DTC597: Studs' Trendsetting SEO Content Strategy

Good morning,

The July sales battle is heating up. As Amazon sellers gear up for Prime Day next week, TikTok Shop launches its ‘Deals For You Days’ event today and promises discounts on “thousands of trending products.”

U.S. customers can also shop exclusive deals from brands like L’Oreal, NYX, and Zwilling, plus join in on live online events for an immersive shopping experience.‍

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Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:

👏 A genius SEO move: How Studs started the ‘earscape’ trend. The result? More traffic and increased AOV.
💰 We learn the do’s and don'ts of investing in branded search for Google Ads.
🤔 And…did your site experience a major drop in web traffic last week or was Google Search Console just acting buggy?

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Athena Club, Implantica, and Dominic Wines. 👋

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🚀 Double Your Sales? This Brand Did It—Here’s How

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💥 Their sales doubled and their AOV increased by over $30!

Pilot Program is looking for three brands to sink their teeth into this Q3. They’re hungry problem solvers, ROAS generators, and partners in your growth, right down to your bottom line.

🚨 Don’t miss your chance to join before Q4 rolls around. Get in touch with the team today. 🚨

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🎧 Bidding On Branded Keywords For Google Ads

Today, we have Dougie, the Google Team Lead at Pilothouse, joining us on the DTC podcast to discuss a topic that often comes up a lot in our conversations: branded search.

He shares the do's and don'ts of branded search, focusing on how to optimize its impact on your business, and take advantage of tools like GA4 and Search Console to evaluate the organic impact of branded terms.

Dougie explains: "You want to find the incrementality of your branded traffic. That will vary from brand to brand based on a few factors."

Here's how you can fine-tune your branded search strategy and ensure every dollar spent drives meaningful results. 💰

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In this podcast, we cover:

• Understanding Incrementality: Discover why finding the incrementality of your branded traffic is crucial and how it can vary significantly across different brands.
• Segmentation Strategies: Learn the importance of segmenting branded traffic from non-branded traffic and setting distinct targets for each.
• Bidding Techniques: Learn when to use automated bidding and when manual strategies might be more effective for branded terms.

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👉 You can listen to the full episode with Dougie here.

😬 Not All Content Is Created Equal (And It Shows…)

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⭐ How Studs’ Earscape Concept Increased Site Traffic and AOV

Taking a peek at what's trending online and creating content about what's relevant to your products can greatly lift your ecommerce site's views and conversions. 📈

But have you ever thought of starting a trend instead of chasing and following trends?

Creative brands who pioneer trends can benefit greatly.

Let's look at Studs, for example. The popular ear-piercing brand disrupted the piercing industry with its upscale retail experiences and by introducing the concept of the Earscape.

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How it all started:

After Studs co-founder Lisa Bubbers coined the term 'earscape', they quickly decided to trademark it so they could have a leg up on their competitors. They created lots of content around the term on their site and social media so they could dominate organic search.

This way when customers search online to learn more about the trend 'earscape' or 'earscaping' they would be able to find Studs' blog post explaining what is earscaping?

Once the customer goes down the funnel, searching for 'earscape ideas' and 'earscape sets,' Studs will be the site they find repeatedly.

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Why this works so well:

Studs told customers that the earscape trend was a fantastic way for someone to express themselves through their earring stack—the art of mixing personalized ear piercings and stacking allowed customers to celebrate their unique look.

💡 It’s also a brilliant way to increase Studs' AOV. Rather than purchasing a single piercing, they've created attractive bundles to help customers achieve an aesthetic look.

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On their website, they've made 'Earscape Sets' visible on their main nav.

When visitors hover over the tab, they will also see a CTA: 'Shop Sets & Save Up To $40!' as another extra push to get customers invested in the earscape trend.

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The takeaway?

Instead of following trends, be the trendsetter. Create a concept that works well with your niche and then promote it via social media, email, and your PR team to generate buzz.

Partnering up with influencers can also help get the word out quickly.

The benefit of doing this is quickly dominating a search term before your competitors and creating content targeting all stages of the funnel.

Make it a compelling offer: Offer a discount and create aesthetic inspiration boards so customers can picture themselves wearing or using the product.

Personalization wins: Customers love being able to personalize their items so they feel unique and express their creativity. Studs offer hundreds of different styles, making it fun and exciting to create their own set.

🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE

Last week, users on X shared screenshots of how Google Search Console failed to update for over 83 hours. 😲

Not great, especially if you are trying to look at search performance reports.

Google is fixing the issue now, but it may take a few days for some site owners to see more accurate recent data.

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⚡ QUICK HITS

🤑 Meet Andrew Wilkinson: A speaker at our upcoming DTC Mastermind. Hear Andrew chat about his experience starting Tiny, taking companies public, and everything in between. Limited spaces available, get your ticket now!

📥 Got a B2B Biz?

Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 160k brand leaders and founders this year. Talk to our team to learn more.

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Have you heard our latest podcasts?

• 🦙 Paka Founder Kris Cody on His Peruvian Retail Journey
• 🤖 AKNF 417: Learn How To Build Your Own Brand GPT
• 🦁 Sarah Carusona Tames the Omnichannel Beast for Alpha Lion
• 💡AKNF 415: The Gucci and Ralph Lauren of Effective Email Design  
• 🎤 Ex-Googler Ben Kruger on New Side Hustle Selling Microphones
• ⚡AKNF 413: How Over-Automation Limits Your Scale on Amazon
• 🍬 Michael Fisher on Rotten’s Go To Market Strategy

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Don’t forget to rate the DTC Podcast on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.

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Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content.