One more time for those in the back! š£ š
In this newsletter, youāll find: š
š¦ How Manscaped makes the most of TikTok
š¦ Small changes and big results for True Classic
š¦ Hook your audience and never let go
š¦ Keeping visitor data alive post-iOS 14.5
Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. š
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ā The right content for the right brand
TikTok can be a goldmine of value for the right brand.
Manscaped has a signature personality and voice theyāve been able to refine over many years, so TikTok might just be the perfect platform to let them shine.
Pilothouse took a peek at what Manscaped offers us in the capital city of short-form content.
Letās find out whatās working for them and what isnāt. š
š Have fun with it
We think this is an incredibly fun animation made in partnership with a well-known animator. The sketch is fast, funny, and stays true to Manscapedās branding.
The one thing holding this wonderfully quirky cartoon back is the overall narrative direction. With a bit more consideration for the story, viewers couldāve been rewarded with a bit more than just the product as the punchline. š„
š£ When you present a narrative hook to lead your content, your audience is more likely to stop scrolling and pay attention.
A narrative helps your ad feel more organic and aligned with what TikTok users expect from creators on the platform. There arenāt many people whoāll stick around to watch your ads if they can tell it's an ad. š¤·
š¤ Do it for them
Manscaped has seen great success with creative from a femaleās perspective. š
Getting men to consider their hygiene from the perspective of a loved one or have self-care products suggested as a gift seems to hold tremendous value. ā£ļø When a purchase decision has a positive impact on more than just the consumer, it only becomes more compelling to buy.
Positive impact is at the heart of this angle. Manscaped is proposing a future where the consumer is complimented and praised for using their products. It can be immensely compelling in all the right ways.
To really sell viewers on the benefits of Manscapedās products, a before-and-after style video or a glow-up reveal can make a huge impact on those who are looking to make a positive difference in their life.
Keep reading to find out how to push your narrative content straight to consumersā āFor Youā pages! š
š°š°š° It costs big bucks to acquire a new customer right now. š°š°š°
Thatās why so many top DTC brands are focusing on customer retention using one of the most powerful retention tools today: Mobile apps.
Think about it. With push notifications at your fingertips, you can cost-effectively reach and engage your best customers where they spend most of their time ā on their phones. š±
(Apps are also a cheat code if you want to avoid increasing advertising prices, fickle algorithms, and expensive SMS campaigns.)
Take it from True Classic...
When CACs started rising, they built a mobile app to re-engage existing customers at low cost and with minimal effort. And with 91% user retention and 200+% conversion rates on app vs mobile web, you could say it paid off.
Want to learn how they did it?
š This is how True Classic created their winning app (without stretching their budget, team resources, or doing a lick of coding).
š Telling a story
This creative leverages the narrative angle weāve been looking for! š
The key to drawing an audience in is to hook them with potential. If you start your content with a bunch of unique selling points (USPs) and product features, viewers will be quick to form an opinion about what theyāre watching without first absorbing the content you have to offer.
Keep audiences engaged and waiting for a conclusion theyāre looking forward to. A light-hearted tone, some personable characters, and a relatable situation like we see here adds crucial emotional weight making the end of this content worthy of viewersā time and attention. š
Besides the t-shirt, thereās no brand information and Manscaped isnāt even brought up until about 35 seconds into the piece. This allows the product time to naturally integrate with the narrative as the characters discover its hidden value within the story's context.
The original video on this creator's page has just under 4m views, and thatās well above his average. This just goes to show the power of a good story paired with the right creator.
š Wrapping this up
Manscaped has seen waves of success throughout their years of posting content on TikTok. Most of their top content pieces came from partnerships with creators, and we think thatās a healthy and safe approach with predictable results. šø
Manscapedās momentum continues to influence subsequent posts like a giant unstoppable snowball of positivity!
But this isnāt the case for many brands.
Consistently posting content in large volumes provides unreliable performance. If a piece of content doesnāt perform as well, Manscaped relies on being able to leave that content in the past with a calendar of new content lined up to take its place.
This is a valid approach given the habits of TikTokās user base, but finding a balance between consistency and substance should help boost their watch time sending their content straight to āFor Youāā pages all over the platform.
That substance may come as narrative angles are more integrated with Manscapedās content. Their products hold the potential to make a tangible impact on someoneās personal and professional life. There are so many glow-ups to be revealed and success stories to be told here that typical product featurettes should be few and far between.
š The moral of the story
Thatāll conclude Pilothouseās tour of TikTok with Manscaped! We encourage you to look at their incredible variety of content on TikTok to see whatās performing well and think of how your brand can leverage similar content styles.
Has Manscaped influenced your TikTok strategy? Can narrative take your brand to new heights? Let us know in a reply! š§
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šµ TikTokās new Interactive Add Ons aim to boost brand engagement from consumers. Add Ons are displayed through stickers, polls, countdowns, and more.
šŗ Youtube tests a new option for viewers to create a Short as a reply. These replies wonāt be shown publicly and only be available to a select group of Android and iOS users.
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š¦ Twitter teases a new feature that allows users to search key terms in their Followers list. This should help brands or creators find and interact with specific, highly-engaged Followers.
š½ Reddit shares new insights into how consumers use the platform for product research. The report reflects the high value consumers place on their peerās experience with brands and products.
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š¤ Restful Living with Wilet: A Rebranding Journey with Vivian McCormick.
š« The Future of Direct Mail and Marketing with PostPilotās Drew Sanocki.
š Manifesting Your Dreams with Samantha from Maniscripting.
š "Enlightened Hospitality" and the Secret to Killer CX with Eli Weiss from Jones Road Beauty.
š āā8-Figure Beauty Empire Trinny London's Epic Organic Content.
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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Michael Venditti. Edited by Claire Beveridge and Eric Dyck.
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