📦 - The Creative Death Spiral

DTC 335 - Organic content and aligning your creatives [DTC]( Banter Wednesday, May 17, 2023 *Deep focus stops, all work comes to a screeching halt, and sing-along commences. If you’re new to DTC, welcome! You’re in good company with fellow newcomers from Amazon, Texon Towels, Lyda Beauty, and Stashed Products. 🚲 In this newsletter, you’ll find: 👇 📦 Why your brand needs to be all in on organic content 📦 The secret weapon behind Princess Polly’s retention strategy 📦 Avoiding the creative death spiral 📦 How a localized approach can help you crush in new markets Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. 😎 👉 If a pal forwarded this to you, [subscribe](, so you never miss out. Podcast Are You Using Organic Content to Its Full Potential for Scale? 🎧 On today’s episode of the DTC pod, we're diving headfirst into the world of beauty and the power of organic content. We put the spotlight on the 8-figure beauty empire, Trinny London, which has been making waves in the industry with its unique, founder-led, content-driven approach. Trinny London CMO Shira Feuer is here to share insider perspectives and invaluable lessons from her journey. From harnessing the power of Trinny Woodall's influential persona to the challenges of scaling a DTC brand internationally amidst fierce competition—today's episode is a treasure trove of insights. ‍The takeaways 👇 🚀 Scaling skylines Navigating through the bustling beauty industry, Shira echoes the importance of highlighting a brand's unique selling point. Just as the North Star guides sailors, a brand’s unique selling point should guide all of its content. But the journey to scaling isn't just about having a lighthouse; it involves mastering the art of adaptability. It's about swiftly adjusting sails when the market winds change. Trinny London's voyage to success serves as a shining beacon, reminding us how flexibility and resilience can fuel a brand's growth. But the real triumph? Shira reminds us that it lies not just in the climb, but in standing tall amidst the dazzling skyline of competitors, admiring the view, and knowing you've carved your unique space. 🎭 Content encore To Shira and her team, content deserves more than a standing ovation—why not an encore! On the pod, Shira discusses Trinny London’s masterstroke—the strategy of breathing new life into organic content for paid ads. She offers a backstage pass into their content strategy, revealing how it's more than a mere rinse-and-repeat game. It's an art form that involves nurturing, refining, and re-staging content for another grand performance. The Trinny London team keeps the show lively, constantly experimenting with different moves to maximize their return on ad spend. But their content love story doesn't end on a single stage; it spreads across multiple platforms, from the intimate world of emails to the glittering arena of influencer content. Shira emphasizes that it's all about keeping the applause going for your content, ensuring it never fades into the wings, but continues to dazzle and engage. 💰 What Shira would do with an extra $100K: She would seize the opportunity. Shira talks about taking her production team on a transatlantic trip to film a season of ‘[The Trinny Takeover Show](’ in the United States. Despite the UK being the primary stage for their content creation, Shira sees the potential and value in expanding their on-ground presence to international markets. Her idea underscores the company's commitment to global growth and their dedication to delivering high-quality content that resonates with their audience, no matter where they are in the world. 👉 Listen to the full episode with Shira Feuer [here](! Sponsor The Secret Weapon Behind Princess Polly's Retention Strategy From fashion and CPG to beauty and home, top brands are getting a mobile shopping app across all categories. 📲 Why? Because mobile apps make your retention strategy stronger—and customers stickier. Think of your app users as your diehard fans. They'll generate more revenue per session, have a higher lifetime value, and have higher conversion rates than mobile or desktop web customers. [Just look at Princess Polly](, whose mobile app is now the brand's second-highest revenue channel. 🤯 With [Tapcart](, you can seamlessly launch an app for your store in just two weeks, and their hands-on support team will work with you to craft the perfect mobile app strategy, so you can create a new revenue stream ASAP. 👉 [Turn your Shopify store into an incredible mobile app experience](. Creative Who are you making creatives for? 🤔 Who’s it all for? Look at your recent ads and consider who you created them for. It’s an unusual question but a crucial one, and finding that answer is the topic of this week’s [All Killer No Filler](. DTC is joined by the [Content Managers and Marketing Director from Pilothouse]( to completely recontextualize how your brand should plan the content. Let’s dive into what it means when we create with consumers in mind and how to avoid the infamous creative death spiral. 😱 👑 Data is queen The spiral starts with a trip wire of poor performance. We all use analytics to compare our ads against one another, but to get the most out of your data, you need to dig deep. When you decide on your creative strategy, it must be based on data. Otherwise, grab a crayon, blindfold yourself, and design your next thumbnail. It may as well be that difficult without reading and truly understanding the essential data that Meta provides us. 