DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built

“As you discount your product, you could potentially see better ad conversion.” @jayde3sai #DTCPOD“Sometimes when you discount to both new and returning customers, and your margin ends up going down. ” @jayde3sai #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:17] DTC discounting twitter threadLearn more about how and when to discount  In today’s episode of DTC Finds, we’re looking at a Twitter thread by David Rekuc, discussing discounting We’ll dive into this thread and breakdown what he has to say about it as well as our take on the pros and cons of discountingStay tuned as we learn more about this marketing strategy and its effects.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:David’s Twitter thread on discounting: https://twitter.com/DaveRekuc/status/1458841785292234754

“We're helping brands and agencies learn what creatives are working best and why” @rezakhadjavi #DTCPOD“Teams who take naming conventions really seriously have  a really important cultural effect.” @rezakhadjavi #DTCPOD“We want to create an environment where our creative strategy is data driven.” @rezakhadjavi  #DTCPOD“People are putting on a lot more of a creative strategist hat and thinking critically about the way that they're positioning their product.”@rezakhadjavi #DTCPOD“Most people don't know exactly what they're doing and they're trying to figure it out. So don't be discouraged.” @rezakhadjavi  #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:46] Reza introduces himself and Motion  [02:45] Biggest challenges when finding creative [10:00] The importance of naming convention [19:39] Trends to look for when finding winning creative  [25:26] Analyzing ads by funnel stage [28:22] Ad sets for variables[32:46] Top three learnings from the field [34:23] What’s next for Motion and where to find Reza Khadjavi onlineHow to find ad creative that’s working fastReza Khadjavi, CEO of Motion, joins the POD to give some insight on the software industry’s creative strategies. Motion helps brands find creative wins.Reza recognized that there is a lot of creative out there, and finding what works can benefit a brand’s ad spending and profits.Motion takes the approach of finding successful creative through data driven strategies.Reza recognizes that there are always trends to look for when locating creative that consumers respond well to, and implementing these strategies into brands is part of their process.A big part of ad success is finding a sync between creative and funnel stageMotion looks at all kinds of creative analysis when finding what curates the most reponses. Reza recognizes that creative is meant to be very visual, and this must be acknowledged in the process of obtaining a good stream of high quality creative.  Motion uses a funnel stage when running the same analysis to see where the creative fits best.  The brand has fostered further success by viewing the process as adding and alerting a few variables at a time to see what works.Reza recommends flipping between stage funnels to see what creative works best where.Stay tuned as Reza discusses more about motion and their strategies for optimizing and finding creative content for brands.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Motion website: https://motionapp.com/Reza Khadjavi’s twitter: https://twitter.com/rezakhadjavi

“Not all organic creative can be paid creative and not all paid creative can be organic creative” @flexiblefoodie #DTCPOD“If you don't have the right partners in place, it's only going to cost you more down the road, so put time in your creating process.” @flexiblefoodie #DTCPOD“Just because you have the assets you have doesn't mean you have to present them in the way that you have them.” @flexiblefoodie #DTCPOD“People don't want to see product after product after product, and so you need to find a way to mention the product in different buckets.” @flexiblefoodie  #DTCPOD“TikTok creative does not need to be perfect because it could be the simplest, stupidest thing in the world, but it could take off in 2 seconds” @flexiblefoodie #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:04] Kendall introduces herself and Flexible Creative  [03:48] Common and effective social growth strategy themes [05:34] What to consider when creating content [08:29] furthering connections and eliciting a response [13:48] Influencer strategy vs. social strategy [17:02] Creator strategies [22:20] Key learning and tips from utilizing TikTok[28:25] What’s next for Kendall Dickieson and where to her and the brand onlineHow to grow your Instagram and TikTok account to thousands of followersKendall Dickieson, Founder of Flexible Creative, joins the POD to give some insight on customer acquisition and building a presence on social media.Flexible creative is a business that helps brands share their story and build connections to their audience to unlock customer acquisition organicallyKendall specializes in optimizing DTC and CGP brands presence across multiple niches through social management. Kendall takes an approach of prioritizing distribution for social growth and recommends investing in strategy first before execution.Kendall recognizes the importance of being detail oriented with creative and limiting broad approaches.To win on social content, it’s important to not overthink itFlexible Creative stands out as a brand growth business due to Kendall’s extensive experience with social creative . While it is important to think outside the box with social marketing, sometimes it’s about working smarter not harder. Kendall takes the approach of tieing engagement back to products and brands rather than overstimulating customers with the same social engagement .  The brand has also fostered further growth for brands by acknowledging the success that video platforms, such as TikTok, can bring.Kendall recommends producing and distributing content on a whim, because these can often outperform strategically designed content on platforms such as TikTok. Stay tuned as Kendall discusses ways to work with creators and the importance of driving community first. If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Kendall Dickieson website: https://www.kendalldickieson.com/Kendall Dickieson twitter: https://twitter.com/flexiblefoodie

