📦 - No More Fake Reviews

DTC 626 - Common CTA Mistakes, FTC Fake Reviews Ruling and Dad Gang Social Proof   Monday, August 19, 2024 Good morning, Running a Back To School promotion? So far it looks like consumers are turning to lower-cost items and alternatives due to economic uncertainty. Signifyd reports so far AOV is down 4% compared to last year and the fastest growth is for orders under $100 so definitely emphasize those cost savings in your ad creatives to stay competitive! Read more about this Back To School trend in our News section. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: ❌ Five common mistakes brands make when writing call to actions. 😲 ICYMI, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission introduced new rules regarding fake online reviews, and there are some hefty penalties. 😇 And…an example of how keeping creatives simple and adding social proof can be a recipe for success. You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: [Eddyline Brewery](, [Starbucks](, and [Koba Mundii](. 👋   YOU’RE INVITED 🔮 Psst… Want to See The Future of Creative Strategy? Toss out the tarot cards and tea leaves. You don’t need a crystal ball. You need Motion’s 3rd annual [Creative Strategy Summit](. This September 19th and 20th, [Motion]( is hosting top experts in DTC to give you a gaze into the future of creative with their virtual summit. [Attend these can’t-miss sessions](: - Matt Duckor, Head of Content at HexClad, will reveal his process for making high-production video ads—from scripting to final edits. - Savannah Sanchez will dissect the anatomy of the perfect direct-response ad. Then, she’ll show you how to create it with an iPhone. - Phillip Jackson, the co-founder of Future Commerce, will show you how to go beyond formulaic creative and generate high-concept ideas. Plus, learn from many more people and brands you look to for inspiration. 👀 It’s Motion’s biggest event yet, and even better, it’s free. Don’t miss your future. 👇 [Get Your Free Ticket Now]( *Sponsored   WEBSITE OPTIMIZATION ❌ How To Dummy Proof Your Call To Actions Call to Actions tend to be a second thought—some brands rank them last, behind the product, brand, and overall look and feel of a landing page. However, a CTA should be a number one priority when crafting your pre-click and post-click strategy. Here are the top 5 mistakes [Pilothouse]( sees DTC brands make when it comes to crafting their CTAs: 1️⃣ Making the CTA button blend in with the background. This is a big no-no! The color of your CTA button should pop off the page. 💡 Take a peek at your site and answer honestly: is it immediately visible or does it take a minute to find? 2️⃣ Making users work to find the CTA. People are lazy; if they have to scroll down and click around to find a way to add to their cart or take action, a good percentage of them will bounce off the site. 💡 Instead, make it simple, with a sticky header or footer CTA that remains on the page. 3️⃣ Not split testing the best CTA. Don't just assume that the basic "Buy Now" will do the trick. Often the highest earning per click may come from an unexpected CTA. 💡 Meta is a great tool to split test CTAs that are right for your consumers. Try testing out – learn more, buy now, shop now, start now, etc. Find the phrase that gets the greatest bang for your buck. It's different for all brands. 4️⃣ Only having one CTA on a page. One-and-done is just not enough for users, especially in the DTC space where you are fighting for attention. To achieve great scale and results, you have to make it as easy as possible to capture your consumer. Dummy proof it. 💡 Have a button on every section of your landing page to drive results. Too many CTAs are never a bad idea. 5️⃣ Not being strategic about where that post click goes. Play with the post-click flow and user journey. Keep in mind that the more clicks a user needs to go through until hitting check out, the more opportunities there are for a higher bounce rate. 💡 Try to omit unnecessary clicks. 5 to 10 clicks from ad to checkout tends to be the sweet spot. Long story short, the CTA is essentially the end goal that brands are trying to achieve – driving action. Therefore, it should get a lot more love and attention than some may believe. Dummy proof it, split test it, and watch those earnings per click scale.   BRAND GROWTH 📈 How Tineco Built Their Brand Name and Reached New Customers While Scaling Sales “By using Marketplace to extend the aisle [...] it’s helped us be much more efficient and achieve sales we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.” — Nathan Fett, Head of Sales at Tineco 💬 Tineco is a floor care brand that’s changing the way people clean. By selling on [Walmart Marketplace](, they’ve been able to build their brand name and reach new customers, all while becoming more efficient and growing sales. 