Yes, word-of-mouth is a wonderful marketing tool, but it doesn’t happen by itself, the savvy tea marketer understands that it’s as necessary as organizing your inventory, training your staff, and bringing in the most delightful teas, accessories, and auxiliary items to satisfy the most discriminating tea aficionado.

Here are a few time-tested ideas to put on your marketing to-do list:

Entice with Brewed Tea. Yup, offering a free taste is the definitive way to connect with a potential customer. The intoxicating magic of fragrance from a freshly-brewed pot of tea is an intimate way to inspire curiosity, and give them the opportunity to taste, and talk, about tea.

Line up those tasting cups and let the colors of the brewed liquor dazzle. Offer everyone a free cup who comes into your tea shop or other retail place or stops by your farmers market stand. This is not only an easy way to introduce yourself as someone who knows, and sells, great tea, it is the most credible way to create trust between you, the tea authority, and the tea lover/potential customer. Be honest, informative, genuine.

Ask what they need/want from a tea line; take notes! Not every customer’s want can be served, yet many an innovative idea has come from customers. Please, listen! Also, answer every question you can, and get back to them via email or text with ones you cannot answer that day.

Say thank you, whether they buy or not. If you sell teabags, offer one as an additional thank you, and an effective gesture of branding. The teabag cover should note your website or social media addresses on it and your logo. No cover, buy tiny envelopers and apply seals with your your business info. No teabags? Provide a business card or other items like bookmarks, tea menus or postcards with your branded message and social media addresses on it.

Get their info! Build your list contact by contact and use it to promote events, new products, discounts or any other news of your tea biz. Nothing is more impactful than a curated, up-to-date email list, but phone numbers to text (with permission) with your promotions comes in a tight second. Whether you’re staging a tea tasting or receiving potential consumers, get their email or phone number for texting! Use a Guest Book, an Excel doc, a 3-ring binder or your favorite note taking resource. Say thank you for the email with a tea bag with your info on it.

Share, share, share. Offer to write articles, share news and information with influencers, vloggers, community tea communities. Collect your podcasts, radio and TV interviews, and news clippings to share when you pitch media about tea in general or the tea experience as a way to deal with the anomalies of current events, health and wellness, or culinary applications.

New and Improved! These words have been used thousands of times, and for the best of reasons: they work! Attach bright colored decals for anything new to your line to get the conversation started.

Follow up with announcements of new additions on all your social media platforms, your web site, blog, or signage in your shop or pop-up. Follow up on any unresolved questions. Follow up on all requests for anything. Yes, you can say no, but the point is to answer emails, texts, and phone calls ASAP. Follow up on a regular basis but do not overwhelm. Bi-weekly or monthly is plenty.