Heyoo, and welcome to DTC number 23, a magic prime number favored by Michael Jordan, David Beckham and Nobel Prize winning mathematician John Nash. He believed that the number 23 has a unique role in human relationships and it held a special significance for his work.
We just like that it rhymes with DTC š¤·āāļø
š Before we go more āBeautiful Mindā on you, letās welcome new members Hiya Health, Henryās Skincare, Kion, Stable of Ireland, Asutra, Rudolph Foods, Uiltje Brewing Co, and many others joining us in the last week.
This PRIME edition is packed with topics that will bear special significance to your bottom line:
š¦ Everything you need to know to profit with Pins on PinterestĀ
š¦ A CRO tool called a FOGG Analysis that will help clarify your landing page optimization process
š¦ Hot tips from the Pilothouse creative ābrain trustā for simple tactics you can apply to creatives TODAY
š¦ āPut a bow on itā -- Holiday creative highlights you should already be running
š¦ A DTC brand gives a masterclass in positioning by creating a cookie dough thatās... healthy.
Stick around until the end and discover ONE formatting mistake on your Shopify store that instantly makes people think youāre a low-quality dropshipper šĀ
ā
At Pilothouse, our team never stops. Weāre always learning and growing. Last week, Jake from the Pilothouse team took a course on Landing Page CRO activation and motivating behaviour using the Fogg Behavioural Model.Ā
He was kind enough to summarize his learnings and provide the useful graphic below. Take a read, and think about how you could start applying this useful behavioural modelling tool to your marketing strategy!Ā
Ok, cool. But what does this mean for my marketing strategy?Ā
Bottom line: your strategy needs to include the three elements of motivation, ability, and trigger to persuade your audience to act.Ā
Start with an analysis of your offering and marketing strategy to determine in which of these categories you might be lacking.Ā
The goal is to put yourself in your userās shoes then determine where they land on the curve by considering:Ā Ā
Once you know where your users land on the graph, you can start thinking about your angles to convert them through the entire funnel.Ā
Work with your prompts (copy, CTAās, images, videos) so that they speak to usersā behavioural instincts and help them jump over any motivational or ability-based hurdles.Ā
If your users are already motivated by the reward, donāt drill down on the reward in your copy. Focus instead on how easy the task is - use your copy to convert them over any objections they might have to obtain the reward.Ā
For a product that doesnāt have highly motivated buyers, focus on different motivations they could adopt, such as why your product is the best in the market or how it will improve their life.Ā
There ya go! If you want a deeper dive into Fogg Behaviour modelling, check out BJ Foggās original paper and his website & newsletter.Ā Ā
[Special Founders Offer + Great Gift Idea] Become a DTC+ Member today and get instant access to our previous workshops, the DTC Newsletter Vault, podcast Q&As, brainstorm mixers (with eggnog), and much more.
Youāll also get access to our upcoming Stand Out With Snapchat Workshop.
We only have about 50 spots remaining for our DTC Founders offer: 50% off the annual package.Ā
Join us today with coupon code ādtcfoundersā.Ā
Even if you only take advantage of the workshops, that works out to less than $38 per workshop. š¤Æ
ā
This weekās All Killer No Filler features the Pilothouse Creative Team sharing their top tips & tricks for creating scroll-stopping creative while balancing performance with polish.Ā
We brought together Creative Director Cam Wind, Creative Designer Robin Holdsworth, and Content Manager Evan OāGorman to discuss the setup and strategy that goes into a high functioning creative team.Ā
Here are some top creative hacks from the pod, starting with a solid value rocket that came up towards the end of the cast: Look at these creatives š
Negative space is often overlooked in ad creative. Cam suggests shrinking your image by 20% and using the negative space to make the image pop. This slight visual overhang will instantly set your creative apart from other ads in the newsfeed and give depth to your ad.Ā
Test this ASAP and let us know how it does. It wonāt work forever, but for now, itās an effective pattern disruptor. Bonus points for testing it as a video!
