Ecommerce Marketing School

Latest Episodes:

What Ecommerce Brands Need To Survive And Thrive In The Months Ahead [Masterclass 1] Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

Ahead of this Masterclass, we got more than 250 questions from entrepreneurs just like you. Then we boiled them down to a handful of the most-asked, and Dave and Ben went to town for 60 minutes, answering as many as possible. They break down:

The channels that deserve the most attention today.
How to address COVID-19 as marketers.
The difference between offers that benefit you and those that benefit your customers.
Why content can help you grow your email list right now.

Show Notes & Links:

[2:11] Which channels should you be prioritizing right now?
[9:08] How should you be handling messaging right now?
[12:32] How do you create offers that don’t come across as ambulance chasing?
[17:10] Growing your email list right now.
[23:24] How to position your brand if you’re pivoting to make essential products right now.
[24:35] Dave’s 1-minute launch plan.
[27:43] How can you increase conversion right now?
[31:36] The art of a strong welcome offer.
[38:22] Is discounting a good idea right now?
The Ecommerce Marketing Show Home
ShopSmallEcomm.com
Ben Jabbawy on Twitter
Dave Gerhardt on Twitter

How To Bounce Back From This Downturn (with The Good's Jon MacDonald) Apr 03, 2020

Show notes

The Good is a conversion rate optimization firm that's obsessed with turning more visitors into buyers. Jon shares:

The state of ecommerce amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
What to focus on if you can’t spend $ to acquire new customers right now.
Quick wins for ecommerce brands to focus on.
Why channels you own are king.

Show Notes & Links:

[8:29] How to convert the traffic you’re already getting as quickly as possible.
[10:16] How to think about messaging right now.
[13:43] The right way to think about discounting.
[16:28] Why you should focus on your highest value customers.
[17:47] How to ensure your highest-margin product pages have the highest conversion rate.
[18:48] The marketing channels that are recession-proof.
[24:34] How to do customer research right now.
[26:15] Why you should never delete out of stock pages.
The Ecommerce Marketing Show Home
The Good’s State of Ecommerce Report
Jon MacDonald on Twitter
Dave Gerhardt on Twitter

Why Creativity Is The Key To Successful Advertising (with Savannah Sanchez) Mar 30, 2020

Show notes

Last year, Savannah managed over $10 million in Facebook, Snapchat, and Google ad spend, so she seriously knows her stuff. On this episode, she shares:

Why testing your creative matters more than your targeting.
How to think about what your budget should be.
How to get testimonials from your customers.
How to manage your ads during a time of crisis.

Show Notes & Links:

[4:21] Why you don’t need to be an ad guru to get started.
[6:06] What should your ad budget look like?
[7:32] Why Snapchat and Instagram are such great channels.
[10:06] Why content that looks native to the platform is so important.
[11:24] How to narrow in on the ads that are working best.
[13:16] The biggest mistake brands make when it comes to creating ads.
[14:33] How to get ad creative if you’re not comfortable in front of the camera.
[24:15] What’s happening across your accounts due to COVID-19?
[26:55] What to do if you’re not selling an essential product like hand sanitizer, toilet paper, etc.
[29:52] The two things to keep an eye on right now.
[31:30] How to keep your ads relevant and compassionate.
[33:10] How not to run an ad right now.
The Ecommerce Marketing Show Home
ShopSmallEcomm.com
Savannah’s site: The Social Savannah
Facebook Ads Creatives Only Facebook Group
Savannah Sanchez on Twitter
Dave Gerhardt on Twitter

Weathering The Storm: Why Empathy Is More Important Than Ever For Ecommerce Brands (with Privy CEO Ben Jabbawy) Mar 27, 2020

Show notes

As Founder & CEO of Privy, Ben is having to make the same decisions so many ecommerce founders are dealing with right now. Is it ok to be selling? What actually matters? He shares:

Why now is the perfect time to invest in building your audience.
Why founders shouldn’t be concerned about reforecasting right now.
The importance of being human in trying times.
The channel to lean on today.

Show Notes & Links

[2:43] Why you need to be prepared to make quick decisions.
[4:27] Why marketers should focus on building an audience.
[5:33] Why your annual goals should be the last thing on your mind right now.
[7:08] The opportunity a lot of brands are missing out on.
[8:44] A brand that got it right: Levi’s.
[10:07] Why email should be a high priority.
[11:59] Is it OK to be selling right now?
[13:25] What’s the right paid strategy?
[21:23] Ben’s advice for other ecommerce founders.
The Ecommerce Marketing Show Home
ShopSmallEcomm.com
Ben Jabbawy on Twitter
Dave Gerhardt on Twitter

Introducing ShopSmallEcomm.com: The World's First Marketplace For Small Ecommerce Brands Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

With the COVID-19 pandemic, we know small ecommerce businesses like yours are worried about the days ahead. We also know a lot of people out there want to support small brands instead of giant corporations; they just don’t know where to find them. That’s why we’re launching ShopSmallEcomm.com, the world’s first marketplace for small ecommerce brands.

