DTC Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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Hello and welcome to the DTC Podcast! Today, we’re diving into the ultimate Q4 preparedness guide with the expert team from Pilothouse. As we approach the busiest time of the year for e-commerce, the stakes couldn’t be higher. That’s why we’re bringing you this in-depth conversation on how to stock the pond and get every aspect of your marketing in line for Q4 success.

What You’ll Learn:

Stocking the Pond: How to expand your audience pools and get your customers primed for Q4.

Content Strategy: Why starting your Q4 content strategy early can lead to a more engaged and ready-to-buy audience.

Marketing Calendar: The importance of a well-organized calendar to align your cross-departmental efforts for maximum impact.

Tune in to hear actionable insights and strategies that will help you navigate Q4 like a pro.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Offer Testing for Q4 Success

02:40 - Stocking the Pond: Building Audience Pools

05:30 - Budget Planning for Q4 Marketing

08:15 - Creating Effective Content Strategies for Q4

12:05 - Building a Cohesive Marketing Calendar

Hashtags:

#eCommerce #Q4Marketing #BlackFridayPrep #DigitalMarketing #DTCBrands #OfferTesting #ContentStrategy #MarketingCalendar #MetaAdvertising #Pilothouse #MarketingTips #AudienceBuilding #SEO #AdvertisingStrategies #HolidayMarketing

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Hello and welcome to the DTC Podcast. Today, we’re joined by Drew Arciuolo, the visionary VP Marketing behind VKTRY Gear, a brand that has mastered scaling in the competitive world of athletic footwear accessories. In this episode, Drew shares how VKTRY Gear broke through a revenue ceiling and achieved explosive, profitable growth by narrowing their focus and refining their messaging and marketing strategies to resonate deeply with a specific target audience.

Note: You can mastermind with Drew and 60 other apex operators in Victoria, BC, on September 18-19, 2024 at our C-Suite Mastermind event. Grab your ticket here.

Key Insights:

Targeted Marketing: VKTRY Gear's pivot to focus on basketball players rather than all athletes led to 240% growth.

Influencer Strategy: The brand leveraged authentic influencer partnerships to amplify their message and drive demand.

Evolving Messaging: As awareness grew, VKTRY Gear adapted its messaging to address new consumer concerns, ensuring continued relevance and growth.

Tune in to learn how Drew and his team turned VKTRY Gear into a powerhouse in the athletic footwear space by being everywhere for their niche audience but not for everyone.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Sustaining Growth Beyond the First Win

02:45 - The Power of Targeted Messaging

06:00 - Leveraging Influencers and Organic Social Media

10:30 - Evolving Messaging Post-Virality

17:45 - Personal Insights: Imposter Syndrome

Hashtags:

#DTC #EcommerceGrowth #BrandMarketing #InfluencerMarketing #SustainableGrowth #Entrepreneurship #DirectToConsumer #BusinessSuccess #VKTRYGear #MarketingStrategy

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Hello and welcome to the DTC Podcast! Today, we're joined by Rebecca Zhou and Stephanie from Soft Services, along with John Chao from Tresl Segments.

https://www.tresl.co/dtc

Soft Services is a rapidly scaling body skincare company that recently expanded from DTC to an omnichannel presence with Sephora. In this episode, we dive into their strategic use of data to drive growth and retention.

https://softservices.com/

Key Takeaways:

Omnichannel Strategy: Learn how Soft Services navigates the complexities of integrating DTC and retail data.

Personalized Marketing: Discover the impact of their unique marketing campaigns, like the surprise spatula initiative.

Data-Driven Decisions: Understand how Trestle's segmentation tools help them make informed business decisions.

Why Listen?

Get insights into advanced data segmentation techniques.

Learn practical strategies for enhancing customer retention.

Understand the importance of sustainable practices in product development.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction: Data-Driven Marketing for DTC Brands

02:00 - Soft Services' Journey and Omnichannel Expansion

06:00 - Leveraging Data for Customer Insights and Retention

12:00 - Optimizing Marketing Strategies with Trestle Segments

18:00 - The Spatula Campaign: Enhancing Customer Experience

25:00 - Conclusion: Future of Data-Driven Marketing for DTC Brands

Hashtags:

#DataDrivenMarketing #DTCBrands #CustomerRetention #MarketingStrategies #SoftServices #Tresl #JohnChao #RebeccaZhou #StephanieDiSturco #EcommerceSuccess #DigitalMarketing #AIinMarketing #CustomerEngagement #BusinessGrowth #MarketingInsights

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Hello and welcome to DTC Podcast, I'm Eric Dyck

Today's podcast marks the return of our most popular podcast guest ever, Nik Sharma from Sharma Brands and Hoox, paired with Pilothouse's Head of Innovation and GM of Warp Drive...

