“In the first couple of months we focused on getting everything up and running, and as we've grown a little bit, it's more so figuring out which one of these verticals is worth us investing more time and resources to. @Lillie__Sun #DTCPOD“All small brands can really benefit from investing in customer experience”    @Lillie__Sun #DTCPOD“The customer journey is all about awareness, acquisition and retention.” @Lillie__Sun #DTCPODFor us, it's all about aligning the campaign on the core product and the core benefit, and making sure that comes across in all elements of the campaign.” @Lillie__Sun #DTCPOD“Having a community ambassador program is a great way to get that one on one communication with your customers in a timely fashion. They feel  they're involved and you don't have to do so much guessing because you're getting that feedback from them.” @Lillie__Sun #DTCPODWe Speak About:[02:16] Lillie introduces herself and Three Ships Beauty  [03:54] Setting a business foundation and seeing what works[06:02] Testing different marketing channels through trial and error[08:14] Elements outside of digital marketing that led to brand growth [12:59] Testing and tweaking the SMS marketing strategy[16:56] How Three Ships Beauty segments the market[19:38] Steps to optimize the customer experience    [24:06] How to enhance product promotion[19:09] The company’s successful approach for achieving customer retention[26:46] A unique strategy for product launching [30:53] Benefits of an ambassador program [35:01] The process for implementing technology and resources for brand growth [37:31] What’s next for Three Ships Beauty and where to find Lillie Sun onlineThree Ships Beauty steps to startup successLillie Sun, leader of growth for Three Ships Beauty, joins the POD to give some insight on the direct-to-consumer business’s growth, product launches, and the customer journey.Three Ships Beauty is a Skincare brand that creates effective, natural, and affordable products.Lily recognized that when it comes to startups, implementing an ambassador program will help the brand to effectively engage with their customers and organically drive awareness, leading to growth. A unique approach was taken for product launches by limiting a creative marketing that would not exemplify what the product is about, and instead focus on orienting the campaign on the core product and benefit.Lillie recognizes that in the first stages of growth, it’s okay for your brand to test out everything to see what works and then dial down and what processes are delivering the most benefits.In DTC, it pays to be personable Three Ships Beauty stands out as an eCommerce skincare company that develops 100% natural plant derived products at an affordable price. The brand has experienced growth by experimenting with numerous marketing channels to see what works and curating a personable customer experience.Lillie takes a unique approach to achieving growth by not only personalizing the customer experience but also the product through a skincare quiz on their website.The brand takes additional steps to personalize their brand by segmenting their SMS channel into categories, based on what their consumers would like to hear. Lillie recommends having a good foundation in business experience before jumping into growth roles. Stay tuned as Lillie discusses non-digital marketing factors that led to growth why you don’t always need to be too creative with your marketing strategy.  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:Three Ships Beauty website: https://www.threeshipsbeauty.com/Lillie Sun’s twitter: https://twitter.com/Lillie__Sun

“Providing sample products can provide an up-sell opportunity later if someone enjoys the product and buys the regular sized version.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“These checkout strategies are a great way to  build up excitement and build brand affinity.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“A mystery product is something that you can up-sell down the line as well, and so you actually have information on that product already and you could potentially even test out feedback.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:18] How to implement cross-selling in a checkout strategy [02:36] A pre-purchase strategy for driving urgency [04:28] A unique checkout strategy for supply[06:18] The types of customers to target Simple checkout strategies to increase online salesHow many times do you go on a website and buy more than you planned? How often are you persuaded by the pop up ads promising a discount, a sample, or a surprise product with your purchase? The answer is probably often but this isn’t just happening to you, in fact, all those examples are marketing strategies implemented to increase sales.    Checkout strategies are a great way to introduce your customers to new products they normally wouldn't buy and potentially gather feedback.  There are numerous touchpoints during the buying process that these strategies can be placed, and it invites room for creativity for your brand. Stay tuned as we discuss three brands and their different approaches for implementing a checkout strategy.  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:Corey Haines’ full thread on DTC: https://twitter.com/coreyhainesco/status/1414585378569297928

