📦 - Unlock Success in 2024: 11 Tips from DTC Brands 🚀

DTC 462 - DTC Double Down [DTC X Inbox Mailer]( Tuesday, January 2, 2024 Good morning. It’s officially a brand new year! 🎉🎉🎉 This means it’s time to set some big business goals for your brand and kick things up a notch. To get you in the planning mindset, we asked some of our favorite entrepreneurs, podcast guests, and top DTC brands this question: 💡 What’s something they did for business growth or profitability in 2023 that worked so well that you’re doubling down on it for 2024? But first, this newsletter is brought to you… IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INBOX MAILERS 📈 Boost Your Email Program Results with Inbox Mailers up to 50%-70% Open Rates! [Inbox Mailer]( Inbox Mailers is the ultimate email tool to [optimize for email open rates and click volume](. With Inbox Mailers’ proprietary network, you can trigger and send automated emails when your subscribers are actively in their inbox. This boosts your [open rates up to 50%-70%]( and also enables you to: - Reactivate unengaged subscribers ⚡️ - Identify active subscribers 🔎 - Improve overall email deliverability 🚀 If you’re a US-based business, don't miss out on this opportunity to boost your email performance! Take your email marketing to the next level with Inbox Mailers. 💪✉️ [Schedule a Demo Today!]( 2024 Planning On with the show! 🎬 [DTC Double Down] Here's what DTC brands are doubling down on for 2024: 👟Drew Arciuolo, VP of Marketing at [Team VKTRY](: performance insoles for athletes. “We increased our influencer spend in 2023 and plan to double that spend next year. Finding a channel that works for your brand and investing more should be a priority. Influencers inspire us with their creative content ideas, allow us to reach target audiences efficiently, and fuel our paid efforts. Businesses who are looking to grow TOFU awareness should add this into their marketing mix.” Listen to the podcast with Drew [here](. ☕ Liz Ahern, Chief Marketing Officer at [Chamberlain Coffee](: organic coffee and tea “We realized the power of fully integrated campaign planning around product launches. While it’s tempting to drop a new product and move on to the next promotion, we saw with the launch of our Black Cherry collection for Black Friday the power of coordinating a sustained launch campaign, leading with strong organic social content that’s complemented with email, SMS, and influencer campaigns to make a big splash.” Listen to the podcast with Liz [here](. 🔦John Roman, CEO and co-founder of [BattlBox](: an outdoor survival gear subscription service “Adding additional value to our customers outside of the tangible product they purchase. While customers love the physical products, we are thinking of ways we can bring additional value to our members to increase our customer retention.” Listen to the podcast with John [here](. 🚀 David Gaylord, CEO of [Bush Balm Skincare](: natural skincare products for ingrown hairs “We grew our brand by launching into retail. Now you can find our skincare products in over 1,000 Ulta doors. It was not easy but incredibly valuable for our topline and bottom line. Not only does getting into a big box retailer help with sales and order volume but it also helps with brand exposure.” Listen to the podcast with David [here](. 💪 Caleb Ulffers, CEO and co-founder of [Haven Athletics](: organized gym bags for athletes “There are no silver bullets. We’re doubling down on the entire marketing and advertising engine. Although we have a lean team, we were able to grow to a 7 figure business this year and plan to accelerate our growth even further in 2024. We are investing more in ads, emails, partnerships with athlete influencers and affiliates, plus our own products.” Listen to the podcast with Caleb [here](. 🌸 Sherry Jhawar, co-founder of [NEZ](: aluminum-free deodorants “Activating UGC has helped us build traction on social media and is something we want to do more of in 2024! Leveraging content from customers and affiliates is a great way to share your product’s benefits and unique selling proposition.” Listen to the podcast with Sherry [here](. 🕯️Lily Harper, founder of [Lily Lou’s Aromas](: non-toxic vegan candles “Expanding our product range was a great move. People loved the new scents we introduced and customers were really happy with the end product! Plus, I couldn't have done any of this without my awesome team—they've been with me every step of the way, helping me grow Lily Lou's Aromas. Introducing newness to your product lineup is a great way to increase your sales.” Listen to the podcast with Lily [here](. 🤖 Goksu Nebol-Perlman, VP of Product Marketing, Ads and Business Products, [Meta]( “Meta continued to invest in AI for people and businesses. Whether it is chatbots, continuing to give developers access to AI tools or helping businesses automate their ad campaigns, we are focused on making AI as accessible and usable as possible. For advertisers and DTC brands, tools like Advantage+ shopping campaigns allow them to see what ad creatives are working and use those insights to improve their creative diversification ad strategy. Brands who utilize these tools will have a competitive advantage in 2024.” Listen to the podcast with Goksu [here.]( 📝 Sam Hill, founder of [ECOM CFO](: outsourced financial services firm for ecommerce businesses “Going back to fundamentals and managing your budget wisely. If you aren’t tracking your budget, it’s easy for expenses to get out of control. Being able to answer how much budget you have left for gifting, photoshoots, and creative fresh content is key to staying cash positive. Tracking budgets will allow you to stay more accountable and spend your dollars wisely.” Listen to the podcast with Sam [here](. 🌟 Colin Landforce, serial entrepreneur and founder of [Cut30.co](: short-form video boot camp “2023 was the year I went all in on creating a personal brand using short-form video. Creating content and building an audience around your expertise is the single highest ROI activity you can do. Whether you are just starting out as an entrepreneur, are running a brand, or an agency, investing more time into developing video content will be key next year if you want to see growth via YouTube, TikTok or another short-form channel.” Listen to the podcast with Colin [here](. ✨ Conclusion We hope these DTC brand insights get you inspired to map out your own goals. Activating your UGC, adding value beyond products, and investing in short-form videos are all great ways to scale your ecommerce business so you can work through challenges and pounce on opportunities. What are you doubling down on in 2024? Reply to the newsletter and let us know! 📰 NEWS - [Streaming advertising is set to grow in 2024]( since it offers opportunities for innovation and customer engagement. - [Google settled a lawsuit regarding tracking user data]( when they were using Incognito mode. - [Martin Scorsese will make his Superbowl ad debut]( by directing a commercial for website builder Squarespace. - Cathie Wood, CEO of Ark Invest, makes a [$6.5 million bet]( on Pinterest. 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](. 👀 BANTER [Banter] Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 💵 Tiny Founder Andrew Wilkinson [Hero’s Journey From Barista to Empire Builder]( - 😎 [AKNF 364:]( The Secret to 5x Scale on Meta Ads - 💪 [Creating a $4 Million Dollar Modern Creatine Gummy Brand]( with Dan McCormick - 😆 [AKNF 362:]( Is CPC for Clowns? Meta Ads BFCM Recap - 🤯 [Shocking the Gatekeepers]( – Auto Aftermarket goes DTC with Sean Reyes from Shock Surplus. - 🤫 [AKNF 360](: The Power of the Double Tap + The Secret Tool For Instant Email Scale (And How to Use it Safely) - 👏 [Breaking Barriers in Menstrual Health]( with Nadia Ladak CEO of Marlow 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]( 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](