Client:
In early 2023, we started working with a small, independently owned coffee shop located in a college town in Arizona. The owner had been running the business for over five years and had built a decent local following through word-of-mouth and a strong presence in the community.
Like many small business owners, she managed most aspects of the shop herself, from staffing to inventory and had very little time (or experience) to handle marketing. Her social media presence was limited to a few organic Instagram posts each month. No ads, no content plan, and no real tracking of results.
By the end of 2022, she noticed a clear drop in foot traffic, around 30% lower compared to previous years. This drop was mostly due to increasing competition and changes in student behavior post-pandemic. She reached out to us hoping to turn things around without spending a fortune.
Objective:
Our primary goal was to increase walk-in customers and overall foot traffic by at least 50% within 90 days, using only Facebook and Instagram ads.
We had a limited ad budget of $500/month, and the client wanted to avoid overly technical strategies or anything that would take too much of her time. The plan needed to be easy to execute and even easier to maintain long-term.
Goals:
- Increase Instagram engagement by 40%
- Drive 20% more traffic to new product launches
- Build authentic UGC (user-generated content) at scale
Strategy
1. Identifying the Target Audience
- We knew from early conversations that the coffee shop primarily served:
- College students
- Remote workers
- Local residents within a 5-mile radius
- To define this more precisely, we created three key audience segments for our social media campaigns:
- Students aged 18–24 living near the university campus
- Working professionals aged 25–40 who lived in nearby neighborhoods
- Coffee lovers who had interacted with similar cafes or food spots on Instagram
- We used Facebook’s geo-targeting tools to keep ad reach strictly local and avoid wasting the budget.
2. Creating Simple, Authentic Content
We didn’t hire photographers or overthink content. We used photos the owner already had real shots of coffee, the cozy interior, and happy customers.
- We created three ad formats:
- A short 15-second Instagram Reel showing a barista making a latte
- A carousel post featuring different coffee drinks and seasonal pastries
- A single image ad with a simple offer: “Show this post and get 20% off your next coffee”
- No fancy branding. Just real, friendly content that reflected the vibe of the shop.
3. Launching a Geo-Targeted Ad Campaign
- We ran a split test with two campaign objectives:
- One focused on brand awareness to increase visibility in the area
- One focused on store visits, optimized for people likely to visit a physical location
Both campaigns used the same images and videos, but the call-to-action was slightly different.
For awareness, we said: “Try the best local coffee in Florida!”
For store visits: “We’re just around the corner | Drop by today.”
We scheduled the ads to run during peak hours (7–10 AM and 2–5 PM), when people were most likely to be thinking about coffee.
4. Promoting a Simple In-Store Offer
To track performance and encourage conversions, we offered a straightforward deal:
Get 20% off any drink by just showing us this post at the counter.
No coupon codes or downloads. Just show the post on your phone. The staff tracked redemptions using a tally sheet behind the counter.
This also encouraged people to engage with the posts and talk about them with friends, which added to the organic reach.
5. Monitoring, Adjusting, and Doubling Down
- We monitored results daily for the first 10 days, then weekly after that. Here’s what we adjusted:
- We cut one of the underperforming ad sets after the first week and redirected that budget to the top-performing ad.
- We switched out the call-to-action on one post to emphasize “Study-Friendly Café with Free Wi-Fi”—which clicked better with students.
- We used Instagram Stories with location tags and polls to keep engagement up between paid posts.
Results After 60 Days
- Here’s what we saw:
- Walk-in foot traffic increased by 210% compared to the same period the previous year.
- The in-store offer was redeemed over 180 times, with a spike in the first three weeks.
- Instagram followers grew by 43%, mostly local students and young professionals.
- The average daily revenue increased by approximately 2.5x. Mostly from repeat visits.
- Customer reviews on Google and Yelp increased by 30%, likely due to more people discovering the shop via social media.
Key Takeaways
1. Small budgets can go a long way.
Even with just $500/month, we reached thousands of local users and brought in hundreds of new customers.
2. Real content wins.
No need for studio-quality photos or big brand storytelling. The best-performing ads were the most casual and honest ones.
3. Local targeting is powerful.
By staying hyper-local and specific, we avoided wasting ad spend and kept the message relevant.
4. Simple CTAs perform better.
“Show this post for 20% off” worked better than anything else we tested. No friction, no confusion.
What Happened Next
After the success of the initial campaign, the owner continued running boosted posts and occasional promotions on her own, using the templates we provided. She now spends just $200–$400/month to keep the momentum going.
She also added a basic content calendar to her week, posting 2–3 times per week with updates, drink specials, and behind-the-scenes videos.