Retention Chronicles – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Retention Chronicles, Brynn Snyder, CEO and Co-Founder of Slate Flosser, joins Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles and Head of Marketing at Malomo, to discuss her journey from a multi-business entrepreneur to developing a groundbreaking three-in-one flosser. Snyder shares insights into her life as a mother of five, her entrepreneurial roots, and how personal experiences in her husband's dental practice inspired the creation of Slate. The conversation covers the intricate processes behind product development, the challenges and costs associated with launching a high-quality product, and the crucial role of feedback from dental professionals. Snyder emphasizes the importance of education in marketing, the effectiveness of different acquisition channels like Meta and Google ads, and the nuanced strategies for retaining customers through email, SMS, and subscription models. She also highlights the significance of key support systems such as female founder networks and advisory boards in navigating business challenges. As the episode wraps up, Snyder discusses Slate's marketing strategies around habit-building and the limited sales events, providing listeners with a special discount code (MARIAH10) for aspiring buyers.

SLATE FLOSSER DISCOUNT CODE: MARIAH10

Episode Timestamps:

00:15 Meet Bryn Snyder: CEO and Co-Founder of Slate Flosser

00:47 Inspiring the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

02:38 The Journey to Founding Slate

04:30 Innovating Oral Health: The Slate Product

14:51 Challenges and Triumphs in Product Development

20:28 Educating Dentists and Consumers

21:16 Finding Initial Testers

22:58 Kickstarter Insights

24:36 Marketing Strategies

28:41 Retention Marketing

33:56 Holiday Gifting Potential

36:44 Networking and Problem Solving

38:42 Promotions and New Year Resolutions

39:46 Conclusion and Discount Code

Jesse Clemmens, Co-Founder & CEO of HiTide, a Shopify solution for growing email and SMS lists through direct message automation. Jesse shares HiTide's journey from helping creators manage messages to focusing on Shopify brands, emphasizing the importance of bridging social media engagement with direct messaging for retention. He highlights that 60% of social followers engaging with posts are not yet subscribed to email or SMS lists, presenting a significant untapped market. Jesse also discusses best practices for direct messaging, emphasizing the need for timely, personalized communication to avoid spam and enhance customer relationships.

Episode Timestamps: 

• 1:51 Jesse's Background and HiTide's Origin

• Jesse introduces himself as one of the co-founders of High Tide, a solution for Shopify brands to grow their email and SMS lists.

• He explains that High Tide focuses on direct message automation, bridging the gap between social and brand-owned channels.

• Jesse shares his background, including his experience at Meta and Google, and the initial idea of helping creators organize messages.

• He describes the pivot from the Creator space to the Shopify ecosystem, emphasizing the success of their current platform.

• 8:00 The Role of Social Media in Retention

• Mariah and Jesse discuss the importance of social media in the Shopify ecosystem and the challenges of managing inboxes.

• Jesse explains the inconsistent reach of social media and the value of direct messages in reaching consumers.

• He highlights the potential of SMS as a personal and professional communication channel, with consumers signed up to fewer brand text lists.

• Jesse shares insights on the high conversion rates of SMS opt-ins and the importance of measuring the value of subscribers.

• 13:12 Best Practices for SMS and Email Marketing

• Jesse outlines the best practices for SMS and email marketing, including the importance of welcome automations and event-specific campaigns.

• He emphasizes the need for brands to understand the value of individual subscribers and measure the success of new channels.

• Jesse discusses the importance of having a well-tested program for both welcome automations and event-specific campaigns.

• He highlights the role of SMS platforms in optimizing messages and the importance of measuring the output of new channels.

• 21:07 Segmentation and Retention Strategies

• Mariah and Jesse discuss the importance of segmenting customers based on their engagement and purchase history.

• Jesse explains how High Tide helps brands fill out customer profiles and send targeted messages based on engagement data.

• He highlights the potential of re-engaging customers who have previously opted out of SMS or email lists.

• Jesse shares insights on the untapped potential of social followings and the importance of capturing serendipitous interactions.

• 30:40 Leveraging Social Media for Retention

• Mariah and Jesse discuss the potential of social media for retention, emphasizing the importance of timing and engagement.

• Jesse shares examples of how brands can use social media to alert customers about product availability and sales.

• He highlights the importance of capturing moments of engagement, such as comments and tags, to build long-lasting impressions.

• Jesse emphasizes the role of direct messages in building trust and winning lifelong customers.

• 41:29 Best Practices for Direct Messaging

• Jesse provides an overview of the best practices for direct messaging on social media platforms.

