Tuesday, March 5

The 5 things in DTC you need to know today

🚨 In today’s newsletter 🚨

  • Instagram or TikTok? Choosing the Right Social Media Platform to Influence Customers

  • Connecting With Customers Through Education

  • Report: Gen Z and Millennials Want AI in Shopping

Let’s get into it👇

SOCIAL
#1 - Instagram or TikTok? Choosing the Right Social Media Platform to Influence Customers

The Rundown: Instagram's still ruling influencer marketing, but TikTok's catching up quick as creators and brands start taking notice.

Connecting With Customers: D2C brands first need to figure if their target audience is more hooked on Instagram or TikTok these days. Then they can match influencer partners that jive with their vibe and products.

Ways for Brands to Play:

  • Try both platforms with nano or micro-influencers that actually bond with their customers

  • See how TikTok's creative formats like duets and stitches can show off products

  • Peep the impact on sales and brand awareness

Tracking Success:

  • Sales money directly from influencer promo codes

  • Website visits and conversions from link clicks

  • Brand sentiment based on comments

What's Ahead: TikTok shopping and livestreams turning mainstream for D2C marketing. Instagram doubling up on shoppable creator content.

Our POV: Carefully pick creators based on audience fit, not just follower counts. Building real relationships beyond one-time ads brings the wins home.

MINISOCIAL
#2 - Looking to partner with micro-influencers AND get fully licensed content? minisocial is your solution.

minisocial’s fully-managed solution partners your brand with high-quality micro influencer creators who produce fully licensed content & share it with their followers!

You get killer content to use across all your marketing channels (yes, that includes ads), and the organic reach of micro influencer posts. Their creators are hand-picked FOR YOU by their expert team, not chosen by software or AI.

Plus they’re accessibly priced starting at just $1.7k - just mention us and take your 15% off!

RETENTION
#3 - Connecting With Customers Through Education

The Rundown: Educational content and personalization help D2C brands better engage and retain customers. In my view, this is fast becoming a crucial strategy.

Why It Matters: Customers want to feel valued. Tailored advice and brand stories build trust and affinity. At least, that's what the data seems to indicate.

Opportunities for Brands:

  • Quizzes to uncover needs and fit products to them

  • Founder Q&As to directly address questions. I think these humanize brands.

  • Personalized tutorials based on consumer data - a smart use of data, if you ask me

  • Co-create products with brand fans. This builds authentic connections.

Tracking Impact:

  • Quiz usage and post-quiz sales

  • Event participation and video views

  • Sales from recommendations

What's Next: As competition intensifies, education and personalization will be key for retention and growth. In my opinion, this trend is here to stay. Expect more intimate events, advanced segmentation, and co-creation.

The Takeaway: Don't just push products. Teach customers why you uniquely solve their problems. Foster authentic connections. Building loyalty pays off

DTC Daily’s Monthly Spotlight:

Tools, Services & Hiring

Looking to level up your marketing team? Check out: Marketerhire

Need a Graphic Designer? Cost effective solution, instead of full-time employee: Delesign 


🗣 Have an upcoming event or tools you’d like to recommend to 25,793 DTC Brands? Click Here

RESOURCES
#4 - Things Worth Checking Out

EVENT - Exponential retail growth starts at the 2024 CommerceNext Growth Show! Join us on June 11-13 at the New York Hilton Midtown for visionary keynotes, deep connections and actionable insights shaping ecommerce and retail success. Scaled retailers and brands can get up to a $1200 travel credit in addition to a FREE ticket. Save your spot!

SHOPIFY - Despite hiccups, Shopify brands are warming up to Buy With Prime

SOCIAL - Why retailers need to prepare for the social commerce boom

PAYMENTS - PayPal targets abandoned checkouts with ‘complete payments’ launch

STOCK - Could Shopify be in the "magnificent seven" of ecommerce stocks?

REPORT
#5 - Gen Z and Millennials Want AI in Shopping

The Rundown: New data reveals over 50% of Gen Z and millennials are open to AI capabilities that create customized digital shopping experiences.

Connecting With Customers: Young online shoppers today expect seamless journeys that feel personalized from start to finish. Implementing AI tools that simplify navigation and deliver tailored recommendations is key to meeting their high expectations.

Opportunities Ahead:

  • Chatbots for individualized support and product suggestions, which can be hugely beneficial

  • Algorithms that curate products catered to shopper preferences, allowing for personalization

  • AR/VR integration to digitally showcase products in an exciting way

  • Partnerships with AI providers to test the newest features on the cutting-edge

Tracking Performance: Monitor metrics like cart abandonment rates and sales driven by AI tools. Build AI dashboards to spotlight successes.

The Future: AI will increasingly become standard in online shopping, especially when targeting younger demographics. Early AI adoption can set brands apart in a highly competitive space.

Our View: Balance cutting-edge AI with human connection. Though tech drives convenience, authenticity still resonates powerfully - that's vital for D2C brands selling community alongside products.

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