BF/CM is only 30 days away…
Buckle up. It’s about to get bumpy, but we got you covered!
If you’re new to DTC, welcome! You’re in good company with fellow newcomers from Fabletics, Send A Cake, Wunder, Sugardoh, Pet Parents, Pokémon, 4ocean, Bobo’s, and the Texas Rangers. ⚾️
♻️ How one DTC brand cut their CAC in half with TV.
🔥 Killer SMS strategies for BF/CM.
🎯 How to target ‘Google Clicker’ audiences in Facebook.
🫖 All the caffeine and none of the anxiety – Joy Milk Tea.
Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. 😎
👉 If a pal forwarded this to you, subscribe so you never miss out. And be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Six strategies to increase SMS signups and boost product sales this holiday season.
Let’s jump right in!
It’s likely that those who engage and spend money as a result of your emails will do the same on SMS.
You must treat your VIP list… well, like VIPs. Include special offers, discounts, or a free gift, making it a no-brainer to join your SMS list!
Check out this example by Olipop: 👇
We chatted with Troy Petrunoff, Retention Marketer at Every Man Jack about his top SMS tips for BF/CM.
His advice? Give these early access sign ups at least 2 hours before opening storewide.
The results 👉 3x the time of SMS opt-ins compared to non-holiday one-off SMS pushes to email audiences.
The takeaway 👉 Not only is this great strategy to boost BF/CM sales but also grows your overall audience.
Here’s an example from Facetory:
You’ve probably already felt the pressure of offering major discounts during the holiday season. Sometimes the reality is that your business can’t afford to compete with big retailer discounts.
So what’s a more feasible yet effective option?
The Director of Marketing at Suit Shop, Kristen Jones, suggests teaming up with other brands in your industry to host a big giveaway, requiring SMS signup to enter.
"We got thousands of SMS subscribers last BFCM doing this!"
This allows you to engage with subscribers and grow your SMS list without compromising profitability.
Leading up to BF/CM, shoppers' inboxes are bombarded with messages. Figure out how to STAND OUT!
Some tips:
You’ve received an order from an SMS subscriber –YAY 🎉
But it doesn’t stop there… Bryan Dickey, SMS Strategist at Postscript, stresses the importance of post-purchase automation to keep customers informed of their delivery.
Bryan highlights that: "a retained subscriber = repeat purchaser."
🔑 Key takeaway: keeping subscribers engaged throughout the entire purchasing journey is the key to achieving repeat purchases (this includes during BF/CM and non-holiday purchases).
At a minimum, send out the following:
Here’s an example from ThreeShips, who go above and beyond with their post-purchase messages: 👇
This might seem counter-intuitive, as it’s easy to assume that everyone is eager to jump on BF/CM deals. However, this might not always be the case.
Klaviyo’s Customer Advocate, Val Geisler, noted that "maybe they don’t have the budget to spend this holiday season, or are spending their money on things like travel (finally)."
Giving users the opportunity to opt-out decreases the chance of them unsubscribing, as the offers don’t apply to them.
Geisler shares that "every time I’ve done this, it generates revenue and goodwill."
Feeling inspired yet? ✨
Take these strategies and make this BF/CM the best one yet!
Reply to this email and let us know which strategy you’ll be using this holiday season. :)
Does your DTC brand have you dreaming about success in 2022? 🤩
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They're the all-in-one data management platform specifically for DTC founders, built by a team of experienced DTC e-commerce entrepreneurs and data scientists.
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How To Target ‘Google Clicker’ Audiences In Facebook
This tactic can help get good control at the top of the funnel by targeting Google Clicker lookalikes, and strong conversions at the middle and bottom of funnel by targeting Google Clickers directly.
BTW, this works with not only Google Ads but any other paid traffic source, too.
It’s very simple to set up these audiences. Here’s how you do it:
In Ads Manager, go to 'Audiences'
Then Click 'Create Audience' and then select 'Custom Audience'
Create a new custom audience by selecting the 'Website' source.
Click the dropdown and select 'People Who Visited Specific Webpages'
Select URL contains: and type in gclid
From here just name your audience. You can also go back to the past (30–180 days).
All it's doing is grouping people who've clicked through from a Google ad because their URL will have gclid in it.
Thanks to the Pilothouse team for this tip!
Your cupboards are overflowing with coffee, you ran out of toilet paper, your spouse is on you about two credit card charges this month…
Subscriptions are great—until they’re not. 😔
Reordering can be easy, though.
