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Watched a coffee shop test 5 different ad platforms for 2 weeks straight

Stopped by a local cafe in Portland last month and the owner showed me how they ran the same post on Facebook, Instagram, Google, TikTok, Nextdoor, and Pinterest. Pinterest drove 3x more foot traffic than anything else for them, which surprised me since nobody talks about it for local shops. Anyone else seen a random platform beat the big ones for a brick and mortar business?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles6401mo ago

Yeah this actually changed my mind too @shane_hayes. Pinterest is way underrated for local spots.

the_fiona1mo ago

Pinterest being the winner actually makes TOTAL sense when you think about how people use it. It's basically a giant visual search engine where folks go to plan things, including where to grab coffee or brunch. Meanwhile Facebook and Instagram are more about scrolling past stuff from people you already know, which doesn't help a brand new customer find you. I've noticed this same pattern with local restaurants and boutiques in my neighborhood - the platforms that let people DISCOVER rather than just SOCIALIZE always pull ahead for real world businesses. It's like how word of mouth used to work, but now it's just happening through pretty pictures and saved boards instead of conversations.

shane_hayes1mo ago

Oh, that's a really sharp point about discovery versus socializing. I'd add that Pinterest also has a longer shelf life for posts, so a coffee shop's photo from six months ago can still drive customers today, while Instagram stories disappear in 24 hours. That lasting power means small businesses don't have to constantly post new content to stay visible.