The Ecommerce Influence Podcast: Advanced Acquisition And Retention Strategies For Fast-growing Online Brands

Do you want to be ahead of the curve when it comes to testing new Facebook advertising strategies? Then this episode is for you. We’re always looking for ways to increase Facebook ad performance and drive more revenue, and today Andrew shares four things he recently learned that are having a big impact for his clients. We cover how to use value bid optimization to target not only the people most likely to convert, but also the people who are most likely to give you highest return on ad spend, the importance of experimenting with your bidding windows within conversion campaigns, how to set up better social proofing tied to your product catalog ads, and how to review your customer lifetime value within Facebook analytics in order to test the effectiveness of your campaigns. Episode Highlights: 3:18 The value of ROAS optimization and why you might just want to give it a chance. 6:20 When you should be adjusting your bidding window to increase scaling opportunities. 8:45 Why tagging a product AND social proofing

Do you want to know what it really takes to build a $100 million business and brand? Then this episode is for you. Building a successful multi-million dollar business is a marathon, not a sprint. Jake Kassan, founder and CEO of MVMT Watches, was one of my first clients when he was just launching the brand back in 2013. He joins us today to talk about how things have changed since then, and how MVMT has grown to what it is today. MVMT strives to be a best in class brand and best in class in all around marketing, and Jake shares the strategic approach to marketing MVMT uses to achieve those goals. He also talks about how having a strong team is essential to scaling your business and shares his experience hiring a CMO and supporting team, and what you need to know to do it. Episode Highlights: 7:48 How building relationships with customers through direct sales online helped MVMT scale. 10:25 The best success comes in stages and this it what each stage of growth has looked like for MVMT over the last 5 years. 12

Are you frustrated with the increased competition on Facebook’s mobile news feed? Are you struggling with rising advertising costs and want to maximize your spend as effectively as possible? Then this episode is for you. Andrew shares two simple Facebook ad strategies that will get you more bang for your buck and help you compete on the news feed. He also talks about where on Instagram you need to be testing ads, if you’re not already, and the great success he’s seeing with his clients. Episode Highlights: 2:29 Things we’ve noticed recently regarding the newsfeed that are affecting your ads. 3:15 Are you testing your product catalog in a top of funnel ads? Here’s why you should. 5:58 How to visually set up product catalog ads to make them most effective. 9:55 Still haven’t tried Broad Match Ads? Here’s how to set them up for success. 11:50 Why your ad copy is so important for getting the best ROAS possible. 12:30 If you’re not testing Instagram stories you’re likely missing out on a 4x return on ad spend. L

Have you been wondering about the impact Facebook’s recent data privacy issues will have on digital marketing? Do you want to know what you need to do to get your ads in front of the right audience as social advertising continues to evolve? Then this episode is for you. Master digital marketer Molly Pittman joins us to talk about all things Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. She discusses the three key things you need to launch a successful ad campaign as competition and costs continue to rise, the positive outcome she hopes to see from Facebook following the Zuckerberg hearings, and how to stay relevant as messenger continues to grow as an important advertising platform. Episode Highlights: 4:20 Understanding the current state of advertising on social media. 7:20 The future of digital will include more informed consumers and a more regulated digital space. 10:22 The best way to combat rising ad costs may lie within your offer. 13:30 Why research and this free web tool (hint: you likely use it every day) are

Today we’re launching our first FLASH episode! These shorter, bite-sized episodes will have actionable tips and takeaways you can easily implement in your business that will start driving immediate results. We love interviewing experts in the ecommerce space, and will still share those interviews every other week, but also want to offer content that will give you some quick wins. In today’s episode we talk about three common mistakes I see almost all of my clients making with their email marketing. You’ll learn: which setting must be turned off in your browse and abandoned cart campaigns to prevent you from missing out on $100s (if not $1000s) in sales, the importance of list segmentation and how to avoid ending up in the spam box, and why opt-in rate isn’t the best metric for measuring the success of your offers, and what you should measure instead. Episode Highlights: 4:45 The importance of making sure the Smart Sending Feature is properly set so you’re not leaving money on the table 7:00 Why it is so impo

