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ICO International Coffee Day Highlights Women in Coffee

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Demonstrate Your Commitment to Supporting #WomenInCoffee with the IWCA

By Melissa Pugash & Margaret Swallow, Co-Founders, International Women’s Coffee Alliance

Monday, October 1, 2018 is the International Coffee Organization’s 4th Annual International Coffee Day.

Hosted by the ICO,  “International Coffee Day is a global celebration of coffee’s long journey from the farm to your local shop — an opportunity to honor the women and men who grow and harvest the coffee we love.”

The seventy-seven member states of the ICO selected “Women in Coffee” as the theme for this year’s International Coffee Day.

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How to take Great #Coffee Photos for Instagram

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Snip20180305_7.pngPhoto: @tanitotoro via @peoplebrewcoffee

[Editor’s note: The NCA Next Generation Council is leading an NCA Instagram photo contest! Follow the National Coffee Association at @nationalcoffeeusa and tag us in your coffee photos with #NCAUSA for a chance to win agreat prize donated by Bunn. Deadline: March 15]

Instagram is a powerful platform for coffee businesses of sizes: the platform has a community of 800 million, with 500 users million using it every day (second only to Facebook, via Hootsuite). And with 80% of Instagrammers follow at least one business, it’s a great way to engage consumers.

There are a lot of great ways to use Instagram to showcase your brand, from promoting new products to sharing a glimpse into your company culture. And fortunately for our industry, coffee is particularly photogenic. But getting that perfect shot (espresso or otherwise) requires more effort behind the scenes than you think.

Over on the MistoBox blog, Melissa Hall reached out to some of the most talented coffee photographers for their top insta-tips on bringing out your coffee’s best side. (Be sure to check out their feeds for even more caffeinated inspiration – and follow the NCA at @nationalcoffeeusa.)

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Tricks of the Trade (Show): 9 Steps to Exhibitor Success

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[Editor’s note: Learn more about exhibitor opportunities at the NCA Annual Convention 2018 in New Orleans, March 15-17]

This post originally appeared on Perfect Daily Grind

Are you exhibiting at a coffee festival or trade show? Or considering it?

Exhibiting is a good business choice. It’s a straightforward, face-to-face way of engaging with your community and clients (current and future). It can allow you to shape the face of your business. And it’s an opportunity to make a more lasting impression than some methods of digital outreach.

Yet without the right preparation, you won’t see the return on investment you’re looking for. Being able to own your space and maximize your engagement with others is key but far from easy, while having to be “on” and present at all times can be a challenge. So before shelling out and setting up, make sure you’re ready.

Feeling daunted? Don’t worry; we’re here to tell you how to make exhibiting a solid business investment. Read on for our 9 steps to seeing an excellent return (and actually enjoying yourself).

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Storytelling Through Content Strategy

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By David J. Verjano, Founder, Verjano Communications  – and NCA Coffee Summit 2016 speaker 

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Today we are more connected than ever thanks to technology and the internet. But with more connectivity inevitably comes more clutter. As a brand, the question then becomes, “How do we stand out from the crowd?”

The simple answer: Content.

Not just ordinary content, we’re talking unique, creative and captivating content; something that tells your story in a memorable and impactful way. That’s where having a content strategy comes in.

Whether you’re pushing this content via your website, social media or other channels, there needs to be a cohesive plan for telling your story. When done right, you will not only gain the attention of potential customers but keep them coming back for more. This is a brief breakdown on the factors to consider when creating your content strategy.

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3 Social Media Goals for Your Coffee Business – and How to Execute Them

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By Jenn Chen

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As we all know, goals are meaningless without actionable items.

In the new year, I want to…

“I want to be better at social media.”

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This statement covers so much ground that it will leave you overwhelmed.

What does being “better” at social media mean to you? I recommend first figuring out the goals you want to reach for social media and then creating the plan to get there. 

Businesses will often want to pick one of the below as a goal for social media:

  • Increase sales of product or services
  • Increase brand awareness
  • Increase business newsletter signups

Notice that all three of the above goals are worded in a way that make it easy to define metrics.

Let’s take each of these goals and create a simple, actionable plan.  Continue reading →

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

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By William (Bill) Murray, President & CEO, NCA
Twitter: @Bill_CoffeeAssn

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Just today we received an email from one of our member companies – asking if they could refer customers to a recent post on this blog to find information about good single-serve coffee machine maintenance. Yes, please do!

We were delighted to field this question – and would like to encourage all of our members to use our resources.

As an NCA member, your dues help fund all of our work, including our communications. You can help us serve you – and get more bang for your buck, too – by amplifying the NCA’s reach by tapping your own social media channels.  Continue reading →