DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built

“In-house content loses a little bit of its authenticity when you’re the one that’s being the creative director. You might know what you’re audience is looking for, but you may not be as highly tuned in as you think you are.” #DTCPOD“You don’t want to be making content using the same mug (if it’s a drink), the same kitchen, and the same person over and over.” #DTCPOD“If you really like a content creator, more discounts aren’t going to incentivize them.”  #DTCPOD“We have a customer that’s put half a million dollars on ads to an image that cost him a hundred dollars on Trend.”  #DTCPOD“When you’re a small business, your time matters a lot. There are many hats to wear for every team member and putting resources toward making content doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense.” #DTCPODWe speak about:[00:30] What is in-house content?[01:38] The biggest limitations of producing your content in-house[04:45] Strategies to overcome the challenges of in-house content creation[08:42] What it takes to work with content creators[11:13] There is immense value in user generated content[13:55] Another limitation: Moving fast is difficult when you see ad performance failing [15:03] Watch the data and test it out + Try Trend for free!It might be time for you to change the way you produce your content In-house content is anything made by an internal team. It takes time and has some limitations regarding cost, authenticity, scalability, the potential of fatigue, and of course, the pandemic. People don’t like seeing the same thing repeatedly on social media or TV. They’re going to be engaged when they have something new and fresh to look at. In this episode, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of producing content in-house. With in-house content, it’s hard to develop new settings and new people, while keeping your content relevant and authentic.In addition to content fatigue, you could end up spending way more money on in-house content than if you just sourced your content from freelancers or independent contractors.Outsourcing your content creation frees up time and energy you can spend on other tasks and projectsHere are some good strategies to overcome the challenges of in-house content creation:Keep it authentic, don’t try to make it professional.Avoid putting the same person in front of the camera multiple times. Switch it up by only including hands in your content or keeping the faces of your team out of it. To go even further, you can use your customers as content creators, (although it can be tedious and time consuming to scale).With Trend, the turnaround time for content production is much shorter. Stay tuned as we discuss the value of being able to speak to what you need from creators and how to control the creative process without having to be the full-time creative director.We dive into what kind of people you need in your internal team, what the process look might like, and what the result looks like.Mentioned links:Interested in Trend? Try it for free.

In this episode, Jay is joined by Farhaj Mayan, Co-Founder and CEO at Kanna.Kanna is a people operations system for cannabis farms and dispensaries that helps manage staff and compliance, and offers these businesses vetted independent contractors available for hire.Farhaj kicks the podcast off with a little history of Kanna.Later in the episode, we discuss the rise of marketplaces (since Trend is also a marketplace), the gig economy, and the push to add structure to gig economy jobs in different industries.For more information on Kanna, visit: https://www.hirekanna.com/If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for users and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

In this episode, Jay is joined by Brad Redding, Co-Founder of Elevar.Elevar is a platform that helps eCommerce brands better understand their marketing analytics through automation.In this podcast, Brad walks us through some common errors in Google Tag Manager for eCommerce brands and what are the most important events to track for.He also discusses events that can help move the needle for brands.One interesting feature of Google Tag Manager is tracking coupon codes across pages. This could be especially useful for users using creators and influencers like the ones on Trend.For more information on Elevar, visit: https://www.getelevar.com/.To download Elevar’s chrome extension for GTM tagging check out: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/elevar-gtm-event-builder/aanpkkmackhljjnbcopdoidpdjngfooc?hl=en-USIf you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for users and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

In this episode, Jay and Jamie are joined by Joe Christensen, Founder & CEO of MCTco.MCTco. is a protein keto bar snack company.Joe is here to share his experience of starting MCTco.Joe breaks down how he came up with the idea for MCTco.’s bars, what he had to learn to get started in the industry, and how he has had to reposition the brand.We also spoke with Joe about the biggest challenges he has faced and what he wished he did sooner in his business.Joe also mentions which brands have inspired and assisted him along with what’s next for MCTco.To purchase products from MCTco., visit: https://mctco.com/If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for users and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