Consider using creative that features photos of your packaging, or a distribution centre, or your products in a pile - these behind the scenes images crusshh. Same for creative showcasing of the team behind the brand - audiences love toĀ sneak a peek behind the curtain. This type of content succeeds because audiences donāt immediately recognize that theyāre looking at an ad. Theyāre also a great tool to push urgency at the BOF. Try an image of your remaining stock next to copy about having limited product remaining - let us know how it works for you!Ā
Our creative team determined that this was likely their most significant learning in the industry. Performance is the biggest source of direction when it comes to creative planning and directing our creative energy. Go back to the data, and prioritize proven creative concepts that audiences respond to. Build from there.Ā
Relentlessly iterate until youāre confident you have a top performing creative (then keep polishing and try five more versions).Ā
The jobās not easy. You only have a tiny box to work with and an extremely short window of time to 1. Stop people from scrolling, and 2. Display your product in a pleasing, polished, and professional way.Ā
Thereās no point in having ads perfected from a design perspective if theyāre just going to be scrolled by.Ā
The team has seen success with content that could be perceived as ugly. The strategy is an intentional (and performance-backed) break with design norms to disrupt scroll patterns. These less than cute visuals stop audiences in their tracks - āwait...what am I looking at!?ā - and are particularly impactful at the top of the funnel.Ā
You need to be clever to grab attention and convey value, but itās not always pretty.Ā
š¦ Listen to the full pod for a breakdown of how we structure our creative team, creative resource suggestions, a sweet Se7en reference, a Carrot Top reference, and behind-the-scenes intel on Pilothouseās 4000 push up day.Ā
Interested in learning more about the Pilothouse creative offerings? Fill out this quick survey.
ā
On the latest episode of the DTC Growth Show podcast, where we talk to Katy Marshall, the General Manager of Pattern Brands. We speak with her about the importance of impact versus complexity so that she can not just execute something for one brand but execute across the family of Pattern Brands.
Check it out here.
Lindsay Shearer is a renowned Pinterest SEO specialist and the owner of Pinterest-focused digital marketing agencies Pins 4 Profit and Launch Mastery Marketing. She has 16 years of digital marketing experience and has helped multiple brands grow and scale their 7, 8 and 9 figure brands.Ā
Here are some Pinterest-y pro-tips from the pod:Ā
Hack: Yes, you need consistent content, but that doesnāt mean you need to be continually outputting new blog posts and new products. Focus instead on creating new pins for your evergreen content, and link out from there. For example, you can have multiple pins using different creative linking to the same blog content.Ā
š¦ Listen to the full pod for the most overlooked step when starting a brand, optimizing keywords for the holidays, and a handy list of events you should be attending!
ā
We asked Alex Ortega, Content Manager at Pilothouse, to geek out about his favorite creative client WĆ¼fers, cookie boxes for dogs and to share some strategies that weāve used to stand out this holiday season.
WĆ¼fers is unique in that the product itself is so aesthetically pleasing. With beautiful designs and strong creative content from their team, often itās static imagery showcasing the cookies in a bright setting that performs best.Ā
We also love WĆ¼fers because they have such a high end internal content team. They have very high brand standards for their content and they pump new stuff out for us to test every week. Itās a pleasure to take their pristine images and make it stand out in the newsfeed, like this example where the social proof logos pop in the centre of the grid.
This holiday season, we set out to build a variety of simplified, minimally-designed, creatives that showcased the productās design and variety.
We found that grid-based creative layouts performed best. For example, 4-panel layouts that showcased a variety of SKUās or featured one SKU with multiple images - whether lifestyle or product - was our fundamental creative layout in Q4.Ā
Why I think these performed well as ads is because of their simplicity and ability to showcase variety. When someone is scrolling through their feeds, they are presented with an ad that gives them a literal visual feast (but for dogs). The ad gives them options and gives them a better understanding of what WĆ¼fers is at any stage in the funnel. Variety also instantly builds an element of trust, as it shows youāre not a one-trick-pony. š“
When we started with WĆ¼fers, we focused on standalone product shots, but weāve quickly discovered how important it is to also feature shots of the cookies being held.
