This week I’m going to talk about what I’ve seen in our online data so far, and how this will shape our online presence into the future.
- Newsletters
The most noticeable piece of data from our weekly newsletters is that you all really like when we do special promotions and deals on our coffee. Some of the other noise in our newsletters (like this issue) is less received, but there’s still an interest there so we want to keep it going. Based on the data I’m getting though we might cut back the newsletters from a weekly issue, to bi-weekly, or monthly in the near future. Instead of small updates on what we’re doing every week – I might just compile everything and publish it all once a month in a more lengthy letter.
As for the special promotions and discount deals, we will continue to send these sporadically as they become available. I can’t commit to having a regular promotion going on, because the margins at discounted prices are un-sustainable for our business. We do promotions under less predictable circumstances where it’s a win-win for both our customers and our business. For example, we might launch a promo on a specific coffee when it was recently roasted for a wholesale customer in bulk – but we have a few pounds left over and we want to move it so it’s not sitting around. We might also do promotions like we did a few weeks ago with Amazon, where we entered a new market, and we want to have a “launch party” of sorts.
In conclusion the newsletters will likely change frequency from weekly, to monthly, and we will continue to send promotions in-between as they become available.
- Coffee Selections
A couple weeks ago we announced a new coffee selection, an Ethiopia Yirgacheffe bean near the Gedeo zone. This announcement was a huge hit, one of the best results we’ve seen from any newsletter. That tells me you’re interested in the bean and that’s exciting to hear because it’s something I thoroughly enjoy talking about!
We’ll have more on this new bean in the coming weeks – it just delivered today – so we’ll need some time to dial in the roast profile before we add it to the catalog.
NOTE: Our Ethiopian Misty Valley is nearing the end of our supply, and we might not be getting more until next harvest season. If you like the Misty Valley, I’d suggest getting it soon before it’s gone for a while.
I like the idea of rotating coffees in season. It really gives us a chance to taste different flavors, from various farms, and it’s exciting when you find something that really delivers a unique flavor profile that pleases your pallet. I’m excited to share with you how this new Ethiopia turns out. Can’t wait to try it!
- Social Media
We’re active daily on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIN. Our video platforms will continue to be dedicated to roasting videos, brewing guides, and other general coffee content. However, our Facebook and Instagram needs more structure. We’re working on developing an identity for our brand and so we’ll be experimenting with this a bit to find something that people can enjoy. What I have currently is something along the lines of a cartoon series called #followthefoxen where you follow the Foxen journey each week to discover new flavors and beans. It sounds like something fun to work with and I hope people will enjoy it.
- Organizing the mess
I appreciate you all bearing with me while I figure out what is and is-not working with our online presence. I’m in a phase where I’m kind-of just throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks – I’m sure you probably noticed that it’s a bit disorganized and lacks direction. I’m aware of this too. We’ve been operating now for 6 months, and I’ve got the data now to start getting more focused on the areas we know are working.
Thanks for sticking with us this far, we will continue to improve however we can and if you have any questions, comments, or concerns you’d like to add please feel free to reach out to me directly at any time.
Cheers,
-Nicolas Milone, Co-Founder, Foxen Coffee