DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built

“We were tapping into a market that was really underserved, which was products with clean formulations” @thats_a_moret #DTCPOD“The only difference between an entrepreneur and everybody else is they had the guts to go out and do it.” @thats_a_moret #DTCPOD“After the first six months, you're going to learn so much and you're going to want to change everything.” @thats_a_moret #DTCPODWhen you're trying to grow and scale a company, you have to make decisions on the fly and learn how to get really good at that.” @thats_a_moret #DTCPOD“The more friction, the less likely we are to convert people to customers” @thats_a_moret #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:04] Sarah introduces herself and Curie [02:43] How Curie became a business opportunity[06:34] The business growth journey [11:10] The importance of networking and embracing change [15:51] An essential skill set for running a business  [19:30] Questions to ask customers[23:53] Differentiating the product line[26:58] adding to the customer experience[29:59] Innovation, partnerships, and QR codes[33:26] What’s next for Curie and where to find Sarah Moret onlineHow Curie targeted an underserved need and created a business opportunity  Sarah Moret, Co-founder and CEO of Curie, joins the POD to give some insight on the  business’s growth, marketing strategy, and how the brand got started. Curie is a brand that develops natural and effective body care products Sarah recognized that when it comes to hygiene and deodorant, there is an increasing desire among customers for clean and effective ingredients. To fill this gap, Sarah created a brand that catered toward this efficacy A unique approach was taken to achieve organic growth by using social media as the primary source of advertising, and networking to as many people as possible to create word of mouth brand awareness Sarah recognizes that the beginning stages of starting a business should be heavily open to change as you learn more about your customers Customer feedback is crucial to driving growthCurie stands out as an eCommerce bodycare company for its effective and safe products. The brand has experienced growth and retention by prioritizing customer feedback to improve their products and differentiating themselves from the competition. Sarah takes a unique approach to achieving successful growth being open to change within any aspect of the business as she learns more about her customers The brand has fostered further growth by making quick decisions and not wasting time when it comes to solving a problem.Sarah recommends reaching out to loyal customs for input on how to better your business. Stay tuned as Sarah discusses how Curie stays ahead of its competitors and creative marketing strategiesIf you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Curie’s website: https://curiebod.com/Sarah Moret’s twitter: https://twitter.com/thats_a_moret

“If your product has a lot of complicated ingredients or might be a product that's used within a specific niche, you want to try and make sure that you're not using jargon in your copy.” @jayde3sai #DTCPOD“If you have a product that can either improve someone's life or improve someone's situation, showing before and after pictures could be really useful.” @jayde3sai #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:03] Kettle & Fire’s educational email[03:39] Snow’s before and after SMS strategy Try this email from Kettle & Fire and this SMS image strategy from SnowIn today’s episode of fantastic emails and texts, we’re looking at content from Kettle & Fire and SnowSnow is a brand that creates revolutionary products for oral care, while Kettle & Fire develops  bone broth made with bones from organically raised chickens or cattleKettle & Fire sends out a great educational email to inform customers of the benefits of bone broth, while Snow has an awesome SMS that shows how their products can improve your lifeStay tuned as we dive into an awesome email from Kettle & Fire and a visual SMS strategy  from Snow If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:See Kettle & Fire’s educational email: https://twitter.com/debgotwired/status/1431998137225203719Where to find Snow’s SMS from the episode: https://fantastictexts.com/DTC POD episode with Kettle & Fire: https://trend.io/blog/kettle-and-fire-marketing-growth-strategy