Why do they work? Itās easier for people to imagine themselves in the ad when they see the human features. I also think itās because it showcases the product in a more direct way, focusing on the details, and because it offers negative space that is attractive to the eye and allows for room to add messaging.Ā
With WĆ¼fers, weāre pretty dialed in with whatās going to work but try to keep a healthy amount of room open for creative testing of videos, GIFs, UGC, etc. Weāve had some success, but these pieces of content are our go-to for scaling.Ā
If youāve got a pet who deserves an amazing treat this holiday season, check out WĆ¼fers š¶
Your holiday creatives are already dialed, but here are a few of our favorite performers this year.Ā
And hereās a little Tik Tok holiday inspo:Ā
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJbqHjUw/
Plus, for your copywriting needs, the essential emojipedia is at your service with its list of Christmas related emojis. š š š¤¶ āš ā
ā
š Rising Facebook CPMās: In recent months, weāve seen Facebookās CPMās rise to between $14-$17, causing media buyers to look more heavily into Snapchat, Tik Tok, Pinterest, and even Hulu ads. On top of increased CPMs, Facebook has struggled with its Ad Manager platform breaking down on multiple occasions this year. Shopifyās integration with Snapchat, Pinterest, and Tik Tok makes diversifying even harder for media buyers to resist. As always, testing is crucial before making any type of leap away from FB.Ā
š Shopping Reels: Instagram announced that businesses and creators will now have the ability to tag products in reels. This update allows users to shop throughout every nook and cranny of Instagram (Feed, Stories, IGTV, Live, and Reels). The e-commerce battle between Tik Tok and Reels is about to get toasty.Ā
š¬ Nostalgia & DTC:Ā Nostalgia reminds us of happier times, and for many brands, itās a perfect entryway into consumersā minds. We see it used in advertisements mainly, but recently DTC brands are taking it a step further. āWhile ads that remind consumers of their youth are able to help move products, actual products that are better versions of the things consumers bought in their youth are even more appealing.ā Behave, NUGGS, and OffLimits are three brands placing heavy nostalgia in both brand and product. While effective upfront, nostalgia begins to wear off as consumers demand products that not only remind them of happier times but also contribute towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A difficult balancing act.Ā
š¦ Tweet: @irishecom is back with a great tweet outlining the biggest giveaway that your store is low quality -- a one-sided product description page. Newbies take note!
š§µ2020's Top DTC Moments: From the FTC denying Edgewellās acquisition of Harryās to the āe-commerce gold rush,ā where 10 years of ecom growth happened in 8 weeks, direct-to-consumer had a wild 2020. @digitallynative sums it up in this killer thread.Ā
š„©DTC Trends: DTC Meat is a big pandemic winner according to this report by Progressive Grocer: āin March, Omaha Steaks experienced almost 300% year-over-year growth, compared to 138% for Butcherbox and 134% for Crowd Cow. By April, Omaha Steaksās growth reached nearly 800%.
š Tinned Fish: Weāre sharks when discovering new DTC brands and this week was no different. Sustainably sourced seafood company Fishwife offers albacore tuna, smoked salmon, and olive oil-soaked Sardines delivered to your home from oceans around the world. Based in L.A, the female-founded company was created and launched during the pandemic and has had early success selling out their smoked salmon. The brand's European-inspired design elements and sustainability priorities help it stand out amongst category leaders.Ā
šš»āāļø Athletic Brands: Forbes breaks down why athletic brands have been market and innovation leaders in the DTC space, saying āthese brands embrace individuality and customer feedback in design and are driven by a young, digitally savvy audience. Itās the passion of the athletic wear consumer that has spawned so many new entrants in recent years, with newcomers like Allbirds and Outdoor Voices gaining almost cult-like followings in seemingly no time.āĀ
šµ 2020 Tik Tok Trends: Itās the month of āBest Ofāsā and Tik Tok hopped aboard, highlighting brands and campaigns that inspired us this year. Our favorite snippet from the report: ā43% of heavy Tik Tok users feel that the advertising on TikTok seamlessly blends in with the organic content enjoyed on the āFor Youā feed. The brand prides itself on their āDonāt make ads, make Tik Toksā ethos, and itās clearly paying off as the platform is one of the best at ad integration.Ā
šāāļø Negotiating Influencers: Working with influencers can be overwhelming. Negotiating price and deliverables is tricky especially with agents trying to squeeze every dollar. Influencer marketer @cody_wittick shares excellent tips for negotiations and walks through a case study between Dale Earnhardt Jr and Qalo rings. Check it out.
šŖ Healthy Cookie Dough: Vegan and Gluten-Free cookie dough used to be all the hype, but a new DTC brand Duex is taking things a step further. Theyāve introduced cookie dough with vitamins, protein, and even collagens. While it may seem like an odd combination, it perfectly aligns with the values of Gen Z and Millenials who demand products that not only taste great but support your health. As a result, we have āCookie dough thatās actually good for you.ā Weāll be conducting a taste test ASAP!Ā
ā
ā
DTC 2023. All Rights Reserved.
DTCĀ is fueled by Pilothouse company registered in Victoria, BC, Canada.