The Brand Marketing Show

As this episode airs, we're getting close to the 'Business' end of the year. Quarter 4 is just around the corner, and in terms of eCommerce retail, this is typically THE biggest sales season!  Now - 2020 hasn't exactly been a normal year. It's challenged all of us in ways we could never have imagined and I reckon many of us probably never thought we could cope with.  Yet at the same time, it's als...

I admire people who take the plunge to turn their creativity into a business. To back themselves and start making their products for others to buy, not just for themselves.  Today on the podcast I'm joined by Jodi, owner of Swik Home Body.  Like many of you, her business started as a side hustle.  First, she was making candles for herself. And when her family and friends saw them, they loved them...

This year in 2020, we've seen incredible growth in eCommerce transactions. Thanks to COVID-19, more and more shoppers have shifted their spending from in-store to online.  But, exciting as that is, it doesn't mean that you can just throw up a website and expect to make a million bucks.  Sadly - running an online store requires a bit more than that… Getting your online store converting sales and of...

Creating a new product can be a little bit like going through an out-of-body pregnancy and birth. You put everything you have into creating and nurturing this new little beast. Designing, developing, prototypes, liaising, manufacturing, packaging, photography and more… So it's only natural that you want to see it go gangbusters when it finally hits your store! The last thing you want when you fina...

Ever feel like you don't get enough love from social media? When you take the time to write ads or posts for Facebook or Instagram, and find the perfect images, that you just KNOW your audience would love! Sometimes you put your content out there and it feels like you're getting nothing in return. Barely a measly little Like. Let alone a click or a purchase. So you wonder – what's the point? Is it...

Increasingly, as consumers, we choose to buy from businesses and brands whose ideals and values align with our own.  Who Gives A Crap has a clear purpose around improving the environment and protecting our plants.  Birdsnest champions women of all sizes, shapes and ethnicity, with a message around embracing positive body image attitudes rather than confirming to any one ideal.  Warby Parker eyewea...

If there's one thing I've learned over the past few years helping hundreds of eCommerce brands to systemize and automate their sales growth, it's this… ... The number of Instagram followers you have has nothing to do with it. The other day, I was speaking with an online store owner, and I asked her what her goal was for the next year. "Increase sales by 20%" came the response. So my next question...

I love to hear other entrepreneurs' tell their stories about how they started their business, and how they got from there to where they are now.  This week I'm excited to interview my guest, Laura Klein from Snotty Noses .  Laura began her business as a side hustle when her kids were little and she was on maternity leave from her job as a teacher.  I don't think Laura could ever have fathomed back...

Two of the toughest things in a product-based business would have to be growing sales and managing cash-flow. Two of the best, most reliable ways to bring in sales fast are running a product launch or a promotional campaign.  But there are a number of essential ingredients that produce a successful product launch or campaign result. Make no mistake – "winging it" will never give you as good result...

We all need to take a break every now and then, but us entrepreneurs often don't. We don't take time off because we love what we do, right? We're happy to hustle and we're ambitious, so seeing the results is a bit addictive and makes us want to work even harder… But the consequences of not taking time off, especially if you're working long hours with high stress levels and not getting enough sleep...

Today I want to talk through a topic that is really fundamental to eCommerce: choosing the best website platform to build your online store on.  I see these questions being asked in Facebook groups ALL the time! "What's the best website platform?" "Which platform is better? Shopify or Wordpress / Squarespace / Wix / Something else" And then, there's the myths that exist. Like, "I'm too big for Sho...

There's not a lot of information available that explains how to become a retail stockist or reseller of other brands.  How do you go about approaching brands?  What do they look for in a retail stockist?  How do you do a good job of being a stockist? Often, if you're new in your eCommerce business, you'll start approaching your favourite brands that you want to stock and receive a lot of knock-bac...