“I’m passionate about working with eCommerce founders to help them build a business that works better for them” @a_brawn  #DTCPOD“I started to think about ways to build a business that was lot less reliant on me and it flipped around my relationship with work, and it put me in a position where I could be more valuable to my company.” @a_brawn #DTCPOD“Start thinking about the relationships you have with other people in your business as opportunities to build and expand on trust and to unlock growth.” @a_brawn #DTCPOD“Find a hero product to grow, and once you start to feel the pull back on your advertising, look at developing other products that are complementary and will allow your brand to expand.” @a_brawn #DTCPOD“Spend more time on the Merchandising than on the fancy marketing, and you'll probably have more success.” @a_brawn #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:04] Austin introduces himself and Brand Growth Experts  [02:38] Time and resource management[06:03] An essential element for brand enrichment and freedom[10:41] Tasks to delegate early on[13:17] A unique hiring process test to balance a brands’ method of operation[16:40] Brand growth from a metrics perspective   [20:48] When to expand or double down your products  [26:32] There is more than one version of success[29:27] What’s next for Austin Brawner and where to find him onlineHow Brand Growth Experts method of freedom leads to profit  Austin Brawner, CEO of Brand Growth Experts, joins the POD to give some insight on brand growth, business mindsets, and product strategies. Brand Growth Experts is a marketing agency that helps early stage store owners achieve growth in their businesses while freeing up more time to do what they loveAustin recognized that when it comes to building a business, it is common to feel overworked and reach a burnout. To avoid this problem he has created a brand that fosters opportunities of enrichment for companies as a whole. Approaches are taken to allow more freedom and room to be creative by identifying the methods of operation within a business and outsourcing skill sets that are currently weakened within the company.    Austin recognizes that there is not a right and wrong way to grow a business and success comes from your mindset about the business.Delegation is key to scaling in DTCBrand Growth Experts stands out as a marketing company that prioritizes an underused element for brand growth… freedom.  The brand has learned from experience that a business must balance out their skill set within an organization, and freedom comes from trusting your workers and letting go of total control.Austin suggests looking for the things that are repeatable in your business that can be systematized, and then begin delegating those tasks to free up your time to focus on the bigger picture.The brand has fostered further growth opportunities for brands by locating a hero product before expanding. Austin recommends fostering empowerment and trust within your brand, because what you believe about your business is what it will become.Stay tuned as Austin discusses additional factors for success he has learned from working with other brands . If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Brand Growth Expert’s website: https://www.brandgrowthexperts.com/Austin Brawner’s website http://www.austinbrawner.com/Austin Brawner twitter: https://twitter.com/a_brawn

“People are more likely to not unsubscribe when you allow them to opt out of emails that potentially don't fit them.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Make sure that your SMS strategy really lines up with what your brand is about.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:44] Breaking down GrooveLife’s segmenting email strategy [03:29] Not Pot’s pre- purchase SMS strategy Steal this email from GrooveLife and this direct SMS strategy from Not Pot In today’s episode of fantastic emails and texts, we’re looking at content from GrooveLife and Not PotGrooveLife is a brand that stands out for producing top-of-the-line active lifestyle accessories, while Not Pot develops vegan CBD products.GrooveLife sends out a great email that segments their users and prevents unsubscribes while Not Pot has SMS strategy that sets expectations and curates loyal followers.Stay tuned as we dive into an awesome email from GrooveLife and an informative SMS strategy  from Not Pot .If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:GrooveLife’s opt-out email: https://twitter.com/BryantGarvin/status/1386820671271882752Not Pot’s strong SMS strategy: https://blueprint.store/post/5-food-beverage-brands-killing-it-with-sms-marketing

“Trust breeds bravery, and when you're in innovation you're asking a lot of your clients and your customers to take a leap of faith with you” @OrchidBertelsen  #DTCPOD“Your agency is only going to be as good as you let them” @OrchidBertelsen #DTCPOD“Every opportunity where someone is seeing your brand for either the first time or the 10th time is an opportunity to convert them.” @OrchidBertelsen #DTCPOD“When it comes to the Metaverse and towing into this digital world, we have to think beyond product placement.” @OrchidBertelsen #DTCPOD“A successful brand that is going to play in the digital space knows their consumer extremely well, but also knows most importantly the parameters and the confines of their brand.” @OrchidBertelsen #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:53] Orchid introduces herself and Nestle [03:10] Past experiences that strengthen a skillset in brand strategy and innovation[06:57] The shift in marketing and why commerce is everybody’s job [09:51] Embracing digital change  [11:30] Ideation does not equal innovation [15:31] Success metrics for emerging technologies  [21:07] Up and coming technologies to get excited about[24:40] What’s emerging in the CPG space for digital products  [28:47] Pushing brands into new places to maintain relevance [33:52] What’s next for Nestle and where to find Orchid onlineTechnology is continually changing and DTC must keep upOrchid Bertelsen, head of Consumer Experience Strategy & Innovation at Nestle, joins the POD to give some insight into emerging technologies and marketing strategies from a large brand perspectiveNestle is one the world’s largest food and beverage companies, passionate about unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyoneOrchid has a unique skill set in marketing technologies, and understands that technology is innovating faster than ever before and if brands want to stay top of mind for consumers they have to keep up.Her role involves analyzing, creating, and implementing the success metrics for digital marketing Orchid recognizes that as the commerce world becomes increasingly competitive, a brand has to strategically think about where they are trying to get to and then build a plan that is differentiated enough to get them thereSometimes in DTC, You have to keep upOrchid Bertelson dives into her knowledge of the digital marketing world and how stay top of mind for consumersShe emphasizes her success at Nestle involves an understanding that consumers are given a platform like never before and it is important to listen while creating a workspace where everyone understands commerce is part of their job.Orchid breaks down why performance metrics for innovation are difficult to measure and how to analyze them.  She has fostered further success by focusing on new business models and keeping a close eye on emerging technology.Orchid recommends fostering trust with customers to further their customer experienceStay tuned as Orchid discusses great customer experiences from a large brand perspective and innovation.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Nestle: https://www.nestle.com/Orchid Bertelson’s twitter: https://twitter.com/OrchidBertelsen

