. Joe Monaghan, La Marzocco Tom Palm, Design & Layout Services Steve Schnitzler, Port City Java® Andi C. Trindle, Atlantic Specialty Coffee Bill Waddington, TeaSource Corporate Office: 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230 Park Ridge, IL 60068 PRESIDENT/CEO VP FINANCE & OPERATIONS VP OF CIRCULATION & COLLATERAL SERVICES PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION AND REQUESTS Phone (845) 856-2229 Marion Minor Gerald Winkel Joanne Juda-Prainito Mary Jo Tomei Fax (845) 856-5822 Subscriptions: $39 for one year, $61 for two years, U.S.; $48 for one year, $72 for two years, Canada; $110 for one year, all other countries (includes airmail postage). Single copies $10 each; Annual Buyers Guide $25. Payable in U.S. funds only. Customer Service: (847) 763-9565 PRESS RELEASES: Press releases on supplies, services and new products are welcomed and encouraged. Direct them to Specialty Coffee Retailer. Color print photography is preferred, slides and transparencies are accepted. Specialty Coffee Retailer reserves the right to edit all submissions. Pan Demetrakakes pan@m2media360.com Britt Menendez Mary Jo Tomei Joanne Juda-Prainito Brian Grau (314) 487-6568 Cheryl Naughton (678) 292-6054 Charlie Forman cforman@m2media360.com Membership applied for July 2010 Specialty Coffee Retailer (ISSN 1077-3460) is published monthly by Bev-Al Communications, 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068. Copyright© 2010 by Bev-Al Communications Inc. Postmaster please send address corrections to: Specialty Coffee Retailer, P.O. Box 4290, Port Jervis, NY 12771. Periodicals postage paid at Port Jervis, NY and additional mailing offices.