Running an online business can be a lonely endeavor. It's easy to second guess yourself if you don't have other business owners to connect with. Have you ever wished you could find out how other companies are managing their growth? In today's episode, we get the inside scoop on what’s working (and what’s not) at the fast-growing gifting startup Greetabl. Joe Fischer, the Founder of Greetabl, joins us today to talk about what worked for him as he grew his business from an idea to an industry. Joe talks about which marketing channels have worked best to fuel Greetabl’s growth, how to hire quality talent as you scale (even if you’re in a small town), the reality behind fundraising for your business, and the five key areas ecommerce brands need to focus on to see ongoing, sustained growth in the coming years. Episode Highlights: 9:16 How Greetabl got in front of people to grow their business 11:18 The campaign that Greetabl is excited about launching (Note: print marketing is not dead) 15:45 Thinking about bring

Are you an ecommerce business owner who’s managing your own Facebook ads? Do you want a breakdown of the best tactics to implement right now that’ll help you create and run ads that convert? Then this episode is for you. Dive deep into Facebook Ads with Justin Marshall, from Ad Hoc Media. He talks about specific targeting strategies, optimization tactics for each part of the sales funnel, how to scale and ramp up your ads, and where he’s seeing surprising success (hint: it’s not with the typical CTA button ads). Episode Highlights:   4:35 How Facebook advertising has changed and the ad type that’s out-performing traditional ads. 6:25 The resources that Justin uses to keep up with ongoing Facebook ad changes. 8:13 Automated Rules: What they are and how you can better use them in your Facebook campaigns. 10:45 Why thinking like the algorithm can improve your ads performance. 11:25 How having a higher average order value can improve ad testing and overall success. 14:31 What Justin looks for in a brand before h

Are you currently advertising on Facebook, and unsure what next steps to take to start scaling your business? Do you ever wonder whether other entrepreneurs actually see success after listening to our podcast and attending our Intensives? We know talk is cheap, which is why we invited one of our listeners to join us today to share what he’s learned, and implemented, after working with us. Mark Arruda, owner and CEO of Constantly Varied Gear, is a long-time podcast listener and previous attendee of both the Email and Facebook Intensives. He joins Andrew and Gracie Foxwell to chat about Facebook advertising, including how he’s using Facebook messenger ads to get people into his sales funnel and make conversions, the creative way he’s developing lookalike audiences to expand reach and scale, and his favorite tip from the Facebook Intensive that’s driving major engagement and social proof. Episode Highlights: 3:40 Here’s how to use what Mark calls an interest based lookalike 7:00 This one tip from the intensive

Have you ever wondered how to get started with Conversion Rate Optimization for your store? Do you sometimes wonder if you’re leaving money on the table by not running A/B tests? If so, you’re not alone. Today, I have the legend Peep Laja of Conversion XL with me to help demystify CRO and share some practical ideas to boost your conversion rate. Peep is an expert in CRO and runs the most successful optimization agency I know of. He was also the first person I started to learn from when I found his very successful blog. I’m going to be at Peep’s event, ConversionXL Live at the end of March. If your business is doing over $10 million a year, I consider it a must attend event. It’s going to be a lot of fun, we’re going to learn a bunch, and you’ll be surrounded by people leading the fastest growing companies in the world.    Peep will even give you 20% off the ticket price when you use the code Ecommerceinfluence to register. Click here to learn more and book your ticket. Episode Highlights: 3:20 Ready to appro

It has been a whirlwind month! Andrew and I finished up our first ever back-to-back Email and Facebook Intensive here in Austin TX. Both Intensives were wildly successful and we’ve been spending this week reflecting a bit. As much as these Intensives are focused on sharing what we know, we also learn a ton from each business who attends. In this episode, we share our discoveries from the event with you. We unpack an unusual success story from Facebook Messenger, we discuss how to use the new Visual Flow Builder in Klaviyo, and key in on a powerful use case for the Gleam platform. We also share a few surprises from the Intensives. Successful marketing campaigns come in many different forms and working with almost 40 businesses over a 4-day period reminds you to continually test your assumptions. This episode is chock full of tips and ideas. I hope you enjoy! Episode Highlights:   4:50 The power Messenger & Messenger Bots: how some are seeing open rates as high as 95% 7:55 Klaviyo’s  visual flow builder

