Cynthia Plotch

Should an unprofitable DTC brand take on debt? There's a ton of nuance to consider here but one thing you always need to remember is... All debt must eventually be paid back with profit. If you don't have profit available to pay back your debt, then you must pay it back with equity dollars. And if you're raising equity to pay back debt, then you're getting double-tagged with a hefty cost of capital... Once for the cost of debt (interest)... And once for the cost of raising equity (getting your ownership diluted)... Which makes me think - Should you have just raised equity (and not taken on debt) in the first place? -- Find this post helpful? Consider reposting or giving me a follow

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The one thing my team is doing that no one else is & its producing insane results 👇🏻 we created an organic content <> paid flywheel that has exploded the business: ✅ 1st order profitable on meta ✅ hit April sales in 1 week in May for our new products ✅ 4x Amazon growth from organic alone (we are not spending there yet) ✅ inbound retail interest The best part? the content is all free 🤯 Here is how we are doing in ⬇️ 🔹 I create content on social to test messaging + content, 70% of it focused on conversion 🔹 we learn what resonates and re-create for paid 🔹 whitelist content which we already know will perform 🔹 We get views and conversions and there are more eyeballs on my account 🔹 Organic tests I do get better and our ad spend gets more efficient This strategy is all possible because I spent the last 6 months building an audience on IG and optimizing my content for both virality + conversion AND because I have incredible founder market fit with our products and brand If you want help executing a founder led comms growth strategy, ask your questions below! ❤️ like if this is helpful and 🔁 please share with your audience

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I've made a concerted effort to collect testimonials from the brands that hire agencies I introduce them to. This is the 2nd time I've helped Mike Kaplan, CMO at AVOXI find an agency. There's a few consistencies among the testimonials I receive. - Speed - Quality If you talk to a few of the RIGHT agencies, the time spent finding the right vendor is drastically reduced. Marketing moves fast. CMO's have a million things on their plates. A long drawn out agency search is draining. Speed kills.

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Some products just don’t work for scaling DTC profitably. Why? The unit economics needed to scale profitably aren’t there. One example that comes to mind is the vast majority of food and bev products. If your product mix has low AOV and high (shipping + fulfillment cost)/AOV, chances are you won’t have enough room in your contribution margin before marketing to afford the CAC you need scale through DTC advertising channels. There are some exceptions to this rule, but generally speaking, the products that crush DTC have higher AOVs and higher margins before marketing, allowing sufficient CAC budget to scale. Do you agree?

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Billions of searches happen daily on Google Google search puts your business in front of your ideal customers searching for your product/service. Targeted visibility at its best! Unlock the power of Google Ads 🧵 What is PPC? PPC stands for Pay-Per-Click, a model where you pay only when someone clicks on your ad. It’s like a digital handshake – you only pay when a potential customer shows interest. Why Google Ads? Google processes billions of searches daily. Using Google Ads puts you in front of customers precisely when they’re searching for what you offer. It’s targeted visibility at its best. Setting Up Your First Campaign 🛠️ - Define your goals - Set a budget - Choose keywords - Create compelling ads - Monitor and adjust Crafting Your Ad ✍️ Your ad is your first impression. Make it count with: A clear call to action, Benefits over features, Engaging visuals Remember, you’re not just selling a product; you’re solving a problem. Keywords 📖 Keywords connect you to your audience. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find terms your customers are searching for. Think like a customer, and you’ll find the right words. Measuring Success 📈 Track your results with the following metrics: Click-through rates, Conversion rates, Quality Score These metrics will help you refine your strategy and boost ROI. Continuous Learning 🧠 PPC is an ever-evolving field. Stay updated with the latest trends and best practices. Follow thought leaders, attend webinars, and never stop testing your campaigns.

