This Coffee Shop Owner Gained 10,000 TikTok Followers With One Post. Here's How He Did It. Here's how a "dance for a free coffee" promotion blew the lid off this cafe's popularity.
By David James
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The promise of fame and caffeine are just too enticing to pass up.
When Josh Rashid, owner of Coffee Milano Café in Middleborough, Massachusetts, wanted to generate a little extra buzz for the biz, he came up with a seemingly simple plan that perked things up quicker than he expected.
He posted a sign on the front door that read: "Want a FREE COFFEE? Walk in and give us your BEST dance moves for 5 seconds!!"
Thirsty customers were more than up to the challenge, and the shop posted a compilation video on TikTok that has been viewed over five million times:
@coffeemilanocafe Dancing is good for the soul.. and a free coffee! This made our day! Thank you! #dancing #freedrinks #cafe #coffeeshop #event #fyp #restaurantlife #baristalife #barista #coffee #coffeetime #dancechallenge #viral ♬ original sound - Christina Dean
The post not only scored views, it garnered over 14,000 comments from people admitting to being moved to tears by the pure joy they were witnessing on their phone screens. "Why am I crying?! This makes me sooo happy," wrote one commenter.
Rashid told CNN that the promotion has provided a boost in business and gained the cafe 10,000 TikTok followers. "We're a small little town here in Middleborough, and it's fun," Rashid said. "A couple of people were in the store when it happened, and they came in the next day and said, 'Oh my gosh, I saw your video on my For You page.'"
"We're in a digital world and word of mouth is great, but at the same time, we're glued to our phones," he continued. "It just shows us how powerful social media is, and as a business owner, we have to adapt and do what we can."
Connecting with audiences in a genuine way is a powerful marketing tool for small business owners, writes Entrepreneur contributor Jessica Wong. "Brands can showcase their values to their customers," she notes, adding, "There is no doubt about the strong connection between an engaging social media presence and sales. Social media platforms are powerful tools to help build brands."
