The promise of fame and caffeine are too tempting to pass up.
When Josh Rashid, owner of Milano coffee in Middleborough, Massachusetts, wanted to create a little extra buzz for the business, he came up with a seemingly simple plan that got things moving faster than he expected.
He put a sign on the front door that read, “WANT A FREE COFFEE? Come in and give us your best 5 second dance moves!”
Eager customers were more than up for the challenge, and the store posted a teaser 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! #dance #free drinks #coffee #coffee #event #fyp #life in the restaurant #baristalife #barista #coffee #coffee time #dancechallenge #viral ♬ original sound – Christina Dean
The post not only scored views, but garnered over 14,000 comments from people who admitted they were moved to tears by the pure joy they were seeing on their phone screens. “Why am I crying?! This makes me so happy,” one commenter wrote.
Rashid told CNN that the promotion has given a boost in business and earned the cafe 10,000 TikTok followers. “We're a small town here in Middleborough, and it's fun,” Rashid said. “Some people were in the store when it happened, and they came in the next day and said, 'Oh my god, I saw your video on my About 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 goes to show how powerful social media is and as business owners, we have to adapt and do what we can.”
Connecting with your audience in a genuine way is a powerful marketing tool for small business owners The entrepreneur contributor Jessica Wong. “Brands can showcase their value to their customers,” she notes, adding, “There's no doubt about the strong link between an engaging social media presence and sales. Social media platforms are powerful tools to help in building brands.”