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“I’m worried about performance” A brand said in an email this week to our Strategist. But let me tell you what happened And in doing that you’ll learn how to not freak out in DTC land. So this brand has been trending up and to the right last few months. The email we got was right after a big build up to a campaign launch. And afterwards of pushing the product. After checking we say that over the last 2 weeks meta CPA was holding stable. (means my team is doing a good job) What happened was AOV dropped 21% Why? That new product they dropped was so hot it sold out. Hence why AOV dropped. So spend was the same. CPA was the same. AOV dropped. It was pretty simple to figure out. NO amount of advertising can fix that problem. So we told the brand what is REALLY causing it and recommended certain steps until we get more stock. Problem figured out. Solving it means you have to pivot. Perspective > emotions is the only way to navigate the ups and downs of DTC. My team solves issues like this all the time.

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Ever wondered how we kick off campaigns for new clients? Here’s an exact example of how we’ve used this process to generate $82K in attributable revenue in the first week for our client targeting DTC brands (from campaign ideation to co-creation with clients, to leveraging data to drive decisions) Here’s how we generated $82K (in attributable) revenue  🔍 Our Campaign Structure: We segmented our campaigns into three primary divisions: - Shopify Stores - Pet Industry 🐶 - Shopify Stores - Beauty Industry 💄 - PandaMatch - Our New Lookalike Audience Builder 🐼 Each campaign targeted three personas: 1. Marketing 2. Operations 3. Leadership We also experiment with different call-to-action variants to see what resonates best. First Pass Insights: From our initial campaigns, we noticed: Operations personas had zero positive replies and the lowest reply rate. Marketing and Leadership personas performed evenly, with Beauty marketing leading in responsiveness. The Iterative Process: We approach our campaigns with a scientific method, tweaking one variable at a time. This precision allows us to pinpoint what works and what doesn’t, ensuring we continually optimize our efforts. Real-Time Analytics: With the best cold email infrastructure in place, we receive immediate feedback. This real-time data is invaluable in refining our messaging and targeting strategy. By understanding our clients’ personas and buyer psychology, and meticulously analyzing our campaign data, we ensure each iteration is more effective than the last. I hope this glimpse into our process helps you as much as it helps us. Watch the video below to see the exact results.

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What's the first thing healthtech/femtech founders and CMOs say they need when it comes to marketing?  Brand awareness 👥👥👥 Lead generation and customer acquisition are, understandably, a priority. But there's value in focusing on what you're doing with those who've already given you the gift of their attention. How are you nurturing them through the customer journey so that you’re not only on their radar but also part of their life? While the top of the funnel is essential, investing time and effort in those customers who can become your most powerful marketing tool is equally crucial. These are the customers who buy again and again, share their positive experiences with friends, write online reviews and become your long-term advocates. Because being aware of your company isn't the same as being a willing champion.

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Healthy profitability isn’t what makes a DTC brand valuable. Healthy positive cash flow is... Just because your brand is profitable doesn’t mean it’s creating positive cash flow. Unless you know how to manage your balance sheet efficiently, your profitable DTC brand’s cash flow may be locked up - 1. On warehouse shelves (inefficient inventory management) 2. Your customers’ bank accounts (inefficient receivables management) 3. Your vendors bank accounts’ (inefficient payables management) Need help managing your balance sheet so you can improve cash flow and increase your brand’s valuation on the open market? Shoot me a DM. My team of Ecommerce CFOs can help. — If you found this post helpful, consider resharing and follow me Jon Blair for more content like this.

