Merit Coffee

Building a Content System for a Specialty Coffee Brand in Growth Mode: Merit Coffee had the brand equity, the product, and the community — but social content that didn't reflect any of it. Video was underused, TikTok didn't exist for the brand, and a period of real expansion across Texas markets required a strategy that could scale. I led organic social across Instagram, Facebook, and a new TikTok presence, building a serialized content system that grew reach, supported new café launches, and deepened audience trust across multiple cities.

Key Objectives:

• Launch and grow Merit's TikTok presence from zero.

• Build a content system that could scale across multiple Texas markets without losing brand consistency.

• Support café openings in Austin, Dallas, and Houston through targeted social storytelling

• Grow the organic following toward 60K while increasing video reach and engagement.

Tactics:

• Serialized Content Development: Built repeatable content series — "Off Menu," "Behind the Bar," and "If Your Beans Had a Playlist" — that gave audiences a reason to return and gave the team a consistent production framework each month.

• TikTok Launch: Built Merit's TikTok presence from scratch, developing a platform-native voice rooted in barista personality, trending audio, and coffee education.

• Monthly Content Shoots: Planned and executed monthly shoots across Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas — including a two-day, four-location Dallas trip — producing enough content to sustain 12–15 Meta posts and 8–10 TikToks per month.

• Café Launch Support: Built dedicated social rollouts for the Mueller café opening (café #14, January 2026) and Houston River Oaks opening, including teaser content, influencer invite coordination, and launch day capture.

• Influencer Strategy: Developed a full 2026 influencer plan spanning trade-based at-home baristas, local café visit creators, and a Houston-specific creator list.