• He explains the importance of reactive messaging and the rules set by Meta to avoid spam.

• Jesse highlights the potential of direct messages to convert social followers into subscribers and the importance of following specific rules.

• He emphasizes the role of High Tide in keeping accounts safe and ensuring compliance with Meta's guidelines.

Chris Miller, Co-Founder & CRO of Flaunt Loyalty, and Mariah Parsons, Host of Retention Chronicles & Head of Marketing at Malomo, discuss the importance of dynamic loyalty programs for Shopify merchants. Chris highlights Flaunt Loyalty's unique service & software model, which includes designing, implementing, and managing loyalty programs to grow LTV and profits. They emphasize the need for ongoing optimization and strategic alignment with marketing campaigns. Chris shares examples like Barefaced's Mother's Day campaign, which integrated loyalty rewards into existing promotions. They also explore the balance between subscription perks and loyalty programs, stressing the importance of personalized rewards and gamification elements like badges and leaderboards to enhance customer engagement and retention.

Episode Timestamps:

• 2:49 Introduction of Chris Miller and Flaunt Loyalty

• 4:30 Bandwidth and Expertise in Loyalty Programs

• 10:49 Benefits of Dynamic Loyalty Programs

• 13:39 Case Study: Barefaced Loyalty Program

• 23:11 Subscriber vs. Non-Subscriber Loyalty Programs

• 26:24 Gamification in Loyalty Programs

• 43:52 Examples of Effective Loyalty Programs

• 44:07 Resources and Further Learning

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Luis Lluis, Founder of GrowthStable, a leading agency for Shopify brands to enhance their suite of Ecommerce tools. Luis, Noah, and Mariah chat through Luis’s background as the Director of Ecommerce for Porto’s Bakery as well as continuing the conversation and excitement with your customers post-purchase, how to achieve the growth margins you’re looking for, creating a cyclic flywheel with increasing LTV, how brands are losing money on acquisition, retention as acquisition, and more!

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, Yaw and Mariah chat through whether or not they like to have questions beforehand for presentations and podcasts, procrastination, Google Multisearch, TikTok as a search engine, and shopping on TikTok because it’s entertaining.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this week’s episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Sergio Tache, Founder & CEO of Dossier, the leading perfume brand that is the fair alternative to luxury perfumes. Yaw and Sergio share a background in Investment Banking and have brought those learnings, such as having a strong work ethic and finding a great mentor, into founding their own brands. We also discuss the large profit margins of the beauty industry, creating more value and giving back to the consumer, removing nasty ingredients, marketing scents, empowering the buyer to make a good decision, influencer marketing, and conveying a story through video.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode Yaw and Mariah chat with Aaron Schwartz, President of Loop Returns, the leading returns & exchange platform that helps Shopify’s best brands optimize return costs, retain more revenue, and prevent return losses. Aaron tells us about his past ventures as Founder of ModifyWatches, which was acquired by Custom Ink, Founder of Passport Shipping, and previous Chief Business Officer of Returnly. We also chat through the notion of influencers on a local level, when there’s demand but people aren’t buying if shipping isn’t up to par, carrier handoffs, keeping track of feedback from different channels, sustainable growth, and how consumers are trained to look for pitfalls.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we welcome Noah Rahimzadeh to chat! Mariah and Noah chat through BeReal and how brands are experimenting with it, B2C and B2B marketing strategies on TikTok, and the BFCM holiday rush in ecommerce.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On today’s episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Jennifer McKay Newton, Founder & CEO, and Hannah Toporoff, Social Media + Marketing Coordinator, at DefineMe Fragrances. DefineMe Fragrances is a clean, every-day fragrance brand all about bringing out your emotions through fragrance. On this episode we chat about the founder story of DefineMe, the science behind fragrance and emotion, hidden easter eggs in each butterfly logo, evoking what a scent smells like online, how DefineMe’s crystal infused perfumes are paired with scents, the launch of their hair fragrances and educating customers around products that go into your hair, the DefineMe Goddess Gang, TikTok learnings and #perfumetok, using the post-purchase experience to retain customers, as well as preparing for BFCM with email and SMS messages, gift guides, and bundles.

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Michael De Santis, Director of Business Operations at Doris Dev, a full suite product development agency, and is a member of the founding team at Canopy, a no mist and no water diffuser brand. Michael, Mariah, and Noah chat through product inception and design, eco-friendly packaging, fulfillment, product testing, thinking about retention even when you're developing your product, building customer loyalty with samplers, and more!

Be sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.