BANTER
Monday, March 7, 2022
Happy Monday! We’re not going to come at you with Monday motivation… but this is your start of the week hydration and posture check.
Now go forth and conquer.
In this newsletter, you’ll find: 👇
🔥 Tips to build a killer landing page that converts
📽 How to elevate your UGC with minisocial
📍 Why you should include Pinterest in your acquisition channels
🚀 When to get started on Amazon DSP
Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. 😎
👉 If a pal forwarded this to you, subscribe , so you never miss out.
Are you looking to increase revenue and breakthrough scaling plateaus on Amazon?
Demand-side platform (DSP) is the way to go.
DSP is CPM-based, meaning it’s easier to quickly ramp up spending when compared to sponsored product ads that are capped on the keyword volume and your relevancy for that keyword.
When should you launch DSP ? 🧐
As a very rough rule of thumb, once you’re over 75k/month in revenue you should be considering it.
At this revenue level, you will typically have a large enough retargeting audience that will justify a 3k-5k spend/month.
The Pilothouse Amazon Team recommends brands starting with the following:
🚨 The Pilothouse Amazon Team recommends against using Amazon Managed DSP due to the lack of control and higher budget requirements.
Using a partner that has access to self-managed DSP gives you direct control over the budgets, audiences, campaign structures, and more flexibility to scale up or down based on performance.
Looking for a partner to help build out your DSP? Reply to this email and let us know!
Need elevated User Generated Content?
Try minisocial 👋
minisocial works with leading brands like Imperfect Foods, KRAVE Jerky, Care/Of, and Native to produce high-quality UGC while activating dozens of micro-influencer posts on TikTok or Instagram.
Why do brands love working with minisocial?
👉 Find out more about how minisocial works here.
Now is not the time to sleep on Pinterest. Twitter user Peter Czepiga has personally seen success scaling mens and womens brands on the channel to mid-5-figures per month revenue.
Here are Peters personal pointers on winning with Pinterest ads:
🎯 Targeting
Did you know that like Facebook, Pinterest has lookalike audiences? Google Search data can be used for keyword targeting on the platform as well.
Try these 2 audiences in which Peter has seen repeat success:
🖼 Creative
Unlike many social platforms that are currently seeing success with video, Pinterest still favors static images.
Why? Most users on Pinterest scroll on their mobile app (with no sound).
Your typical video ads are not the best bet for Pinterest, so use rich imagery with clear CTAs.
Your posts on Pinterest don’t have to use a fixed aspect ratio. But Peter suggests that longer is better (9:16 to be specific!).
🤝 Attribution
A longer attribution window is the way to go on Pinterest. Paid and organic see more similarities than other channels due to the nature of the platform.
Users pinning and sharing posts present the opportunity for paid posts to scale and spike organically.
🤯 Funnel
Having a strong organic presence may just be your key to success on the app. Make sure it’s well developed before turning to paid.
Users are more likely to click-through to your profile, so show them your best-sellers and value props through organic efforts.
💸 Account structure
If you haven't already, try testing out Pinterest’s feature for shopping ads for both prospecting and retargeting.
It’s important to note that 3-4 ads in an ad group are the max you should be testing on Pinterest to get the best stability. Making individual ad groups is the way to go.
Want to check out the great thread from Peter? Click here. 🧵
Is Pinterest in your current social strategy? If not, it may be time to get testing!
When built well, landing pages are a goldmine for conversions. Here are the deets:
⏫ Properly optimized landing pages can increase conversions by 85%
🤔 Addressing buyer concerns on landing pages increases conversions by up to 80%
💅 Personalized CTAs increase conversion rates by over 200%
We’ve cherry-picked a selection of the best landing page best practices from DTC brands. Keep readin’! 👇
1️⃣ Write short, snappy copy
The average person spends 10-20 seconds on a landing page, so you’ve gotta hook ‘em in ASAP 🎣
Communicate your value prop instantly.
Be clear and concise with your messaging. Billboards don’t read like a novel and the same logic applies to landing pages.
