To some, Valentine’s Day is an invention of Hallmark to sell more cards…
To others, it’s a perfect way to show love to those around you.
A select few realize it’s actually the pagan fertility ritual of Lupercalia 🐐
DTC knows it’s all these things, but regardless, we’re so glad you chose to spend time with us on heart day ❤️
Did you buy a gift for someone special (or yourself) from a DTC brand? Reply to this email and let us know which one!
In this newsletter, you’ll find: 👇
👀 Welcome email essentials
🔥 How to navigate to Facebook Ads Library from Instagram
🚂 Hop on the oat train with Oat Haus
Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. 😎
👉 If a pal forwarded this to you, subscribe, so you never miss out.
Are you tired of manually navigating to Facebook Ads Library to check out the current ads of your favorite brands?
There has to be an easier way, right?
Take a look at this super simple process to bring you from Instagram straight to Facebook Ads Library.
1️⃣ Locate the company on Instagram
Have you been scrolling and want to check out companies' ads? Or maybe you’ve seen a sponsored post and want to take a peek into their Ads Library?
2️⃣ Learn about their account
Click the three dots in the upper right corner of the brand's profile and select ‘About This Account’ 👇
3️⃣ Navigate to Ads Library
If the company has their Facebook and Instagram linked, you’ll see an option to navigate to the Facebook Ads Library.
Now you’re all set to check out the competition!
Thanks to the Pilothouse team for the awesome tip. Happy scrolling!
If you want to explore how subscriptions created stability for merchants in 2021, check out the State of Subscription Commerce report.
During uncertain times, subscriptions can be a stabilizing force for both brands and consumers. In fact, in 2021, merchants of all sizes and verticals saw their subscribers spend more and stay on longer. 📈
In this report, Recharge analyzed data from over 12,000 merchants and 25 million subscribers to bring you valuable insights, including:
Learn how subs can help bulletproof your business from the ups and downs of the industry.
👉 Download the State of Subscription Commerce report now.
You’ve heard the stats:
Email marketing has the highest ROI out of almost any other digital marketing strategy. Some reports show an average ROI of 4400% or $44 earned for every $1 spent. 🚀
Why does email marketing have such a high ROI?
Because people want to hear from you—some are even begging to hear from you. People who subscribe to your list:
While email marketing is an outstanding way to engage your most loyal fans, not all email marketing strategies are created equal.
In other words, you’ll see better results if you adhere to some proven email marketing best practices.
Let’s start with your first opportunity to influence subscribers: the welcome email. Here are some ways to make your welcome email stand out from the crowd.
✅ Trigger your welcome email to send immediately
Let’s look at some stats:
When you consider these three stats collectively, it says customers are actively waiting to read your welcome email.
Don’t keep them waiting. ⏲️
“Customers are most "ready to buy" right after taking action, especially if that action involves them actively asking for your 15% off discount code like most DTC brands offer on their opt-in boxes. Waiting longer does nothing but frustrate customers who told you they want your solution right now.” -Danavir Sarria, Founder of SupplyDrop
No matter what ESP you use, you can set up a trigger that will schedule your welcome email to send immediately.
🤯 Hook them with a killer subject line
Look. I’m a copywriter and a content marketer, so subject lines are a big deal to me. A good subject line is more interesting than who wins the Superbowl. I’m serious.
The recipe for a stellar subject line is easy:
That’s it.
You’ve probably seen a million subject lines that say, “Welcome to <insert DTC brand of choice>. Yes, it’s descriptive. It’s also boring AF.
Here’s a better example from Cat Person.
It’s short. It’s sweet. It’s descriptive. It’s funny, AND it’s cute. The subject line makes you want to click and find out what Cat Person is all about.
I wanted to get a better idea of how other copywriters pick good subject lines, so I talked to Richard Michie, CEO of The Marketing Optimist.
He talked about brainstorming, research, and testing.