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👉 If you are a founder and looking to connect with your audience on a more personal level but just don’t know where to start, here are 10 content ideas you can begin with. This is applicable to most industries, but specifically for CPG brands and those in the health and wellness space. Your intro/story (why you created your brand) Your biggest challenge building your brand AM/PM routine (wellness, skincare, work) Sunday reset routine Books you live by Morning habits you swear by Wellness/Fitness/Personal Development/Travel Wishlist Essentials What you eat in a day(if your brand offers gut health solutions, this is a perfect way to show how you use your own products to complement your lifestyle, or solve your health challenges) Your favorite way to de-stress Things that make you more productive This is hard for most of us, and showing up on camera is not easy. We often think, “I have nothing to offer,” “No one cares,” or “It’s not going to be a good video.” Listen, I am in the same boat, and I have committed myself to doing this too for my agency. Dear Lord, help us all 😅 We can do this. We will do this. The purpose is to connect with our clients/customers on a deeper level, and we are all in it together. Remember, your friends, family, and colleagues are there to support you. You just need to ask them for it. Let’s make those connections and build those relationships! 💪 First thing you will do is open up an excel sheet, add all these idea starters and go from there. Just get one out, and you will be halfway there. #founderstory #founderstories #organicsocialmedia #smm #communitybuilding #community #socialmedia #socialmediamarketing ~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi, I'm Alma Pantaloukas 👋 With 10 years of experience in social media marketing, I have helped major brands transform their social media and digital footprint, as well as consulted with numerous small business owners. 🤝 Looking for organic and paid social media support? I got you. DM me or visit my website at www.ritualthrive.com

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Ever wonder why some brands seem to read your mind? It's RFM. Let me show you how. Recency, Frequency, Monetary value - the trifecta behind the curtain. By analyzing how recently and how often you engage with a brand, plus how much you spend, companies can predict your next move. Or try to persuade you to do something they want. 1️⃣𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲? Imagine a customer who just purchased last week. They’re still excited about their new find. Capitalize on this enthusiasm with timely communications that thank them for their purchase or offer a complementary product as a follow-up. For instance, an online fashion retailer noticed a 30% higher email open rate from customers who had made purchases within the last month. ➟ Armed with this insight, they launched tailored email campaigns offering a "Welcome Back" discount to recent buyers and a "We Miss You" campaign to reactivate dormant shoppers. 2️⃣ 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘆? Considered your regulars, the lifeblood of your business. A subscription-based meal delivery service found that customers who ordered more than twice a month were prime candidates for an upsell to a premium plan with more choices and exclusives. ➟ By targeting these frequent diners with personalized offers to enhance their plan, they not only boosted the average LTV but also reinforced customer loyalty. 3️⃣ 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱? High spenders are your VIPs. They expect—and deserve—a level of service commensurate with their expenditure. An online goods retailer used their data to identify customers spending over $500 per transaction. ➟ These high rollers were then offered access to an exclusive VIP program that included personal stylist consultations and early access to new products, enhancing their buying experience and encouraging even higher spends. By breaking down your customer base using these three metrics, you can tailor your marketing strategies to target specific groups more effectively. *************** I am Alvin Huang I'm an e-commerce veteran with over $189 million in sales, specializing in scalable growth and resilient leadership. I deliver no-nonsense, actionable insights for serious business growth. Follow me for real-world strategies and case studies that drive success. #RFMStrategies #customercentric #alwaysbeselling

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Our team 5x’d email revenue for this DTC brand, from $8,865/m in July to $44,183/m in September last year. This brand was suffering from low open rates due to poor deliverability. Fixing deliverability can be a lengthy and delicate process when lots of prior damage has been done. In this case, it took us 3 months to solve their inboxing issues. A ton of effort, but the results speak for themselves. We added half a million dollars in additional revenue to this brand per year. PURELY through fixing their deliverability. Fixing sender reputation can make the difference between a 6-figure & 7-figure DTC brand. Despite this, criminally few DTC brands (and sadly, email marketers) understand the importance of email deliverability. Here are 5 reasons why fixing your deliverability is so important: 1/ Direct sales hit Your emails won’t generate any sales if nobody sees them. Imagine running Meta ads to Facebook Messenger instead of stories or news feeds. Same concept. 2/ Wasted effort All your email efforts are wasted with low deliverability. Did you hire the best copywriters to compose highly converting emails? With a weak sender's reputation, this is money and time down the drain. 3/ List churn Bad inboxing means your list will eventually disengage. All that money spent driving people to your email list is wasted if people unsubscribe. 4/ Less brand awareness Email can do the heavy lifting of nurturing a true relationship with your audience & building up brand awareness. That opportunity shrinks to zero when nobody sees your emails. 5/ Negative brand image What’s worse than no brand awareness? Negative brand awareness. When people actually consider checking their spam folder, they’ll associate your brand with “junk.” I can’t think of a worse outcome than this. Concerned your email deliverability isn’t where it should be? Send me a connection request & I’ll help you out.

