Two ideas:

1. Cats
2. Food truck night

Do you have the space to host events? Open mic, poetry nights, board game tournaments, etc. that can be a good way to get more people in the door.

$1000 is a really good marketing budget. Many small businesses may have less. Your expertise will help you find the best talent your dollars can find.

So, Google reviews are your best friends, so is TikTok and a few other social media platforms.

… Offer your current customers rewards to encourage them to return more often (punch cards for free coffee, etc.) and businesses a chance to win freebies by dropping their business cards off, and so on. Use marketing funds to reel in the new customers (you already know this).

Stretch your marketing budget out by googling the highest rated marketing companies and then see if there’s anyone you can afford. You can also check out Fiverr to see if you trust any of the talent enough to get hand over some of your SMALL marketing and advertising tasks.

On Fiverr: It can take time to find someone good to work with on Fiverr. I use Fiverr a lot for graphic design, but I go through many talents that I have to move on from very quickly because their output doesn’t match their portfolios. The good news is they are CHEAP so even having pay a few to find someone who’s up to the task is still cheaper often than the alternatives.

Internships: You can contact local colleges/universities that have marketing AND advertising students who want to do an internship. You might be surprised at how many businesses with deep pockets do this, so why not the little guy who truly needs the financial break? Your biz only needs part-time help so you CAN afford a stipend or payment of some kind or you can pay your intern nothing as well, it’s whatever you set up and plenty of intern students want the experience, especially in big cities. Just ask lots of questions to decide how to approach this.

Website: Make sure you have one! Offer merchandise whenever you can put something together (printable and other print-on-demand platforms are great), that way you don’t have to buy a bunch of stuff upfront but your website will look more established.

How are you video skills? How’s your sense of humor? Can you handle any type of graphic design (photography, layouts, web work, etc.)?

Pair up with any bakeries or candy makers who want to expand their market and will give you a killer deal to start carrying some of their products if the presentation and taste is of excellent caliber and is something you don’t have time to do but something that might make your shop more cozy… something gift-worthy.

Have a GREAT attitude every day and EXUDE self-confidence and warm regard and humor. Kill it with customer service. Remind your best customers to leave a Google review (or put up a sign by the register). If you obtain interns, they can hang out and help keep your coffee shop looking during the hours they are working. On that thought, you might want to offer student, medical staff, first responders, law enforcement, and military personal discounts…. Don’t break the bank doing this, just see what works best for you and evaluate carefully your approach in this.

Those are some ideas. You’ve got this. I wish you well in all that you do this holiday season (and, oh ya, holiday decorations in your shop ;)!

You’re a luxury boutique shop. There’s just not much of a demand right now given that disposable income is pretty low.

I’m not great with social media, but the idea seems primed for themed discounts and getting some influencers on board (if you’re in an area that has them). April Bonnet season - get a free upsizing when wearing a bonnet. Winter Tweed sale - come in wearing vintage tweed, have a photographer on the premises and snap pictures in sepia. Why not buy a coffee while you’re waiting? Dedicate a corner for pictures with lighting - people could come in for a low cost photoshoot (think engagement holiday cards, baby announcements, etc…), partner with a local print shop if there is one. One stop package, with a live background that could be arranged depending on the pictures.

Contact your local vfw and set up a deal with them. I know veterans are itching for connections, this could be their new hang out spot.

Can you provide a few links for us to see Google profile, social media, and any marketing materials you’ve created?

Do you use square or toast POS to see customer data? How many people are coming through daily? What’s your average ticket price?

If houseplants are the main thing, you might find success in starting a YouTube channel for plant parents on plant care. There are many of these so finding topics or where to start should be simple. Repurpose the content for YouTube shorts, TikTok, and IG.

Set up your website to have eccommece functionalities so people who come across you on socials also have the ability to purchase goods (in person should be more affordable than online as an incentive to visit the brick and motor location and to cover logistics costs)

Look into strategic partnerships with interior designers, real estate staggers, and even landscapers who can help get your products in front of their audience. Offer to advertise their services in your spaces as well.

FB ads can also be extremely affordable at just a few bucks a day and you can target your surrounding area or affluent areas close by where people might be more willing to spend.

Maybe you can host plant related classes or workshops? Advertise having some kind of inhouse plant consultant that people can talk to about plant issues, what kind of plants they should get, maintenance, etc.

if it’s on a road without frequent stops (not town centre) consider signs far enough away that drivers have time to read sign, decide they want coffee, and slow down perhaps, if you haven’t already? Many times I have seen a sign of interest too late while travelling in an unfamiliar area.

Offer customers a discount for checking in on fb, ig and or posting a video to TikTok. Get others to advertise for you.

Host a media and influencer night. Wine and dine everyone for free and send them home with a small plant. Thank them for coming. Let them know about any holiday events/specials. Let them do their magic. Don’t demand coverage. Try some special holiday things that will get people in like a wreath making class.

Leverage other local business owners’ following. Make a List of other local businesses that serve the same demographic. Invite them to your shop for an exclusive tasting or something. Let them check in on social media and share photos with a backdrop with your # or company name.

Offer to promote their business to your customers as well.

Watch videos on YouTube about fb ads to a specific demographic and geo location or geo fenced area.

Are there large events, concerts, festivals etc that you can’t afford to be a vendor at but know your demographic will be there? Set up a fb add for the geographical location and set it to anyone that passes thru that area within the time frame of the event. Make sure the area selected includes the closest hotels for anyone traveling.

I would not hire a marketing person with only $1000 budget. You can go to YouTube and learn enough for now.

So, as a business owner who’s got a sales and marketing background too, here’s what I’d do :

• Drive thru : Can you do any kind of drive thru service? This is huge at the moment for coffee in Australia at least.

• Offers : do you collect customers details and email them offers? Offer them good deals on the slow days.

• Loss leader : what % of customers buy the plants etc? Is your coffee underpriced as a loss leader to draw people in to buy the plants? If not, that could be a problem. First coffee per customer should be cheaper than competitors to draw them in.

• customer surveys : are you surveying customers for direct feedback? This can really help you understand what’s working and what’s not.

Rent plants on a monthly basis?