“It's common nowadays to see lots of discounts around the holiday season, and so why not take this opportunity to really ramp up your sales ” @jayde3sai #DTCPOD“Bundles give you an opportunity to generate more value out of each transaction” @jayde3sai #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:44] Black friday and cyber monday strategy article [01:47] Rewards and bundle discounts [04:20] Testing new products and categories [06:25] Giving Tuesday Tips and tricks for generating the most value out of black friday and cyber monday  In today’s episode of DTC Finds, we’re looking at an article by Nik Sharma discussing great sales strategies for the holidays and providing unique promotions to boost sales.We’ll share some of the best strategies from this article and dive into how to offer these deals to customers.Stay tuned as we break down these unique holiday sales strategies as well as how to optimize the customer experience during holiday shopping.  If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links: https://www.shopify.ca/blog/ask-nik-black-friday-cyber-monday-sales-strategies

“We're basically curating all of the Web's emerging brands, culture defining brands all in one place.” @maggiebethgibson #DTCPOD“We're trying to simplify the vast web of DTC brands that are currently continuing to pop up in the market” @maggiebethgibson #DTCPOD“We really want to give a voice to underrepresented founders and allow people to shop on their brand values and support the brands that align with those values.” @maggiebethgibson #DTCPOD“We test and try every product that is on our site.” @maggiebethgibson #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:04] Maggie introduces herself and The Fascination [03:53] the opportunities that drew Maggie to the brand [05:44] The increase in online brand marketplaces [07:58] What’s missing from the brand website [10:22] Navigating what brands to pick[13:10] The Fascination playbook [14:25] The evolved marketplace [16:44] Common theme among successful brands  [19:04] The old school way [20:20] Bundling products from different places  [22:23] Consumer behavior and the online marketplace [25:32] Favorite DTC brands [26:33] What’s next for The Fascination[28:13] Where to find the brand, and Maggie Gibson onlineA view at the future of DTCMaggie Gibson, Head of partnerships and merchandising at The Fascination , joins the POD to give some insight on the media brand’s mission and consumer behavior The Fascination is a resource aimed at helping consumers shop, discover, and and research products customized to their needsMaggie recognizes that each consumer has their own individual needs and potential unrecognized needs, and she works to help consumers fulfill these needs A unique approach the brand takes is testing every product they recommend before showcasing it to the consumerMaggie recognizes that provisioning personal product feedback not aly helps the consumer but also helps the brand improve through recommendations Important values for consumers in the age of DTCThe Fascination stands out as a unique platform that aims to give honest reviews of products and provide the best experiences for consumers and their needs The brand further provides bundle suggestions for products Maggie looks for two distinctive factors when taking on a brand, which consist of the quality of the product and the impact it will have on numerous factors The online media platform has fostered further popularity by prioritizing each consumers values and pairing them with the values of a brandMaggie acknowledges how the virtual marketplace is influencing consumer behavior, and this factor un taken into account when predicting how future consumer will shopStay tuned as Maggie discusses top brands on their platform and how the distinguish between good and bad products If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:The Fascination website: https://thefascination.com/Maggie Gibson’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggiebethgibson/

