📦 To Meme Or Not to Meme

DTC 179 - The elements you need to consider in your ad test [DTC]( Banter Wednesday, May 18, 2022 An advertising win from Ryanair 😂 If you’re new to DTC, welcome! You’re in good company with fellow newcomers from Omsom, Nooma, Sigma Sports, The Aussie Man, and Save the Duck. 🦆 In this newsletter, you’ll find: 👇 📦 How to 5x your revenue with Facebook, new creatives, and an app with Ash Melwani from Obvi Collagen 📦 Sailthru’s sweet secrets to growing your audience and sales with a thoughtful approach to email 📦 Three elements you NEED to consider on your next ad test 📦 Grow your business with elevated UGC and Minisocial Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. 😎 👉 If a pal forwarded this to you, [subscribe,]( so you never miss out. Podcast 🎧 On this episode of the DTC pod, we chatted with Ash Melwani, co-founder of [Obvi.]( Obvi makes supplements cool for younger generations, stops your scroll on Instagram, catches your eye in the grocery store, and creates products that taste like your favorite cereal on Saturday mornings. 😎 Tune in to learn about the value of Facebook groups, how to gamify your cart experience to increase AOV, why (and how) they’re testing 40 new ad creatives every week, and much more. ‍The Takeaways 👇 🎮 Community cheat code: Obvi’s Facebook Group has over 50,000 members (and growing), and it’s one of their major focuses as a brand. “I think one of the biggest things we pride ourselves on is creating a community, which not a lot of brands are taking seriously, and I really do think they need to… The community is a cheat code.” Ash’s tips for creating a community or your own FB group: - Wait until you have 1,000-2,000 customers - Run a giveaway inside the group to drive signups - Hire a group manager to create content, engage, and drive discussions - Use the group to share value, but also gather feedback about products, flavors, etc. - Include group links in your post-purchase flows; consider retargeting ads to increase group size 🛍️ Swag > discounts Here’s a universal truth: people ❤️ swag. Obvi knows this, and that’s why they’ve created a gamified cart with free gifts as upsell incentives. For example, they’ll offer tiered swag to give shoppers an incentive to make a larger purchase: - Free shipping over $25 - Free funnel over $50 - Free shaker over $75 - Free product over $150 “Our flagship product is $40, but our AOV is $70…people are buying multiple things, so it’s definitely working.” 💰 What Ash would do with an extra $50K: TikTok influencer seeding and creative for ads. 🤳 “I think there are so many creators on there doing a great job…[they’re] so good at creating TikToks, sometimes you don’t even realize it’s an ad…” 👉 Listen to the full episode with Ash [here!]( Sponsor NYC’s iconic bakery goes DTC What do Sex in the City, SNL, and world-famous banana pudding have in common? NYC’s Magnolia Bakery. 🧁 The beloved bakery has been a retail landmark in the Big Apple for years, but when they expanded from a local shop to eCommerce, email became the major focus for growing nationwide. Check out [Magnolia’s case study]( to learn how they’ve been able to: - Boost email open rates by 36% - Increase conversion rates by 39% - Achieve a 6-8% revenue lift on days they send emails Whether you’re a retail business looking to expand to DTC or simply want to get more out of your email marketing… 👉 [Click here for the sweet secrets to growing your audience and sales with a thoughtful approach to email.]( Facebook Facebook is a powerful beast. The platform allows you to get your message out there to a broad audience and has successfully fuelled brand growth for a decade. The [Pilothouse Team]( frequently takes the time to think of fresh ways to spice up their creative using data and learnings to look for the next big thing. Check out these tips for elements to pay extra attention to when you’re launching your next ad campaign: 👇 1️⃣ To meme or not to meme, that is the question. One of Pilothouse’s clients saw a 55% reduction in link cost-per-click (CPC) by creating “conversion-oriented meme creative.” The idea here is to balance humor and product benefit in a way that resonates with your brand. A format the team has seen success with over time has been “what I ordered vs. what I got”—a fun play on what a competitor might offer (underwhelming expectation) vs. the delivery of something much better. Using a meme format will show how your product can solve a challenge through humor. A top performer for the Pilothouse team has been for a product with a USP around size with the tagline “big enough to share, even when they’re mad at you.” 2️⃣ Unique mechanism in copy The unique mechanism is all about showing prospects how your product will get results or deliver on its promises. It’s about connecting the “oomph” in