This CRO Throwdown covers Nik and Brett's best advice on Landing Pages, Site CRO, post purchase upsells, as well as the Art of the Cart...and why Nik considers the Slide out card to be "ocean front real estate" that more brands need to take advantage of.

You'll also hear clashing opinions on Headless commerce, and exciting agreement that despite economic headwinds, all data indicates that Q4 should be the best one ever...

Nik's a gem

Timestamps:

00:00: Introduction

02:30: Media Buying Strategies

04:45: Exploring Headless E-commerce

07:15: Checkout Optimization Tips

09:45: Attribution Challenges in Advertising

Hashtags:

#EcommerceInsights #Q4Strategies #MediaBuying #HeadlessEcommerce #CheckoutOptimization #AttributionWars #DTCPodcast #DirectToConsumer

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It's All Killer No Filler and today we're catching up with Rob and Clifford from the Pilothouse Amazon team to discuss Amazon's role in brands' omnichannel Q4 strategy as well as the signs and signals you need to be on the lookout for to know if you should be more or less aggressive with your ads.

We'll also talk a "hypothetical" approach to scaling a creatine gummy on Amazon, as well as going deep on the incredible upside exposed in Amazon's recent quarterly earnings call.

Walk, run, or sit, just make sure you tune in to this week's AKNF!

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Hello and welcome to the DTC Podcast, I'm Eric Dyck. Today, we're joined by Juliana Casale, the brains behind the refreshing sparkling water brand, "Balloon."

https://balloonwater.com

Not only is Juliana a regular contributor to our DTC Newsletter, but she's also eager to share the wisdom she's garnered from her CPG startup journey. Here's a taste of what's in store:

Starting with Pre-orders: Discover Juliana's approach to gauge real market interest while minimizing risks.

The Power of Transparency: Learn how Juliana's open sharing of her brand-building journey has not only caught attention but also earned her invaluable advice.

The Quest for Genuine Feedback: Dive into Juliana's strategy for ensuring the feedback she receives is both authentic and constructive.

So, whether you're a beverage aficionado or just curious about the startup world, join us for a deep dive into the creation of "Balloon" and the nuances of launching a new product in the beverage landscape. Cheers!

Juliana’s Twitter: @attackofthetext

Balloon Twitter: @waterballoonco

Balloon Instagram: @waterballoonco

TikTok: @waterballoonco

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

02:15 - Starting Her Brand

15:10 - Ingredient Sourcing Challenges

18:45 - Go-To-Market Strategy

25:30 - $50,000 Investment Question

Hashtags:

#Entrepreneurship #SparklingWaterBrand #StartupJourney #IngredientSourcing #GoToMarketStrategy #BusinessOutreachHack #DTCMarketing #EntrepreneurInsights

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I'm an anxious person, but for Q4 efforts on the retention side, I don't get that anxious. It is actually pretty easy to crush Q4 if you’re strategic, calculated, and follow some key steps. I hope this guide remedies anxiety for anyone listening.

Audience check up. Don't ruin your list before the big game. Make your list big, healthy, and strong. Maximum engagement. Maximum inboxing.

If you plan on doing an aggressive sending schedule during Q4, start ramping up your weekly sends slowly now to test the waters. But do it with engaging content.

All the content you know drives the most engagement, fire away. Get people interested. Get people clicking. Be gentle with your segmentation. Don’t try to do anything too crazy right now. If you end up in spam before Q4 you’re screwed.

Know your spam rate in advanced. Run deliverability testing. This report will dictate how aggressive you can safely be.

Send testing. Figure out what times of the day your audience is the most engaged. Know these things well in advance of Q4. Be prepared to adapt though. If you send at peak times, you may get lost in the sea.

Understand your audience. Understand your segments. Now is the time to really hone in on what works. Creative, an effective plan for subject line testing.

Pain point vs USP

% vs $

Product feature vs collection feature

Personal or brandy

Up front or teaser

PLAN CONTENT AS FAR AHEAD AS POSSIBLE. Think ahead. Create contingency. Every send counts right now. Create surplus content alongside the sends you know are guaranteed to go out.

Set targets and plan content around targets. Have extra levers you can pull. Backup emails for specific segments.

Structure your offer so it doesn’t get stale. Ramp it up, spice it up, diversify it.

