How to Attract More Customers to Your Café Using Social Media

Running a café today is no small latte. Between juggling staff, suppliers, operations, rent, and the all-important customer experience, there’s one thing you can’t afford to drop: marketing.

In Sydney’s competitive café and restaurant scene, being good isn’t enough, your social media game needs to be smart, local, and strategic.

That’s where restaurant social media marketing steps in. At CPM Online Marketing, we specialise in restaurant marketing Australia-wide, with over 12 years helping cafés, bars, and eateries grow their local presence. From Bondi to Blacktown, we’ve helped venues attract more customers, build loyal followings, and boost repeat visits.

In this guide, we’ll spill the beans on:

• The current café and restaurant marketing landscape

• Common social media mistakes cafés make (and how to fix them)

• Tried-and-true strategies our Sydney clients swear by

• Why hyperlocal knowledge in café marketing in Sydney makes all the difference

• How consistency, data, and storytelling turn social media into sustainable growth

• Real-world success stories from our portfolio

By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap for using social media (alongside other digital channels) to bring more diners through your door or onto your delivery list. Let’s dive in.

The Current State of Restaurant Marketing in Australia

Social Media Is Your Café’s First Impression

Most diners start their decision-making online. Whether scrolling Instagram, TikTok, or Google, mouthwatering food shots, vibey videos, and authentic recommendations heavily influence where they eat. Your social media often comes before your café experience, so first impressions matter.

Local Visibility Is Key

Searches like “café near me,” “best brunch in Bondi,” or “coffee in Newtown” are booming. If your café doesn’t show up in local results, you’re missing customers who are literally around the corner. Google Maps, reviews, and your social profiles all work together to boost discoverability.

Reviews & Social Proof Matter

People trust people. User-generated content, good reviews, and social proof drive bookings. A weak or inconsistent online presence, on the other hand, can make a café feel less trustworthy.

Sydney’s Café Scene Is Cutthroat

From Surry Hills boutiques to Inner West brunch spots, city high-rises to coastal coffee hubs, competition is fierce. Margins are tight, foot traffic fluctuates, and rent is sky-high. Marketing needs to be not just smart, but savvy.

Our experience shows that the cafés that thrive aren’t always the ones with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones who nail strategy, consistency, and local insight.

Common Marketing Mistakes Restaurants Make

Avoiding these traps can give your social presence an instant lift:

1. Posting Randomly or Too Infrequently

   One week you post five times, the next week nada. Algorithms penalise inconsistency.

   
   

   Fix: Build a content calendar: 3–5 posts per week + Stories or behind-the-scenes clips.

2. Poor Visuals / Low Production Value

   Blurry food pics? Bad lighting? Awkward angles? If it doesn’t look delicious online, it won’t taste appealing.

   
   

   Fix: Invest in a good camera or a food photographer. Learn the basics of lighting and composition.

3. Posting Without Context or Story

   A latte photo with “come try this” won’t cut it. Audiences crave stories.

   
   

   Fix: Share origin stories, staff highlights, ingredient sourcing, or kitchen sneak peeks.

4. Ignoring Engagement & Community

   Posting content is one thing. Responding to comments, DMs, and tags? That’s what builds loyalty.

   
   

   Fix: Dedicate staff time to reply to every comment and reshare customer content.

5. Not Using Paid Ads Strategically

   Organic reach only goes so far. Random boosts waste money.

   
   

   Fix: Target locally, retarget engaged users, and test small budgets with smart CTAs.

6. No Measurement or Tracking

   If you don’t track ROI, you can’t optimise your campaigns.

   
   

   Fix: Use social insights, UTM links, and spreadsheets to measure performance.

7. Ignoring Local Collaborators & Influencers

   Posting alone won’t cut it. Local partnerships amplify reach.

   
   

   Fix: Collaborate with influencers, nearby businesses, or local marketplaces.

Even before a big campaign, fixing these can deliver noticeable growth.

Find out about what services a hospitality marketing agency provides

Proven Restaurant Marketing Strategies to Attract More Café Customers

Here’s the strategy we use for café marketing in Sydney and restaurant marketing in Australia:

Strategy 1: Content Mix & Format VarietyContent Mix & Format Variety

Keep your feed fresh with a mix of:

• Reels / Short Videos: Behind-the-scenes, food prep, staff intros.

• Carousel Posts: Show before/after or multiple angles of a dish.

• Stories & Highlights: Polls, specials, Q&As, or takeovers.

• User-Generated Content: Repost tagged customer photos.

• Seasonal Promotions: Celebrate spring flavours, winter specials, or local holidays.

• Neighbourhood Lifestyle: Share your café in context, morning sun, street views, and local vibes.

Variety keeps your feed interesting and favours the algorithm's reach.

Strategy 2: Local Targeting & Neighbourhood Appeal

• Use suburb keywords (Newtown Cafe, Eastern Suburbs Coffee).

• Geotag every post.

• Mention local landmarks (“Perfect after your Bondi walk”).

