Faisal AlKhalidi

“Brand bidding: the kindergarten of Google Ads”. Here's how we spent $7M on Google Ads and turned cold traffic into new customers @scale for DTC Brands [Not a penny spent on Brand Bidding] Many marketers stick to brand bidding as their safe bet in the realm of DTC and eCommerce. Brand bidding is an amateur's game. We chose to defy the norm—and it paid off big time. For DTC & Ecommerce brands, the true challenge lies in acquiring new customers at scale, not just targeting those already familiar with the brand. This has been our focus for years—converting cold traffic into loyal customers, bypassing the allure of brand bidding for a more ambitious goal of sustainable growth. Over the last 6 months, we’ve profitably spent over $7 million on Google Ads without a single dollar going towards brand bidding, for DTC Brands in the health and wellness industry. Instead, we focused on what truly drives growth: customer acquisition at scale. Our unique funnel transforms cold traffic into loyal customers, turning skeptics into believers. How do we do it? Through relentless optimisation and a deep understanding of consumer behavior. Our proprietary funnel guides potential customers from initial interest to purchase with unparalleled efficiency. The results speak for themselves. We generated staggering revenues for this client, as evidenced by our real Google Ads Manager screenshots. Here’s what makes our funnel unique: 🚀 Huge Conversion Rates: Achieving over 15% conversion rates, significantly higher than industry averages, (On cold traffic!) 💰 Extremely High Average Order Value (AOV): Maximizing revenue from every customer. 🎯 Precision Targeting: Only targeting cold traffic to ensure we’re bringing in new customers, not just re-engaging existing ones. 📈 Scalable Growth: Designed to scale seamlessly, allowing for consistent and sustainable growth. 🔄 Continuous Optimization: Using data-driven insights to refine and improve the funnel constantly. While others pour money into targeting those who are already familiar with their brand, we excel at converting complete strangers into customers. Our approach is bold, innovative, and, most importantly, profitable. And here’s the best part: I am offering our unique funnel for FREE! Yes, you read that right, for FREE. We want to help you move beyond brand bidding and tap into a scalable growth strategy that works. Let’s connect and explore how we can replicate this success for your brand. If you want to have access to our unique DTC customer acquisition funnel for FREE: 1) Like the Post 2) Comment “FUNNEL” 3) Be sure we are connected so that I can send you the Funnel directly by DM Let’s grow together. 🚀 #DTC #ecommerce #GoogleAds #CustomerAcquisition #digitalmarketing

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🚀 Audited ad accounts for a high-growth, $30M Ecom. 10 recs we gave to scale faster & profitably ➡️   Google:   1. Use Blotout or Elevar to maximize conversion signals sent to ad platforms.   2. Pass micro-conversions (not only purchases) to better train ad algorithms.   3. Don’t fight PMAX. With 1-2, it blows the doors off manual media buying.   4. Optimize Merchant Center Feed:   - Analyze high-vol, AOV, & margin SKUs - Ensure impressions reflect top performers - Fix feed errors & warnings - Test titles, images, & descs for growth   Meta:   5. Shopify CAPI isn’t enough. Implement Blotout or Elevar to improve signal.   6. Reduce reliance on ABO. Test CBO & Adv+ for better results.   Data & Attribution:   7. Enhanced conversion tracking will boost key email flows by 20%+.   8. Pass Elevar to GA4 to find best/worst CVRs & fix. E.g., Home > Browse > PDP > Cart > Checkout > Order   9. Implement Northbeam for more effective spend allocation.   10. Use media mix modeling & holdout tests for growth post-#9.   #ecommerce

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So much of the marketing advice on LinkedIn is about short-term conversions. People are telling you to focus on tactics for that quick sell and "fast revenue". I don't blame you, its hard to do anything else when you have shareholders breathing down your neck for that fast revenue. But-what are you giving up in return? Recurring revenue and long-term profitability. Like Sam's experience, we find when we focus on LTV, the companies we work with become more profitable in the long term. Why? Because they offer an exceptional user experience, its less spend, and overall generates more profit. I find this to be true in both the B2B, B2C, and DTC space (yes, with over 22 years of experience, we've worked in all three spaces and yes, what works in DTC can translate to B2B when you focus on the customer experience).