Michie said:
“We spend at least 20% of our time writing subject lines. We come up with a list of at least 20 and then cull them back to get to around 5 well-crafted, to the point, killer subject lines. Then we’ll ask the team, our clients, friends, family—the dog to give feedback. From there, we narrow it down to two—the subject line we love and the one the client loves. The only way to find a winner is to split test in the wild. Most email software lets you do this easily. The winner becomes your “banker” or the one you’ll test against next time.”
You can write a million subject lines, but the best way to see what will resonate is to test it with your audience.
🦷 Get them to sink their teeth into your brand
When someone subscribes to your list, your brand is at the top of their mind. They’re patiently waiting for you to enter their inbox with more information.
This is the perfect time to get subscribers to take some sort of action that will keep them coming back for more.
All you have to do is create the opportunity and make the ask.
Some ideas?
Encourage them to start shopping on your website by sending a unique coupon code. This is an especially smart strategy for a DTC brand. Here’s an example from Plus.
Ask them to join your rewards program. Ikea does this.
Explain how to start using your services. YouTube Premium does this.
Another thing to keep in mind if you want to get your subscribers to engage is to appeal to their emotions. I talked to marketing professional Dylan Bridger.
He said:
“A memorable welcome email tells a story that appeals to the emotions and then soft-sells the product. By telling a story, you entertain the reader and paint a vivid image of how your product fits into their life. This drives immediate sales (because people buy based on emotion?, and makes the reader crave your next email (because you entertained them).”
Remember!
Your welcome email is your first impression. It’s an opportunity to get your subscribers to click and learn more, make a connection, and start buying. It’s worth it to get it right. 4400% ROI worth it.
In 2020, D2C eCommerce sales reached $111 billion. By 2023, they're estimated to reach $174 billion. Hands up, who's ready for a slice of that action! 🙋♀️
In this must-read report, ProQuo AI dives into leading food, beverage, apparel, and consumer goods brands, like Away, HelloFresh, and Patagonia, to uncover the key motivations that drive drastic growth in these categories.
Here’s all the goodness you can get outta ProQuo AI’s D2C category deep dive:
We all wanna hit that white space.
👉 Learn how in ProQuo AI's latest deep dive.
You’ve heard of oatmeal and oat milk… but what about oat spread?
Bringing ‘Big Oat Energy,’ say hello to Oat Haus. 👋
With no dairy, soy, nuts, or GMOs, Oat Haus’ granola butter is the perfect spreadable snack (although we don’t think just on a spoon is a bad option either).
Oat Haus has definitely mastered their product shots, but it’s their copy that steals the show. 👇
Don’t forget to check out their Facebook Ads for a great mix of striking product shots, influencer/celebrity collaborations, and comparison ads.
💰 Neo.Tax raises $10M to help startups access R&D tax credits.
💸 BNPL payment startup Alma raises another $130M round.
🧢 Ames Watson lines up $250M for deals via Lids.
🛍 Shopware, an e-commerce platform that powers 100K brands, raises its first outside funding: $100M from PayPal and Carlyle.
🦷 Tend Merges Dentistry with Hospitality and Disrupts the $300B Space with Matt Fitzgerald.
💄 Youthforia's Fiona Co Chan Creates an Organic TikTok to Amazon Pipeline.
💗 Changing the World's Pleasure Baseline with Jen Batchelor CEO and Founder of Kin Euphorics.
🍪 How HighKey Raised Their AOV by 40% with Chief Digital Officer Ryan Rouse.
Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
DTC Newsletter is written by Ashley Cummings and Rebecca Knight. Edited by Claire Beveridge.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.
NEED MORE DTC?
🚀 Advertise in DTC Newsletter.
💰Check out our course on Facebook and Instagram ads!
📥 Work for The DTC Newsletter: Send an email to Rebecca, rebecca@directtoconsumer.co, if you’re interested in writing for us!
DTC 2023. All Rights Reserved.
DTC is fueled by Pilothouse company registered in Victoria, BC, Canada.