“For a brand that’s sub-$10M in revenue, there has to be some kind of economic moat in the company that gets them to $10M.” @mrsharma #DTCPOD“You have to be consistently focused on product launches, figuring out what’s coming next, and listening to the customer.” @mrsharma #DTCPOD“Performance marketing should extend something that is already great. It shouldn’t be the tactic to build the business.” @mrsharma #DTCPOD“Having a developer on board allows you to move quickly - you can make changes, build landing pages, test site changes, implement pixels faster.” @mrsharma #DTCPOD“From the brands that I’ve seen grow the best, you have to be testing and launching new creative on a weekly basis.” @mrsharma #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:00] About Nik  [02:35] What Nik looks for before investing in a DTC brand[04:00] Nik’s advice for staying ahead of competitors[05:35] What Nik thinks about first-mover advantages[07:00] Nik’s thoughts on performance marketing and growth strategies[10:15] Nik’s take on balancing moving fast, being good, and beating competitors[12:25] Why you need to be profitable or breakeven on the first purchase[13:25] How brands can be successful[14:45] The importance of having a developer on your team[15:05] What some of the smarter DTC brands are doing with pixels[17:30] Why Nik loves user-generated content[19:05] The importance of having a huge stack of creative ready to go[20:25] The brands Nik looks at for inspiration[21:35] What’s next for Sharma brandsIf you want to stay ahead of the competition, you need a moatNik Sharma, CEO of Sharma Brands and an active investor in the DTC space, joins the POD to talk all things DTC.Nik has worked with a lot of notable DTC brands including Judy, Hint, Dream Pops, and more.To reach a $10M level, Nik says that brands need to have an economic moat. That’s essentially a distinct advantage that competitors will have a difficult time copying.Your moat could be ingredients that people don’t have as easy access to, supply chain benefits people don’t have access to, or even a celebrity endorsement.Even though you need to have a moat, you don’t need to worry about your competition a much.With a moat, it’s going to be very difficult for competitors to just copy your brand. Nik says you really shouldn’t even worry about them much.Having a moat isn’t the only ingredient to successIt’s true, the $10M-plus brands do have a distinct competitive advantage. But if you’re not careful, you could blow that advantage.One of the pitfalls Nik says to look out for is performance marketing.Performance marketing should be used to extend something that’s already great, not build the business.Being too reliant on performance marketing or gaining press is a dangerous path. Nik has seen many brands fail this way.If you go the performance marketing route, make sure that you are breaking even or being profitable on first purchase.Nik also suggests adding a developer to your team. A developer can help you test changes on your website faster, launch new pixels, and be more agile.Many brands don’t think of hiring a developer in-house but Nik says it can be hugely beneficial.With pixels, you can even fire certain pixels based on average order value.Make sure you also focus on user-generated contentAnother key element to success is authentic content.Content that looks native to a platform performs better on that platform because that’s what non-sponsored content looks like as well.The best brands have a huge stack of creative ready to go. They are testing and launching creative on a weekly basis.Stay tuned as Nik discusses other ways brands can be successful, what he looks at before investing in a brand, and what brands he looks to for inspiration.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:Nik’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsharmaText Nik: 917-905-2340

“You shouldn’t look at the competition you should create a brand that stands for what you stand for and what you want to disrupt.” @uglyhugh #DTCPOD“I always recommend taking a night to sleep on ideas that can have a big impact on your business. Your thinking might be different the next morning.” @uglyhugh #DTCPOD“If you put a product into a store you probably won’t hear back until 12 months whereas with DTC you can get feedback within 2 weeks.” @uglyhugh #DTCPOD“Every time we make another run of limited-edition cans we test something new in the process - content, email, new way of launching it.” @uglyhugh #DTCPOD“The beauty of being a first-time founder is you get to be scrappy, make things happen, and learn from your mistakes.” @uglyhugh #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:10] About Ugly Drinks [02:50] How Hugh came up with the idea for Ugly Drinks[05:20] The story behind Ugly Drinks’ branding[07:15] How Ugly Drinks’ brand identity has evolved[09:45] About Ugly Drinks’ big investment into community marketing[12:35] How Ugly Drinks gathers community feedback[15:50] What Hugh had to change to expand into the US market[18:30] The scrappy things Hugh and his team did to be successful[21:30] Hugh’s mentors and influences[24:20] Hugh’s advice for other foundersA great brand isn’t built overnightHugh Thomas, CEO and Co-Founder of Ugly Drinks, joins the podcast to talk about his founder story.A little about Ugly Drinks - it’s a beverage brand that sells flavored sparkling water.Even though Ugly Drinks has only been around 2015, Hugh and his team have built an incredibly strong brand.Every detail from what the company stands for, the imagery, and even the community has been carefully crafted.The