🥵 Perform under pressure The lack of performance often comes from the lack of meaningful communication about your creatives. These are the three layers you must address before the spiral begins. 😵‍💫 Ask yourself: 1️⃣ Is the performance of your content up to the standards you set? 2️⃣ If not, have you received feedback from your team about why your content isn’t performing? 3️⃣ If not, what creative strategies have you tried, and where is there room to expand? 🌋 Fighting an uphill battle Keeping this spiral in check is difficult, but you can fight back with trending content and feedback from your audience—in other words, data. Your content must adapt to the fluctuating environment of Meta Ads. Truthfully, specific content just works at different times. When your brand lands on a winning piece of content, lean into it and uncover what makes it so compelling. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Humanize your content You’ve likely heard about getting “scrappy.” It symbolizes an efficient creative feedback loop that brands often use to produce content in a testing phase. The term “scrappy” isn’t always appealing, as brands can be so attached to their style guides and brand colors. It’s time to ditch “scrappiness” and your style guide to humanize your content. Consumers don’t always need highly polished studio content for your brand to make a lasting impact. 💪 It’s time for change What’s the next step in the journey to finding your next big winner? [Check out this week’s All Killer No Filler]( to stop the spiral, take the ego out of your design, and achieve the perfect balance of polished and humanized content. Sponsor Q: What do Body Engineers, Commodity Fragrance, Tory Burch and Karhu have in common? Why Europe, you ask? No, not for its history, culture, or art. It's strictly [business](: Europe harbors 4 of the 10 biggest ecommerce markets in the world! 🌎 With some exceptions (👋UK), countries in Europe have the same currency, VAT, and legislation. However, due to vast changes in culture, trends, and languages, [a localized approach]( is crucial to reach high levels of success! With the [help of a local expert]( like Salesupply, you will be able to compete like a local everywhere. 👉 [Get in touch with Salesupply to start your World European domination today.]( Quick Hits 🤳 Brands like QALO, Dr. Squatch, and Feastables drive up to 30% more conversions and 2x more SMS revenue with proactive, human-led sales outreach. [Learn more here](.* 🐤 [Twitter’s]( new video playback controls hint at a video-focused future. These features come after Twitter previously announced other video features like picture-in-picture that have yet to be released. 🎵 [TikTok]( launches new initiatives for Mental Health Awareness Month. These updates are “aimed at promoting positive mental well-being, combating stigma, and providing support to our community.” ♾️ [Meta]( adds resources to the Professional Dashboard to help creators’ performance. The guides include best practices on Meta platforms and educational content to empower creators. 🔎 [Google]( announced tools to detect AI-generated images at their recent I/O event. The first feature, “About this image,” provides information like when the image was indexed and where else it appears on the web. *Sponsored SHARE DTC NEWSLETTER 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!]( Referal program is subject to [DTC Terms & Conditions.]( 🔊 Have you heard our latest podcasts? 🚗 The Road to 9-Figures with Cody Plofker from [Jones Road Beauty]( (Plus Cody’s YouTube and Meta Ads Funnel Breakdown). 🤑 How Not to Grow an 8-Figure Business ([Obvi Panel]( - C-Suite Preview). 🍫 Jess Cervellon from [Feastables](: What CPG Can Learn from SaaS about CX. 🍸 Ben Soffer - [Spritz Society](: Influencer Strategies for Alcohol Brands and Linear Commerce. 🕯️ 9-Year-Old Lily Harper from [Lily Lou's Aromas]( Homeschools Us All. 💡 Listen to the [Biggest Marketing News]( Stories Today. Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) DTC Newsletter is written by [Kate Gullett](, [Rebecca Knight](, and [Michael Venditti](. 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! [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. By using directtoconsumer.co or accepting the Terms of Use (via opt-in, checkbox, pop-up, or clicking an email link confirming the same), you agree to be bound by our Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy. Suppose you have provided personal, billing, or other voluntarily provided information. In that case, you may access, review, and make changes to it via instructions found on the Website or by emailing us at team@directtoconsumer.co. To manage your receipt of marketing and non-transactional communications, you may unsubscribe by clicking the "unsubscribe" link located at the bottom of any marketing email. Emails related to the purchase or delivery of orders are provided automatically – Customers cannot opt-out of transactional emails. We will try to accommodate any requests related to the management of Personal Information in a timely manner. However, it is not always possible to completely remove or modify information in our databases (for example, if we have a legal obligation to keep it for specific timeframes). If you have any questions, reply to this email or visit our Website to view our official policies. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( Pilothouse, 1011 Government St., V8W 1X6, Victoria, BC V8W 1X6, Canada