A lineup wall at a jailhouse-themed gourmet doughnut shop inspires customers to take mug shots and post them to social media.
Since opening in late May, Five-O Donut Co. in Sarasota, Florida has been the go-to spot for locals craving a sugar fix.
The gourmet doughnut shop starts nearly every day with a winding line of customers and often sells out of treats before noon.
How did the business develop a cult following in such a short timeframe? Word-of-mouth advertising via social media.
Here are two tactics Five-O used to attract and engage 3,660 Instagram followers and 4,300 Facebook fans. You can adapt them to work for your own shop.
1. Set the scene for photo ops.
Situated within blocks of the local courthouse, jail, police department and several bail bonds companies, the shop adopted a jailhouse theme. (Five-O is slang for a police unit.) Its logo is a smiling police officer, its doughnuts come in cardboard boxes stamped “evidence,” its website features a “surveillance camera” (so interested customers can check to see if their favorite varieties are still in stock) and its tagline is “arrestingly good donuts.”
Naturally, the décor also ties into the theme. Near the shop’s entry, guests find a lineup wall that baits them to have their mug shot taken. It’s worked fabulously. Scores of people have posed for photos and shared them on Facebook and Instagram — tagging the shop, naturally. The wall has also encouraged nearly 1,000 people to virtually check in to the shop on Facebook and 156 to write a review.
2. Make something special for a local VIP.
In honor of a diet and fitness coach’s birthday (i.e. the ultimate cheat day), Five-O’s owner whipped up a truly indulgent concoction: a s’mores stack cake. (Recipe: 18 mini yeast-raised doughnuts layered with torched marshmallow fluff, graham cracker crumbles, Hersheys bars and campfire marshmallows.) She uploaded a close up photo of the cake and tagged the birthday girl (who has 19,000 followers) before delivering the present.
The photo got 639 likes and 42 comments, many of which inquired about ordering a doughnut cake for their own celebrations.
