- The Weekly Sharpener
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- The Weekly Sharpener #80
👋 Hey fam!
This Tuesday round-up is busting at the seams with value.
I know, I keep saying it but I hope you're taking some time to enjoy how amazing it is outside. Go outside, take a breathe, and soak in some Vitamin D. Dr. Hubeman will be pleased I sent you (IYKYK and if you don't, here.)
Alexa Kilroy, (Head of Brand @Triple Whale) has a lot to teach us. First off: how the battle between "brand vs performance" marketing is categorically wrong and why effective customer interviews can unlock multiple layers of information and don't have to feel like a burden.
What she's saying is you can't half-ass any of this work if you want it to be good, but you can build systems! Get ready for some 🔥
We'll also dive into how Gen Z is getting nostalgic about the 90's/2000's and what that means for your ads.
Why TikTok and IG becoming the search engine of choice for younger internet goers will be a boon for brands but the investment to make it work can't be underappreciated.
We are grateful for the space in your inbox and for you sharing some of your valuable time with us. 🙏
Cheers,
Chase
Pencil - Creative AI
Pencil allows you to scale your creative testing on paid ads by automating the creative production process. All you need are your assets, branding, and performance data then in minutes you'll have your new ads ready to go. 🚀
www.trypencil.com
🎙Add Creative
A sneak peek from Episode 12 👀
When people ask me about the sometimes tension or like the, I don't know, sometimes there's some rift between performance marketers and brand marketers, because some people are very performance oriented. Their business is very performance oriented and they think that that's, that end all be all.
But often you find that those companies are very churn and burn companies. They just don't have the LTV. They don't have the customer advocacy, the brand advocacy, the buy-in to your point. I think the role of a brand is it that is has a heavy retention play. It's is about making somebody feel like they're a part of something, not just a consumer of a product.
And so triple whale, I think is, is a company that even before I started, has been doing this very well and having a very active working Twitter presence, a very active slack community. Doing a lot of co-sponsoring and going to events in addition to hosting events of our own. And so our whole vision is like, let's freaking make SaaS fun and enjoyable.
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Content that Matters 🐐
Is nostalgia back in, did it go out of style? And are people nostalgic for the 90's & the 2000's already? Does this mean they are listening to this again?
What this really means is, that there are trends to tap into when creating your ads for a younger demo.
Music
Experiences
Movie references
Fashion
The common thread in youth nostalgia is that it fosters a sense of belonging. Nostalgia helps us strengthen relationships through shared experiences. That builds trust
Why it matters: you want your customers to feel seen and heard. This doesn't mean going out and copying the latest trend with Y2K vibes. However, if something like this feels organic to your brand presence, test it out on Organic TikTok and IG Reels.
See if it sparks something with your audience in a lightweight way. Music is the easiest way to try this or cut in an old movie clip.
Your audience is yours to lose, test now, get your data, and see if it's worth expanding. You never know what's on the other side unless you try.
Thread of the Week 🧵
TikTok is becoming a leading search engine
And it's going to impact your brand's content strategy
Here's exactly what you need to know & how it will affect your day-to-day as a social media manager: http
— Tommy Clark 🐳 (@tclarkmedia)
Jul 14, 2022
Google is an intent channel, Paid social are behavioral channels, that's what we tell everyone, right?
So when someone comes from google, the intent is high, but the discovery of NEW brands is low.
Something big is happening now, that might change the complexion of searching for a brand.
"We keep learning, over and over again, that new internet users don’t have the expectations and the mindset that we have become accustomed to...the queries they ask are completely different.”
(These users don’t tend to type in keywords but rather look to discover content in new, more immersive ways)
“In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search...they go to TikTok or Instagram.”
Your ads and branded content aren't only meant to drive first-touch conversion any more. The content will now also do the job of getting prospects to remember you.
And when they are ready to purchase come back to the content that sparked them because it's immersive and sells the product better than this does 👇
Why it matters: Facebook wasn't a meaningful channel for driving growth until user behavior changed, then it was IG, now it's TikTok.
User behaviors change, and content consumption patterns change. People thought TV was a fad once. Then people thought that streaming wasn't going to work.
TikTok/IG will drive immersive search going forward for Gen Z +.
What I believe this means is behavior + intent will cross-pollinate like never before and the behavioral channels stand to benefit.
Why? Because their native structures have deepening engagement that doesn't run counter to their entire platform.
Can you imagine google trying to add a social component to their social product? 🙅♂️
This means investing in creative will drive short-term and long-term growth. Ads + are now Search + SEO. Discovery will come with higher expectations but also higher virality.
Invest accordingly.
Expert Strategy + Learnings
Some amazing learnings from thought leaders in DTC.
Carl's CRO Tips 🙌
The check process accounts for the highest number of drop-offs during the purchase flow.
One way to combat this is giving the opportunity to check out as a guest.
Lots of the bigger stores/brands won't let you check out without creating an account.
For more 🔥 follow Carl Weische from Accelerated.
Rahul's Paid Media Learnings 🤘
Create ads that are relevant to your customers.
Setup a post-purchase survey and ask your customers “Why did you buy from us?”
Get direct feedback from your customers and find out different reasons why they might have bought your product, stop assuming and start asking.
From these concepts create ads that address those reasons your customers bought.
For example: Your customers bought your skincare product because they needed something new for their morning routine.
Create ads that are showing different ways your product can be used for morning routines and why it will improve your customer's morning experience.
Creative Cuts ⚔️ - ICYMI
Want to learn about WHY the creative you love works and how you can leverage it 👇
Worth Your Time 💡
No explanation, just content we love and think is ultra-valuable!
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to turn a small DTC business into a successful financial asset that you *hold*.
I wanted to share because I think, too often, the finance side of DTC isn’t talked about very openly and it puts up barriers to new folks learning.
— David Rekuc (@DaveRekuc)
Jul 15, 2022
Here are 5 simple tips to create TikTok content for your brand
Bucket up, it's a little long💺
— jason wong (@EggrolI)
Jul 11, 2022
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