💪 With Walmart Marketplace, you can do more than just expand your reach. [Sell on Walmart.com and get](: - Innovative programs that help you scale ✅ - Walmart’s omnichannel advantage ✅ - Simple, cost-effective fulfillment ✅ [Learn More]( *Conditions apply *Sponsored   BREAKING NEWS 😲 The FTC Comes Down Hard on Fake Reviews and Testimonials In case you missed it, the FTC announced last week that they will be coming down hard on deceptive marketing practices, which include brands posting fake reviews or censoring negative reviews. Why the change? There has been an uptick in fake online reviews in recent years, especially in online marketplaces like Amazon, which has caused consumers to turn to other platforms like Reddit to find honest testimonials for items they want to purchase. Here are some of the new rules that will come into effect soon: - Brands cannot post fake reviews, including AI-generated reviews. - Businesses can’t sell or buy reviews. - Individuals must disclose in their review if they are connected to a business. - Businesses can not threaten or intimidate customers to delete negative reviews. - No selling or buying followers, likes, or views on social media. What’s the penalty for violating these new rules? Businesses that go against these rules will face a hefty fine. The maximum civil penalty for fake reviews is $51,744, but the courts could impose a lower penalty depending on the specific case. These new rules will take effect 60 days after they are officially published in the Federal Register. For the full list of rules, visit our News section below.   🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Dad Gang Co-founder Bart Szaniewski shared a simple top-performing ad for the hat brand on X. He discovered adding customers' social media comments below their product image was a simple and effective way to add social proof and increase conversions. Can't view the image? [Click here](   💸 MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS - FLYR [raises $295 million to expand it’s AI travel platform](. - GrubMarket [acquires fresh food delivery startup Good Eggs](. - Box [acquires Alphamoon, an AI startup that specializes in intelligent document processing technology](.   ⚡ QUICK HITS 🔝 Gain the upper hand against your competitors. Unlock real-time insights into your top competitor’s sales, pricing, and sentiment data with Particl. [Get your first two weeks for FREE here](. *   📰 NEWS - Back-to-school shoppers [are spending less this year due to a decline in savings and economic uncertainty](. - FTC [introduces new rules to combat fake online reviews and testimonials, plus hefty penalties](. - Google [expands AI Overviews to six new countries and adds a save function](. - Spanx founder Sara Blakely [launched a new company Sneex, which sells comfortable high heel shoes](.   📅 MARKETING EVENTS We built a fancy new website ([MarketingEvents.cc]() that lists all the upcoming events in the space. Here are a few upcoming events: [SEE ALL EVENTS HERE]( [DigiMarCon UK]( - Insights on social media, content strategy, SEO, and more, with expert speakers and networking opportunities for over 1,000 attendees to stay ahead in digital marketing. 🗓 Aug 29-30. 📍🇬🇧 London, UK. 🏢 Conference. 💰 £297-£1297 [Chief Marketing Officer Summit]( - The CMO Summit gathers top marketers to explore emerging tech, AI, and strategic leadership, offering valuable networking and insights for senior professionals. 🗓 Sept 3. 📍🇺🇲 San Francisco, USA. 🏢 Conference. 💰 FREE-$4495 [C-Suite Mastermind]( - An exclusive, intimate event for 50 DTC brand founders and executives, featuring mentor-led presentations, panels, and workshops focused on growth strategies, performance marketing, and brand scaling, combined with unique networking and coastal activities. 🗓 Sept 18-19. 📍🇨🇦 Victoria, BC. 🏢 Conference. 💰$1,995 [SEE ALL FUTURE EVENTS](   SPONSOR DTC 📥 Got a B2B Biz? Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 160k brand leaders and founders this year. [Talk to our team to learn more](.   Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 🧊 Brock Mammoser on [Frost Buddy’s $30M TikTok to Meta Pipeline]( - 🤔 [AKNF 429:]( Are Your Amazon Ads Cannibalizing Organic Results? - 🔪 Brandon Horoho on [Scaling Montana Knife Company with VIPs]( - ⭐ [AKNF 427:]( How to Structure Your Google Ads Campaigns - 🥟 Jen Liao on [How MìLà Became a Nationwide Frozen Food Brand]( - ✉️ [AKNF 425:]( How To Fix Email Automation and Improve Retention Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight]( and [Frances Du](. Edited by [Eric Dyck](. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content. 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