Siddharth Grover

❗What 99% of D2C brands can learn from the top 1% about how to measure their brand equity ❗ I've met so many D2C brands lately in roundtables and different forums. A topic that almost always comes up is brand equity (aka brand value or just "brand"). "How do we ensure our (performance/online) marketing builds our brand over time, rather than just paying Google or Facebook to sell one more item from our inventory?" The top 1% of brands already measure this effectively. They do basics of course, like - Organic Brand Search - Social Media Engagement - Direct Traffic The top 1% do not trust these blindly to measure brand affinity, as an increase in marketing spend can influence them heavily in the short term. The top 1% also use a part of Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) for this, the so-called "Baseline". When using MMM, which helps allocate your marketing spend effectively, the baseline represents the underlying sales that would occur without any marketing efforts, indicating stronger brand-driven sales. You could argue that's part of the definition of true brand equity: an incremental increase in sales that would occur even if you did not spend money on Google or Facebook to buy the traffic. And of course there are other, even more "fancy" and expensive stuff that you could do as a big enterprise, such as Share of Voice (SOV), and Brand Awareness Surveys. But that's in general not feasible for a growing D2C brand. Have I missed any metrics a D2C brand should use to measure its brand equity? #D2C #fashionbrand #brandequity #brandvalue #marketingmetrics #customerloyalty #brandgrowth #marketing #performancemarketing #brandmarketing

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20 Quick Points What A D2C Brand Should NOT Be Doing 😎 1. Overpromising product features. 2. Ignoring customer feedback and criticisms. 3. Neglecting a strong brand identity. 4. Using weak messaging across platforms. 5. Complicating the purchasing process. 6. Lack of transparency in pricing. 7. Not investing in customer service. 8. Avoiding post-purchase follow-ups. 9. Using low-quality visuals and audio. 10. Ignoring mobile/tablet optimization. 11. Focusing solely on new customers. 12. Underestimating logistics and delivery. 13. Neglecting sustainable packaging options. 14. Offering generic, unmemorable experiences. 15. Not utilizing data-driven insights. 16. Failing to address dynamic changes. 17. Overlooking clear return policies. 18. Relying only on paid advertising. 19. Ignoring influencer partnerships and podcasts. 20. Guessing instead of relying on data and facts. #d2c #d2cbrands #entov #entovmarketing #marketing #brands #brand #customers #directtocustomers #dtc #success #brandsuccess #businesssuccess #business #ad #ads #jobs #consumers

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🚀Generating ₹1Lakh+ on Single SKU Product with 3.57% Conversion Rate & Scaling. What we look at a brand. "Product Market Size, Product Market Fit, Product Demand" Which defines Conversion Rate for us to scale a brand. Getting a single SKU brand to 3+ Crore ARR.  Scaling brands profitably and DigitalDC have helped increase AOV thus ROAS. Are you also looking to scale your brand profitably? Feel free to DM to Schedule a call with DigitalDC at https://lnkd.in/dw3777fy #ecommercemarketing #metaads #facebookads #facebookmarketing #facebookadvertising #shopify #d2c #d2cbrands #performancemarketing #performancemarketingagency #Whatsappmarketing #amazonads #Remarketing #instagramads

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Brands hate agencies. From the small business owner to the CEO of one of the biggest QSRs in India, I've had conversations with them all. And surprisingly, they all share a common concern: "That agency did not understand our vision." Most agencies likely sell you something that gets them a lot of profit but does not really help the brand in terms of ROI. From day one, I was very clear that D RefleQtion would not become just another run-of-the-mill agency. We set out to be a Boutique Studio. At D RefleQtion, we don't just work with brands, we become their Chief Branding Officers. Working with limited clients helps us make meaningful connections and deliver focused, crystal-clear branding solutions. Because let's face it, brands are just like people. Each has its own unique needs, demands, and characteristics. If you're looking for a team to build your brand, reach out to us at [email protected]. Let's build something remarkable together.⚡️

