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Carmel Coffee Marketing

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The owner of Caffe Cardinale, the Carmel coffee place I visited last July for the WiFi access, just found my blog entry on the subject. He emailed to thank me for the plug and told me he’s sending me a free pound of coffee and a logoed travel mug. And next time I’m in Carmel, he says, the WiFi’s free. That pretty much guaranteed him another mention on this site.

That’s smart marketing. Find happy satisfied customers who tell others about their experience and turn them into fans.

Thorn Vandevelde
December 5, 2003 4:04 PM

Nice, but if I were you I'd try to sell him a web site too ;-) The current one looks so 90ies and I also reckon that a coffee company is a great subject for a website. The site could certainly do with a more modern, polished look as well as a standards-based approach, boosting accessibility.

Rich
December 6, 2003 7:07 AM

It's so hard for most miser small business owners to realize this simple yet effective concept. It's amazing how little this practice is realized.

homerjay
December 13, 2003 8:25 PM

I'm amazed more places don't offer free WiFi. I was back home in Syracuse NY, and couldn't find one place that offered it for free. I would have sat there all day, buying whatever they had (coffee, food, etc...). These are smart people.

Bruce
March 8, 2005 4:15 PM

Homerjay, I'm actually in the process of trying to open a couple new coffee houses with my brother. The first will be in Massachusetts, but I hope to have one in Syracuse, NY within a year or so as that is where I am from. Free WiFi is just one of the many offerings we have planned. I hope one day you'll be frequenting our place. As for this thread in general, I must say that Carmel Coffee clearly did the right thing. I am as bewildered as Rich is that more business' in general, not just coffee houses, don't take a little more time to think about the long range ramifications of their actions or lack of action as the case may be. Often a simple gesture speaks volumes for your business. These are the things that shape the perception you hold with the public. Regards, Coffee House Entrepreneur to be, Bruce

billy billster
December 21, 2005 6:56 PM

Coffee Pavilion - 133 E Water St - (315) 422-4040 Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub & Restaurant - 301 W Fayette St - (315) 424-1974 Clinton Square, Armory Square, Hanover Square Hotzones Broadway Coffee Cafe - 210 West Seneca Turnpike - (315)469-1234 Carousel Center/Mall Food Court - 9090 Carousel Center Drive Mama Nancy's - 512 State fair Blvd. - (315) 701-4994 Courtyard by Marriott - 6415 Yorktown Circle - (315) 432-0300 Genesee Inn Hotel - 1060 East Genesee Street - 315-476-4212 The Marx Hotel - 701 E. Genesee Stree Super 8 Motel - S. Collamer Road ALL FREE WIFI

Naga
January 30, 2008 4:48 AM

Free coffee eh? But aren't happy customers already fans to begin with? If they would do this for everyone then it'd cost them too much, so I don't know how smart it is, but it's well known that companies tend to treat some customers better than others ;)

This discussion has been closed.

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