📦 – Time To Ride the Bull

DTC 223 – Strategies and planning to ensure you’re not leaving money on the table this Q4. [DTC]( Banter Monday, August 29, 2022 Oops, our bad. 🤷‍♀️ P.S. The [C-Suite Mastermind]( mentor lineup is pure 🔥 and we aren’t done yet. We are beyond excited to announce that TikTok's Andrea Di Domizio, Brand Partnership Manager, and TikTok's Lindsey Tracey, Head of Growth of Canada, are the newest mentors at C-Suite! We've seen their presentation deck, and this is one you won't want to miss. This is your chance to ask all your TikTok burning questions. Spaces are filling up, so [lock in your spot today!]( In this newsletter, you’ll find: 👇 📦 Strategies and planning to ensure you’re not leaving money on the table this Q4. 📦 Hear from 22 of the top minds in advertising, creative, and DTC strategy at Motion’s Creative Strategy Summit. 📦 8 pro tips for crushing podcast advertising – Part 1. 📦 Leveling up your content this holiday season with minisocial. 📦 Drastically increase sales with a 30-Day trial of Pilothouse’s “TikTok cheat code.” Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. 😎 👉 If a pal forwarded this to you, [subscribe,]( so you never miss out. Q4 Planning Whether You’ve Started Q4 Planning or Not, Read This Don’t underestimate the power of Q4 in 2022. Our [powerhouse pals at Pilothouse]( jumped on our All Killer No Filler Podcast to give you the first inside scoop on preparing your brand for Q4. 🐂 Why should you be bullish on Q4? The reality is, whether or not shoppers have excess money in Q4, they’ll buy gifts and shop the sales. We marketers have years of experience converting scrollers into buyers, and this year is no exception. With the economic downturn, some larger DTC brands with a retail presence are pulling back their direct response ad spend (Facebook, TikTok, etc.) Take advantage and make sure your brand is showcasing sales, shipping times, and the unique selling points of your products. 🔥 The lowdown on Q4 Q4 is the marketing playoff season – the hype is real! To win, your brand has to be smart about planning ahead of time. If your brand intends to scale on Meta but is unsure you’ll get the results you want, now is the time to expand and test! Join platforms like TikTok as soon as possible, so when spending increases in the coming months, your brand has more data behind your decision-making. Don’t lock yourself into one platform with set budgets – be fluid, dynamic, and ready to pivot. 📦 Inventory angles By now, most brands have already ordered their inventory for Q4 (or are in the final steps of doing so.) With the market downturn, some brands will decide to buy less and others more. Be mindful, that if you’re a brand that’s chosen to max out their inventory levels, being bullish on ad spend for the quarter is a MUST. For those who ordered less, buying strategies, content strategies, and promotional strategies need to adjust. 🎯 Creatives and testing It’s no surprise that teams go through a period of intensity during Q4 and the Black Friday/Cyber Monday seasons. Be sure to have a support system in place for your internal teams. Your bank of creatives should include various iterations, offer angles, and channel specs. Want to get ahead of the game? Start testing now! Brainstorm offer angles (% off, BOGO, etc.) and test them out on landing pages. See what resonates best with your audience and have the data and iterations in your back pocket. Some brands may even consider creating a third-party brand to test ideas and have ultra-high velocity. Don’t let creative iterations and interpretations hold you back. [Don’t leave money on the table]( this Q4. Check out the [full episode of All Killer No Filler]( and keep your eyes peeled for more Q4 planning coming soon. 👀 Sponsor Join 2,000+ DTC Marketers on September 14th for A One-Day Creative Performance Crash Course 👀 What are 2,000+ marketers and creatives doing on September 14? Attending Motion’s [FREE Creative Strategy Summit!]( ✨ This event is your chance to hear from 22 of the top minds in advertising, creative, and DTC strategy. Think Nik Sharma, Nick Shackelford, Dara Denney, Savannah Sanchez, Mirella Crespi, and more. The day will be packed with dedicated training sessions and interactive panels. You'll learn how to: - Set up UGC creators for success - Decode the TikTok ad creation process - Make data-driven creative decisions - and so much more! 👉 [Grab your FREE ticket now and secure your spot for the best creative event of the year.]( Podcast Advertising – Part 1 8 Pro Tips for Podcast Advertising WE KNOW, WE KNOW. It seems like everyone and their mom has a podcast these days… But hey, that’s not stopping people from tuning in. In fact, podcast listeners are [projected]( to reach 100 million by 2024! The most popular podcast worldwide, the Joe Rogan Experience, has even overtaken traditional media with an average of 11 million listeners per episode. 🤯 Whether it’s flipping on a pod to get your daily dose of news, bingeing a true crime series on a road trip, or leveling up your marketing game with your [favorite DTC podcast]( (😉)… Podcasts have quickly become the soundtrack to many people’s daily lives. But what about podcast ads ? Are they an effective marketing channel? Let’s take a gander… - 69% of listeners say podcast ads successfully increase their awareness of brands ([source](). - 81% have taken action after hearing a podcast ad (visiting a website, following on social media, etc.) and 60% have bought a product advertised on a podcast ([source](). - Podcast ads generate 4.4x better brand recall than display ads ([source](). - Annual podcast ad revenue is expected to exceed $2B by 2023 ([source](). We’d say that’s a resounding “yes.” The intimate nature of podcasts makes them a uniquely effective channel for advertising. A podcast ad is just like hearing about an awesome product from a friend – and that’s the most powerful marketing of all. However, podcast ads are a notoriously tricky channel to navigate. They can be expensive, often take many months to pay off, and tracking attribution can be a nightmare. This is why many brands press pause on the podcast advertising game because “they just aren’t seeing the ROI.” BUT with the right strategy, execution, and lots of patience, podcast ads have the potential to pay off big time. Here are the first four of our eight pro tips for effective podcast advertising. 