📦 - Big Gains for Small Brands

Gaining Traction as a Small Brand, Unbeatable Exposure, The “Prime” Suspect in Rising Retail Costs, and AI-Powered Blogging Wednesday, October 11, 2023 In this newsletter, you’ll find: - 📦 The “Prime” suspect in rising retail costs - 📦 Do you know your customers? Is social media where they actually are? - 📦 How to gain traction as a small brand with limited budget Let’s dive in: 👇 MICRO INFLUENCERS 🚀 Unlock Unbeatable Exposure with minisocial’s Expert-Selected Creators!* In Ads, Emails, Organic Posts, Websites, and everywhere in between, you've likely seen a [minisocial]( asset in 2023. Your brand + minisocial micro-influencers = explosive content and visibility at half the cost. minisocial creators stand out because they're booked for YOU by their expert team, not AI or software, so you can feel confident that you're getting the right creators for your brand with a team behind you who has been partnering brands with creators since 2018 😱 Their micro-influencer also post on their feeds, giving you a boatload of exposure 🚢 for [half the cost of a traditional influencer push.]( There's a reason top brands like Wild One, KitchenAid, Krave Beauty, and Recess trust minisocial. [Start your campaign and get ready for a massive Q4]( 🎉 [Kickstart Your Campaign Now! ]( AMAZON 🚀 Project Nessie: The “Prime” Suspect in Rising Retail Costs Amazon's "Project Nessie'' was designed to stop Amazon’s own price-matching rules from sending the tech giant into the red but is now under careful examination by the courts. While Project Nessie allowed Amazon to maintain profits on its own products, it may be the source of egregious price hikes across the retail industry. Amazon didn’t take the accusations lightly and opted for “the best defense is a good offense” strategy. They claim the FTC has no idea about how retail and pricing work. Zing. Regardless of Project Nessie’s involvement, many of Amazon’s decisions are made to keep prices for consumers lower. [Pilothouse’s Amazon Team]( adds that unfortunately, this comes at a cost to businesses. To keep prices lower, you’ll notice a higher: - Amazon’s Referral Fee - Roughly 15% of the retail product price to access Amazon’s ecosystem. - Fulfilled-By-Amazon (FBA) Fee - Prime shipping and customer services fees. - Advertising - The charge to access Amazon’s ad tools. These fees ultimately contribute to a better consumer experience on the largest digital marketplace available today. [For a closer look into the case, check out our article here](. ❤️ BRAND LOVE ☕ [Beck’s Broth](: Looking for a new hot drink to add to your repertoire this winter? Beck’s Broth hot chocolate and instant coffee bone broth powders may just be the afternoon pick-me-up you need. Warm in your cup, warm for the soul. 🍦 [Dr. Bombay](: Snoop Dogg is back at it again, this time with ice cream. These aren’t your typical vanilla and chocolate you’re used to seeing. We’re drooling just looking at the packaging. PODCAST 😴 Pillows, Sleep, and the Journey of a DTC Founder - Larissa Hildebrandt and Henrie.com 🎧 On today’s episode of the DTC pod, we dive deep into the undying value of traditional retail channels. Larissa Hildebrandt, the brain behind Vancouver-based premium pillow company Henrie, shares her journey of creating a game-changing pillow, the challenges faced in the product development phase, and the alternative growth strategies her company has employed in a digital-centric age. 📰 This just in: Even in this digital age, traditional retail channels hold their ground, showcasing their irreplaceable value. For brands like Henrie, this realization came when they identified their primary demographic: people above 50. Because this demographic isn't majorly active on popular marketing platforms like TikTok, in-person experiences, such as pop-ups and shows, have allowed Henrie’s customers to physically feel and understand the product's uniqueness. These traditional touchpoints helped solidify Henrie’s decision to prioritize retail in their upcoming year's strategy. 👉 There’s more where this came from. [Click here to read the full article]( or listen to the full episode with Larissa Hildebrandt [here](! BLOGS 🤖 Drive Traffic And Build Authority with AI-Powered Blogging. * If you're an e-commerce enthusiast, marketer, or brand builder looking to establish absolute authority, this AI-driven service is tailor-made for you. [For only $1.75 per blog!]