Go on… Tell us you didn’t laugh at this one!
In this newsletter, you’ll find: 👇
📦 500k in free ads? Yes please!
📦 The importance of a localized approach in new markets
📦 The unsung heroes of DTC: customer experience edition
📦 Retention tools you need to keep customers coming back
Scroll to the end for the top insights from this edition of DTC! 👏
👉 If a pal forwarded this to you, subscribe, so you never miss out.
🤑 What could you achieve after $500K in free ads?
Can you imagine leaving $500k in free ad spend on the table? Neither can we. This week’s All Killer No Filler podcast fills us in on how brands can convert paid ad content into an organic goldmine. 🥇
Members from the Pilothouse team join the ‘pod to break down their breakthroughs in YouTube Shorts content, the Dilution effect, and how to leverage metrics to accelerate your brand’s growth.
🏆 We bet you’re sitting on winners
We need to let you in on a secret… you could be sitting on millions of organic views. How? You can double dip, and use the same video for both ads and organic content. If your ads meet some minimum criteria (listen to the full episode for more details), they might be the perfect video for the algorithm and go viral on Shorts.
Sound too simple? The Pilothouse team did this with a partner, and they got an extra 2M+ views 🤯.
Here's how you do it: If you upload your ad as an unlisted Short, you should be reviewing the analytics after the data matures. If you see positive numbers here, try switching the visibility from unlisted to public! You’ll open the door for thousands, even millions, of potential impressions for FREE .99!
Is there any reason not to try this one out? 👀
🌊 The Dilution Effect
More isn’t always better. You might think an ad with three unique selling points (USPs) is more effective than an ad with one… as it turns out, the ad with three USPs is less effective on average than the ads with a single USP.
This is because focused ads appeal to one particular group of people really well, while a more broad approach doesn’t cater to any one group in particular. With more focused variants in your marketing campaign, you can target specific groups without deterring others in the process.
🎭 Behind the scenes
Check out the ‘pod with the Pilothouse team for more valuable insights, including little-known facts about how Google determines where your ads are shown, how to multipurpose your content, and how interpreting your metrics correctly can revolutionize your campaign strategy. 🔥
Why Europe?
For its history, culture, art, and cuisine, of course! 🥖
But especially because with the UK, Germany, France and Spain, Europe harbors 4 of the 10 biggest ecommerce markets in the world!
A staggering 748,867,431 people live in Europe, of which 77%(!!) is used to shopping online: Say hello to 576,627,922 potential new clients.
With some exceptions (👋UK), most countries in Europe have the same currency, VAT and legislation.
But be careful. Europe isn’t a one size fits all continent:
A localized approach is crucial to becoming a successful contender.
Consider:
Don’t let this put you off. Europe is worth the effort.
With the help of a local expert such as Salesupply, your brand will be able to compete like a local everywhere. 🤝
👉 Don't miss the boat. Get in touch with Salesupply to start your European adventure today.
When selling a physical product online, you have to put a lot of thought into branding, copywriting, and advertising. After all, you’re trying to digitally represent an object that a person can’t pick up, look at (or smell) in person and convince them to buy it from you.
Understandably, attracting new customers is a major focus for a lot of DTC brands — especially at launch when you’re trying to prove out demand and get your target audience excited that you’ve entered the market.
Obviously, your business isn’t going to last long without customer acquisition. But retention is just as important! 👈
A positive or negative customer experience impacts brand trust, word of mouth, review ratings, LTV, and the return on investment of your marketing efforts.
At every successful ecommerce brand, people work behind the scenes to ensure customers keep coming back. And today, we’re shining the spotlight on the critical role they play, not just in reducing customer churn but accelerating brand growth.
Here are 3 things you should know about Customer Experience (CX):
1️⃣ It’s way more than “customer support”
The CX role encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, including:
As you can see, answering support tickets is just a small part of the CX playbook. Every customer touchpoint counts as fair game, and there’s infinite room for creativity. 🔥
Being ghosted by first-time shoppers? 👻
It's time to bring them back again. (and again, and again...)
At Yotpo’s biggest product innovation event, Retain Forward. You will learn the retention tools you need to keep customers coming back.
Experts from leading brands, including DIME Beauty, Dr. Squatch, Aviator Nation, & more, will share their top strategies for driving retention.