“We’re a digital marketing agency but we've succeeded because we're thinking about the business from a partnership perspective rather than just buying media” @_Liso_  #DTCPODWe try to work with brands that we have long term partnerships with and really grow them.” @yo #DTCPOD“The importance of customer service is to actually develop those relationships with the consumer of your product.” @yo #DTCPOD“It's OK to fail, but it's not OK to fail and not learn from it.” @yo #DTCPOD“It's not just about getting the traffic and getting folks on the website. It’s about what those folks are seeing, what they’re thinking and what's getting them excited about the product or offer.  @_Liso_  #DTCPODWe Speak About:[02:21] Troy and Mike introduce themselves and discuss previous business experience [06:56] The business plan behind JUICE  [08:41] How the agency differentiates itself from the competition[09:57] Elements of strategic advising [12:58] A unique competitive edge through the customer experience  [14:39] Elements curating brand revenue growth [16:30] Redefining what customer service means for the brand[21:22] Putting money in where you get money out [24:36] Advice on positioning your brand to get invested  [27:29] Tips to entrepreneurs when making mistakes  [29:19] What’s next for JUICE and where to find the brand, Troy Osinoff, and Mike Lisovetsky online How JUICE differentiates itself as a digital marketing agency. Troy Osinoff and Mike Lisovetsky, co-founders of JUICE, join the POD to give some insight on the business’s growth and customer experience strategies.  JUICE is a digital marketing agency that takes a modern approach to helping other brands grow. Both co-founders recognized that their brand needed to step out of the traditional agency methods and work thoroughly with each brand to create actionable plans and a relentless approach.An approach is taken in generating brand revenue growth through relationship building in channels primarily recognized as promotional tools.Mike recognizes that it is important to create a community for your customers to provide feedback and have a personalized customer experience. There’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all marketing strategyJUICE is a digital marketing agency that takes a modern day approach to helping other brands scale their businessTroy and Mike curated this entrepreneurial opportunity through a well experienced past in business endeavours.Both co-founders view their agency as a partnership with other businesses, and take a unique strategy of limiting their clientele to brands they believe they can grow. Their brand takes a strategy to foster growth by implementing activities catered towards customer retention, with the idea in mind that activities meant to help a customer will result in positive feedback.  Troy recommends learning from your mistakes as an entrepreneur and using the experience to your benefit. Stay tuned as both co-founders discuss their fund for JUICE and additional ways to scale a business.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:JUICE website: https://www.thinkjuice.com/Troy Osinoff’s twitter: https://twitter.com/yoMichael Lisovetsky’s twitter:https://twitter.com/_Liso_

“Know a couple or at least one brand that you want to check out and then look at some other brands related to it for competitive research.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Tiktok can be a great discovery source for finding what products are working really well on their platform and popular hashtags.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“If you go into Twitter and type in the name of a product, you can search for other similar products as well.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:01] How to use Facebook for competitive research [02:05] Navigating instagram for landing pages and product research [02:51] A resource to identify new brands on the rise and brand research[03:24] Using TikTok as a discovery source[04:26] How to use Twitter for product comparison [05:16] Up and coming marketplaces How to get an undercover look at your DTC competitorsCreating a product that differentiates itself in the market is a key strategy that leads to brand growth, but this element is not as simple as it sounds.First you have to look at your competition to know what you're dealing with, but how do you go about this?  This can be done through competitor research, knowing what similar brands are doing and their strategies for growth and retention will help you learn about the market.There are numerous sources beneficial for finding competitors, and these sources can provide insight into what’s working for a brand, whether it's ads, their websites, trending products, or more. Stay tuned as we discuss media platforms useful for researching brands and how to navigate them. 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:Facebook ads library: https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/Nextbrand trending brands: https://www.nexttbrand.com/