“An editor’s pick section for your blog is great because you have some really high performing content that maybe is performing well on search or something that you want to highlight specifically that you think is important to helping people and guiding people through the purchase process.” @jayde3sai #DTCPOD“Make sure you have some strong internal linking. That's a good SEO that you can do to help improve the performance of your individual blog pages. ” @jayde3sai #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:39] Twitter discussion for CPG brands with great blogs[05:37] eCommerce transactional emails Learn more about what makes a great brand blog and how to optimize your transactional emails In today’s episode of DTC Finds, we’re looking at a Twitter discussion on great CPG blogs and sharing a great resource you can use for inspiration for your transactional emailsWe’ll share some of the best examples from the Twitter discussion and then look at this swipe file from Wonderment for transactional emails!Stay tuned as we break down unique blog posts and strategies from top brands as well as how to stay connected with customers through the buying process.  If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Twitter discussion on CPG blogs: https://twitter.com/kaleighf/status/1453481617163444229Wonderment transactional email swipe file: https://www.wonderment.com/ecom-txn-swipe-file

“It's really all about the resources that you have and how you can really put that together” @kristenxjones  #DTCPOD“We're inclusive, and  you have to be consistent in that and really show up for every person that you represent whenever you have that type of branding.” @kristenxjones #DTCPOD“Understanding the customer journey in the beginning, I think, is the most important thing that you can do before getting started with an outline.” @kristenxjones #DTCPOD“You want it to be really clear in the beginning about what makes your brand different.” @kristenxjones #DTCPOD“Through iterating and talking to our customers and learning, we've been able to figure out exactly what they want and we've been able to continue that.” @kristenxjones #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:08] Kristen introduces herself and SuitShop  [03:01] Managing long-form content and content marketing [06:15] Outsourcing content [09:54] The process of rebranding [14:30] Features of personalized automation marketing [18:28] Managing a hyper personalized flow  [22:18] Building an effective pay funnel  [26:48] Having enough content and creative [31:15] Secret cyber monday tip [32:45] What’s next for SuitShop and where to find the brand, and Kristen Jones onlineHow SuitShop thinks about content, email, paid ads, and growthKristen Jones, Director of marketing at SuitShop, joins the POD to give some insight on the direct-to-consumer content and creation  SuitShop is an inclusive clothing brand that specializes in suits for everyone Kristen and the brand have been focusing their efforts on curating the new brand image that highlights their inclusivity to men, women, children, and pets An approach is taken with the customer service strategy by offering a personalized automated flow system that allows for more focus on the marketing strategy Kristen recognizes that when you state what your brand stands for, It has to be part of every business decision that you're thinking aboutUnderstanding the customer journey is key to DTC growthSuitShop stands out as an eCommerce clothing line that optimizes and personalizes the customer experienceThe brand curated a personalized journey for consumers by implementing a funnel system that divides customers into 3 categories to help further assist themKristen is consistently working toward where to add value propositions or benefits versus features and ultimately curtains the best content for consumers The brand also utilizes outside sources to assist in marketing optimization Kristen recommends reaching out to potential influences and “shooting your shot” Stay tuned as Kristen discusses paid ads, email marketing, and advice for black friday and cyber monday sales If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:SuiShop’s website: https://suitshop.com/Kristen Jones twitter: https://twitter.com/kristenxjones

“A really good strategy that you can do with SMS heading into Black Friday Cyber Monday is sending an email push for SMS sign ups for early access.” @jayde3sai #DTCPOD“SMS is very different than email, in the sense that SMS messages should be more skimmable than email.” @jayde3sai #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:41] Strategies to boost SMS sales and sign ups [04:51] Optimizing the landing page and DTC examples BFCM SMS sign up strategies plus a big landing page guideIn today’s episode of DTC Finds, we’re looking at a great Twitter thread discussing strategies for boosting SMS sales during black friday cyber monday and elements to add to the landing page.As we dive into the landing page guide from Nik Sharma, we’ll provide real DTC examples of how they improved elements of their landing pages.Stay tuned as we break down this twitter thread and learn more about how to optimize your landing page.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:BFCM SMS strategies: https://twitter.com/DTCNewsletter/status/1453727946342998029Landing page guide from Nik Sharma: https://nik.co/resources/landing-page-guide