Ugly Drinks brand looks like a finished product but the “ugly” truth is, the brand is continuing to evolve.Ugly Drinks has already had three iterations of the brand already. The first was to raise capital, the second version was the refinement, and the third version was done as the product expanded.As the brand grows, Hugh and his team keep testing out new ideas and new flavors to continue refining and growing the brand.Even the strongest brands need a strong communityUgly Drinks has built a strong brand internally and externally.For Ugly Drinks, even product users have branded themselves. The most loyal fans describe themselves as part of the Ugly Mob or Ugly Squad.The Ugly Mob has been a key part of Ugly Drinks’ growth. By having a strong community, the beverage brand has been able to accelerate word of mouth.The Ugly Mob isn’t just great for word of mouth though. Hugh and his team have helped foster a sense of community from the internal team as well.They have a private Facebook group that is used to collect product feedback. They also often ask buyers to give their feedback.Loyal fans are even asked to share ideas for new flavors. The ideas end up driving the product roadmap for Ugly Drinks.Stay tuned as Hugh also discusses how long it took to develop the brand, what they learned from entering a new market, and some of the scrappy things they have done to be successful.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 Ugly Drinks website: https://uglydrinks.com/The Ugly Drinks Twitter account: https://twitter.com/uglydrinksThe Ugly Drinks Tik Tok account: https://www.tiktok.com/@uglydrinksHugh’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/uglyhugh

“Even though there was a lot to learn as first-time founders but I think our lack of experience has led to innovation and belief we can do it.” @DeeCharlemagne #DTCPOD“Storytelling is really powerful especially in a world where most brands are focused on performance marketing.” @DeeCharlemagne #DTCPOD“One of our first meetings was writing down the values of our company as much as it was writing down the recipes for our product.” @DeeCharlemagne #DTCPOD“We traveled around in an AVEC-branded 1995 Chevy van and that content outperformed our fancy photo shoots.” @DeeCharlemagne #DTCPOD“For gaining press, research your targets and share why the product is relevant to them and why it’s relevant to their audience.” @DeeCharlemagne #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:05] About AVEC  [03:50] How Dee and her co-founder, Alex, got into CPG[06:30] Where AVEC’s name comes from and the brand story[10:40] The elements of a great brand story[13:35] How to create sustainable growth and brand equity[14:50] Dee’s strategy for generating press for your brand[18:00] Culture and brands that have inspired AVEC[22:00] Dee on overcoming challenges AVEC has faced[24:25] What’s next for AVECBuilding brand equity starts with a great brand storyDee Charlemagne, Co-Founder of AVEC, joins the DTC POD to talk about brand storytelling. A little about AVEC - it’s a premium mixer that’s all-natural, made with real juice, botanicals and spices, and low in sugar and calories.Before AVEC, Dee worked at agencies and publishing companies. Her experience there allowed her to understand how brand communities are built.AVEC leans heavily into storytelling in its own brand, even with its name. AVEC means “with” in French. An aspirational goal for AVEC is to have people order drinks with liquors and its flavors (i.e. Tequila AVEC Yuzu & Lime).Many eCommerce businesses today are focused on performance marketing. While this is important, AVEC likes to lean more into storytelling.One of the first meetings Dee and her co-founder, Alex, had revolved around brand values. These are incredibly important to build brand equity.It’s important to give your brand personality (and be personal)In addition to writing down brand values, Dee thinks brand personality is important. Dee suggests writing down three words that describe your brand.The best brands are part of culture. Think about how your brand can take things from culture and include it in your story.Pick cultures that share the same values as your brand and draw from those. For example, Supreme draws heavily from the skateboard and hip-hop culture.As you add personality to your brand, it’s also important to be personal yourself. Dee and Alex put time every day into crafting media relationships. They even hand-deliver items themselves.Relationships should also not be transactional. Having a very honest approach can go a long way to building brand trust and brand equity.By continuously putting time towards building relationships, AVEC has been able to gain a lot of press.Stay tuned as Dee also talks about how AVEC has tapped into their local community to grow, what challenges they have faced and overcome, and what’s next for the brand.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:AVEC’s website: https://avecdrinks.com/AVEC’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avecdrinks/