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In the social media & AI age, is SEO still relevant 🤔 Recently, a CBO of a large D2C brand asked me this. Here’s our take. Today, most brands focus on social media marketing, performance marketing, and retention marketing. Efforts on SEO can help scale up organic traffic in the medium to long term but NOT in the short term. While there is a lot of chatter on generative ai search hacks, but focusing on the below 10 key fundamental steps is the key : 1. Organic traffic might appear low on Google Analytics as performance marketing might be eating this away due to extensive brand keyword bidding. 2. Technical SEO is the easiest to fix with platform-level improvements in structure and site speed. 3. Algorithm Updates: Google has been updating its search algorithm to prevent spam and robotic content from ranking higher. It actually penalizes such content. 4. Content Strategy: Well written content rich blogs are a good strategy to scale up content, but use AI wisely as google is penalising robotic content. 5. High Authority Domains: Platforms beyond IG & FB, like YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter (X), and Medium help provide strong backlinks and help with SEO. 6. Image SEO: With more users turning to image search, optimising images in across website is crucial. 7. Local SEO: For omnichannel firms, optimising Google My Business and Google Maps is key to driving store traffic. 8. Long-Tail Keywords: Using phrases and long-tail keywords is proven to drive higher brand visibility as they are easy to win over than short keywords. 9. Ecommerce SEO: Strong cataloging and detailed product descriptions are essential for product discovery, especially via Google Merchant Center. AI-assisted tools can enhance catalogs. 10. SEO Metrics: Tracking - Organic Traffic, Keyword impressions, CTR, and rankings are key measure SEO performance. SEO tools (free or paid) are key to check performance of SEO. 1. Google Search Console: Helps you understand what keywords are driving traffic and improve your site’s presence in Google Search results. 2. Google PageSpeed Insights: Provides insights into your site’s performance and suggests improvements. 3. SEMRush: My favorite paid tool for a comprehensive suite of SEO, traffic, and competition tracking. SEO offers the greatest ROI in the medium to long term, unlike performance marketing which yields immediate results. We have seen 30-40% growth in SEO over 3-4 months by following the above best practices with our customers. Would love to know if SEO is something you are focusing on and your learnings . We’ve created a comprehensive SEO blog that covers tools and kpi strategy to use. Comment ‘SEO guide’ below if you’re interested in a copy, and we’ll share it with you! #seo #organic #digital #marketing #omnichannel #martech DAIOM

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Brands that crack the Gen Z code will win the next decade Here's why you need to pay attention to this powerhouse generation right now. Snap Inc. and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently launched a report that has become the hottest topic in the Indian marketing scene, and it's all about Gen Z. At Buzzlab, we specialize in driving content-led growth, I've seen first-hand the influence this generation holds. And this report is an eye-opener. Some key takeaways that made me stop and think:  377 million strong – Gen Z is India's largest generation.  They're already impacting ₹860 billion in consumer spending.  That's projected to reach $2 trillion in the next decade!  1 in 4 Gen Zers are already in the workforce, and within 10 years, they'll all be earning.  Just, imagine the potential. While 45% of brands recognize Gen Z's economic power, only 15% have started leveraging it. This gap is massive. Here are a few insights from my experience at Buzzlab, working with brands like Acko, and creators like Raj Shamani and 1% Club: 👉 Authenticity is Key: Gen Z can smell a hard sell from a mile away. They respond to genuine, relatable content that speaks to their values. Brands need to be real, not just polished. 👉 Leverage Short-Form Video: Platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are where Gen Z is hanging out. Make sure your content strategy involves punchy, visual storytelling. 👉 Community Over Ads: Gen Z values communities and experiences over traditional advertising. Think beyond the transaction. How can your brand foster meaningful conversations and build trust? 👉 Purpose-Driven Campaigns: Gen Z cares about what a brand stands for. If your brand doesn't have a clear purpose or stance on social issues, you're missing out on a huge engagement opportunity. 👉 Personalized Content: They expect content that feels like it's speaking directly to them. Use data insights to tailor your messaging and show you're listening to what matters to them. This generation isn't just the future -they're shaping today's market. The brands that get ahead now are the ones who'll win tomorrow. #GenZMarketing #GrowthConsulting #BuzzLab Source: Mad Over Marketing

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Saw this ad.. it's a sponsored article. Question : WHAT is the product / service being sold for which someone is running ads for it? What is the advertiser's business case? This is a classic example of a MFA website where someone is spending money to promote an article where 1000's of ads will be put in place. The publisher will stack multiple ads on top of each other. What ads you see on the website is ONLY a small part! At mFilterIt we identify and block these automatically from your campaign so that you dont waste your ad-spends from being wasted! Website link : https://lnkd.in/gKWQvyVa

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𝐃𝐚𝐲 5 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐦 Optimising for New Customers only in this ASC. > 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 - Daily budget same as previous day (8000 INR/day) - 262 INR nCAC | 238 INR bCAC (extra 3 repeats reported) - Rest ads on the account 373 INR bCAC > 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 - Account Average Cost Per Purchase (bCAC) 264 INR - Above CPA is mixed with both New and Repeat Customers. > 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢 - I want to get only New Customers at max CPA (nCAC) of 300 INR (~ +10% of bCAC) > 𝘏𝘰𝘸 - We track New/repeat Customers using parallel CAPI setup for all our clients. - We will launch a new campaign that optimises for new customer purchases. - This setup will bring repeats as well but it won't showcase in the result but we can see in further breakdown

