eCommerce Evolution

Should you build a brand from scratch? Or buy an existing brand and apply your genius to scale or improve it?   Mike Jackness is one of my favorite eCommerce pros to talk to. He’s a podcast host. He’s built, bought, and sold multiple brands. And he has a heart to teach.He’s currently running a successful eComm brand that I’m an investor in, and it’s in the process of selling.   We wanted to hop on the podcast and talk about the process plus the pros and cons of buying vs. selling.   Here’s a look at what we cover: What you’re actually buying when you buy an existing business. How Mike looks at brands, he wants to buy or invest in. How to approach due diligence as a buyer or a seller. Surprises to look for in the due diligence process as a buyer or a seller. How getting your business ready to sell now will make your business better regardless of if you sell it or not. The good, the bad, and the ugly of M&A. Plus more!

I’ve always believed that writing good copy is one of the most profitable skills you can have as a marketer. And even if you don’t want to write copy yourself, understanding the process that your team should go through to create great copy is super important. Recently I spoke at Nick Shackelford’s Geek out in San Diego and I met Brandon Ham there. Brandon used to work for Agora Publishing, the multi-billion direct marketing behemoth that was built on great copy.  Whether you want to write better email subject lines, create more engaging video ads, craft display ads that drive conversions, or improve your landing page conversion rates, this approach can really help. Here’s what we cover: Brandon’s 3-step research process for powerful copy. How to spy on competitors and see what’s working and what’s not.  The biggest mistakes to avoid when watching competitors. How to “tell your story better”. You sell with your ears, not with your mouth and what that means for copy. How to speak your customer’s language. Plus more!

Prime Day is now one of the most anticipated shopping events of the year for both shoppers and sellers. It started in 2015 as a way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Amazon.  Mostly it was designed to help boost sales during one of the slowest times of the year (July).  It has since grown dramatically and rivaled some of the largest shopping days of the year.  In this episode, we break down what we saw this year including some surprises, key learnings, and take aways for upcoming big sales events like other Prime events and Black Friday/Cyber Monday. OMG is large enough now that aggregate data from our clients is informative and meaningful.  In this episode we unpack global Amazon trends and data and data from our growing list of OMG clients.  Amber, OMG’s Amazon Director, and Trenton, our Amazon PPC lead, join the podcast to break down what we saw from OMG clients and what we saw globally.  Here’s a look at what we cover. 300 million items were purchased on Prime Day 2022. 60,000 items purchased per minute (wowza). Most shopping was done from 8p-9p PT on Wednesday 7/13. What happened to CPCs and conversion rates during Prime Day. What offers and deals did well, vs. what didn’t do so hot. What categories really shined and outperformed others (some pretty surprising results here). Key learnings to apply for Prime Day Early Access and Cyber 5.

The Google ads ecosystem offers opportunities to grow your brand that you really can’t find anywhere else.  Google is the world’s most popular search engine and the number 1 most visited site on the planet.  YouTube is the world's 2nd most popular search engine (even though it’s really a video site) and the world’s 2nd most visited site.  You can leverage both channels for both targeted growth and scale. But how?  We’ll show you in this episode. Matt Slaymaker is a Lead Google & YouTube Ads Specialist at OMG Commerce. Dubbed “Slaymaker the Playmaker” - Matt joins me to talk about top strategies and tactics to achieve Full Funnel Growth on Google Ads in 2022 and beyond.  Here’s a look at what we cover: Where to start with Search and why this is still super important even though it’s the true Google OG. What has changed with Google Shopping. What channels we recommend for remarketing and how to structure your audiences. What the best audiences are for YouTube Ads. And more!  

Misconceptions about GDN are rampant in the eComm world. It’s too hard. It’s too expensive. The targeting isn’t as good as Facebook. It doesn’t work. Justin Brooke knows better. Justin is an ad veteran who knows just about every ad platform out there. He’s partnered with and trained media buyers for Russell Brunson, Frank Kern, Dan Kennedy and more. He also worked for Agora Publishing. He KNOWS his stuff. And he believes GDN ads are better than Facebook? Why? You can still get $.40 and $.80 clicks. GDN offers targeting that you can’t match on Facebook. GDN creates the impression that your brand is “everywhere”. Here are some tips we cover: His unique approach to GDN for eCommerce. His landing page must-have elements. How quality is in the quantity when it comes to GDN headlines and copy. Testing 3 angles for every idea - toward pleasure, away from pain, and something controversial. Utilizing the overnight celebrity strategy with testimonial GDN ads. How deadlines and testimonials work together. How to work hand-in-hand with the algorithm for amazing results.