“A repeatable, standardized process can go a long way to making sure you have an effective and efficient campaign.” @jhcjr_ #DTCPOD“Finding creators for your campaign is one of the most crucial steps to campaign success.” @jhcjr_ #DTCPOD“It’s not enough to just include a checkmark that a creator is willing to join your campaign. Don’t forget things like shipping info, content rights, whitelisting, etc.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“You should ship your product immediately once you agree to terms with a creator.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Don’t make your relationships with creators transactional. Focus on making long-term relationships that will benefit your brand.” @jhcjr_ #DTCODWe Speak About:[01:20] What a standardized process can do for influencer campaigns [02:10] How you can find creators and influencers[03:30] Treating your creator flow like a sales funnel[04:15] How to track and manage creators[07:00] The steps you need in your creator flow[09:30] How to negotiate the right way with creators[11:05] The importance of deadlines for creators[12:30] When you should pay creatorsToday, Jamie Catanach, head of customer success for Trend, joins the show. Trend is the leading destination for brands looking to work with creators and produce high-quality content.Have a strong plan in place with influencers and creatorsA great process is key in any business activity. This is especially true for working with influencers and creators.Executing a strong plan for creators starts with finding the right creators. You should have both inbound and outbound strategies to source creators and influencers.Think of your creator flow as a sales funnel. You need to have different sources to your sales funnel and have your steps mapped out.Once you decide to start working with creators, make sure you are tracking your partnerships. Use either Google Sheets or an AirTable. If you want a better way to track and manage creators, use Trend.It’s important to stay organized in this process. Organization is more important the more creators you work with.You need more steps than just a checkmark if a creator agrees to work with youJust like a sales or marketing funnel, your creator flow should have steps too.It isn’t enough to just mark that a creator or influencer has agreed to work with you.You should also have space for shipping information, content rights, and deadlines for creators on your tracking document.If you don’t want to track all of this on your own, Trend can help keep these steps organized for you.If you are interested in whitelisting content (running ads through a creator’s account), make sure you ask for this upfront.Whenever you are negotiating with creators and influencers, make sure your conversation is not just transactional. You want to build real relationships.By building real relationships, you are building brand equity with creators. Brand equity with creators can lead to creators talking about your product without you paying later down the line.Stay tuned as Jamie also covers how you should pay creators, and offers some tips to make relationships less transactional.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.

“You have to find a way to have scalable growth and be profitable while growing.” @DMTintner #DTCPOD“Using a subscription offering can help you achieve your return on ad spend a lot faster if your product needs to be replenished frequently.” @DMTintner #DTCPOD“If you pick the right creators to work with, they will naturally keep mentioning your product even if they aren’t being compensated for everything.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Consumers always want to lean into great user experience and great UX, getting the smallest details right, can help fuel brand growth.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“More brands are turning to content that is native to the ad platform and fits in with their target audience.” @DMTintner #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:20] About ThoughtLeaders  [03:00] Why the old DTC playbook is broken[05:05] New trends that we’re seeing in DTC[07:15] Innovative strategies that brands are using to grow[13:20] How user-experience can help you win[17:10] How to stay closer to the ground with your customers  [20:20] Exciting and upcoming trends in DTC[27:50] The importance of creating experiences for consumersIt’s time to toss out the old DTC playbookDavid Tintner, CEO of ThoughtLeaders, joins the POD to talk about some of the struggles DTC brands face and what the future of DTC looks like. ThoughtLeaders is a sponsorship intelligence company.When direct-to-consumer exploded, a lot of growth was based on performance marketing. The traditional DTC playbook has been to spend money on ads.Traditionally, even if you weren’t profitable on the first purchase, you would still use ads to grow. The hope for many brands is that customers would repurchase and business would be profitable on lifetime value.Now, brands need to be profitable on the first purchase.A subscription-based offering is a great way to improve lifetime value and be closer to profitability on the first purchase.Creating a strong community is also a great way to grow your brand. When consumers see a community, there is a want to fit in.The secret to winning back customersBeing profitable on the first purchase is great. But you need more to build a brand.Once you get customers, you need to listen to feedback. Feedback can help drive your product to new heights.The Harrys, Quips, and Bonobos of the world have become successful by leaning into customers and user-experience.Creating a unique user-experience can help create customer loyalty. Listening to feedback can also help drive customer retention.Your customers can tell you what’s great and what isn’t great about your product. This information can be used to guide the improvement of current products or guide future products.Create experiences for your customers too.Brand recognition and brand recall are incredibly important. Strong user-experience and positive experiences can help drive those parts.Not all experiences need to be directly attributable though. Attribution is great, but sometimes organic experiences where there is no attribution can also drive brand recall.Stay tuned as David and Jay talk about examples of things great brands are doing. We will also dive into what the new DTC playbook should include.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:ThoughtLeaders website: https://www.thoughtleaders.io/TUSHY website: https://hellotushy.com/Gymshark ambassadors: https://www.gymshark.com/blogs/athletesDavid’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/dmtintner