In this episode, Jay is joined by Chris Moe, COO and Co-Founder of Cartograph.Cartograph is an eCommerce focused agency that helps organic and natural CPG brands sell their products on Amazon.Chris joins us on the podcast to discuss how to sell better on Amazon. He walks us through how most of the value on Amazon is created upstream and what exactly is meant by that.We also discuss what you need to have in place before you sell on Amazon, why you need to sell on Amazon, and what product offerings work best on Amazon.Chris also talks about why there shouldn’t be much concern about Amazon cannibalizing your sales and what metrics signal success on Amazon.To learn more about Cartograph, visit: https://www.gocartograph.com/If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for users and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

In this episode, Jay and Ramon are joined by Clark Nowlin, Founder of Golden Ratio.Golden Ratio is a coffee brand that sells gold coffee. On his launch day, Clark was able to generate over 10k in sales.During the podcast, Clark discusses how he was able to generate over 10k in sales on his launch, how much of it came from friends and family, and what sources he leaned into to generate revenue.Clark also talks about his founder story. He takes us through his path to starting a CPG brand and where the idea from gold coffee came from.In the podcast, you will also hear the importance of mentors for Clark as a first-time CPG founder.To learn more about Golden Ratio, visit: https://drinkgoldenratio.com/ (Bonus: Enter the code “Trend” at checkout for a little discount!).If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for users and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

In this episode, Jay is joined by Nicolas Derico, Director of Marketing at Wayflyer.Wayflyer is a company that offers revenue-based financing for eCommerce brands.In this podcast, Nicolas discusses when is the right time for brands to seek out funding, along with the requirements they should meet.Nicolas also discusses what brands should use their funding as a means to grow their business.Finally, we will also dive into some specific marketing strategies that Nicolas believes are crucial for businesses at any stage to use in order to keep growth steady.wTo learn more about Wayflyer, visit: https://www.wayflyer.com/If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for users and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

In this episode, Jay is joined by Celeste Markey, Founder & CEO of Careste.Careste is a new American luxury brand offering on-demand couture.In this podcast, Celeste shares learnings from her extensive experience in the fashion industry along with her inspiration for on-demand fashion.Celeste discusses why Careste has taken this unique approach along with some of the benefits and challenges of going on-demand.We also cover what came first, the product or the brand, some recommendations for founders, and what’s next for Careste.To learn more about Careste, visit: https://careste.com/If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for users and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

In this episode, Jay and Ramon are joined by Emmett Shine, Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director at Pattern Brands.Pattern (previously Gin Lane) creates purposeful brands that inspire you to learn, experiment, and enjoy.Before Pattern, Emmett has worked with big brands such as Sweetgreen, Bonobos, Everlane, Harrys, Smile Direct Club, Shake Shack, Quip, hims and more.In this podcast, Emmett sits down with us to share about what influenced him to create Pattern, his thoughts about building a brand, and how to build better relationships with customers.Emmett also dives deep into relationship design and why it’s a strategy that he and his team lean into.Additionally, we also hear about what Emmett envisions for the future of Pattern.To learn more about Pattern, visit: https://patternbrands.com/about-usTo see Pattern’s brands, visit: https://patternbrands.com/our-brandsIf you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for users and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

In this episode, Jay and Ramon are joined by Salim Najjar, Co-Founder of SOUND.SOUND is a beverage brand that sells tea-based sparkling beverages.Salim is here to share his and his Co-Founder’s experience of starting SOUND.Salim breaks down where the idea for SOUND came from, how they were able to crack retail, and how they are shifting to DTC during the pandemic.In addition to covering the success story of SOUND, Salim also covers some of the challenges he’s faced and offers recommendations for founders to overcome challenges.He provides insight on how others can break into retail, what goes into building a brand, and what’s next for SOUND!To learn more about SOUND, visit: https://drinksound.com/If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for users and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.