Want to learn the fastest way to attract your ideal customer's attention? Well, I'm sure you're all familiar with that old saying, "A picture tells a thousand words". I mean, we all know that right? Visual communication is as old as time. Our cavemen ancestors would communicate by drawing pictures on the walls. Even now, as babies we see and understand well before we can speak, let alone read or w...

So. The average Ecommerce website converts at only 2%. That means, 2% of your website visitors will buy from you.  Yet, we have several clients whose websites regularly convert at between 3-7%! Part of that comes down to having a well-designed website and a great product.  BUT there are several things that you can easily implement on your website today that will help you to improve your own websit...

As we approach the end of financial year, you may be considering running a clearance or flash sale (affectionately known as an EOFYS). There's the temptation to reduce how much you need to count during your stock-take. Or to get a few quick sales over the line before having to pay the tax man. There are many benefits to running an EOFYS: You can sell off end of season or last season's stock. Clear...

Paid advertising can be absolute gold for driving traffic and sales in your online store. Once you nail the Facebook Ad Campaign that works for your target customer, you can almost have traffic and sales on tap! You can convert new and repeat customers and transform them into raving fans that spread the good word about your biz far and wide. That's the aim, right? But there is a big difference bet...

How would you like to add, potentially, another 20% to your revenue? And how would you like to do that at a potential 3800% ROI? This, my friends, is entirely possible using Email Marketing.  In fact, as an eCommerce store, one of the highest-impact marketing strategies you can have in your toolkit is email marketing. Yes, even now in mid-2020, this is still the case! And believe me, when you mast...

So tell me, do you treat all your customers equally?  This is not the time to be like a parent who loves all their children equally…  You SHOULD love some customers more than others.  Let me explain. And in the process, I'll give you some insight into your customers, and explain how to build your business around your best buyers. Why you should play favourites with your customers Those of you who...

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures have seen a worldwide acceleration in growth of eCommerce retail.  We have entered a period of hyper-evolution, where consumer behaviour and the technology that supports buying online has changed forever.  Now, the equivalent of 5 years of "gradual shift" into ecommerce will be compressed into two quarters. eCommerce platform Shopi...

Have you ever run a social media competition? Or wanted to? If so — did you do it to gain more followers or page likes? Or did you do it to sell more product in your online store? In my opinion — as an eCommerce store, you shouldn't run a giveaway purely to gain followers. Because more followers rarely equates to an increase in sales... Are you making this big mistake? There is a common mistake I...

What are some of the challenges you're facing in business now? Or that you've had to deal with along your entrepreneurial journey? A lot of the time, people come to me because they're stuck with how to grow their business. They need help with the sales and marketing, to get more traffic and sales consistently in their online store.  But I know from personal experience that there are many more hurd...

Every now and then I come across a brand that has such an infectiously fun personality that I fall instantly in love with it. And then I want to find out who is behind the brand! Who Gives A Crap , Vinomofo and Birdsnest are prime examples of really great fun brands. And Cake 2 The Rescue is another, so I'm absolutely pumped to have founder Lou Duggan on this week's show. Cake 2 the Rescue is an E...

I love Wholesale as a strategy to scale a brand - it's a highly leveraged strategy that can enable you to sell large volumes of product to a small number of customers.  However, right now, it's tough to make money from wholesale, when so many retailers are having to close their stores due to COVID-19 pandemic lock-down measures.  Whereas, Ecommerce retail is going completely bonkers!  Just because...

Something I've always loved to do, is to find out how other successful people have achieved what I want to do myself. I love to hear their stories and learn about their journey, including the mistakes as well as their achievements. It's a powerful way to learn. And so this week, I'm really excited to share another interview with a friend and client, who actually also used to be a competitor of min...

This week's episode was recorded as the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has continued to heighten. State and national borders have been closed, shops are shut and we're all bunkering down at home. Yet my eCommerce clients are experiencing their best ever weeks in sales revenue!  Why is this?  Well here's the silver lining...  #1, just because the shops have closed, doesn't mean that consumers have stoppe...