“The reason why we have such a high open-rate is that we take a very aggressive approach to list cleansing.” @nomadgoods #DTCPOD“As soon as someone gets added to our email list they have about 120 days to engage with our content. If they don’t, we unsubscribe them.” @nomadgoods #DTCPOD“We send two types of emails: 1. Evergreen flows (cart abandonment, post-purchase, etc.) 2. Campaigns (product launches, flash sales, branded content, lifestyle content).” @nomadgoods #DTCPOD“We used to do a lot of segmentation but it didn’t really move the needle for us.” @nomadgoods #DTCPOD“Don’t put out content just for the sake of doing it. Make sure it’s relevant to your audience” @nomadgoods #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:20] About NOMAD  [02:50] How much revenue does email generate for NOMAD[04:25] What contributes to their email success[07:15] The content and frequency of their emails[10:20] How they landed in the primary inbox over promotions[12:20] Why they don’t follow best practices for segmenting  [15:30] How NOMAD approaches branded content and building their brand[21:40] What helped NOMAD grow fastHow NOMAD keeps open-rates above 40% with over 1 million emails sentChuck Melber, Director of Marketing at NOMAD joins the POD to talk email marketing. Chuck has been with NOMAD since the beginning and has created the marketing team.NOMAD experiences a lot of success with email marketing. Over 20% of its revenue is attributed to email marketing. And email marketing contributes even more for repeat customers.Chuck and his team started small. Originally they created their own email content, including the graphics.The real secret to NOMAD’s success in email marketing has been list cleansing. Chuck automatically unsubscribes users who aren’t engaging with NOMAD’s email content.It was a little scary at first but it has proven to be key to success. List cleansing has also helped NOMAD land in the primary inbox.Keep evolving and growing your email and brand strategyNOMAD’s email marketing (and content marketing) strategy has grown and evolved over time.As the companies success grew, Chuck added different people and different tools to his arsenal. They added graphic designers and content writers. They made a blog.Chuck has performed a lot of testing to get to this point. As a result, they don’t really segment users much. Chuck has found it doesn’t move the needle much.They will test to see whether certain users are more open to other products but that’s about it for segmentation.Even though segmentation isn’t used much, personalization has been key. Asking for feedback is a great way to engage your audience and create loyalty.Brand growth has allowed NOMAD’s content to grow as well. They are now able to create branded and lifestyle content that is used in campaigns.Stay tuned as Chuck provides us with his best recommendations for email marketing. We also dive into how to grow and maintain your list.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:Website: https://nomadgoods.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/nomadgoodsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nomad/Chuck’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckmelber

“Work with some of your best creators and influencers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.” @jhcjr_ #DTCPOD“When someone sees your product in the hands of a creator, that social proof can speak volumes.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPOD“When you are partnering with content creators, leverage that content in email marketing.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPOD“FOMO is a great way to generate conversions for your business.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPOD“Make sure you repurpose content from creators.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPODWe speak about:[03:00] Make a campaign plan for Black Friday and Cyber Monday[07:10] Meet your customers where they are [08:55] The importance of email marketing  [10:45] Why you should partner with a creator for the holidays[18:30] The latest day you can start your campaign for Black FridayToday, Jamie Catanach, head of customer success for Trend, joins the show. Trend is the leading destination for brands looking to work with creators and produce high-quality content.You need a campaign plan for Black Friday and Cyber MondayCOVID is changing how Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) will look in 2020. People are more hesitant to shop in person – they are more interested in making purchases online. Thirty percent of annual retail sales happen between Black Friday and Christmas – the holiday season is HUGE for businesses. Make sure that you have a plan in action ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. How do you start a plan? First, set your goals. It’s essential to know what you are trying to achieve during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.We are a few weeks out from BFCM – get focused on it sooner rather than later. Think about the plan you can