#99 The Least boring Weekly Newsletter

June 22, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Good Morning Readers!

Here’s to wishing for a successful day ahead!

Verywell, the CBD sparkling water, is now set to roll out its products in nearly 50% of the U.S. states through direct-to-consumer sales on its website and retail outlets.

The venture started out in Colorado in late 2020. This non-alcoholic, hemp-derived beverage then quickly rose to fame in the eCommerce industry, reaching up to 18 states last year alone. 

What makes it different? The drink is made of adaptogens, herbal components known to adapt to your body’s needs. It’s simply sparkling water with premium flavors and zero additional calories. That’s why the brand was able to launch on retail shelves in New Jersey and New York with the contribution of the Molson Coors distribution network, putting its retail presence in the three of the top five cannabis-consuming states in the country. 

Ready to try it out?

Almund’s newsletter will give you all kinds of tips for DTC brands and much more.

Alright, so let’s get right to it!

This newsletter is going to dive into:

🤳🏽 Snapchat+ Has Entered The Chat

⭐ Sponsored Section

🍔 Best Business Practices

📕 Top Reads Of The Week

⚙️ Plenty Of Jobs Await You!

So, scroll down to THE VERY END & read up on what’s yet to come your way!

WHAT’S COOKING, HUH?

With Instagram and TikTok taking away so much of the limelight, Snapchat is trying to up its game. 

Amidst revenue pressure, Snapchat issued an official profit warning mentioning that they were on track to miss targets. This caused the team to brainstorm ideas for potential new monetization routes, leading them to create Snapchat+. This platform runs on a subscription model, allowing users to get an increasing amount of incentives and features as they move up the subscription package. 

With its first update, you can get features such as:

1. An on-profile badge to indicate that you’re a Snapchat+ user.

2. Access to exclusive Snapchat icons.

3. Ability to pin a user in the app as ‘your #1 best friend.’

4. New data insights, including visibility of your friends’ location history and info on who’s rewatched your story. 

Would Snapchat have a better chance now?

Since Snapchat is such a personalized app, with users actively using streaks to keep up daily interactions, they might be more willing to sign up for Snapchat+ subscriptions as opposed to paying for other social media channels. 

Sponsored

Wish to inspire the industry’s leading B2B eCommerce companies? Join Wynter as a research panelist.

If you’re a professional working in the eCommerce industry, our research panel is THE platform for you. By answering research questions (<15 minutes/survey), you can give back to the community. 

Simply log in, get verified and sit tight. We’ll notify you of an opportunity to be a participant if a client requests audience feedback from people with your professional profile! This super simple arrangement will have you getting paid for your feedback and comments ($90 to $800/hr). Super low-key time commitment!

Why Wynter?

Wynter is the leading target customer feedback tool. B2B companies, such as Hubspot, Shopify, Unbounce, LastPass, and more, use Wynter to nail their marketing and product messaging through customer research and message testing.

See what some of Wynter’s  panelists are saying:

"I love sharing my expertise with others and sharing my feedback. I also love the payout."

"I like to see new products and experiences before the others and give my opinion on them."

"Learning about brands and the rewards are nice."

Best Business Practices!

If you’ve been reading our newsletters (we hope you are), you’d know just how much we harp about the importance of building strong customer relationships as a DTC business. They not only help you sell but also upsell your services as you expand your product or service ranges and put your business plans into action. 

It also builds customer loyalty which is extremely important when it comes to customer retention—a challenge most DTC brands face.

So how does one build a strategy to develop and maintain customer relationships seamlessly? Here’s how McDonald’s did it.

McDonald’s launched a campaign in 2014 called “Our Food, Your Questions.” 

They were aware of the allegations against them about sub-par food hygiene and quality. So, they decided to battle them by answering user questions using videos. They onboarded the former co-host of Discovery’s Mythbusters, Grant Imahara, to demonstrate the trade secrets that McDonald’s uses to create their fast food.

Grant addressed actual user questions:

1. Is McDonald’s beef real? 

2. Why are the patties frozen? 

3. Why are the burgers so cheap? 

through a series of videos to give “straight” answers to the users. And to top it off, they allowed users to have active discussions on their Youtube comments section.

This not only helped them address the allegations with respect but also allowed the consumers to know the truth behind McDonald’s affordable burgers.

Top Reads Of The Week

Study shows how DTC brands are quickly turning to CTV marketing to reach audiences. 

Massive outrage as questions were raised against centralized crypto platforms.

LinkedIn makes event engagement easier with their new feature. 

Here's how advanced VR headsets are going to be a part of the Metaverse.

In Need Of A Job? We’ve Got Plenty Awaiting You!

General Manager - Buffalo Wild Wings

Head Of Growth Marketing - Domino Data Lab

CHOOSE SUCCESS, and have a great day ahead! Get that DTC business runnin’.