“Being a good person, treating people like humans, and delivering experiences with empathy every day is number one for our brand.” @eliweisss #DTCPOD“Knowing you'll be taken care of makes you want to come back. It's not rocket science, so long as the product is great.” @eliweisss #DTCPOD“When it comes to building a team, it really matters to hire the really good people that deeply care. You can teach anyone how to use tools, but you can't teach people to give a shit.” @eliweisss #DTCPOD“Giving your team the allowance to create these experiences, empowering them to create these experiences for the customers, is important.” @eliweisss #DTCPOD“Do not take what you learned last year and use it this year, constantly learn and listen and engage with customers. @eliweisss #DTCPODWe Speak About:[02:28] Eli introduces himself and Olipop [03:45] What customer experience means to the brand[05:34] How to curate an intentional SMS [09:01] Implementing personalization into a marketing channel  [12:13] Elements of a subscription to create retention [15:01] Where to brand discovers inspiration for their subscription model [15:53] Factors that have led to brand growth  [20:31] important steps during customer acquisition  [22:13] How to scale the customer experience[24:16] The importance of empowerment [25:48] Allocating finances to the customer experience  [27:17] How to drive brand loyalty [29:43] Thinking like a customer [31:58] What’s next for Olipop and where to find Eli Weiss and the brand onlineHow OLIPOP scales customer experienceEli Weiss, director of customer experience at Olipop, joins the POD to give some insight on the  business’s growth, customer experience strategy, and retention.  Olipop is a beverage company, formulating a gut healthy soda with plant fiber, prebiotics, and botanicals.Eli recognized that when it comes to creating a good brand, having a good product is only half the formula to keep consumers happy and returning. Providing consumers with a positive, personalized, and interactive customer experience is an essential factor leading to brand loyalty. Eli points out that anyone can be taught the skills to perform in a work setting, but you can’t teach someone to care about your brand so it is important to hire the right people.In DTC, you have to think like the customer to winOlipop stands out as an eCommerce beverage company, not only for its modernized product, but also for the brand's exceptional customer service.The brand has experienced growth and customer retention by prioritizing the customer experience and developing a thoughtful subscription model. Eli takes a unique approach to achieving successful retention by developing an SMS channel that caters to the customers needs rather than a brand incentive to increase sales. Additional steps to improve the customer experience are taken by listening to the customer and responding to their needs. Eli recommends discovering ways to make your subscriptions exclusive without intruding on consumers' feed. Stay tuned as Eli discusses key components to heighten the customer experience and how empowering your team leads to success. 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:Olipop’s website: https://drinkolipop.com/Eli Weiss’s twitter: https://twitter.com/eliweisss

Marketing expert, Jade Sai, discusses converting non-buyers into buyers through a strategic email sequence. Topics include setting goals for subscriber engagement, crafting emails to promote customer conversion, and using frequency to influence purchase behavior.

“The idea has always been trying to crack the system of what makes brands work and what makes brands fail in some cases, and then reverse engineer it” @markpatchett  #DTCPOD“The first bit is to really understand the core fundamental numbers of your actual business” @markpatchett  #DTCPOD“Take care of the right people that are going to amplify my brand because it compounds and increases your conversion rate and allows you to spend more money.” @markpatchett  #DTCPOD“When you're starting out, go to where the audience is largest and the platform is most sophisticated.” @markpatchett  #DTCPOD“Brand is really about the continuity of a strong message across all of the different touch points when someone comes into contact with your company.” @markpatchett  #DTCPOD“As you start scaling your brand to new audiences, you may find that you need to tweak the way you communicate what your product does and what your brand is about to actually work for that large audience.” @markpatchett #DTCPOD We Speak About:[00:56] Mark introduces himself and Growth Shop  [02:11] Previous entrepreneurship that led to creating a successful brand [04:40] Advice to brands before scaling a business [07:31] Acquisition strategies for inventory  [09:47] The importance of paying more when it comes to contracts [11:01] Implementing personal relationships to maintain customer engagement    [13:17] Where to disperse spending when scaling a brand  [16:37] Major components of scalable growth  [18:37] What a brand really is [21:23] Breaking down marketing activities for retention and new customer acquisition[22:23] Why brands should evolve [23:33] Building an unfair advantage[25:21] The framework for product differentiation[28:52] Pivotal roles in brand growth[31:30] The importance of a collaborative customer service [33:17] Where to find Growth Shop and Mark Patchett onlineHow a past in entrepreneurship led to the future of Growth ShopMark Patchett, founder of Growth Shop, joins the POD to give some insight on the business’s strategy for helping brands scale their business without outside capital. Growth Shop is an eCommerce organization that advises, invests, and acquires direct to consumer brands and supporting technology platforms. Mark realized from his experienced past as an entrepreneur that he had gained important insight as to what makes a brand work and what doesn’t. He then founded Growth Shop as an embodiment of this knowledge with a goal in mind of helping other brands scale their business. A unique perspective on scaling a business is taken by an emphasis on evolving your brand. Mark views a brand as a product that continually changes as the consumer expands. Mark recognizes that brand is continuity, and maintaining a strong message across all touch points for your brand is crucial for growth. Sometimes in DTC, it’s all about building an unfair advantageGrowth Shop stands out as an eCommerce company that helps direct to consumer business grow exponentially and sustainably.The business enables brand growth by prioritizing key roles such as acquisition strategies, maintaining product excitement, and iterating the importance of customer service on all levels of operation.Mark takes a further approach to achieving successful growth emphasizing the importance of having an unfair advantage for your brand.  One simple strategy Mark has suggested for achieving this is through customer engagement. By asking why customers buy your product or what would make your product better, an unfair advantage can be curated. Mark recommends implementing personalization into your brand and keeping operational costs as low as possible.Stay tuned as Mark dissects the meaning of a brand and how a collaborative customer service can make or break your company. 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:Growth Shop’s website: https://growth.shop/Mark Pachett’s email: mark@growth.shop.comMark Patchett’s linkedin: linkedin.com/in/markpatchett