( 🤑 You'll save precious time and get expertly crafted content that speaks directly to your audience. Plus! - Boost your Shopify store's organic search rankings. - Attract a flood of organic traffic, - Get SEO-friendly content - Witness the magic of Full Automation Mode. With[ContentX](, you're not just writing blogs; you're building long-term, cost-effective customer relationships. [Write Blogs Faster]( GROWTH 101 💰 Gaining Traction With A Small Budget One of the most common responses we get to our DTC welcome email about biggest business challenges is, “How do I actually get my brand seen with a small budget?” We totally get it. Seeing all these big brands with massive budgets can be discouraging, but make it encouraging! They all had to start somewhere just like you. We’ve pulled together a few tips for new DTC brands looking to gain some traction without breaking the bank. 1️⃣ Leverage social media: Organic content: Consistently post engaging content that tells your brand story. Use eye-catching visuals, and videos which tend to get higher engagement than still images. Collaborations and partnerships: Collaborate with micro-influencers who have a genuine following. They often have higher engagement rates and can promote your product at a fraction of the cost of larger influencers. Engage with the community: Don’t have one-way conversations! Respond to comments and participate in relevant conversations. 2️⃣ Email marketing: Build a list of subscribers from your website visitors using pop-ups, exit intent pop-ups, or special offers. Be sure to segment your email list and send targeted messages. Personalized content can lead to higher conversion rates. (P.S. in case you haven’t heard us say it before. A/B test!!) 3️⃣ Provide a stellar customer experience: When shoppers have amazing interactions with brands, they’re more likely to talk about it with friends, family, and their social feeds! Make sure your website experience, customer inquiry responses, and transparency (think: shipping times, delays, etc.) are on point. Word of mouth is an incredibly powerful tool for a brand, the more you pour into your customer experience, the greater your chances are of positive organic mentions of your brand. Go above and beyond, it will be worth it. Feel free to take what applies to you, or reply to this email and share your own thoughts about growing with limited cash flow. 📧 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](. ⚡ QUICK HITS 🗓 [Join the world's largest online gathering of creative strategists.]( On Oct 26, 2023, DTC leaders from True Classic, Sharma Brands, Jones Road Beauty, and more will attend the 2023 Creative Strategy Summit. [Secure your FREE ticket.](* 🧵 [Threads could be adding features]( like Trending Topics, GIFs, Voice Posts in future updates. In light of recent aesthetic changes on X, more creators, brands, and outlets could be eyeing Threads for an alternative. 🎯 [Target’s Secret to $560M in Incremental Quarterly Earnings.]( Tandym breaks down the numbers behind the RedCard program. [Use big brand learnings to level the playing field.](* 🤖 [A new paper calls for environmental accountability and responsibility]( as the uses for AI evolve. Activists are calling for tech companies to carefully consider the amount of wasted power and resources. 💎 [The New Marketing Channel Quietly Outperforming Paid Social](. Get ready to acquire new customers and generate thousands of sales per month at or below target CAC. [See Nift's 2023 Results](.* 👀 Banter May we add, spaghetti boo-lognese? 🍝 Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 🚀 [AKNF Archive](: Rux Rockets to Meta Ads ROAS with the Pilot Test - 🌱 [Moss Amigos & Chia Pet Legacy]( - Jared Olivia on Becoming America's New Favorite Class Pet - 📊 [AKNF 340](: Google Ads Q4 Psyche Up + GA4 Gut Check - 👕 [Jacob Rokeach]( - Fractional CMO: How to Build an Apparel Brand in 2023 - 💪 [AKNF 338](: Jogo's Retention Bootcamp - The First and Second Purchase Ecosystem (Part 3) - 😍 [Amanda Elam]( - Bloomreach: Personalized Customer Experiences on Every Channel Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) Got an awesome DTC brand story to tell? Calling all brand-side founders and team leaders! Fancy joining us on the DTC Podcast as a guest? [Tap the link to toss in your application](. DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight](, [Kate Gullett](, 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! Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content. [Direct To Consumer]( Pilothouse, 1011 Government St., V8W 1X6, Victoria, BC V8W 1X6, Canada [Advertise with DTC]( | [Work With Pilothouse]( [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](