Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You want to be where everybody knows your name
Sounds familiar?
That's right... It's from the popular TV comedy series opening theme, Cheers.
And doesn't it sound amazing? A place where everybody knows your name... And always glad you came!
That's how direct-to-consumer brands make their customers feel. It's what makes DTC brands massively popular. Especially among generations like Millennials and Gen Z.
And that's how your digital marketing strategy should also establish its principle.
Direct to consumer companies have been reaping the advantages of DTC marketing... even before it went mainstream.
So don't miss out! Now is the right time for your ecommerce business to adopt DTC marketing.
Keep reading and by the end of this blog post, you can better direct your marketing strategy as a DTC brand.
Let's start with...
What Is Direct To Consumer (DTC) Marketing?
Direct-to-consumer marketing (DTC) is when a brand markets directly to its customers.
Usually, brands rely on retail businesses to sell and market their brand. For instance, retail giant Amazon would advertise and sell a brand like Canon.
In traditional retail, the brand would then need to sell its product at a discount. As well as yield their marketing efforts to the retailer.
But a direct-to-consumer brand does it in a different way. They remove the middleman altogether. Instead, they do all the heavy work. Such as direct marketing and distributing to their customer.
This also entails DTC businesses to be proactive about their marketing strategies. At the end of the day, they are responsible for motivating their target audience to purchase the product or service they offer.
As a DTC brand, you'll also get your hands on the...
Benefits of DTC Marketing
The uniqueness of DTC marketing also gives you advantages. These are advantages that traditional marketing doesn't have. The first one is...
Gives You A Better Control Of Your Brand
Do you ever get annoyed when you see your brand is directly positioned right next to yours?
This is fairly common when you rely on retailers. It doesn't just happen when selling, but also in marketing.
With DTC marketing, you don't have to worry about your product's positioning. The control over branding and all associated advertising is all within your hands.
You also get to direct your buyer's journey. It's up to you to guide them from brand awareness to buying your products.
Check out our article on how to skyrocket your brand recognition through SEO to learn more.
Since we're talking about your customers...
Improves Your Understanding Of Customers
DTC brands commonly don't have first-hand customers' data.
But the direct-to-consumer model lets you have access to the data your customers leave when they go through your site.
And that data is vital later on. You can use it to personalize your emails. It can further optimize your future retention strategies.
DTC marketing also...
Speeds Up Your Sales Funnel Process
As I have mentioned before, you don't need a middleman with direct-to-consumer marketing.
So, your buyer's journey is shortened. They'll go down your sales funnel faster.
Plus, non-DTC brands sometimes stall their marketing ideas. Why?
Because it's not just the ecommerce owner that the brand has to worry about. They would also need to have the approval of stakeholders and retailers. They also often have a focus group come in to test their target audience's opinion.
With a DTC brand, all you have to keep in mind are your brand and your customers.
And lastly, it...
Increases Your Profit Margins
Let's face it... Retailers aren't exactly that cheap.
So when you do your own distribution and marketing, there's one thing you can gain...
Your profits! You can keep the extra you're supposed to use for retailers. Instead, you can always reinvest it in expanding your product line or your consumer marketing.
Now let's get things underway and I'll show you...
9 Foolproof Tips For Your Digital Marketing Strategy As A DTC Brand
Every direct-to-consumer business has its own brand personality and target market. That means there's no one-size-fits-all marketing strategy for everyone.
But you have one similar goal... And that is to reach your consumers online.
But whether you're an established brand or still starting out... these can't-miss digital advertising tips can help you reach consumers...
… and maximize your ecommerce sales!
Let's start with the apparent one...
1. Connect Through Social Media
We all know how powerful social media is.
With social media marketing, you can reach your target audience
You can properly introduce your brand identity.
So, how do you successfully make use of social media marketing?
Be consistent! Create content that is unique, high-quality, and valuable to your followers. Share helpful information about your own products.
And when you do, your customers can't help themselves but share your content with their friends and family.
For example, this Instagram post of Birchbox comes to mind.
Check out how their post encourages their customers to engage with them. And the topic at hand still stays on their niche, which is skincare.
Another key tip you can do to engage your customers is to create a branded hashtag. Your audience can use it on their own posts. The hashtag will then tie it back to your own social media account.
Up next, don't miss out and...
2. Highlight User-Generated Content
Nothing says "direct to consumer" better than user-generated content.
When you share UGC, it shows that you have an established audience. And you have a good relationship with them.
You can also personalize their customer experience through UGC. When your customers feel special, they are bound to share their experiences with you with other people.
ModCloth's digital channels, including their ecommerce site, are full of UGC.
ModCloth heavily features its customers on its marketing channels. Because of this, they now have over 700k followers on Instagram.
With social media as an easy way to connect with online shoppers, you can...
3. Partner With Influencers
Let me guess... You yourself follow an influencer or two online.
And why wouldn't you? They are called influencers for a reason. Their opinions on things matter to their followers.
Why not use influencer marketing to strengthen your brand recognition?
So, look for influencers that can be your brand ambassadors.
Make sure that they align with your brand identity. Also, double-check their audience is the same as your target audience. Ask them for their success rate with other brands they have partnered with.