put in place. It’s never too soon to set things in motion.Sixty-seven percent of shoppers intend to buy online this year because of the pandemic. As a result, you should increase your focus on digital presence efforts, even if you have a brick and mortar location. Make sure you have a strategy for this holiday season.Working With Creators For The HolidaysWorking with creators and influencers is an essential piece of the puzzle for your Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing. They can help you get in front of your customers and your audience.Your goal should be to spread word of mouth, social proof, and generate website traffic to create conversions.If your product is suitable for gifting, make sure that your customers know that. Use your influencers to do an unboxing. You can also create exclusive discounts for your creators.When your product is in the creator's hand, it can provide social proof for your company. You can also repurpose this content in paid ads. You will create more touchpoints that can end in conversion as a result.Most brands will be discounting their items, so why not work with an influencer and creator to promote a discount and create great content? It will help you stand out from your competition. When you run a Black Friday campaign, you want to reach the most amount of people. Overall, creators and influencers are great partners for the holidays. Jamie says it can be a cheaper option because the cost for paid ads this year will be higher due to the US election. With Trend, you can activate micro-influencers at $100 a pop (and you keep the rights to the content too). Stay tuned as we talk about the importance of repurposing content and the latest day you should start your campaign.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.

“In consumer commerce, you always have to be chasing your next customer.” @jjeremycai #DTCPOD“Even with the introduction of direct to consumer, the product quality and the product price points haven’t really changed much for consumers.” @jjeremycai #DTCPOD“The challenge with DTC is that once you saturate your core market, you see a big jump in customer acquisition.” @jjeremycai #DTCPOD“Sometimes your best customer might not convert immediately, they might be receiving your content for a while before converting.” @jjeremycai #DTCPOD“If you don’t have brand right, you’re going to be starting with a rocky foundation. Make sure to do this in-house and don’t outsource it.” @jjeremycai #DTCPODWe speak about:[00:50] About Italic  [02:30] Jeremy’s experience as an entrepreneur  [06:20] The buildup to Italic  [09:10] The transition to direct-to-consumer [13:00] How Italic’s model approaches marketing [20:00] The importance of recall for your brand  [22:30] Advice for founders Jeremy Cai currently serves as the CEO of Italic and helps his SO Kati with Not Pot. The Entrepreneurial Journey To ItalicIn this episode, Jeremy dives into his entrepreneurial journey. First, Jeremy dropped out of school to build an enterprise software company. However, Jeremy sought to do something more innovative that no one else was doing. The inspiration for Italic came from marketplace enabled companies like Uber and Airbnb. Neither company takes inventory. Instead, they empower the individual hosts to monetize their own places.In the same lens, Italic doesn’t sell marked-up goods to its customer. Instead, they replace the brand and take the retailer out of the supply chain. They then provide the savings to the customer and offer a higher yield per unit to the manufacturer.Italic is not incentivized to sell their products; they are incentivized to sell their membership. They had to spend a long time developing their product assortment. There are over 1,000 SKUs on their website that they have created themselves.To help build Italic, Jeremy spent time living in China and Italy to make relationships with manufacturers. Italic doesn’t buy their inventory; their manufacturers float the inventory for a higher yield per unit.Focus On Your Brand’s ValueWhen you sell products and monetize the markup, you always have to be chasing the next customer - with this model, you aren’t incentivized with loyalty. When Italic sells a subscription product, their payback is not immediate. Italic is profitable when a consumer first buys their membership. Asa result, they are much more focused on engagement metrics and how to change their merchandising strategy. Similar to Spotify, they focus on continually delivering value to their customer to ensure they come back.Jeremy talks about how recall is critical for your brand. Sometimes, your best customers won’t convert immediately. There are many ways to make a sale; it depends on your brand, what you stand for, and what your customer gets out of you.Stay tuned as Jeremey gives his advice for founders and he reveals what is coming next for Italic. 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:Website: https://jeremycai.comItalic: http://italic.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjeremycaiInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/italic/