 “If you have different values, features, or quality items you can use this in an email to highlight how your brand compares to competitors.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“Instead of you grabbing the phone number, Usual Wines takes the approach of having people message you.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:44] Breaking down Felix Gray’s differentiation email[03:48] Usual Wine’s SMS strategy Try this email from Felix Gray and this SMS strategy from Usual Wines that has make your customer text youIn today’s episode of fantastic emails and texts, we’re looking at content from Felix Gray and Usual Wines.Felix Gray is a brand that differentiates itself by providing high-quality Blue Light eyewear while Usual Wines is a brand that takes an artful approach to making real wine and delivering it in generous single-serve glasses. Felix Gray sends out a great email that differentiates itself from competitors and Usual Wines has an unusual strategy to get customers to text firstStay tuned as we dive into an awesome email from Felix Gray and a unique SMS style from Usual Wines. If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Felix Gray’s email on differentiation: https://reallygoodemails.com/emails/what-makes-us-differentUsual Wines website with SMS capture at the bottom: https://usualwines.com/

“Have one on one conversations and really deep dive into who is actually engaging and shopping with you.” @AjaSinger #DTCPOD“Make sure you understand what's happening in broader culture and adapt if it is aligned with your particular brand identity.”  @AjaSinger #DTCPOD“I've been noticing that brands are experimenting a lot more and having more fun, they're not sticking so strictly to a specific set of brand guidelines”  @AjaSinger #DTCPOD“A brand can be more than just selling a product, people are looking for like minded people to connect with.”  @AjaSinger #DTCPOD“Empowering community members and shoppers is the best way to gain brand trust and develop trust with those people.”  @AjaSinger #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:57] Aja introduces herself[02:15] How Aja got into brand creative and product design [04:06] Experience that led to successful consulting [05:37] Questions to consider to an evolving brand[08:52] Adapting brand identity to the culture [10:31] Knowledgeable takeaways from the evolving eCommerce space  [14:05] The power of community  [15:27] How to create and connect within a community brand [18:02] Successful engagement approaches[20:03] What to expect from DTC brands in the coming year[21:35] How to engage with customers and the importance of experimenting [23:33] What makes a brand/product special[25:24] Brands that stand out [27:18] What’s next for Aja Singer and where to find her onlineAja Singer, an insight on working with ambitious brands through creative and brand strategy Aja Singer, a creative and brand strategy consultant for mission driven DTC brands, joins the POD to give some insight on creative strategy and product developmentAja spent the last 10+ years mastering brand creative & product design, and became the creative director for an e-commerce startup that grew into a multi-million dollar businessShe now uses her skill set, in uncovering what drives consumer behavior and creating products and content that inspires community and drives revenue, to help other startups in needIn addition to being a consultant, Aja also has a newsletter to inform about branding and DTC trends Aja recognizes that people and the market are always evolving, and it is important to keep upCommunity is key for DTC growthAja Singer stands out as a brand consultant for her extensive knowledge in brand creative, strategy, and design She has helped foster sustained growth for brands by centering community and personal interaction with consumers as the key to success Aja recognizes the importance of connecting with consumers and understanding their needs to curate products and messaging that speaks to themShe fostered further opportunities for brands by paying attention to evolving marketing strategies and recognizing what works for current trendsAja recommends creating an engaging community for your brand and experimenting with marketing strategies Stay tuned as Aja discusses how to build a community around your brand and product strategy and design trendsIf you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Aja Singer’s newsletter: https://ajasinger.substack.com/Aja Singer’s twitter: https://twitter.com/ajasingerAja Singer’s website: http://www.ajasinger.com/