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5 CRO mistakes brands need to stop making: (Unless you're OK with mediocre conversion rates) 1️⃣ Treating CRO as a side project Most brands run sporadic tests with no overarching strategy. By not prioritizing CRO, you're missing out on massive growth. my Hypothesis: Implementing a structured testing program will increase conversions by identifying and solving customer pain points. 2️⃣ Focusing on conversion rate over revenue Conversion rate is a vanity metric in isolation. It doesn't matter if more people convert if they're spending less. Instead also focus on metrics that impact your bottom line: revenue, contribution margin, return rates, and so on. 3️⃣ Not segmenting results to learn more After a test ran, you should segment the results to figure out what was learned and where it worked. New vs. returning customers have different needs & behavior. By putting them together, you water down your results and come up with new insights & ideas for follow-up tests 4️⃣ Ignoring qualitative data Numbers alone don't tell the full story. Pair quantitative data with customer feedback & user recordings. Get the why behind the what. 5️⃣ Not having a post-test plan The test isn't over when you have a "winner". You need to analyze results & share learnings with your team. Develop a plan for iterating on the outcome. P.S. Since you read the entire thing, I guess you could use some ideas... I handpicked 94 ideas for online shops and added what data points to look at to prioritize them. Want it? Like & Comment "Sharing Is Caring" & I'll DM it to you!

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Your CAC is bleeding your profits dry. Here's the tourniquet: If I had to stop the bleed, without spending more on Ads, here's what I'd use: ☑ Fullstory for user behavior analysis ☑ Unbounce for landing page optimization ☑ ReferralCandy for customer referral programs DO's and DON'Ts ↳ never ignore customer lifetime value LTV ↳ it's about targeting quality, not just quantity ↳ focus on retargeting and abandoned cart recovery ↳ don't neglect post-purchase engagement ↳ spend more time on data analysis than ad creation You'll spot the leaks in the first week. You'll start patching in the first month. You'll see the flow improve in the first quarter. You'll have a profit-generating machine after a year. Cut your CAC. Start now!

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Throwing more cash to make your ad account grow doesn't work anymore: I see DTC brands pushing 6 figures in monthly ad spend that can't turn a profit or find winning ads. Instead: ➝ Understand your unit economics ➝ Set profitable CPA targets per product SKU/offer ➝ Use cost controls to ensure profitable spend ➝ Test as much creative as possible ➝ Scale the winners If there's any gap in this process, you're asking to throttle growth.

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Beware❗ — do NOT make this all too common goal-setting mistake... Brand founders of scaling DTC brands often feel tempted to pivot their goals when they don't seem to be working out. But here's the kicker: they're going about it all wrong. Let me clarify: well-crafted, clearly defined goals are sacred and should not be changed frequently. But do you know what SHOULD be changed frequently? The strategies you implement to achieve those goals! If you find yourself struggling to gain traction on some of your growing brand's goals, don't make any changes to them right away... Instead, get your team together for a brainstorming session on new and creative strategies you can implement to move your goals closer to the finish line. -- Did you find this post helpful? If so, consider resharing it and giving me Jon Blair a follow. #dtcbrands #scaleyourbusiness #founders

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Dear DTC/CPG founders: Here's the only way to vet a growth marketing consultant (Meta ads + landing pages + retention)... Just ask them this question: Have you 🫵 ever scaled a brand like mine from ZERO to 7, 8, or 9 figures (whatever your goal is)? The answer should be a simple yes (followed by an example) or no. That's it! Don't pay ANYONE to learn on your dime (that includes junior agency employees)... especially with such an important responsibility that will make or break your business.

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Pro tip for all DTC founders: Share your product on Reddit. Reddit users are brutal, and the active ones are nerds. Meaning? They'll take the time to research your product, and then kick your ass for any issue they find. Half-assed products WON'T survive the heat. You'll find areas of improvement really quickly.

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We've been driving CRO success for DTC brands for 9+ years. Here are 8 key metrics you need to know to maximize your conversions and revenue: 1️⃣ Conversion Rate: Improve user experience & product pages. 2️⃣ AOV: Offer bundles & upsells. 3️⃣ CLV: Personalize experiences & create loyalty programs. 4️⃣ Cart Abandonment Rate: Simplify checkout & add trust signals. 5️⃣ RPV: Focus on targeted traffic & conversion optimization. 6️⃣ Add to Cart Rate: Use strong CTAs & urgency. 7️⃣ Gross Margin: Analyze data to optimize products & prices. 8️⃣ Net Promoter Score: Get customer feedback to improve satisfaction. To effectively leverage these metrics: ✅ Set clear, measurable goals ✅ Identify your northstar metric ✅ Establish a regular measurement cadence ✅ Assign ownership and take action based on data insights Continuously A/B test key elements of your ecom site to identify opportunities for improvement and drive long-term growth.

