📦 - Too Many Call to Actions

DTC 477 - UGC = Profit Unlock, SKIMS Leverages Coquette, 2024 Media Mix, Amazon Return Mistakes [DTC] Tuesday, January 23, 2024 Good morning, Just last week, the S&P 500 reached a new all-time high, all thanks to the impressive performance of the Magnificent Seven stocks — Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. 📈 Despite lingering concerns about high inflation, this remarkable bull run could fuel a more positive outlook for the economy, potentially encouraging consumers to open their wallets and spend more. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: - How SKIMS’ Lana Del Rey partnership leveraged the coquette trend for their V Day Campaign. - Learn what true top of funnel marketing means from Keen’s Greg Dolan. - Biggest mistakes we see with Amazon returns. - And…is there such a thing as having too many CTAs? You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Meems Fudge Shoppe, Kendo Brands, and Belgrave Sands 👋 📰 NEWS - Struggling supply chain solutions provider [Flexport raises $260 million]( from Shopify. - Adobe’s new research [shows over 2 in 5 Americans]( use TikTok as a search engine. - X [expects ad spend to rise]( before Super Bowl LVIII. - Amazon releases [some punny ‘It’s on Prime’ ads]( featuring Post Malone and Dua Lipa. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MINISOCIAL 👉 If You’re Not Using the Right Content, Your Ad Dollars Are Going to Waste… [Minisocial]( UGC is a profit unlock, but the right creators making the right content makes all the difference. minisocial has helped thousands of brands create content that: - Converts ✅ - Goes viral ✅ - Drives engagement ✅ minisocial will partner your brand with socially native UGC creators who know how to capture an audience because, well, they’re micro-influencers! Brands like Plant People, immi, CORKCICLE, JOJA, and Super Coffee are already standing out from their competition using [minisocial’s two-in-one solution](. They’re seeing TikTok ads performing in the top 1% CVR, a 50% decrease in the cost of add-to-cart, a 92% increase in organic video views, and a 30+% increase in return on ad spend. [Maximize Your Ad Dollars With minisocial ⏰]( CAMPAIGN WIN 🎀 SKIMS Leverages Coquette Trend for V Day Campaign Give the [SKIMS]( marketing team a raise because their latest Valentine’s Day campaign hits all the right notes. 👏👏👏 The coquette trend is huge right now, and shapewear brand SKIMS is capitalizing on it with this coquette-inspired photoshoot with songstress Lana Del Rey to promote their [SKIMS Valentine’s Shop.]( Why this collab is a match made in heaven: Tapping Lana Del Rey as their latest celebrity brand rep makes sense since her 70s-inspired album aesthetic is reminiscent of the coquette trend. And…TikTok users in the past few months have already seen Lana Del Rey’s song Let the Light In for all their coquette-inspired videos. Talk about perfect synergy. ⚡ [SKIMs coquette-inspired campaign with Lana Del Rey] [A photo from SKIMS coquette-inspired campaign with Lana Del Rey] Here are the latest search stats: - 74K/monthly searches for “coquette” - 22.2K/monthly searches for “coquette aesthetic” - Over 1 million TikTok posts with the hashtag coquette The result? Social media users are praising SKIMS for their creativity and taking the coquette trend to a new level with the perfect brand ambassador known for her nostalgia-fueled tunes. 💗 Brands who also want to take advantage of the coquette trend should definitely work this into their Valentine’s Day playbook! Here are some creative and hilarious coquette-inspired TikTok videos from [users]( and [brands]( for some inspo. 😂 MEDIA MIX ⚔️ Mastering Your Media Mix in 2024: Keen Insights on Annual Marketing Planning [DTC Bonus Podcast]( DTC Brand owners have a conundrum on their hands… Everyone knows that in 2024, brands have to be some degree of omnichannel, but what are the true knock on effects of each new channel you bring to the table? How can you ensure you maximize your funnel’s halo effects, while minimizing your risk of overspending or burning cash on ineffective platforms? Enter Keen, a marketing decisioning platform founded by Greg Dolan, an entrepreneur we recently hosted on the DTC Podcast for a game-changing discussion about strategic 2024 marketing planning and making your ad dollars work smarter, not harder. This podcast is for anyone who’s ever considered a true top of funnel channel like PR or TV, but is worried about how to plan, predict, and optimize your returns. Keen is designed to help DTC brands make data-backed predictions about the impacts of every part of your funnel. [Read our full podcast writeup]( to hear how a major brick and mortar cosmetics brand drastically reduced their Meta Ad spend (reallocating budget to TV) to see a massive improvement in their overall marketing efficiency using Keen. Or if you’re more of a listener, the [full episode with Keen’s Greg Dolan, is here](. PODCAST 🎧 Biggest Mistakes we see with Amazon Returns In this episode of the pod, we sit down with Rob and Clifford from [Pilothouse’s]( Amazon team and talk about how to perform your own Amazon ad audit and ways to reduce returns before they happen. In this podcast, they cover: - The difference between branded vs. non-branded campaigns - Ways to optimize your Amazon listings - Tips for managing Amazon return rates - How to leverage customer reviews Rob from Pilothouse says: “Return rate on Amazon is all about building your listing in a way that accurately showcases the product. Because it’s so easy to return stuff online, you’re probably going to run into a higher return rate so it’s important to give people all the information they need to make a proper decision the first time.” 👉 For more insights like this to better manage your Amazon presence and profitability, listen to the full episode [here]( 🧰 THE TOOLKIT 💚 Are you missing a piece of the market by NOT going green? Learn how to exceed buyer expectations (and sales targets) while helping the planet—by unlocking your sustainability advantage. [Register for Wren’s FREE webinar on Jan. 31 here](. * 💸 Are you spending your ad dollars in the right place? Add the power of AI to your marketing budget with [Keen’s predictive models](, and determine which channels bring more bang for your brand’s bucks. * 🛑 All it takes is one click to change your trajectory… Start practicing your pitch for Kickfurther’s CPGrow Pitch Competition for a chance to win $150k in no-cost inventory funding. [Click to enter](. * SPONSOR DTC 📥 Promote your product to 160,000 digital marketing professionals DTC Newsletter + Podcast reaches a highly qualified audience of Shopify merchants, eCommerce founders, and digital marketers. [Talk to our team to learn more](. 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Do you have too many CTAs? Having too many call-to-actions can confuse or overwhelm a potential buyer. Can't view the image? [Click here]( 👀 BANTER When you just wanna match with your bestie all the time. Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 🥘 Danielle Walsh and Steph Chen from cookware brand [Anyday on the Power of Storytelling]( - [AKNF 369:]( Avoid the Q1 Hangover and 3 Pillars of Success for 2024 - 😎 Nick Shackelford’s CBD brand [BREZes Hits $1 Million in 8 Months]( - 📝 [AKNF 367:]( Steal our Google Ads Promo Bible! - 📦 [Unboxing the Supply Chain]( with Ingredient Brothers’ Eran Mizrahi 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](. NEED MORE DTC? 🚀 [Advertise]( in DTC Newsletter. Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content. [Direct To Consumer]( Pilothouse, 1011 Government St., Victoria, BC V8W 1X6, Canada [Advertise with DTC]( | [Work With Pilothouse]( [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](