Happy 2018! We’re back -- and we’ve got something special for you. Last week Andrew Foxwell and I hosted a Facebook Live where we talked about our email and Facebook marketing predictions for 2018. Email marketing is alive and well, but there is one email opt-in technique that needs to be put to bed once and for all -- are you using it? There’s been a ton of hype around Facebook Messenger, but it has yet to live up to it -- will 2018 be its year? Tune in to hear what we think will change and what will stay the same this year, and what you need to do to keep up with the ever-evolving world of online marketing. Episode Highlights: 2:00 How product integrations will grow and opportunities will increase with broad match Facebook targeting 4:15 As email open rates continue to decrease in 2018, you can stay competitive with segmentation 5:40 The expansion of Facebook Analytics: seeing the journey of a Like to a purchase 7:20 The increased effectiveness of connecting with cart abandoners through Facebook Messenger

If something happened to you today, how long could your business run before things started falling apart? How much time are you actually spending on value (i.e. profit) producing work and how much time is wasted on low-level, time sucking tasks? Get ready to save time, get more done, and be happier with the tips we’re sharing this week.   Productivity superstar Sebastian Marshall is the co-founder of Ultraworking, and writes 6000 words per week for Strategic Review. He shares the top the three things to do to set yourself up for consistent productivity and success, and the single most important question to answer before starting any project that will help you stay on track and achieve your goals. Also, find out what you need to start doing right now that will change the way you work forever (you’ll be surprised how simple it is). Episode Highlights: 7:23 Is this your routine? What the not-so-productive cycle really looks like 12:25 The one question you should ask before every project or task 15:44 The time f

A mega PR hit can be the gift that keeps on giving -- so why aren’t more ecommerce business owners getting in on it? This week, Peter Friis, CEO and co-founder of ESSIO Shower and CEO and founder of PR Volt, talks about how PR, combined with Facebook advertising, helped grow his business from 0 to $1 million in sales in just two years. Friis shares the key elements of successful PR campaigns, and what your product must have in order to get news editors’ attention. Find out how you can get started with PR for your business today, and the best way to package PR wins into ads that produce results. Episode Highlights: 8:07 The two key elements to use when reaching out to editors for PR opportunities 10:20 How Good Morning America (GMA) helped Essio Shower focus their marketing efforts 12:01 Why using Facebook video ads helped get more conversions 15:30 How hitting a PR “homerun” like GMA can impact your ecommerce business even a year later 17:00 The two most effective ways to turn your PR “wins” into great adver

Have you ever wondered how a few brands crush it with their content marketing, while the vast majority of blogs fall flat? Are you interested in being able to track your blogging efforts? Do you want to know whether you should you be writing your content for shares or SEO? And how much is a realistic minimum investment (in both time and money) to make content marketing successful for you? In this episode, Nat Eliason, former head of Growth at Sumo and the founder of Growth Machine, answers those questions, and more. Join us as Nat talks about what’s working in content creation, how to create a strategy, and whether you should even do it at all. He also drops the truth about the 80/20 strategy related to content creation vs. promotion -- and what he says just might surprise you. Episode Highlights: 8:08 Who should be doing content marketing and what kind of content is successful? 9:20 What’s the minimum investment for quality content marketing? 13:00 The WIKI Strategy and how to use it to plan your content. 1

You want the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the bee’s knees if you will. We’ve got you. Everyone knows the right idea at the right time can have a huge impact on your business. In this episode, we deliver our favorite and most actionable segments of the last year in a bite-sized format you can put right to work. You’ll discover the best way to start Influencer Marketing with Chase Fisher of Blenders Eyewear. You’ll explore the mysterious concept of Kickstarter “Super Backers” with Jeff Sheldon from Ugmonk. You’ll learn how to work less and make more with Tyler Sullivan of Bombtech. And last but not least, you’ll dive into a segment about “social proofing” your ads with Deidre Kelly. Enjoy! Episode Highlights: 6:06 Outlining strategies to grow your brand with influencers…the tools 10:11 How to track influencer marketing 13:29 Discovering "Super Backers" and their value on Kickstarter 16:25 How much time you should commit to your Kickstarter video 20:15 How to set up Social Proof on your Facebook Ad