your marketing message with the work that’s gone into creating the perfect product for them. One Pilothouse client saw a lift from focusing on how the product was the “ONLY” product with certain features designed to provide certain end benefits. Another successful test included the hook “what feels good” about using the product to better your lives and how the features would enable you to do so. List out what about your product will get them results, and think of punchy hooks to open up with–you’ll find your next winner with this. 3️⃣ Why consumers want to allocate budget to your product Gas and food prices have us riding bikes and buying discounted produce, and consumers are being put in a position where they have to make more budgeting decisions. Think about how you can use your message to reduce the barrier to entry - How will the average consumer benefit from your product right away? - Can they shop with Afterpay, Shop Pay, or Klarna? - Are you doing anything to promote urgency or scarcity in ordering now? Try split-testing these statements in your ad headlines (for Facebook) or the opening hook of your ad copy (for Instagram). If you’re looking for new angles for your creative and new ways to show your audience why they NEED to be using your product, reach out to the [Pilothouse Facebook team](. 🔥 Sponsor Your next high-quality UGC = conversions Need Elevated User Generated Content? Try [minisocial]( 👋 minisocial works with top DTC brands like Imperfect Foods, Olipop, Care/Of, and Native to produce high-quality UGC while activating dozens of micro-influencer posts on TikTok or Instagram. Why do brands love working with minisocial? - All the content from their campaigns is fully licensed right out of the box. - Campaigns are fully managed and designed to take 10 minutes or less to spin up. - Activations on Instagram or TikTok match or beat traditional influencer activations in terms of reach and engagement. - minisocial is accessibly priced, starting at $1.7k thanks to your DTC discount 😉. 👉 “[I want to grow my business with elevated UGC](” Quick Hits 🎥 [TikTok](: Supercharge your video entertainment strategy. ☀️ Americans will soon be able to buy [home solar panels]( from IKEA. 👀 A new TikTok feature can tell you [who's viewing your profile]( — here's how to turn it on. 🌎 [Instagram]( launches initial test of NFT display options, which are also coming to Facebook soon. 🗺 [Google]( unveils new maps advances, shopping tools, and search insights at I/O 2022. SHARE DTC NEWSLETTER 🔥 NEW REFERRAL PROGRAM HAS OFFICIALLY DROPPED 🔥 👊 Want to level up the marketing skills of your teammates and employees? Just grab your referral link below and you’ll earn points toward cool gear for every new subscriber you bring to the DTC fam. Here’s your unique referral link: [( [Share via facebook]( [Share via twitter]( [Share via whatsapp]( [Share via email](mailto:?subject=Check%20this%20out&body=%F0%9F%94%A5%20Signed%20up%20to%20this%20newsletter%20a%20couple%20of%20weeks%20ago%20and%20it's%20amazing%20for%20DTC%20marketers%20like%20you!+https%3A%2F%2Fsparklp.co%2F47c676d0%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail) [See how many referrals you have!]( 🔊 Have you heard our latest podcasts? 📈 5x Your Revenue with a Facebook Group, 40 New Creatives a Week, and an App with Ash Melwani from [Obvi Collagen.]( 💬 SMS is No Longer Optional with Sophie Baer, [Win Brand Group’s]( Retention Director (and Automation Overlord). 🧀 [Perry Belcher]( on Ecom Tripwires, Premiums, and Making Sure the Cheese is Worth the Squeeze. 🎯 Ecommerce SEO in Three Simple Steps with Kevin Miller from [Gr0.]( Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight,]( [Kelsey Hess,]( and [Jordan Gillis.]( Edited by [Claire Beveridge]( and Eric Dyck. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. NEED MORE DTC? 🚀 [Advertise]( in DTC Newsletter. 💰Check out our course on [Facebook and Instagram]( ads! 📥 Work for The DTC Newsletter: Send an email to Rebecca, [rebecca@directtoconsumer.co,](mailto:rebecca@directtoconsumer.co) if you’re interested in writing for us! Rate Us [Fueled by Pilothouse] [Share]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [LinkedIn]( [Advertise with DTC]( | [Work With Pilothouse]( At Direct to Consumer, we are strongly committed to protecting your privacy and providing a safe & high-quality online experience for all visitors. We understand that you care about how the information you provide to us is used and shared. We have developed a Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies regarding collecting, using, and disclosing information we receive from our Website users. Federal Filing operates the Website. Our Privacy Policy, along with our Terms & Conditions, governs your use of this site. 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