Shopify does it in 10 words.
2️⃣ Include a single CTA
Did you know that LPs with only one clear CTA convert higher? According to Unbounce’s deep-dive:
The very best landing pages capture information from potential customers to make it easier for brands to continue the conversation.
The info’ you ask for depends on your goal, but here’s a few examples:
📧 An email address
📱 A phone number
💰 A loyalty sign up
✨ An account demo
😃 A free trial
Whatever you’re asking your audience to do—make sure you’re only making one, clear ask.
Thistle has it down:
And so does Fresh Clean Tees:
3️⃣ Build with a mobile-first mindset
79% of smartphone users shop with their phones.
Yet, some DTC brands still are asking website visitors to pinch and scroll to see a landing page in its entirety. 🤦♀️
Responsive landing pages are an absolute must for every brand that’s looking to boost landing page conversions.
Make sure to optimize your images, scale, navigation, and menus to create a positive user experience.
Check out this offer from Nectar. With a tap of a button on your phone, you can see the offer, enter your email, and unlock a $499 discount.
4️⃣ Watch your speed
Slow and steady does not win the race when it comes to landing pages. 🐢
In today’s high-tech climate, winning is about delivering content as quickly as possible. 🏃
Google recently found that a small 0.1-second increase could significantly boost mobile conversions.
If your landing page conversions are dwindling, check the load time of your landing page. Try GTMetrix, Pingdom, or Google PageSpeed Insights.
5️⃣ Think about content and images
A landing page needs to draw readers in immediately and promote action ASAP.
Venngage found that 80% of users are more likely to read content when it’s combined with images.
Our brains break down and glean meaning from pictures in 13 milliseconds, sodding complementary imagery to your readers is a great way to boost conversions. 🚀
Here’s a great (and festive) example from Mizzen + Main.
You see the product, the offer, and how to take action in a flash.
Bonus points to Mizzen + Main for crafting creative copy too!
6️⃣ Sprinkle in some video magic
Video on landing pages can increase conversions by over 80% 📹
And ya’ll know that short-form video is having its heyday (we’re looking at you TikTok) so consider adding snappy videos to your landing pages.
This example from Ruggable uses a video instead of an image demonstrating exactly how to use a Ruggable rug.
Pro tip: if you plan on giving this strategy a go, keep eyes on your metrics to track performance You could even split-test a video vs. no video to see which one increases your conversions more 👀.
7. Use more landing pages
So many Google ads for DTC brands get directed to a highly cluttered shopping page, instead of a crisp landing page. Don’t be that person.
While you want audiences to engage with all of your content at some point, showing all your products at once could overwhelm users.
Create several unique landing pages and sync up the right landing page with appropriate keywords.
It’s extra work from the get-go but will pay off in the end. Hubspot found that increasing your landing pages from 10 to 15 increases leads by 55%.
If you’re looking to refresh your landing pages and boost your conversions, try out the tips above, and don’t forget to let us know how it goes! 😊
🤑 Kimberly-Clark acquires majority stake in Thinx .
🤯 Headless commerce leader fabric announces $140M Series C funding led by SoftBank.
👟 Allbirds plans entry into wholesale to raise brand awareness.
🤖 DoorDash enters definitive agreement to acquire Bbot.
🍱 Weee! delivers second big funding round in a year, this time backed by SoftBank.
👟 Restructuring Google Ads for Customer Avatars with Sean McGinnis from Kuru Footwear.
🐶 40% Repeat Purchase Rate (Without Email) and True Meaning of Product-Market Fit with James Petrellis from Mighty Munch.
🥣 Mascots in the Metaverse: How to Make NFTs Work for Your DTC Brand with OffLimits CEO Emily Elyse Miller.
🦷 Tend Merges Dentistry with Hospitality and Disrupts the $300B Space with Matt Fitzgerald.
Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
DTC Newsletter is written by Ashley R. Cummings and Rebecca Knight. Edited by Claire Beveridge.
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