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Most DTC ad accounts aren't even doing the bare minimum to improve performance. What do I mean? There's one thing Meta recommends doing to both: a) Prevent ROI dropoff b) Keep CAC steady Creative refreshes. Our recommendation is heavy — 1x per week, or ~4x per month. Meta's recommendation is moderate — 2x per month. Most DTC brands aren't hitting even half of this — MAYBE 1x a month. This simple rule is one of the most neglected in ad strategy for ecommerce brands. Why? Usually from a lack of creative inbound — there's not enough creative to supplement the number of refreshes needed. I won't get into creative volume, but here's why creative refreshes are critical. Creative fatigue: it builds up when audiences are overexposed to the same creatives. It can drive up your CPA and make your ads less sticky, leading to higher ad spend for desired performance (or no spend if you're using cost controls). Meta prioritizes the "best" experience for users — this means new, new, new. You don't immediately have to jump to 1x a week for creative refreshes, but if you're not at least hitting Meta's recommended rate (bi-weekly), you're leaving easy results on the table.

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2 Most Common CRO Execution Problems Other than not optimizing, the most common mistake we see is not matching the CRO strategy to the sample size. Usually, folks push their sample size past the limit (sometimes waaaaay past…A/B testing on 137 conversions a month, I’m looking at you). That’s just playing optimization, not doing it. Lot’s of tools in the CRO toolbox. Make sure you’re picking the right ones for each and every job. Second most common problem - focusing in the wrong area. Who gets the bigger trophy, the optimizer who finds a 100% lift on 1% of the conversions or the optimizer who gets a 2% lift on 100% of the conversions? #conversionsciences

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You're sabotaging conversions with one product listing page mistake. Our latest A/B test exposed this conversion killer: We removed the hero section from targeted PLPs. Hypothesis: Eliminating scrolling friction would increase ARPU. Reality: A 6.3% ARPU drop... Here's what we learned: 1️⃣ Shoppers want context They don't just want to be bombarded with products. Hero sections help guide their shopping experience. 2️⃣ Exploration beats tunnel vision PLPs should encourage browsing, not just finding one specific item as fast as possible. 3️⃣ Branding sparks desire Lifestyle images communicate value in a way that product grids just can't. The numbers don't lie: Context and branding make a big difference in how much people spend. Removing that instrumental element actively detracts from perceived value. To plug those revenue leaks, you need a PLP strategy that inspires: ➡️ Use hero sections to set the vibe and spark desire ➡️ Guide an engaging branded journey, not just a product list ➡️ Balance quick access with immersive storytelling But optimizing your PLPs is just one part of the equation... I've got 20 more revenue-driving tactics used to generate exactly €3,940,600.23 in revenue for our clients. Comment "Tests Please" and I'll send 20 test results to your DMs.

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How I would position a $1M CPG landing page for Purely Elizabeth. Here's a full breakdown: 1. Heading/Top Banner --> Place a sticky banner with a CTA and risk reversal --> Display the product name immediately --> Show how many people bought - instant trust 2. Extra Sexy Imagery --> 1st image in carousel is most important --> Display product USPs or features --> Add a slider that isn't too large 3. Bundling Options --> Show the most popular & best option --> Display discounts on size (if any) --> Add images instead of text only 4. Subscription/CTA --> Display important subscription info --> Show discount on subscription --> Catchy CTA with the pricing 5. Risk Reversal --> Display immediately under the CTA --> Focus on brand USPs like shipping --> Show three main feature points Cherry J., what do you think about this?

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Some of my favorite hooks: (Mostly for short-form videos that sell physical products) “My secret weapon is…” “This is already sold out…” “After I saw this {social media platform}…” “Don't buy this…” “The #1 recommended {product}...”  “This new {product}...” “This is how {famous person} does {interesting thing}...”  “Did you know…” First, sell the value of paying attention to the video. Then, sell the product. That’s how you create high-performing posts and ads. P.S. My UGC marketplace helps you find proven creators and get persuasive content made for affordable prices.  Hit the “visit my website” button to check it out.