👇 1️⃣ Understand the logistics. The first step in setting yourself up for podcast ad success is understanding the logistics and options available to you. There are essentially two kinds of podcast ads to be aware of: - Baked-in ads: These are natively recorded within the podcast episode, often by the podcast host. They can be prerecorded or read live, and become an evergreen part of the podcast episode. - Example: The Doctor’s Farmacy (prerecorded) or Lex Fridman Podcast (live). - Dynamically inserted ads: These are prerecorded (sometimes by someone other than the host) and dynamically placed by an ad network or DAI software. Because they aren’t “baked-in” to the podcast episode, they can be easily changed or modified even after the episode has been released. - Example: Joe Rogan Experience (prerecorded by host) or The New York Times The Daily (prerecorded by non-host) Most experts say baked-in ads typically perform better because they sound more authentic and less like an advertisement. Although that’s not to say there isn’t a time and place for dynamic ads – for example, if you need an easy way to A/B test different ad messaging or if your offer is time sensitive. Depending on the length of the show, there are also usually three options for ad placement: Pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll. Mid-roll podcasts often get the most engagement since they’re less likely to get skipped, but they also usually cost more. 👉 So, hypothetically speaking, a brand’s best chance of success is probably with a baked-in, host-recorded, mid-roll ad. 2️⃣ Know where your audience is tuning in. Next is to understand what podcasts your ideal customer is listening to. In general, it’s a good strategy to align with genres, shows, and/or hosts that represent your brand values or resonate with your target audience. Tips for finding your podcast match: - Ask your customers directly what podcasts they like to listen to. - Browse categories in Apple Podcasts for shows that align with your brand. - Ask podcast hosts detailed questions about their listener demographics. Age, gender, income, location, and interests are all vital information to have. However, you really don’t have to limit yourself to just one genre – especially if you’ve been in the game for a while. Testing more general categories like news, financial, sports, and comedy could also be a good move. You might be surprised at how eclectic your audience’s tastes are! 3️⃣ Frequency > Reach. Podcast ads are almost always a long game – so play your odds right. Listeners usually need to hear about your brand on a podcast several times before actually taking action. This means it’s often better to opt for frequency overreach. In other words, if you’re just starting out, you’ll probably get the most bang-for-your-buck advertising on smaller podcasts where you can purchase 3-5 ad spots, versus a large podcast where you may only be able to afford one. 4️⃣ Consider being a guest on the podcast before advertising. In an episode of the [DTC Pod,]( the cofounders of CLEARSTEM Skincare dropped one gold nugget of podcasting advice that we couldn’t leave off this list: When they run ads on a podcast they’ve already been interviewed on, performance skyrockets. 🚀 Having someone from your company as a guest on a podcast is a great way to familiarize listeners with your brand, which means they’ll be more likely to purchase from you when they hear an ad down the road. So, if you have a charismatic founder, helpful information to share, or a killer brand story, see if you can secure an interview on your key podcasts *before* running any ads. That’s all for now! Catch you on Wednesday with the next four tips on crushing your podcast ads strategy! 👋 Sponsor Stand Out During This Holiday Season With Updated UGC! 🎁 Give your brand the gift that keeps on giving this holiday season. That is, invest in some fresh user-generated content. [minisocial works with leading brands]( like Imperfect Foods, Super Coffee, Care/of, and Native to produce high-quality UGC while activating dozens of micro-influencer posts on TikTok or Instagram. Brands looking to level up their content this holiday season will love minisocial. Why? - 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 discount. 😉 👉 The proof is in the pudding. [Check out their work and start your first project with 15% off, thanks to DTC!]( Quick Hits 🚨 Drastically Increase Sales with a 30-Day Trial of Pilothouse’s “TikTok cheat code.” Join companies like Songfinch, Inc.'s 166th fastest growing company, which generated $250k in additional sales on TikTok in the first 30 days of working with Pilothouse. Get a media buyer and implementation strategy, for FREE. Not all brands qualify, limited time offer ends September 2022. [Click here to learn more.]( 🤦‍♀️ [Instagram]( faces more user backlash as it continues to chase TikTok. 🗺 [Microsoft]( is putting more ads in Outlook on iOS and Android. 🎙 [Apple Podcasts]( drops email requirement for shows, updates approval process, more. 🌎 [Zuckerberg]( defends Metaverse development after online backlash. 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? 📈 Are you measuring your actual growth? [Rockerbox's]( Ron Jacobson on true incrementality. 🤝 [Blume]( Banks on Community – Taran Ghatrora on Community Building Through In-Person and Digital Events. [C-Suite Mentor Preview] 📱 Building a high-quality content empire with tech influencer [Justin Tse](. 🗓 Driving 25-month average subscription LTV (so far) with [Kabo and Chargebee](. 💸 “Six Figures in Revenue, Five Figures in Profit Every Day Throughout Q4" [Ridge Wallet's Sean Frank]( Returns! [Free C-Suite Mentor Preview] 🤓 Subscription Program Masterclass with Rashad Hossain from [Ryze Superfoods and Upscribe's]( Dileepan Siva. Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight](, [Kelsey Hess](, and [Jordan Gillis](. Edited by 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, if you’re interested in writing for us! Rate 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. 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