“Campaign guidelines mean setting the right expectations and setting yourself up for success.” @jhcjr_ #DTCPOD“Let the creator craft the message to their audience themselves.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPOD“You need content for your business to stay relevant.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPOD“Let your creator know what the campaign should and shouldn’t do.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPOD“Working with creators is great for going after tried-and-true audiences or testing out new audiences.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPODWe speak about:[02:00] The essential elements of campaign guidelines  [06:00] Helpful guidelines for creators[12:35] Working with creators to test out new audiences   [15:10] How to put together your style guide when you’re just beginning  [17:45] The ideal timeline for your campaign  [21:50] Jamie’s final advice to ensure a successful campaign  Today, Jamie Catanach, head of customer success for Trend, joins the show. Trend is the leading destination for brands looking to work with creators and produce high-quality content.The Basic Elements of Influencer Campaign GuidelinesCampaign guidelines are a critical piece to the success of an influencer campaign. Have a plan from the start! The goal with campaign guidelines is to set the expectations for creators upfront.Creators will be basing their content off of the campaign guidelines. You want to provide as much detail as possible here. Also, you want to be clear and communicate exactly what you are looking for.Make sure that the creators know upfront that you intend to have the rights to their content afterward. If you are on Trend, our platform will manage this aspect for you.You should be upfront about a timeline for your creator. When reaching out to creators, a timeline should be clearly communicated and confirmed with the creator.Make sure that the creator understands what products they will be receiving. Also, share talking points around your brand and the products that you’re sending.Your creator should be creative about the caption that they provide. However, you should provide five to ten bullet points about the brand and the product. Then, your creator can reference some of those things in their caption. The Style Guide Is A Critical Element of Your Campaign The style guide is where you describe the type of content that you are looking for. Make sure you communicate the kind of digital aspects you are looking for the creator to create.When communicating guidelines, be as specific as possible. Should the creator be outside, indoors, in nature, with their family? This type of information is critical when communicating the kind of content you are looking for from creators.  Lastly, don’t hesitate to provide examples. If you see some great content on Pinterest, don’t be afraid to share it with your creator. If you like bright warm photos, find creators with that type of content. Stay tuned as Jamie explains how to create a style guide when you’re just in the beginning stages of content creation. Plus, Jamie reveals what to consider when figuring out your campaign timeline. 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.

“Micro-influencers have a deeper connection with their followers.” @jhcjr_ #DTCPOD“Content that is produced on social channels by creators tends to be more authentic.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPOD“Make sure the expectations to the creator are clear and concise.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPOD“Focus on the content that your creator has produced in the past.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPOD“Find creators that have an audience that is perfect for your brand.” @jhcjr_  #DTCPODWe speak about:[02:05] How to pick the best creators[09:15] The importance of high-quality content [14:00] The most important things needed to produce a successful campaign[17:30] Exactly how many creators your business should be using   Today, Jamie Catanach, head of customer success for Trend, joins the show. Trend is the leading destination for brands looking to work with creators and produce high-quality content/How To Pick The Best Creators For Your BrandWhen a brand is looking to work with a creator, they first need to think about their goals. Are you working on brand awareness or are you trying to get sales for your business? Setting goals upfront is an essential part of the process.Creators and influencer marketing is a great way to build brand awareness, but it’s also a driving force for brands to get a massive amount of content for their business. Micro-influencers are talented and can deliver great social proof to your audience. For content-driven campaigns, content aesthetic is an important factor. Your creator should fit the persona of your ideal customer. That way, the content can seamlessly flow on your website and social media channels and appear natural.If you’re trying to drive sales through influencer marketing, include discount codes and affiliate links. Here you may need to be more focused on engagement numbers, rates, and follower counts.High-Quality Content Is Critical For Your Campaigns As a bi-product of working with creators, you will also receive brand awareness. Other consumers may purchase and tag your products in their photos, delivering more social proof. High-quality content is always essential. You want to make sure that the little things are right – the content should be well lit, and the product should be clear. Make sure you take a look at your creators' past content to ensure their work is ideal for what you need. The content that really wins is authentic content – it looks like your friend made it. Authentic content converts at a higher level in the right channels than something created in a professional studio.Stay tuned as we talk about the essential things necessary to produce a successful campaign, the importance of setting expectations, and how many creators your business should be using based on size.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.