📦 DTC 213 – TikTok on the Clock ⏰

But the party don’t stop! [DTC]( Banter Saturday, August 6, 2022 Whether this is your first Brand Breakdown or you’ve been here for them all, we want YOU to get involved. This is your chance to tell us what brand you’d LOVE to see in this series. Submit the brand name and URL below and we’ll pick one to deep dive on! [Click here!]( Thanks, folks. Let's hop right into it. 🐇 In this newsletter, you’ll find: 👇 📦 Making TikTok creatives that resonate with your audience 📦 Shortening the cash conversion cycle by enabling later payment of large expenses with Plastiq 📦 How Mejuri keeps things fresh through alternate video formats 📦 Not getting lost in the content chaos with Dash Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. 😎 👉 If a pal forwarded this to you, [subscribe]( , so you never miss out. TikTok There’s no [TikTok team more tenacious than the Pilothouse TikTok team](… That’s why we’ve tapped them for their thoughts and opinions on Mejuri’s best vids! If you’re a TikTok scroller (guilty 🙋‍♀️), then you’ve probably been graced with Mejuri on your For You page. From highly curated product videos to shoppers being interviewed in lines, they’ve got it all! When evaluating their videos, the [Pilothouse TikTok]( team broke it down with this simple criteria: 👇 - How branded/unbranded is the creative? - What is the value of this creative? - How well does the content “fit in” on TikTok? 🚨 A general note: Brands’ TikTok content tends to be very product-centric. Posting ONLY product-showcasing videos can make it hard to gain traction. When people are scrolling, they’re generally looking for two things: VALUE and ORGANIC content! To mitigate banner blindness, ask yourself the following when creating content: - Does my content have a human aspect? - Does this content look like a brand showcasing their product? OR Does this feel like a human making content that happens to have a product in it? We will let you guess which one typically performs well. 👀 👉 Case in point Quick: - Branded - No value - Single scene 🤿 Deep dive: This is a very quick and easy creative for TikTok. The product is the main focus, it’s set in a single scene, and it offers no real value beyond "look at this product." Although this is a creative type we would typically avoid, a creative tested is a creative tested! If it’s easy and quick, you may as well post it and see how it goes. TikTok is a fickle beast, you just never know what might take off. Sponsor Access More Working Capital Today 🙋 Do you know how easy it is to get more cash for big expenses right when you need it most? Pay with Plastiq to float expenses cash up to 60 days. Plastiq helps DTC brands shorten the cash conversion cycle by enabling later payment of large expenses such as inventory, advertising, and shipping costs via credit cards. [Scale faster using Plastiq and the credit cards in your wallet.]( 🔈“Plastiq can help you extend the time to pay off expenses so you can keep your burn rate down, and delay payment until after you’ve already made the sale.” -Ronak Shah, CEO, Obvi 🔈“We use Plastiq to pay Vietnam vendors with a next day wire transfer. Facebook ad spend for January doesn’t have to be paid off until April. ” - Jason Rappaport, UniversalStandard.com Register and make your first payment by Aug 15 for a $100 rebate. 👉 [Get started in under a minute!]( TikTok 🤔 Warmer Quick: - We’re loving the use of organic tools (duets). - A bit tricky to follow. - Not using a trending song. - The original video being dueted wasn't super successful. 🤿 Deep dive: Utilizing organic tools is a great approach to fit in on TikTok. This duet style, plus the eyes and mouth filter has historically performed well. We’re loving the use of a duet! Duets allow you to place your brand alongside organic-style content. However, this organic video is once again quite branded and lacks a "human" element. It feels a bit like a commercial rather than a real user's genuine review. 👔 An episode of The Office Quick: - This is the quick and human content we like! - It’s among the most successful in their organic style. - It’s not about the jewelry. It's about the people! 🤿 Deep dive: Let's go through the checklist! What is the value? "Day in the life" is spoken directly from the individual creator. Love it! Branded? Sort of. Mejuri is stated, and some of their products are shown, but it's an added element of a non-branded creative. Does it fit in? Absolutely! This is a common style, and people love being let in behind closed doors and into people's lives! We’re not surprised this creative did so well for them on organic. Why do you think everyone’s favorite show is The Office? If they did have a sales objective for a creative like this, there’s the opportunity to add in a subtle CTA. For example, "My team was preparing for an upcoming sale, so if you are interested in seeing what we are working on, follow the link in my bio!" 