Andrew Eckblad is one of the sharpest video minds I know. He started in TV and film and even won a few Emmys. He was Frank Kerns’ “video guy” for over 10 years. Now he runs convertsmart and works with DTC brands making videos that convert on all platforms: Facebook, IG, YouTube, and TikTok. In this episode, we focus on the 8 biggest mistakes he sees DTC brands making when it comes to video marketing.  Here’s a quick look at what we cover: How the pattern interrupt really needs to do more than interrupt - it also needs to frame the video. What the real goal of the first 5-10 seconds should be. How you need to lean into authenticity and what that looks like. What the ideal length of a video is after millions of dollars of testing. A simple yet HUGE recommendation for your CTAs (I’ve been guilty of making this mistake). How you might be overthinking your video strategy. Plus more!

As you know, I’m no stranger to YouTube ads. It’s been an obsession of mine since 2016.  But, I love talking shop and swapping ideas with other YouTube ad experts.  My guest today is Brian Moncada. He and his team run YouTube ads for other marketing legends like Frank Kern, John Asaraf, and others. Brian knows his stuff! Brian has worked mostly with info marketers and influencers. We work almost exclusively with DTC brands. So our combined perspective on YouTube ads is pretty powerful.   Here’s a look at what we cover: Brian’s ad framework. How to harness intent-based targeting. How to create urgency and scarcity. Why most YouTube ads fail.

No one knows more about eCommerce growth than my friend, Ezra Firestone. Arguably, no one is a more interesting interview than Ezra either. This episode does NOT disappoint. Ezra bootstrapped growth for Boom from $0 to $40mill + per year. He also recently bought another high-profile eComm brand (more on that in the show). This episode is straight fire. Here’s a look at what we dive into: How Ezra is approaching email marketing and email list growth in 2022. I’m guessing you’re missing his email strategy - even if you consider yourself an email marketing pro. How BOOM is approaching front-end offers. Why you should consider inventing a holiday and how BOOM did just that. How to grow your SMS list. Plus MUCH, much more!

I’ve never met anyone quite like Miki Agrawal. She’s incredibly creative. No really. She once hosted a “funeral for a tree” at an old cathedral in NYC hosted by comedians and actors. It drew a crowd of thousands, generated millions in free press, and helped shed light on the toilet paper waste that her company TUSHY can help solve.  She understands trends in marketing. She knows how to grab attention. So much so that she was banned by the NY transit authority from running subway ads. Which led to a PR fight that she won…and in the end, got more press and attention than if they hadn’t been banned.  She’s also warm and kind and FUN.  She’s created multiple 9-Figure businesses and has garnered some pretty incredible recognition. She was named "Fast Company's Most Creative People", “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum and INC's “Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs”. She’s also the author of #1 best selling books Do Cool SH*T and Disrupt-HER. In this episode we unpack Miki’s wacky, impossible-to-forget and wildly successful marketing strategies and tactics. Here’s a look at what we cover: How Miki was banned from advertising on the NYC subway and turned that into a huge PR win for her brand THINX. How to use Accessible + Relatable language.  How to create ads that are both effective and “fridge worthy”. How iteration is perfection. How to start with play to create great ideas.

Today we’re going Old School. We’re not talking email. We’re not talking TikTok, Facebook or even YouTube.  We’re talking Snail. Mail. The gold old USPS. Physical mailboxes.  Why?  Because this is an untapped opportunity for DTC brands. My guests today are two legends in the eCommerce space - Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein. Drew and Michael most recently ran and successfully exited Auto Anything a multi nine figure eCommerce brand. Now they are helping DTC brands grow through direct mail marketing. And while that might not sound sexy, it’s incredibly effective.  Why postcard and direct mail marketing? 20-50% of your customers don't have a good email address on file. And email open rates are only 20-30% at best. So you’re missing a lot of your current and past buyers if you’re just relying on email and SMS. Here’s a look at what we cover in this episode: How should brands use direct mail? How to build a great postcard What postcard campaigns to start with How Ezra Firestone turned $1,400 into $4,000 using a simple postcard How to make direct mail part of your email and SMS flows