You'll also get -
*Terms and Conditions Apply - No Purchase Necessary*
2️⃣ CX is most effective when paired
Keeping the customer experience team in a silo is a mistake that a lot of DTC companies make, but there are huge benefits to working in tandem with other departments:
Real talk: No one is going to re-order a product they don’t know how to use. Ideally, your product team is keeping CX up to date with customer education materials and what’s coming next in terms of new features or SKUs so they can easily answer questions.
In return, CX can provide the product team with a wealth of customer feedback (FAQs, concerns, and requests) to help guide the product roadmap.
According to popular helpdesk platform Gorgias, “where is my order?” is the most common ecommerce ticket question, responsible for 18% of incoming requests. If a 3PL or carrier drops the ball on getting shipments to their destination, CX is often the first to know.
Since the logistics team has the power to make vendor decisions that affect support ticket volume, making sure these teams collaborate regularly is critical to improving the last-mile experience.
If a promo code isn’t working, product positioning isn’t lining up with reality, or a new advertising campaign is raising more eyebrows than excitement, CX hears about it. CX is also in a prime spot to collect testimonials from happy shoppers when things go right.
As the primary point of contact, CX has a wealth of customer feedback that marketing can benefit from. An ongoing dialogue between the two teams allows CX to prepare ahead of time for any significant moves the brand is making.
3️⃣ The CX tech stack is no joke
If you had any doubts about the versatility of the Customer Experience job function after looking at the list of responsibilities, just peep this plethora of ecommerce apps that CX professionals use to keep things running smoothly:
One parting note: 🤖 vs. 😃
While a lot of CX technology centers around automation, customers respond most positively to interactions that feel personalized, human, and helpful.
DTC brands that can strike the right balance of self-service and proactive communication, bots and live assistance, will stand out among those that are only looking to reduce customer interactions, rather than enhancing them.
From our friends at Northbeam, the most recent data on what's happening and trending in the world of media buying. 🌎
If you’re a buyer, step right up and get your insights. If you’re not, forward this email to your media-buying friends or coworkers!
🧠 Northbeam’s insights:
The effects of last Sunday's "Meta meltdown" are clear. Meta's CPMs (+4.49%), CPC (+7.29%) and CACs (+10.10%) are up by stunning levels, even when diluted by six other days of data. ROAS is down on virtually every channel - a sign of Meta's dominant role in the funnel. Most channels like Tiktok and Google remain relatively stable, good news for omnichannel brands. Still, a difficult week overall for advertisers, less so for those lucky (or brave) enough to leave their Meta spend on throughout Sunday and the rest of the week.
Quick Hits
📥 Dropbox lays off about 500 employees amid slowing growth. Significant factors also include recent developments in AI technology.
♾️ Meta announces additional customization for avatars. The latest options include hairstyles, body shapes, and clothing to further diversify its options after reports of growing revenue and user base.
🐣 Twitter now requires verification for all advertisers using its platform. An email was sent out to all current advertisers to inform them of the new requirements.
🔎 Google adds more advertising solutions to reach Gen Z audiences. The Gen Z Music feature will assist in aligning your brand with trending music to engage a younger audience.
🎵 TikTok announced that its TikTok Shop Beta is expanding to more retailers. TikTok Shop is designed to support brand growth on the platform with shoppable video, live shopping, and a product showcase.
🔥 All Killer No Filler
Maximize your ad spend with Youtube Shorts by tapping into the organic goldmine you have waiting for you. Keep your content focused so as to not let the Dilution Effect get the better of your brand.
🤝 Customer Experience Teams: The Unsung Heroes
Customer Experience (CX) is way more than customer support. Pair this role with Product, Logistics, and Marketing teams to realize the full potential of your customer support teams. If you have any doubts about the versatility of the Customer Experience job, check out the vast CX tech stack options to supercharge your efforts.
🍸 Ben Soffer - Spritz Society: Influencer Strategies for Alcohol Brands and Linear Commerce.
🕯️ 9-Year-Old Lily Harper from Lily Lou's Aromas homeschools us all.
🌲 TAXA Outdoor, Garrett Finney: Digital meets dealership, NASA Architect goes out of home for real.
🐶 Pet Health Comes Home with MySimplePetLab's Jen Hagness.
☠️ Liquid Death Mountain Water: Hamid Saify - Death, Beverages, and the Attention Economy.
💡 Listen to the Biggest Marketing News Stories Today.
Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight, Juliana Casale, and Michael Venditti. Edited by Claire Beveridge and Eric Dyck.
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