Thursday, June 8

🫠 Influencers are losing their sway

📰 TL;DR - A new survey finds that influencers just aren’t influencing like they used to. The survey found 81% said influencers either had a neutral or negative impact on their perception of a brand, and 51% said they scroll right past influencer posts. Rather, 90% want to see brands sharing content from actual customers — people who authentically engaged with a brand and liked the outcome. Plus, 86% put more trust in a brand that uses UGC instead of traditional influencers.

💡 Insight - This all flies in the face of previous (but now dated) data saying influencers are everything. But it tracks. The whole deinfluencing thing wasn’t a flash-in-the-pan — it’s a long trend that’s coming to a head. What that means for you is it’s time to lean into UGC creators as well as reaching out and flipping organic customer content into ads. I don’t think that means influencers are totally out, it just means to look for ones who work in a style that’s more akin to UGC.

➡️You can read the article here...

⚠️ Most consumer brands get THIS wrong about seeding products to influencers

The old tactic of "no commitment" influencer seeding does not work anymore. It creates unrealistic expectations and uses bait-&-switch to get creators to promote you.

Meanwhile, there are some brands that seem to just get it. Why? They're doing something different... something unique... something that is not commonly shared on Twitter.

In this private document, made specifically for DTC Daily readers, a former agency owner shares what really works with influencer seeding. The doc has all his playbooks, templates, and follow-along videos. Use it to get endless influencers promoting you on auto-pilot.

PS: If you need their team to come up with a custom influencer strategy for your brand, book a call here.

🧌 Shopify targets patent trolls

📰 TL;DR - Shopify is waging a court battle against so-called patent trolls who target businesses with hundreds of infringement lawsuits each year. These trolls, who are often shell companies that buy up patents, demand license payments from merchants, often resulting in the merchant simply paying to make them go away. Shopify says they often target small businesses and startups, crippling their innovation. Apparently, 90% of patent litigation cases are abandoned or settled — with the troll often winning. Shopify is now pursuing a case to reveal who is funding the trolls.

💡 Insight - It’s hard to say yet if this will really result in anything useful, but it’s good to see Shopify taking a stance. If you’re a brand new business, getting hit with accusations of patent infringement is a terrifying thing. You probably lack the resources to fight it and a payout could cripple your entire venture.

➡️You can read the article here...

🧒🏼 Gen Z is omnichannel

📰 TL;DR - A new survey looked into the shopping habits of Gen Z and found that they’re just as likely to shop IRL as they are online. Mostly, they’re looking for a good deal. 48% prefer discount retailers but they’re willing to pay more to get exactly what they want — including a willingness to pay more for faster shipping online. Gen Z also expressed a desire for sustainable products, as well as brands that champion values like mental health and racial and gender equality.

💡 Insight - What this really demonstrates is that Gen Z doesn’t particularly see a difference between shopping IRL and shopping online because they came of age with both being available. Reading between the lines, I think this shows that you can attract Gen Z to an online store if you can make it more convenient than heading out to the mall. Also, going back to our first news item today, Gen Z trusts friends and family more than influencers, so lean into that UGC as well as prominent reviews.

➡️You can read the article here...

🛠️ Things worth checking out

📈 DATA - I've used Databox since 2018 to consolidate all of my marketing metrics into one easy-to-read dashboard & morning email. Get your free VIP set-up call here :)

🌴 SEO - The official SEO Agency partner of DTC Daily is offering free SEO audits! Get yours and schedule a call with them here.

🎨 TOOLS - Here’s a handy roundup of 22 free web design tools you can be using. Check it out here.

💰 FINANCES - Get a handle on your money with these 12 finance podcasts. Read here.

💄 GEN Z - Read here about how legacy beauty brands are learning how to reach out to Gen Z.

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