“We built the brand up to this incredible business that has helped so many women find the right beauty products for them” @itsJoanneCoffey #DTCPOD“There's so much information that people are just putting into your hands, all you have to do is know how to find it and how to use it.” @itsJoanneCoffey #DTCPOD“We're really creating a relatable experience to that customer.” @itsJoanneCoffey #DTCPOD“We work on a very short basis because we want to adapt to trends and we want to have that room and that flexibility to really change things on a dime, because working for a small business, things change day by day” @itsJoanneCoffey #DTCPOD“If Aisling was a person I would think about what they would be texting to their best friend, and that's the perception I like to have when I do anything in marketing.” @itsJoanneCoffey #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:17] Joanne Coffey introduces herself and Aisling Organics   [02:53] How if you do what you love you never work a day in your life[03:47] Defining retention and when to start thinking about in the customer journey[05:02] Sources of inspiration and creating a limited addition experience[06:49] Direct marketing research as results [08:50] Benefits a benchmarking  [10:05] Top 3 strategies for retention [11:35] How to manage general aspects of business growth [14:18] Building communication platforms[16:13] The “win back” flow[19:21] Content creation [21:32] Successful SMS marketing brands[23:55] Content production focus[25:24] Brands to look out for [27:02] What’s next for Joanne and where to find the brand online How Aisling Organics rentains customers through implementing feedback  Joanne Coffey, Head of retention at Aisling Organics, joins the POD to give some insight on the direct-to-consumer business’s marketing and retention strategiesAisling Organics is a cosmetic brand that creates clean productsJoanne began with the company as an intern and due to her personal passion in the industry she worked her way up to handle marketing operations.Joanne puts consumers at the forefront of her strategy for improving the brand by analyzing current trends in the space and reviewing and accommodating feedback from consumers. Joanne recognizes that treating the brand as a person will further create a personalized experience for consumers. Building a brand that’s human is key to retention in DTCAisling Organics stands not only for their clean products but also the personalized experience that comes from consumers engaging in a personable marketing experience with the founder The brand has experienced growth by prioritizing customer feedback and adjusting to their needs and treating customers and an essential part of their business Consumers are treated as more than just buyers and retention is accomplished by creating a personable experience  The brand has fostered further entrepreneurship opportunities by staying authentic with their SMS strategies and marketing posts Joanne recommends working smarter not harder and the best way to accomplish tasks is to do little things throughout the day. Stay tuned as Joanne discusses effective retention strategies. If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Aisling Organics website: https://aislingorganics.com/Joanne Coffey twitter: https://twitter.com/itsJoanneCoffey

“If you're working on consumer goods,  stay focused, double down in that sense before jumping into retail.” @jayde3sai #DTCPOD“If you can give some sort of estimate of shipping speed, that's a really good thing to add in” @jayde3sai #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:57] Awesome twitter thread from Corey Nicholson[06:29] Cushion Lab’s product pageLearn more about this DTC data and how to optimize the virtual buying experienceIn today’s episode of DTC Finds, we’re looking at a great Twitter thread discussing data from an ecommerce founders survey and breaking down a product page from the Cushion Lab,  Ergonomic Memory Foam Pillows & BeddingWe’ll dive into these data points as well as focus in on elements of Cushion Lab’s awesome product pageStay tuned as we break down this twitter thread and learn more about how to optimize your product page If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:See survey results from 25 DTC brands: https://twitter.com/coreynceo/status/1448333966201614336Check out awesome product page from Cushion Lab: https://thecushionlab.com/collections/all/products/ergonomic-seat-cushion