How can you optimize your tea shop's social media strategy to be engaging and relevant?

In this new age of social media, merchants are provided with the luxury of data, a company specific audience, and the ability to consistently connect with customer base.

For starters its crucial to be mindful of the difference between promotional and engaging activities. In the past marketing focused on incubating an awareness of specific products and services. Everyone is bombarded with alerts to buy new products, and in order to rise above the static posts need to be uniquely personal.

Lets break down three key elements to incubating a successful social media strategy:

Summer is a time where street festivals are commonplace in America. We all know street festivals are a great place for barbeque food and beers, but is there room for iced tea?

Recently we set out to test this concept at the Taste of Randolph in Chicago. To us this represented a unique opportunity to reach a local customer base.

We decided to sell iced tea, pass out invitations to the State St. store, and offer fresh brewed tea.

The first two days were slow but steady but it was difficult to compete with the plethora of beer and sangria tents.

By the third day we still had much supply of bottled teas. Having covered our costs it became now about brand awareness.

It was over 100 degrees that weekend in the windy city and we decided to hand out fresh bottles of iced tea. In the end we touched over 20,000 locals with the various teas from around the world.

Over the course of the last few months we have been testing the viability of a new sampling strategy. One of the greatest aspects about marketing tea is its a product that will engage the senses. By simply adding water one is transported away to a separate place. A good sample strategy will satisfy consumers curiosity with a brewed sample, and leave something to be desired for later with tea to brew at home.

Let me start by revealing how this strategy came into fruition. Last holiday season we had team members handing out tea bags at the stores posing as 'SanTea clause.' We noticed that many folks avoided the samples, thinking it was just another brochure

It was decided that we needed two things. The marketing strategy is to ensure the samples appeared out of the ordinary, and the samples represent an invitation to the shop. We also needed a solution to brew tea on the go, and for this we created a custom device that we call the 'Tea Jetpack.'

The Tea Jetpack features a full keg in the backpack and an eco friendly design that is pumped with a bike pump to stabilize pressure... more >

The single most important element to evolving your tea shop is incubating a winning attitude within your staff. Training them to be potent on the sales floor is crucial, but often overlooked is ensuring the job is fulfilling, and above all keeping the fire lit with motivational cues.

Here are key questions to get you started:

• How do I empower my sales force to be creative and actively strive for the company’s success?
• Which is better group or individual goals?
• What about commission?

Let’s start with the first question regarding empowerment. It’s no secret that a group actively striving towards the same goal helps create synergy. When staff is encouraged to seek solutions to problems, the job not only seems more fulfilling, but staff has an active stake in the company's success. The ultimate goal is to create a culture that incubates new ideas. In this sense having a more lateral management structure prevails over a traditional hierarchy... more >

Great companies live and breathe great customer service. It’s often noted that it’s much easier to keep an existing customer than gain a new one, and it’s amazing how many companies wing it and hope for the best. It’s especially never a good idea if your small business is struggling to survive, and it may make the difference between red and black. But how is great customer service created and how do you make sure the customer returns? Breaking it down between in-store and out of store, I’ll explain how adagio attempts great customer service in our brick and mortar locations.

In-StoreIt’s no secret that the more you put in the more you get out, and that makes all the difference when training your employees. At adagio, we have a two-week training course designed to help tea consultants be great at their jobs. This covers everything necessary to be successful in one of our stores. Our tea consultants are trained to stay present and engaged at all times, allowing them to quickly answer any question a customer may ask... more >