“The strategy that's been gaining more traction recently is engaging brand created content.” @jadesai94  #DTCPO“Accounts creating content around their domain of expertise creates views and followers that translates over into an owned audience” @jadesai94  #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:42] Jay shares a resource on fastest growing brands on TikTok[01:45] Brand content strategies[03:05] Which strategies are gaining and losing traction[04:23] Brand categories leading the way on TikTok [05:50] Translating an analysis on TikTok brandsA behind the scenes look at the top eCommerce brands on TikTokOnline brand promotion offers the advantage of exposing your brand to a wide variety of demographics at a low cost, and TikTok is one of many media outlets that can provide this.Jay discusses an analysis of the top 50 brands growing on TikTok and their strategies used to achieve growth. Key takeaways include what strategies are gaining and losing traction, and what methods are gaining a high turnover rate for followers.Stay tuned as Jay dives into the different categories of brands and which ones are dominating the social media platform.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:Nextbrand Substack: https://nexttbrand.substack.com/Nextbrand website: https://www.nexttbrand.com/Spreadsheet with top 50 brands on TikTok: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvdoNCOygpwIN4j5IB48qlIfKsCVsxZbGqpBdhuJQzM/edit#gid=422642932

“People are starting to get back to normal in some places, which means that habits are starting to change ” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD‘We're going to be expanding into customer experience leaders, product builders and more” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“We’re so excited to share with you more stories of not only agency owners giving some great advice, but also brand vendors, marketers, customer experience leaders and more.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:36] Changes in consumer habits   [01:23] Previous guests on the DTC pod[02:05] Exciting news and what’s next for the DTC podWe’re celebrating half a year on the DTC POD by discussing some exciting new ideas to come!As retail begins to open back up and things start getting back to normal, consumer habits continue to change and evolve and we plan on providing insight to that experience.Jay discusses previous guests on the POD who persevered through COVID-19 as agency owners, brand founders and marketers. Stay tuned as Jay discusses new things to come for the DTC POD and an outline of what to expect for the second half of the year!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.

“It's cool to see other ambassador programs that are empowering individuals to share and talk about a brand.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Coldest Water is teaching people how to become better influencers and to sell better, and I think it's a big win for not only the brand but also the ambassadors.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“One aspect of the landing page that works really well is that they quickly jump into the benefits and what you can do with the brand.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:03] Coldest Water’s successful landing page  [02:58] A rare aspect of their Ambassador landing page[03:22] How they connect to their audience [04:38] A unique factor of Cold Water’s ambassador program[06:41] How the brand creates learning opportunities for their ambassadorsColdest Water’s ambassador program differentiates itself from the norm There are numerous strategies a business can use to promote their brand, and one common technique is through the use of brand ambassadors.This marketing strategy allows individuals to form a partnership with a company and personally promote their product(s).However, Coldest Water takes an uncommon approach to their ambassador program by using it as an educational opportunity for their promoters and creating a unique incentive to sell.Stay tuned as we discuss how Coldest Water’s stays transparent with their ambassadors and additional factors of their 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:Coldest Water ambassador landing page: https://thecoldestwater.lpages.co/coldestsponsorship/Coldest Water ambassador program pricing: https://thecoldestwater.com/join-us/Coldest Water on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoldestwaterColdest Water brand hashtag: https://www.tiktok.com/tag/thecoldestwater