Could Influencers Become Your Next Big Marketing Channel? (with Peejamas Founder Craig Hammond) Mar 13, 2020

Show notes

Marketer-turned-CEO Craig Hammond can't turn off his marketing skillset, so he's still very involved in the overall strategy for Peejamas. But he's figured out how to outsource certain parts of the job to focus on the bigger picture. He shares:

What to spend time on when it comes to making video content.
Why they only run video ads.
The importance of telling your story.
Their bar for finding the right influencers.
What to do about the rising cost of paid media.

Show Notes & Links

[3:30] The Peejamas foundational story.
[5:40] When is the right time to start marketing?
[7:30] How they created their first video (that people are still watching 2 years later).
[14:34] How to navigate influencer marketing and find people that are the right fit for your business.
[23:05] Their strategy for outsourcing certain parts of the business.
[26:13] Why a well-defined funnel is critical.
[32:29] What their future marketing plan looks like.
The Ecommerce Marketing Show Home
Peejamas
Craig Hammond on Twitter
Dave Gerhardt on Twitter

Coalatree's Lessons From 8 Crowdfunding Campaigns and $2M+ Raised (With J.M. Fabrizi) Mar 06, 2020

Show notes

J.M. Fabrizi has been part of a lot of Kickstarter campaigns at Coalatree. And they've all been overfunded (woah). So we wanted to get a behind-the-scenes peek at what they do to make it happen. He shares:

Why Coalatree made the switch from retail to DTC.
Why Kickstarter is 🔥 for introducing new products.
The keys to building a successful campaign.
How to keep backers engaged after they support your campaign.

Show Notes & Links

[1:44] The transition from 200 retail locations in 8 countries to DTC
[5:24] What are the benefits of using Kickstarter?
[7:30] Behind the scenes of a successful crowdfunding campaign
[9:19] Why you should build a brand first
[14:25] What the team looks like
[18:37] Advice for your first crowdfunding campaign
[23:12] How to keep the momentum going over the next several months
The Ecommerce Marketing Show Home
Coalatree
Coalatree’s Latest Kickstarter Campaign, a shirt made of coffee grounds ☕️
7 Keys to a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign
Dave Gerhardt on Twitter

Kettle & Fire’s Recipe for Repeat Revenue (with Wilson Hung) Feb 28, 2020

Show notes

Wilson Hung is the Director of Growth at Kettle & Fire as well as the Co-Founder of getARPU.com, so he knows a thing or two about the world of ecommerce. As employee #2 at Kettle & Fire, he's been there through it all and shares how they've learned to use email an engine for recurring revenue. He also gets into:

How 2 bloggers were responsible for 10k/month in revenue in the early days.
Why they made it easier for their subscribers to skip orders.
The value of using email to educate your customers.
How you can use grocery stores as a way to acquire customers for your D2C business.

Show Notes & Links

[4:35] Wilson’s initial 30-day plan with Kettle & Fire
[9:32] How retail and D2C fit together in the CPG space
[12:44] How can you maximize the impact of a confirmation email? (Especially if you’re a subscription business)
[20:41] How to use education to guide your customers through the journey
[22:57] How to measure your onboarding success
[25:10] How does your online store support retail?
The Ecommerce Marketing Show Home
Kettle & Fire
ARPU
Wilson Hung on Twitter
Dave Gerhardt on Twitter

Did you learn anything from this episode? If so, we'd love a review. 😊

A Sneak Peek at Privy Text Feb 21, 2020

Show notes

Evelyn Hartz is the Product Marketing Manger (/Extraordinaire) at Privy. She's been working closely on Privy Text for months. And even she was skeptical about the product at first. But she's learned a lot since the idea was first mentioned. And now she's sold. She shares:

Why texting customers lets you skip the line.
The text flow that worked on her as a consumer.
Why text is another channel like email and your website that you own fully.
Why text isn’t a replacement for your email strategy.

Show Notes & Links

[1:53] Why were you unsure about Privy Text at the beginning?
[7:07] How do you turn skeptics into believers?
[9:30] Why text is a channel you own.
[11:33] Why text should be used sparingly.
[13:36] Why Privy Text *not* Privy SMS? (Do you know what SMS stands for?)
[15:41] Text plays.
The Ecommerce Marketing Show Home
Privy Text
Evelyn Hartz on Twitter
Dave Gerhardt on Twitter

If you learned anything from this episode, let us know! Leave a review. 😊

Valentine’s Day Special 2: How VINEBOX Turned An Idea Into A Valentine's Day Campaign In Under 30 Days (with Kenzie Hagan) Feb 14, 2020

Show notes

Kenzie Hagan is the VP of Marketing for Vinebox and Usual Wines, single serving wine products. As a leader at two startups, Kenzie knows how to be scrappy. The VINEBOX Valentine's Day campaign consists of all products and packaging they already had and came together in a matter of weeks. She shares:

How to test new products without pressure.
How to turn slower months into growth opportunities.
Tips for launching a campaign with what you already have.
How they use text in the sales process.

Show Notes & Links

[4:02] What are the benefits of building a product before a brand?
[7:32] How to map out and plan your year.
[8:35] When did Valentine’s Day planning start?
[10:20] Using what you already have to create a campaign.
[11:38] How do you think about text vs. email?
The Ecommerce Marketing Show Home
VINEBOX
Kenzie Hagan on Twitter
Dave Gerhardt on Twitter

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