Don't be afraid to also check out micro-influencers. These are influencers with followers ranging from 10k-100k. That way, you can partner with more brand ambassadors than just with one highly popular influencer.
When you scroll through Glossier's social media pages, you'll see influencers they partner with.
Just like this post. They partnered with a micro-influencer with over 30k followers. It's high-quality, and it looks personal, too.
Speaking of brand personality...
4. Establish A Striking Brand Identity
Okay, so you've listed your amazing products on your ecommerce site. And you also created a good pricing strategy to entice your potential customers more.
That's a good business strategy.
But for you to build a lasting DTC presence, you need your products to be supported with a strong brand identity. Why?
Consumers do not easily trust products they find on the internet. It's too risky as there are also a lot of not-so-legit sellers out there.
So what do you need to do?
Build your brand personality to be strong, unique, and recognizable. Make sure it shows across all your digital channels.
Implement this on different aspects of your brand. Choose a name that will stick to your target audience's minds. Create an aesthetically pleasing logo that goes well with your colors.
The key is to keep everything coherent.
The Dollar Shave Club excels in creating a unique business strategy across all of its platforms.
Dollar Shave Club is known for its witty and ballsy (pardon the pun) advertising DTC strategies. And they make sure that it shows from their Instagram page to their Facebook page.
Let's move on to...
5. Gather And Analyze Data
It's not a secret that you need to have a closer relationship with your customers more than with other kinds of brands.
Because of this, gathering and analyzing your customer data should have your focus.
And stay updated! Cookies are becoming antiquated. Granular data may not be available for you to use in the future.
Thankfully, there are ways you can still keep track of valuable data. Keep a strong connection with your digital marketing channels and keep an eye on customer activities. Do not fall behind on the latest trends.
With all of the data you gathered, you can use it to...
6. Personalize Your Buyer's Journey
Unlike brick-and-mortar stores, it can be a challenge for ecommerce stores to really connect with their customers.
The key for DTC brands to own their customer relationships is through personalization. Not only does it make you stand out, but it also makes your brand the one and clear choice.
Personalization encompasses the entire customer journey... Yes, that's from product curation to your marketing efforts.
So far, we've been focusing on a personal customer experience. That includes...
7. Don't Skip On Email Marketing
Email marketing is not going anywhere. It's here to stay along with content marketing, among others.
Why is it so effective for your rapid growth?
That's because email can take personalization beyond what you can imagine. And as we established, it's the key to generating more online sales.
So make use of automated emails.
Your ecommerce business would usually do the standard putting-first-name-in-the-greeting-part kind of email. But with an automated email, it will only send one after your customer completes an action.
That's what makes it unique to an individual shopper. It's also timely, so that makes it more effective.
For instance, your customer just purchased a product from your online store. After that, you can send an email confirming their purchase, as well as suggesting other products on your line.
Clever, huh?
Keep reading, because you can also use emails to...
8. Bring Back Hesitant Customers
I'm sure you're familiar with the whooping number of online shopping carts being abandoned. If not, I'm afraid to be the bearer of the news that the cart abandonment rate is just under 70%.
And isn't that frustrating as heck? You can taste the sale, but you are stuck at almost.
Fortunately, there are ways to bring them back.
As a DTC brand, you can go through your own data you got from your customers. Take all of the information. And send them targeted emails or ads, in whatever channels they usually prefer.
Showcase the products they abandoned on their shopping carts. If you can, put in an offer they can't refuse. You can offer free shipping or coupon codes. Or even service with value-added.
Remember, it's easier to make these types of customers return than new customer acquisition.
Last but definitely the least...
9. Be Authentic
Being authentic and having certain values is what makes a great DTC brand. People will see your mission and how you follow through will make them want to stand with you.
It will help your customers to not only feel like they're just buying a product... They are also working towards a larger cause.
One thing you can do is to commit to a social cause. That's why younger generations such as Millennials and Gen Z choose DTC brands over retail business models.
Take Warby Parker as an excellent example.
For every pair of glasses a customer buys, Warby Parker gives a pair to those who are in need. Their customers would feel that they are doing good deeds while making a purchase.
And isn't that what we all want?
So make the step to...
Disrupt The Traditional Business Model, Go DTC!
Doesn't having the freedom to do what's best for your ecommerce brand feel great?
You get to have full control over your business. And you get to be part of its journey, every step of the way.
And one of the best things it gives you is the chance to experiment with more digital marketing strategies. No one is stopping you from trying out all of the tips you just learned.
Don't be afraid to be imperfect and more human in your initiatives. In fact, you can capitalize on them! It makes you more relatable to your customers than faceless retail brands.
Make sure that your awesome personality also reflects on all parts of your DTC ecommerce business.
That means not getting stuck with a super slow, laggy, and outdated online store.
Debutify can help you with that.
Debutify is not your average, typical Shopify theme. It's also an amazing Profit Optimization Partner that can keep up with you.
With over 50+ Add-Ons on your side, it boosts not only your store's appearance...
It also optimizes your conversions, AOV, and profits.
Keep your Shopify store fresh and...
Build A Strong DTC Brand With Debutify Now!
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