Product drops

Increasing discount

Gift with purchase

Buy X get Y

Surprises

Get personal with your audience. Experiment with different content formats.

UGC

Founders message

Simple text

Once you hone in on an offer, plan a way to get it into your flows during the Q4 period. Make sure you can adjust it for whatever the ongoing offer is. Maximize revenue.

BONUS TIPS IF YOU WANT TO GO DEEP:

On the topic of flows, this is a really good time to think about your win-back / reactivation flow. All those people that have lost interest in your brand could come back. Ensure your reactivation flow is updated with the STRONGEST possible offer you’ll run during Q4, or even combine offers.

This is a really good time to hone in your post-purchase strategy as well. You know you’ll be selling a lot during this time, we want to reconvert. Ensure you have a merchandise focused post-purchase flow, and also think ahead to future offers. How can you retarget purchases after Q4 or during later sales?

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

02:30 - Crafting compelling offers for Black Friday and beyond

07:30 - Diversifying content for effective marketing

10:00 - Incorporating offers into your email flows

15:00 - Maximizing reactivation and targeting unengaged audiences

Hashtags:

#EcommerceStrategy #Q4Strategies #BlackFridayOffers #EmailMarketing #RetentionStrategies #DTCPodcast

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Today on AKNF we sit down with Jacob, Nate, and Taylor, Pilothouse's Meta Ads team leads to update us all on the state of Meta Ads and announce the relaunch of Scale School: Meta Ads in partnership with Pilothouse.

Ecom's got the October blues but this podcast is a reminder to stay the course, and not to jeopardize or weaken your November, by pulling the chute too early in October.

Speaking of courses, Scale School is all new and available in October for a screaming deal (75% off).

Ready to get the Rosetta Stone for Facebook Ads? Scale School is here.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:30 The Power of 25% Off Site-Wide Offer

05:00 Halloween Sales Success and Creative Themes

07:30 Re-release of ScaleSchool Meta Ads Course

10:00 Annual Group Coaching Pass Announcement

Hashtags:

#Q4Marketing #MetaAds #HolidaySales #ScaleSchool #OfferStrategies

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Hello and welcome to the DTC Podcast, I'm Eric Dyck. Today, we're joined by Nishal Kumar, the mind behind "No Days Wasted" - a brand focused on wellness products that help you make the most of your day after a night out. Together, we unpack the intricacies of DTC marketing, sharing invaluable insights and experiences from the field.

Here's a glimpse of what's in store:

Ground Game Essentials: The importance of grassroots initiatives and why personal touchpoints in marketing remain relevant.

Engaging the Right Audience: Delve into the world of affinity marketing, and the role of influencers in shaping brand perception.

The 'Think Global, Act Local' Approach: Learn about creating localized communities, engaging them directly, and adapting products to cater to their specific needs.

Tune in for a candid conversation about branding, community engagement, and the changing landscape of DTC marketing.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

2:32 - The importance of market research

10:55 - Creating an effective offer for your CPG brand

16:55 - Challenges in the CPG industry and the importance of a ground game

26:10 - The BioSteel story and the lessons it offers

Hashtags:

#CPG #ConsumerGoods #InfluencerMarketing #Entrepreneurship #DTC #NoDaysWasted #CPGStrategy #GroundGame #BioSteel

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Hello and welcome to DTC Podcast. I'm Eric Dyck. Today, we have two exceptional guests joining us, Louis Amoroso is CEO of  Full Glass Wine Co, a roll up firm behind the acquisitions of Wines Insiders and Winc, and Pat Balles Head of E-Commerce for NIFT networks, a a platform designed to help DTC brands acquire new customers through a pretty…nifty, gifting experience.

https://gonift.com

Cost controlled purchases? Delighted customers? Conversion rates as high as 10%? Massive Scale Across US and Canada?

Tell me more….

This episode is an eye opening exploration of the world of corporate gifting, and an invitation to brands to get in on the action using Louis’ scaled up experience at Full Glass Wine Co…

And before we get started, if you’re feeling gifty yourself, check out gonift.com and enter the code DTCThanks to get your free gift just for being a listener…

https://www.gonift.com/nift_cards/DTCTHANKS/start

0:00 - Introduction

1:20 - NIFT Networks Overview

6:15 - Ideal Brand Partnerships

11:45 - Expanding to Canada

19:45 - Exclusive NIFT Promo Code

Hashtags:

#CustomerAcquisition #DTCBrands #NIFTNetworks #GiftingExperience #ExclusivePromo

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