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- 🛍 DTC Daily - Monday, Mar 20
🛍 DTC Daily - Monday, Mar 20
Today's DTC news, tips, & tools you need to know
🦈 Case study: Gymshark on TikTok
📰 TL;DR - I thought I'd try something new and highlight a DTC brand that's killing it on TikTok. In this case: Gymshark. They've amassed an incredibly impressive 4.5 million followers on the app and have videos with many millions of views. The athletic apparel brand has clearly made TikTok a pillar of its marketing strategy, so let's break it down.
💡 Insight - I'm going to highlight some things Gymshark is doing right on TikTok:
Consistency: Gymshark posts almost every day, with gaps that are never more than a few days. They also only post once per day, letting that content feed the algorithm on its own. Not every video gets massive views, but consistency creates an overall lift.
Authenticity: Gym lighting isn't exaclty high-quality, but it makes way more sense to have TikToks in that environment than in a sterile studio.
On trend: The brand participates in trending audio and memes, but doesn't overdo it, which would make them look out of touch. Rather, they find ways to use trending audio over videos that are authentic to their brand.
Influential: The brand works with fitness influencers that become recurring characters. You can see them be goofy, or hit a new lift goal. That's way more engaging than watching Gymshark employees.
💄 Vanessa Hudgens tries a new approach with beauty brand relaunch
📰 TL;DR - Actress and influencer Vanessa Hudgens is relaunching her beauty brand, Know Beauty, but with a different strategy. When it first launched in 2021, there were multiple products on offer. This time, it's a one-at-a-time approach, starting with a clay mask. It's being sold on Amazon as well as Know Beauty's website, which uses a Buy With Prime button.
💡 Insight - This is such an interesting approach. The Know Beauty homepage is now essentially a product page, with the clay mask front and center. As you scroll down, there's a "buy now" button and before and after photos, a video, FAQ, and more. It certainly instills confidence that this must be a knockout product if it's the only one they're promoting. It's very reminiscent of that classic DTC approach, rather than a celebrity beauty line and I'm curious to see if the approach works.
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📖 How to build your brand story
📰 TL;DR - The Shopify blog has an in-depth guide on how to tell the story of your brand. Telling that story is about more than "hey I made a thing I want you to buy." It's your personal journey as an entrepreneur, how your product was developed, and how your customers interact with your products. It's really quite similar to building a short story, with characters, conflict, and a resolution.
💡 Insight - I liked this guide because it may force your business-minded brain to get a little creative and maybe even a little constructively sappy. In this market, brands need to be upfront about who they are, not just what they sell. Nailing down a brand story tells customers what your values are, and those values are incredibly important, especially to younger shoppers. Building empathy and connections builds brand loyalty, and sharing your story will do just that.
👥 A masterclass in community building
📰 TL;DR - Glossy took a deep dive into how beauty brand Jones Road built a community around its brand. They actually did something so simple but so brilliant: a Facebook group. Yes, Facebook seems a bit old school, but for the brand's audience of mainly older women, it made total sense. The group, Roadies, has 13,000 members and has the bonus of two-way communication, which is lacking on other platforms.
💡 Insight - The brand didn't just make a guess at how customers wanted to participate in a community — they asked. They sent an email survey to customers and then got on the phone with eight of them. This is a great detail because I know there's so much buzz about ~building a community~ around brands, but very few examples of how. If you want to build community, directly asking customers what they'd like is a great place to start.
🍎 The brilliance of Apple packaging
📰 TL;DR - If you're a consistent Apple customer, you'll have noticed that the amount of packaging has decreased over time. Yet, cracking open a fresh iPhone is still an incredibly satisfying experience. It's a ritual, of sorts. This article digs into why Apple's packaging is so integral to the brand and why it's worked so well at capturing the hearts of customers.
💡 Insight - Minimal yet impactful packaging has definitely been part of the DTC playbook. It's the final leg of the customer experience and a pleasurable unpacking experience is a memorable one. There's also an ongoing trend of reducing waste by using fewer materials, or at least recyclable ones. A good exercise would be to order from some DTC brands that aren't direct competitors and really take your time unboxing them. What did you like? What did you hate? What can you take inspiration from?
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