• Ads? Target tight radii (3–8 km) to reach people who can actually visit.

Strategy 3: Smart Paid Promotions & Boosting

Organic reach is limited, paid promotion works magic:

• Boost high-performing posts to local audiences.

• Run awareness campaigns to build familiarity.

• Use retargeting to nudge people who visited your site or engaged with your posts.

• Time ad spend around meal windows (mid-morning, late afternoon).

Our clients often see 2–4× ROI when paid and organic strategies work hand in hand.

Strategy 4: Engage & Build Community

Social media is a conversation, not a broadcast:

• Ask questions (“Which brunch special would you try?”)

• Use interactive stickers in Stories (polls, quizzes)

• Run contests (“Tag a brunch buddy — win dessert”)

• Re-share guest content and thank loyal customers

• Partner with local businesses for cross-promotions

Strategy 5: Influencer & Micro-Influencer Partnerships

Micro-influencers (5k–20k followers) often deliver the best local engagement:

• Invite bloggers for a tasting.

• Host themed events for visuals that pop.

• Offer trackable incentives to measure ROI.

Strategy 6: Combine Social With Other Channels

Integrate with your wider digital presence:

• Website / online menu

• Google Business Profile updates

• Email / SMS follow-ups

• Loyalty campaigns

• In-store QR codes & signage

This turns social media momentum into real foot traffic.

Strategy 7: Use Analytics & Iterate

• Track engagement, bookings, and ROI

• A/B test captions, images, and formats

• Monthly reviews to scale what works and drop what doesn’t

Over time, smart tracking turns social media from guesswork into a growth engine.

Why Local Expertise Matters in Sydney Cafe Marketing

Hiring a generic agency isn’t the same as working with a Sydney restaurant marketing specialist. Here’s why:

• Suburb-level nuance: Café crowds vary — Bondi differs from Glebe or Parramatta.

• Competitive mapping: We know who’s nearby and how to stand out.

• Food-industry intuition: We understand kitchen limits, service flow, and seasonal sourcing.

• Local influencer networks: Relationships with bloggers, media, and publications accelerate coverage.

• Real-time adaptation: Trends, platforms, and neighbourhood dynamics change fast — we pivot fast.

With CPM, you’re not just hiring a social media manager — you’re getting a local partner who gets the Australian café scene.

The Role of Consistency, Data & Brand Storytelling

Consistency is key: 3–5 posts/week + Stories, uniform visual identity, and a clear voice.

Data-driven decisions: Track what works, tweak what doesn’t. Use insights to optimise campaigns, allocations, and promotions.

Storytelling: Your café isn’t just food — it’s experience, people, and community. Share:

• Origin story & passion behind your café

• Staff & chef highlights

• Local and seasonal sourcing

• Special rituals, themed nights, or weekend specials

• Community involvement

• A strong narrative turns casual browsers into loyal customers.

Success Stories & Results

• Gram Café & Pancakes (Sydney): Launch campaign with PR + social + influencers generated queues and huge local buzz.

• Royal Palace Seafood (Chinatown): Social media and influencer strategy turned a new location into a destination.

• Chilli Basil (Burwood): Targeted lunch specials + re-engaged social strategy reignited foot traffic.

Across 250+ venues, CPM clients report: higher visibility, social audience growth, bookings, and stronger local brand recognition.

Conclusion

Social media isn’t just posts — it’s a growth engine. Smart, consistent, locally-targeted strategies turn followers into loyal diners.

Key Takeaways:

• First impressions online count — make your café Insta-worthy

• Avoid inconsistency, poor visuals, and lack of measurement

• Use diverse content formats: Reels, Stories, UGC, storytelling

• Target hyperlocal audiences with hashtags, geotags, and suburb references

• Boost smartly and retarget strategically

• Engage, collaborate, and build community

• Integrate social with the website, Google, and offline touchpoints

• Track performance and iterate

• Local expertise makes all the difference

With 12+ years helping cafés, bars, and restaurants, CPM Online Marketing turns social media from a side hustle into a full-on growth engine.

Ready to turn your socials into more café covers and loyal locals? Check out www.cpmonlinemarketing.com or reach out to our Sydney team for a free review. Let’s make your café the talk of the town.

If you’d like help growing your restaurant or café with proven marketing strategies, get in touch with our team in Sydney here to get a free review. We’d love to help you turn hungry locals into loyal regulars.

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READ MORE: Want to know the best 11 restaurant and cafe marketing tips from the Sydney hospitality marketing specialists for the last 11 years!

CPM has been Sydney’s leading hospitality marketing agency for the last 12 years, specialising in cafe marketing, restaurant marketing, paid ads, social media, Hospitality PR, influencer marketing, localised marketing, Facebook community marketing, Video REELS, and strategic promotions to keep cafes and restaurant businesses thriving.

Overwhelmed with all this? Then chat with us at CPM where we have been using Instagram and a suite of other digital marketing tools to build great restaurant and cafe brands across New South Wales for nearly 12 years. We are more than happy to chat to see how we can help you!

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