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The Klaviyo agency business model is dead - face it without crying. In the next 2 years, you're going to see a massive exodus of email agencies in the DTC space that serve clients in the $1-10million revenue range and just a sprinkling of skilled freelancers serving this market segment. Here's what's happening and what you can do to prepare. BACKGROUND I own a Klaviyo Elite Agency. We've worked with over 130 brands and audited over 400. I've been in eCommerce for 17 years both on the brand & agency side and have enough context on how brands think & agencies grow at this point to see what I believe is an irreversible trend. HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT Klaviyo has been the runaway market leader in the SMB space for Shopify businesses running email. Their brilliance has been in delivering powerful features with a small learning curve, eradicating the complexity associated with ESPs in the past which made it difficult for DTC brands to leverage email. But Klaviyo's success is also its bottleneck: it's now a public company and can't continue to grow catering to this market segment. It has to go enterprise, and many smaller brands are begrudgingly paying their bills waiting for a viable competitor. CURRENT LANDSCAPE The days of cheap META ads and Covid growth are over. DTC as a business model is losing its allure. The margins are shrinking, CAC feels like a battle that can't be won and the commoditization of products is destroying the value prop of 80% of brands. This leaves Klaviyo's main market segment fighting an uphill battle with razor-thin margins for paying agencies. These companies don't have serious retention problems: they have brand equity issues that can't be solved by sending more emails. Combine this with the fact that AI-enabled tech is aggressively cutting out the middlemen to deliver more value to merchants and you have the perfect storm for agency death. Lastly, the agency ecosystem is saturated. Klaviyo has over 9k partners and around 100k paying customers. The maths doesn't support scale. HOW CAN AGENCIES SURVIVE? I see 2 paths to survival (and growth) for agencies built exclusively around Klaviyo. 1: Increase your skills & hedge your bets on Klaviyo penetrating the enterprise market segment Cookie-cutter strategy & design templates are rapidly becoming worthless. These will be out-of-the-box features very soon in most ESPs that brands in the $1-10m range desperately need to reduce agency fees. To combat this you'll have to increase your skillset & learn to work with bigger brands. The volume will be less, but the retainer model significantly higher. 2: Leverage a Migration Model It's no secret that there's a war heating up for that compressed $1-10m market segment. Yotpo, SendLane & others are circling these brands aggressively and trying to achieve feature parity to migrate them. The financial rewards for striking a partnership with the right SaaS could be EXTREMELY lucrative CONT'D IN COMMENTS...

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What's the 1st year ROI of implementing custom reporting for a DTC brand doing $50 million a year? Over $4M dollars🤑. Here's how 👇 The TLDR version: 1. $3.5M --> 10%⬆️ in performance across paid media channels 2. $500k --> Over 800 man-hours saved crunching numbers 3. $500k --> 1%⬆️ in revenue as a result of quicker & better decision making $3.5m + $500k + $500k = $4.5m, or a 9% increase in annual revenue. That's a lot of 💰💰💰. Lets dig into each of the areas listed above: 1. Quicker response to shifts in paid media performance + tools to identify performance trends & outliers Typically 70% of new business generated by DTC brands today is coming from paid acquisition (Facebook ads for the most part but you've also got Google ads, Amazon ads etc). That's 35m from paid acquisition. By having robust reporting, your internal team, or agencies will be able to shift gears faster when the FB algo changes. The quicker reaction time plus the ability to better analyze past performance of your ads will deliver a conservative 10% increase in performance. $35m X 10% = $3.5m 2. Less manual analytics work = move time spent on the things that matter = improved bottom line Once the business has coverage of the key areas of the business in automated reports, the amount of time spent in Excel analyzing data drops significantly. Lets assume you have a team of 40 individuals and 3 of them spend 6 hours a week crunching numbers. These individuals are typically responsible for inventory management, or have some kind of analyst role in the business. 3 individuals X 6 hours = 18 hours a week 18 hours X 48 weeks = 864 hours a year. 864 hours X $40 = $34,560 So the direct savings is about 35k a year which is a rounding error for a $50m a year business but think how much more value these 3 individuals can bring the business with 864 additional hours a year to focus on more high-leverage activities. I think it would be conservative to say they could help increase annual sales by an additional 1%. That comes to $500k. 3. More visibility and understanding of the business = better decisions As the business scales its reporting and spends time analyzing its data the better the team gets at understanding all the moving pieces and drivers of the business. The data tells a story and most businesses don't know their story. As the team gains more knowledge about the inner workings of the business based on its data, the better the decisions become. Better understanding of seasonality, purchasing mix, geographical differences among the customer base, and which email types drive the most revenue, are just some examples. Better decisions will drive more growth. Lets assume another 1% boost in top line revenue which is very conservative. That's another $500k $3.5m + $500k + $500k = $4.5m, or a 9% increase in annual revenue. That's a lot of 💰💰💰. What are the costs to build such capabilities? $150k - $200k a year.

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Frequent creative refreshes: - Meta says to do it 2x a month - We say 4x a month/1x a week Most DTC brands don't hit 2x, much less 4x. But if you want better performance, frequent refreshes are a key lever to pull.

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