Who could have predicted the Disney Channel to Space Data pipeline. 👀
Good morning,
We may not have expected Bridgit Mendler to launch a brand this year, but one we’re not so surprised to see…?
Beyoncé was welcomed to the Shopify family of brands this week with her haircare line Cécred (we think it’s pronounced sacred but let us know if we’re wrong!). We popped the link to the site in the toolkit section below in case you wanted to check it out.
Who do you have on your celebrity brand bingo card this year? Reply to this email and let us know.
Our prediction:
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Good Robot Brewing, Dr. Vegan, GlowDry Australia, and Tie Bar. 👋
Placement modifiers on Amazon can be your best friend for dialing in performance.
🤔 What are modifiers?
Modifiers multiply your bid by a set percentage in order to prioritize spending in certain placements.
This is especially important in Sponsored Product Campaigns if you’re trying to avoid Product Page Placements.
Modifiers tend to be easily ignored when brands are relying on keyword automation software and their lack of use are one of the top mistakes the Pilothouse Amazon team sees when auditing ad accounts.
Across countless audits, they’ve seen account data show that brands could be using modifiers to maximize much better than they currently are…
👀 If you’re looking to get modifiers set up in your account, here’s what the team recommends:
Have campaigns designed specifically for Search targeting (actively avoiding product pages) and campaigns specifically targeting Product Pages (actively avoiding search placements).
Having your campaigns split like this will keep your data clean and allow you to make informed tactical decisions to improve performance.
Here’s an example: 👇
The Pilothouse team isn’t scared to lean in and get aggressive with their modifiers. For example, running a 280% Top of Search (TOS) and a 200% Rest of Search (ROS) modifier would increase a $1 bid to $2.80 for a TOS placement or $2 for a ROS placement.
Each placement will likely have a different ROAS, so when using modifiers correctly you can dial in the bid for each placement to ensure it hits your targets.
Important note, while TOS is typically your best converting placement and will likely warrant the highest bid, that’s not always the case. With higher priced products that simply can’t compete at TOS, the team sees ROS outperform and actually run a higher multiplier than TOS.
Pilothouse pro tip: Follow the data, but use your multipliers to maximize your results. 📈
Building a brand means building trust.
We buy from large brands because we trust that they’ll keep the promises they make.
Still, too many ecommerce brand owners rely solely on paid media for growth. That’s like building a house on rented land.
Brands that win have communities of influential advocates around them, promoting them non-stop. If you’ve been wanting to start an influencer program without paying for expensive agencies or complicated tools, consider trying SARAL.
It helps you:
Want to try it out?
If you’re skeptical, get a demo!
Having the right people on your timeline means:
Writing a daily newsletter means we spend A LOT of time scrolling to make sure we’re keeping you, dear reader, as up to date and inspired as possible.
Here’s two people we think are definitely worth the follow:
1️⃣ Looking to get inspired while working on your next venture? Follow Jess Chan.
At the time of writing this, Jess’s Diary of An Entrepreneur series is on edition number 213.
In this series, Jess consistently shares what goes on in a day when building a new venture.
In the words of Jess, the series was created to highlight building in public and, “to start a conversation around the actual day-to-day emotional & psychological journey of being an entrepreneur.”
👉 You can check out the beginning of the series here.
2️⃣ If you’re keen on memes (and some dang good ecommerce insights too) then Sean Frank is who you’re looking for.
The title says it all. Memes and insights galore.
Sean keeps it Frank (Sean, please feel free to steal this for a series if you haven't already used it) — He shares his thoughts on big things happening in ecom and is someone many users look to for commentary.
Sean is the CEO of Ridge and talks about how they’re planning to grow the brand to be, “the next Yeti (but better).”
👉 Check out what Sean is posting here.
Is content like this useful for you? Reply to this email and let us know. In your reply, tell us who some of your favorite follows in the industry are (we might highlight them next).
👀 Increase email and SMS sign-ups with one click. Black Crow AI’s one click integration + your website = ROI for your Shopify store in as few as 7 days. Book a 30 min call, get a $100 gift card. *
👂 Your customers are talking to you on social. Are you listening?! Step up your social media support game and meet your customers where they are with Help Scout's strategy-packed guide. *
🐝 The queen bee stings again. Check out Beyoncé’s new haircare line Cécred.
🚨 TREND ALERT: Have you seen the TikTok videos with the “You should know this too” sound? We think it could be a fun one for brands to jump on! Check it out here.
🤖 Want to make your ChatGPT work better for you? Take a look at this list of custom GPT AI plugins.
💬 Need a voiceover and need it fast? Try ElevenLabs to generate natural-sounding speech in multiple languages and voices while also adjusting tone, emotion, and style to suit your specific needs.
📰 NEWS
DTC Newsletter + Podcast reaches a highly qualified audience of Shopify merchants, eCommerce founders, and digital marketers. Talk to our team to learn more.
In case you needed the reminder today, the ads that are winning awards aren’t necessarily winning the hearts of shoppers.
Yes, it’s cool to be recognized, but it’s cooler to have scrollers convert, love your product, and have it improve their lives in one way or another.
Have you heard our latest podcasts?
Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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DTC is fueled by Pilothouse company registered in Victoria, BC, Canada.