CPG brands like Lemon Perfect, Hydrant,and Huron are giving their customers a fast and personalized way to reorder from text, email, and even QR codes.
It’s one of those things that's easier to experience than explain, so click the link below to see it for yourself.
Check out Huron’s Repeat cart in action. 🔁
Repeat is so confident you’ll love it, they’ll even cover your second month’s bill.
Ready to make reordering easy?
In this week's episode, we're joined by Matt Kennedy, co-founder and CEO of Fussy, a UK-based brand creating the next generation of deodorant.
Fussy has seen incredible growth in just less than a year, thanks to an effective product, sleek design, smart PR hits, and well-capitalized TV appearances.
"We're making living sustainably part of your morning routine, starting with a refillable natural deodorant that ACTUALLY works. Backed by science, not buzzwords."
Grab some deo for your B.O. and be sure to tune into this one!
The Takeaways: 👇
🎨 It pays to give a "fuss" about design:
Take one look at Fussy’s sleek packaging, and you’ll quickly understand these guys are no amateurs when it comes to design.
In fact, the founders set out early to become the "Apple of deodorants" 🍎
"We’ve chosen to invest heavily into design because one of the problems with sustainable products we identified is they’re not always that sexy… We’re less ‘hippy,’ more ‘hip.’"
The fuss over design has paid off.
Fussy has been highlighted in a number of magazines and has even won design awards – creating organic PR opportunities that have fueled their fast growth.
Let’s face it, sometimes it pays to be pretty. 😍
📺 How Fussy cut their CAC in half with TV:
If you think daytime TV is dead, think again. ✋
"[In terms of growth channels] for us, without a doubt so far it’s been organic TV."
Fussy was highlighted on a daytime television show, and within one hour, they crushed two weeks’ worth of sales. 🤯
But the rev didn’t stop there…
They then took clips of the segment and used them as ads, which allowed them to cut their blended CAC in half, essentially overnight.
Legal? Who knows. Genius? We’d say so.
🚌 All aboard the supply chain #strugglebus:
When asked what he wished he’d known about supply chains earlier, Matt basically told us:
Growth ≠ Marketing
Growth = Marketing + Operations
Thanks to a near-fiasco to do with coconut oil, Fussy learned this lesson the hard way.
👉 Want to learn more about Fussy’s fast-track to growth? Listen to the full pod here!
🚨 Psst… As a DTC reader, you can get 10% off Fussy deodorant with code "DTC."
Tired of drinking the same ol’ cuppa joe every day?
So was Max, founder of Joy Milk Tea. 🫖
A frustration in a lack of high-quality milk teas available created a tea with complex flavors, energy benefits, and a taste that could be enjoyed everyday.
Their tea is made with fresh (not powdered) ingredients and contains a mix of caffeine and L-Theanine – bringing you the energy without the anxiety.
And it’s pretty dang Instagrammable too. 👇👀
Follow Max as he shares his journey of building this killer brand. 🚀
🚨 DTCX Virtual Summit is back Nov 3–4! Join Seth Godin, Ezra Firestone, and other top eCommerce leaders discussing the new, what’s working, and what’s coming for DTC CX.*
💰 The anatomy of a DTC brand exit.
🚀Mailchimp is launching an integration for Shopify.
💄 How Sephora 'hacked' Google search results to surface Black beauty.
🛠 Instagram adds more tools to help creators maximize branded content partnerships.
🛍 BigCommerce merchants can now reach new customers across Google.
🎊 Facebook: new ways for businesses to get discovered and connect with customers this holiday season.
🔥 DTC Podcast: Spotlight Oral Care dives deep into how they’ve gone viral on TikTok.
*Sponsored
♻️ Learn how Fussy Deodorant Lowers Blended CaC with cofounder Matt Kennedy.
🦷 Spotlight Oral Care Goes Viral on TikTok with co-founder Dr. Lisa Creaven and VP of marketing Siobhan Nolan.
🧵 Cornering the $4.2B quilting market, with David Mifsud from Missouri Star Quilt Co.
🚽 Why YouTube is the secret behind this DTC bidet brand’s success, with Thomas Lotrecchiano from Omigo.
Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
DTC Newsletter is written by Thomas Schreiber, Megan Smith, Kelsey Hess, and RebeccaKnight.
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