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DTC Companies with AOC's lower than $100... focus on bundles to increase your cart value. Change your shopper's habits to buy more at a time. For better or worse, this is becoming the only way to negate the avg. acquisition cost of a new client. Requires a little creative thinking but it can be done.

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Simple ≠ Easy This is the one thing I’m realizing after talking to multiple DTC experts over the last few weeks. The fundamental problems most businesses face already count on answers.  And they’re usually very simple. Q: How can my brand stand out from the crowd?  → Be authentic. Q: How do I know what my customers need? → Talk to them! And so on…. Except these aren’t always easy. The question of figuring out your brand voice especially, such that it’s authentic AND unique AND it resonates with your customers? I got to chat with Jameela G. to try to answer that question. We discussed the ‘simple’ answers.  Along with frameworks and tactics so it's also a bit easy for you to do it. The full episode releases in just few days – yay! ps.: get ready for some good vibes! One can't just spend a whole hour with Jameela without feeling optimistic about life 🍀 #marketingpodcast #dtcmarketing

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Is your DTC brand stuck at 7 figures, but you are ready to scale to 8 figures? In our LIVE workshop next week we will share the 4 key shifts you need to make to become a $10M brand this year. Find out the exact strategies that scaled Addison Bay from $154k per month to $850k per month. Comment WORKSHOP below and I will get you all the details.

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Authenticity is the soul of your brand's story. This is why UGC is helping ecom brands stand out. Here's the scoop on UGC campaigns: → They amplify your narrative. → They're gold mines of genuineness. → They speak directly to your audience. My approach: 1. Encourage creative freedom. Give your customers the freedom to showcase your products in their own unique, creative ways. This will result in a diverse tapestry of genuine brand stories. 2. Curate with care and intention. Carefully select the UGC that best aligns with your brand's values and resonates most strongly with your target audience. 3. Showcase diverse perspectives. Highlight a wide range of UGC to ensure your brand's story is told from multiple authentic viewpoints. UGC can turn customers into storytellers. And storytelling into conversion. So craft UGC campaigns that stick. That makes your brand not just seen but felt. Because at the end of the day, It's about making every voice count. And every story shines. ________ I’m Marie, the ambitious island voyager. Follow me Marie Tuason 🌺 and ring that bell 🔔 for more Social Strategy, Wellness and Digital Nomad tips 🌱 #ecom #ecommerce

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I'm shocked that more DTC brands aren't obsessing over increasing conversion rate (and profitability) by leveraging this tactic... Hyper-personalized marketing. It's the year 2024. Capturing customer and prospect data is easier and cheaper than it's ever been. Why aren't more brands obsessing over testing hyper-personalization strategies? My gut tells me it's because it's an iterative process that takes time to figure out. But with the rise of data analytics and AI capabilities, this is something that every DTC brand MUST figure out. If you can crack the code on hyper-personalized advertising, the conversion rate lift just might be the difference between losing money and being incredibly profitable. Ryan Rouse Justin Buckley Ian Lenny Greg Shuey Kevin Kovach I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

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A few ponderings on what it means that the FTC has banned non-compete agreements 🧐 💡 Will marketers become even more idolized and “traded” like athletes amongst brands? Influencers the same, but amongst talent agencies? 💡 Will marketing get boring because there’s less movement across consumer brand categories? 💡 How will this affect exclusivity clauses in influencer contracts? 💡Recruiters everywhere must be celebrating today… right? #FTC #news #marketing #influencers #influencermarketing #socialmedia #socialmediamarketing

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Attention CPG business owners: if you are thinking about scaling more aggressively into paid advertising to support your business, check out this blog post I wrote for one of my favorite Flighted clients, Settle! This will ensure you don't start off on the wrong foot with pricing, channel selection, evaluating agency partners, and tracking the right KPIs. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/e7xZ_8uV

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