How One New York Coffee Shop Became a TikTok Sensation

In a town with a coffee shop on every other block, to be seen in New York's saturated café culture is no easy task. But one small business managed to do so—not with nostalgic-themed advertising, but with the power of TikTok. How a small Brooklyn family-owned coffee shop expanded to become a can't-miss destination for both tourists and locals alike—due to the alchemy of community engagement, creative content, TikTok Shop services, and brand promotion on TikTok.

This viral TikTok sensation of a local coffee shop is not just a heartwarming tale; it's a model for small businesses to turn clicks into customers through TikTok ad solutions and word-of-mouth storytelling.

Building the TikTok Presence

1. Creative Content Generation

When "Daily Brew Café" initially went onto TikTok, they didn't have aspirations to go viral—simply hoping to share just how much they adore coffee and the stories behind the people who make it. Their first videos were:

• Behind-the-scenes espresso shots
• Barista challenges
• Latte art classes
• Humorous interactions with customers

Why it succeeded: It was straightforward, authentic, and emotionally compelling.

Creative Suggestion:

Employ popular TikTok audio to capture a day-to-day routine, for example, a "POV: You're the first customer of the day" series. It makes your followers feel like they are an insider in your life.
Key Results:

• One of the baristas who was preparing a specialty "secret menu" beverage had been watched 2.1M times
• Fans increased from 300 to 100K in four months
• This set the stage for using TikTok brand ads in the future.

2. Reaching out to the Community

The TikTok of the café not only addressed customers—it conversed with them.

• Votes in the comments for new beverage ideas
• Cheers to the artists and performers playing from within the vicinity
• User-generated content posted with thanks

Why it worked: It created trust and built a virtual community around a physical space.

Creative Suggestion:

Encourage regulars to document their visits and hashtag your business. Assign a hashtag like #BrewWithUs and offer a limited discount to those who participate.

3. Leveraging TikTok Ads

With the popularity of their organic videos, Daily Brew decided to amplify visibility through the use of TikTok ad agency. Their plan was:

• Spark Ads to push viral organic content
• Geo-targeted In-Feed Ads for seasonal drinks
• Branded Hashtag Challenge that invites users to share their "morning coffee ritual"

They worked with a TikTok agency in order to manage the campaign setup, targeting, ad creative, and performance tracking.

Why TikTok Advertising Services Were Essential

• Optimized spend on content that was already successful
• Focuses on customers localized within 15 miles
• Directed in-market calls and boosted online sales

Impact on Brand Recall and Sales

1. Organic Growth

Within six months of consistent posting and community engagement:

• TikTok fans grew to 160,000+
• Their mean video view count was over 100,000
• Daily engagement (comments + likes) increased 370%
• Their trip was a convergence point for not only coffee enthusiasts, but also NYC lifestyle bloggers, drawing foodies and influencers.

Stat:
According to a 2023 TikTok ad report, TikTok users are 1.5x more likely to discover new local businesses on TikTok compared to other platforms.

2. Paid Campaign Success

Their campaign ran for 45 days on a shoestring budget of $3,000. This is what they accomplished:
              Metric                                         Before Ads                               After Ads
     Avg. Foot Traffic/day                         60 customers                             180 clients
     Internet Orders                                  25/week                                        90/week
     Web Visits                                          300/month                                  2,500/month
     ROI per TikTok Ad                              N/A                                                 460%

The best-performing ad: A 15-second video of a customer experiencing their "Lavender Cloud Cold Brew" for the first time, promoted as a Spark Ad. It had over 1M views and attracted hundreds of new customers.

Real Case Study Similarities: Alfred Coffee (L.A.)

Whereas Daily Brew is a theoretical mix of real small businesses, Los Angeles-based Alfred Coffee boasts a similar success story.

• Used leveraged influencers and trending audio for "aesthetic café content"
• Partnered with TikTok influencers to promote seasonal drinks
• Used TikTok advertisements to promote delivery orders during the COVID pandemic

Results:

• Grew TikTok following to 300K+
• Brand awareness soared throughout the U.S.
• Be a TikTok "hotspot" where people come solely to film

This validates that through smart use of TikTok advertisement services, local companies can generate global buzz.

Conclusion

From latte foam to internet stardom, the story of the Daily Brew Café is the ultimate example of what can be achieved when small businesses combine TikTok as something greater than a social networking platform—but as a sales and storytelling machine.
By combining original content with targeted TikTok brand advertising, this Brooklyn coffee shop not only survived but thrived. Combining creativity, community, and data-activated advertising yielded a scalable growth equation.
If you're a business owner, now's the time to wake up to TikTok.

Call to Action

Want to go viral and grow your neighborhood business like Daily Brew?
The Short Media deals in:

• End-to-end TikTok advertising solutions for small and medium enterprises
• Personalized video content creation for your brand story
• TikTok Shop installation and management
• Geo-targeted campaigns that deliver real-world outcomes

Book your free strategy session and let's turn your TikTok into your best marketing tool.

FAQs

1. What is TikTok brand advertising?

TikTok brand advertising is the act of advertising your company through the utilization of TikTok assets such as In-Feed Ads, Spark Ads, and branded content to raise awareness, interaction, and sales.

2. How do small businesses benefit from TikTok advertising services?

They offer campaign deployment, creative, targeting, and analytics—allowing small businesses to execute pro-level ads without the need to hire an in-house marketing team.

3. What is TikTok ads service?

These are end-to-end ad management solutions offered by agencies or TikTok partners to allow brands to develop, launch, and optimize paid ad campaigns on TikTok.

4. Can a small business really go viral on TikTok?

Yes. TikTok's algorithm prefers creativity to budget, and therefore even a small café or boutique can go viral if it has the right content and strategy.

5. What will be the budget format when promoting a TikTok brand?

Even with a modest budget (as low as $500/month), businesses can realize substantive returns—most notably with organic content and social interaction.