“If customers are buying two and they're getting one for free, they can give one of the products away, and that's a way to acquire related customers.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“If you have an Instagram account, or maybe you're posting on Tik Tok or a Facebook group, those are really good spots to pick comments from and use for content.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[00:42] Breaking down Austin Eastciders product launch email[03:26] Blume’s successful SMS strategy Steal this email from Austin Eastciders and this SMS that drives customer acquisition from BlumeIn today’s episode of fantastic emails and texts, we’re looking at content from Austin Eastciders and Blume.Austin Eastciders is a craft cidery in Austin, Texas dedicated to making America fall in love with cider all over again while Blume is a beauty product brand for women.Austin Eastciders sends out a great email by implementing customer reviews to fill content and Blume sends out a great text that can attract new customers through a discount.Stay tuned as we dive into an awesome email from Austin Eastciders and a great customer acquisition SMS from Blume.If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Austin Eastciders’ email with feedback from customers: https://reallygoodemails.com/emails/you-asked-for-it-you-got-it-Where to find Blume’s BFCM text: https://fantastictexts.com/bfcm/

“We want to be the best in the world at Search Engine Optimization, and that's it.” @kmillertime421 #DTCPOD“All the different questions you could possibly need to know in order to make an informed purchase decision, we help write that, and we give that to the customer.” @kmillertime421 #DTCPOD“You don't need to spend $10,000 a month on SEO, you can just work very slowly and methodically to master the results for your brand name.” @kmillertime421 #DTCPOD“Focus on the activities that are actually going to convert into incremental dollars earned.” @kmillertime421 #DTCPOD“There's 1.5 million people a month that search for the term word counter, and right now we rank number three for that term.” @kmillertime421 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:51] Kevin introduces himself and Gr0 [03:26] The importance of utilizing organic search for brands[05:03] Types of brands and content to focus on[07:20] Helpful ways to earn PR as a startup [09:33] Looking at organic search as a performance marketing channel [11:02] Key factors to track and look for in organic search  [12:51] Tools that improve search traffic   [14:37] Common mistakes that brands can potentially capitalize on  [16:32] Quick tips to improve SEO[18:08] Brands succeeding in organic search and their strategy   [20:03] What content a brand should attack first [21:26] How to further generate traffic[23:56] Effective ways to use organic search to your advantage [25:48] How to stay ahead of google’s search algorithm [28:16] Where to find the Agency and Kevin Miller onlineDiving into eCommerce SEO strategyKevin Miller, Co-founder and CEO of Gr0, joins the POD to give some insight on how the agency curates growth for brands through organic search  Gr0 is an SEO agency that scales brands online.Kevin recognizes that organic search can be utilized as a performance marketing channel, and uses this approach to drive sales and revenue for brandsThe agency’s goal is to build organic SEO content to help brands avoid paying all their gross margin to platforms such as facebook and google. Kevin recognizes that it is important for businesses to build out all their media profiles. Paid ads aren’t the only way to grow in DTC, organic helps tooGr0 stands out as an agency with digital marketing experts committed to help rank brands #1  on google, organically The agency focuses on digital strategies to get brand recognition and implements suggestions for brands to stay ahead of google algorithm updates  . Kevin takes the approach to achieving successful growth for brands by reiterating the importance of getting the brand name out their end being editorial with the brand’s page Gr0 analyzes brands and discovers what specific content each brand should take on first that would work best for search optimizationKevin recommends that if you're just starting a project, it's great to announce it online because legitimate companies do press releases.Stay tuned as Kevin discusses the benefits of utilizing organic search and easy steps to take to optimize your brand through SEOIf you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Gr0 website: https://gr0.com/Kevin Miller’s twitter: https://twitter.com/kmillertime421Kevin Miller’s website: https://kevinmiller.com/Kevin Miller’s email: kevin@Gr0.com

“If you haven't implemented an SMS list and you're thinking about it, use conversational copy to convince people to sign up.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD“If you're having a product launch, I highly recommend putting some sort of urgency on it, especially when you're sending out that message via text and telling people how much quantity is.” @jadesai94 #DTCPODWe Speak About:[02:05] Breaking down Italic’s unique conversational email[04:10] Doe lashes SMS strategy Copy this email from Italic and this SMS that drives urgency fro Doe LashesIn today’s episode of fantastic emails and texts, we’re looking at content from Italic and Doe Lashes.Italic is a brand that prides itself on providing quality goods while Doe Lashes specializes in handcrafted silk lashes.Italic sends out a great email to convert email subscribers into SMS subscribers and Doe Lashes sends out a great text for an upcoming product launch.Stay tuned as we dive into an awesome email from Italic and a great urgency-driving SMS from Doe Lashes. If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Italic’s SMS opt-in email: https://twitter.com/lovevalgeisler/status/1425821223175565312Where to find Doe Lashes’ SMS: https://fantastictexts.com/product-launch/Italic founder Jeremy Cai on the DTC POD: https://trend.io/blog/founder-stories-jeremy-cai-italicDoe Lashes’ founder Jason Wong on the DTC POD: https://trend.io/blog/brand-building-influencer-marketing