The holiday season is almost upon us -- do you want to maximize sales while minimizing stress? Are you ready to learn tips and tricks for standing out during this highly competitive time? If so, this is the episode for you. Austin and Andrew share the top five things you must do to prepare for a successful holiday season. Find out the best email marketing schedule for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when to start (hint: it's probably earlier than you might think) and which customers to direct your messages to. And, learn how to make the most of your VIP relationships by giving them something special, and locking in high-quality sales before Black Friday hits. Preparation is key this time of year, so get ready to learn how to make this your best holiday season yet. Episode Highlights: 2:45 - The first thing you want to do to prepare for Black Friday/Cyber Monday 5:19 - How planning multiple offers for Facebook and Instagram might not be so easy 9:49 - Maximize your touch points by synchronizing your email &

  Do you want to know the secret formula for creating high converting Facebook ads? Are you ready to make video ads work for you? Then get ready for part 2 of our big Facebook advertising episode.   Molly McCarty returns to share her plans for making Q4 a success despite high CPCs and CPMs. Deirdre Kelly joins us to talk about value-based optimization and what you need to know about this offering to ensure you get the most out of it for your clients. Deirdre also shares one of her secrets to creating great lookalike audiences - Klaviyo integration. Klaviyo is one of our favorite tools - if you’re interested in a free trial, you can sign-up via this link. Did you miss Part 1 of our big Facebook advertising episode? Check it out here!    Episode Highlights: 2:50 - Molly sets the record straight on what creative converts the best. 5:42 - What the “gurus” are saying is great right now, but actually isn’t working. 7:38 - What your Facebook video needs to do in :15 or less 8:04 - Why strong creative and this s

  Are you ready to put a Facebook advertising plan in place for Q4 that's actually going to drive conversions, and not just clicks? Have you implemented Facebook's recommended advertising tactics, but they just aren't giving your brand the results you desire? Well this episode has what you're looking for, and more. David Hermann and Molly McCarty share the truth about what really works and what doesn't when it comes to Facebook's recommended advertising approach. Learn the important first step that's necessary before launching conversion ads, and the best ad layout to help you drive sales. And, get an insider look at Facebook's new feature: household targeting. Enjoy part 1, and stay tuned for part 2 coming soon! Episode Highlights: 6:37 - Do your ads have great social proof? 12:00 - Want to boost your ROAS? Launch DPAs 13:13 - Why it pays to go against Facebook’s recommendations 15:40 - What surprises you most right now with Facebook ads (David’s reply) 20:50 - What is your Q4 strategy? (David’s reply) 24:0

Does the thought of cutting back on hours put fear in your mind? If so, you’re not alone. In this episode you’ll learn why cutting back on hours could be the secret to unlocking growth. About a year and half ago, Tyler “Sully” Sullivan from Bombtech Golf found himself at a familiar entrepreneurial crossroads. Burned out from 80 hour weeks and frustrated by the limited time he had with his newborn, Sully decided to pull the pin on excessive hours. From now on he’d only work 2-3 days a week. That decision led to the fastest growth in Bombtech history. Now he’s working smarter, growth is easier, and spending more time with his family. In this episode, you’ll learn what it takes to unlock growth, why you should do things that don’t scale, and how to start a community. Episode Highlights: 8:56 How you can improve your business by finding the things you’re not good at 10:48 Do you want your business to grow? Eliminate the options 14:03 Why you should be using Facebook Groups to grow your test group 14:47 If you’re

Have you ever thought about starting a Kickstarter campaign? Do you wonder how some people seem to have cracked the code on crowdfunding? If so, we’ve got an fantastic episode for you. Jeff Sheldon set a goal to raise $18,000 and ended up with over $430K in pre-orders. In this episode, he unpacks the details of his recent blowout Kickstarter campaign. Jeff shares what it takes to hit a crowdfunding home run and how to avoid some unexpected consequences of Kickstarter success. Enjoy! Episode Highlights: Talking the talk: The Kickstarter Process 5:40 What set Gather apart from others on Kickstarter? 6:27 Building Mass Effect: How to tease your product on Instagram 9:51 Off to the Races: The first day of the Kickstarter campaign 11:30 Discovering Super Backers and their value on Kickstarter 14:06 The Facebook ROAS of Super Backers 15:50 How much time was spent just on your Kickstarter video? 17:04 The Future of UgMonk 19:59   What they don’t tell you: The downsides of running a Kickstarter campaign 22:56 Recove