🚁 Helicopter giveaway Quick: - Simple and easy. - Value is right off the bat! - Visuals are relatively intriguing. 🤿 Deep dive: Branded? Absolutely, but that's okay! Because the value is stated right away. If you are not interested in the giveaway, that's fine. If you are, you will hear more and be entertained throughout by a fun, social event that will pique your interest. Like, come on, a helicopter?! Dang, Mejuri. 🎧 How does one emulate ASMR sounds? CRSGCCHSGHCSNC?! Quick: - This style has done well for them in the past. - Value upfront. - Branded… But that's included in the value. - Single scene. 🤿 Deep dive: In the past, this style has done well for Mejuri. An organic, quick and prominent style. The beauty of content such as "ASMR unboxings," or unboxings in general, is that it offers users value from the satisfaction of the product unboxing. BUT! The brand just so happens to be included within the value. Another example of this is in makeup tutorials. The value is in the "how to". However, the product needs to be front and center. There are many stated "best practices" on TikTok, and if you want to take a creative like this to the next level, you can always test with new elements. Sponsor You finish a photo shoot ... but no one can find the shots. Did it really happen? We’ve all done it. You spend money on incredible photography and beautiful videos - only to file them away in your company shared drive. No one can find what they’re looking for, so they come to you. You’re lost in content chaos, and it’s slowing you down. You’re too busy tracking down assets to focus on growing your business. 😭 👉 [That’s why you need Dash.]( Dash makes it easy to…. - Search your content - Never lose an asset again by using custom fields like “product” or “influencer” - Share assets with your team members - Have content creators upload new shots to Dash, ready for approval - Help resellers find the content they need to start selling faster 👉 [Try Dash now for free.]( Then grab the special DTC Newsletter discount - 50% off your first three months! TikTok 😔 Sometimes it's worth the sacrifice Quick: - Short, bland, branded. - You are expected to know and care about the product to understand this ad. 🤿 Deep dive: We will use this opportunity to talk about WHO is actually watching your organic TikTok content. Unlike Instagram, most viewers will see your content on their For You page – a TikTok page curated for you and based on your viewing and engagement habits. Some of the content could be from accounts you follow, but the majority are not. This is where TikTok’s "Viral" potential comes into play. Keeping this in mind, you should treat your creatives as if they’re the first video a viewer will see from your brand. Will they care about a warranty of a product they have never heard of or cared about? Probably not. There is other value provided in creative like this, but it does come with the downside of broad performance. 🔫 Hands up! Gimme all your conversions! Quick: - Faces do well in creatives. - Fun, organic play! - Change of pace in creatives is great! People are interested off the bat, but when there is a quick change, it piques interest. 🤿 Deep dive: Faces do well on TikTok. People like to be able to relate to creators! ❤️ Generally, videos will perform better if there is something to stimulate viewers’ interest for over 3 seconds. But it's not all about showing face and trendy beats. This creative utilizes a change of pace. Changing the pace is an amazing way to reengage audiences. Keep users interested by showing them something in the opening few seconds that insinuates a punchline or some value coming up! Before you know it, you’ll be hooked on watching the entirety of the creative. That’s it for our Mejuri Brand Breakdown. Shoutout to the [Pilothouse TikTok Team]( for the insights. Catch ya on the flip side as our series starts on a whole new brand. ✌️ Brands 🪴 [KENT:]( The truth is, your closet can never have enough basics! Kent’s “soft on skin, gentle on planet” plant-based basics are sure to level up your outfits. Feel good about the products you’re spending on! 🌞 [Hello Sunday:]( What comes first, the sunscreen or the makeup? Age-old question, but no need to answer it! Hello Sunday’s makeup products all include SPF to keep your skin glowy and protected. 🥞 [Jesha’s Bakery:]( Maybe you don't have time to make a sourdough starter, or maybe yours always turns out dry… Jesha’s Bakery has you covered. 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