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Nike receives 137.1 million monthly traffic  Swiggy receives 12.85 million monthly traffic  Zapier increased its organic traffic growth from 1.19Mn visits per month to over 4.8Mn Here's the secret behind their organic growth... While many brands believe that SEO and content marketing are dead, these brands are leveraging them to get more traction. Here are 3 SEO myths holding your brand back and what’s the reality instead: ❌ Short-form content > Long-form content ✅As per an article by Semrush, long-form content (over 3000 words) outperforms short pieces by: 3X in terms of traffic 4X in terms of shares 3.5X in terms of backlinks In fact, Ahrefs’ 3,000-4,000 word-long blog posts have helped them rank for over 200,000 keywords and attract more than 500,000 organic visits every month, according to SimilarWeb data. ❌ Focus solely on SEO metrics ✅ It’s tempting to obsess over keyword rankings, but metrics like engagement rate, bounce rate, and time on site tell the true story of success. Airbnb has aligned its SEO strategy with its business model. They create location-based content. This has helped them rank for over 13 million keywords globally (Ahrefs data). ❌ Content alone drives success ✅High-quality content is important, but things like site speed, mobile optimization, and technical SEO matter just as much. 53% of users leave a page if it takes more than 3 seconds to load, as per a report by Google. In fact, when The New York Times introduced AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) for their articles, they saw a 10% boost in mobile search traffic and a 23% increase in users returning within a week. Here’s what you should do if you want to improve your SEO’s ROI: → Focus on creating pillar content that truly addresses queries. → Set clear goals from day one and track metrics that matter for long-term impact. → Optimize your website's technical aspects and user experience for better engagement. Don’t believe in common misconceptions and start focusing on the right things. You’ll definitely see the results! P.S. Do you think SEO is dead?   #SEO #ContentMarketing #OrganicGrowth #LongFormContent #DigitalMarketing

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Best in class DTC brands generate 15-20% in net profits (EBITDA) But most brands struggle with 5% net profit. What's the secret sauce? Best in class are doing few things right - --> Lean operationally Gone are the days with 30-35% OpEx. With 3PL partners and variable marketing costs, most brands are running it lean. For brands doing under 8 figures, most are keeping it under 5-10 people. With SaaS, you don't need an in-house development team.  With agencies, you don't need an in-house marketing team.  With 3PL, you don't need your ops or logistics team. Now it's about a core 4-5-person team managing different vendors. With lean fixed costs, you can weather any storm or economic downturn. --> Driving growth via retention They are not scaling their ads to increase acquisition. Most prefer to spend consistently on their acquisition. For them, growth is coming from retention. In Shopify's New vs. Existing Customers Purchase Report, their existing customers buy more than their new customers every month. That's the secret to scaling via retention. Scaling with acquisition can be risky and will be costlier as you move up. --> Negative Conversion Cycle For Inventory Most brands are using a negative conversion cycle for their inventory. Funding inventory purchases from their suppliers. In ecommerce cash flow can be tight. Most cash is stuck in inventory. Most brands have 60-90-day payment terms with their suppliers, so they can generate cash from customers upfront. That frees up their cash for growth. With these 3 best in class practices, you can unlock profitability for your store. #dtc #ecommerce Looking to achieve profitable growth. Yes, it's possible! Follow Rahi Jain to grow your store profitably. I use my PCC (Product, Customer, Communication) value maximization framework to increase the customer lifetime value of ecommerce brands by 10-30% in 45 days.

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Exciting times for the Indian advertising market! 🚀 According to IPG Mediabrands Magna Global Advertising Forecast 2024, the Indian ad market is set to grow by 11.8% to reach ₹1,22,155 Cr in 2024 driven primarily by digital media with strong growth also observed in traditional media. 📊Key highlights 1) Traditional media revenue will grow by 8.4% to ₹64,398 Cr.(TV ,Print, Radio and OOH) 2) Digital media is poised to grow faster at almost 16%, reaching ₹57,757 Cr due to the expansion of internet base. 3) Despite being outpaced by digital, traditional media may receive 53% of all ad spend with digital media taking up the remaining 47%. 4) India's traditional media market share is twice that of global (29%) and APAC(24%) size. 🔍Insights 1) As per the report, Social and search could garner 34% and 33% of the digital ad pie respectively. 2) Display and video will follow with 19% and 14% respectively. 3) TV ad revenues in 2024 are projected to grow by 8.7% to reach an estimated ₹39,333 Cr driven by election and cricket. Also said that TV reaches 778 million viewers and overall time spent increased to 230 minutes. 4)Print media (itself as a most trustworthy source of information) will grow at 6.1% (estimated ₹18,771 Cr) and digital print revenue is estimated to be ₹1,300 Cr. India's ad market is projected to enter the top 10 global markets by 2025, reflecting robust growth across all sectors from FMCG to e-commerce. 📺📰 Let's gear up for a transformative year ahead in advertising! #Advertising #DigitalMedia #TraditionalMedia #MarketGrowth #IndiaAdMarket2024

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Why trust flashy ads when you can hear from real people?  In India, 70% of consumers rely on user-generated content (UGC) like reviews and testimonials before making a purchase. This shift towards authenticity isn’t just a trend; it’s reshaping how brands build trust. By integrating UGC into your marketing, you could see a 29% boost in web conversions and a significant increase in customer engagement. With 64% of Indian consumers actively seeking reviews, it’s clear that UGC is no longer optional but essential for any brand looking to connect authentically with its audience. Leverage this by encouraging your customers to share their experiences and highlight these across your digital platforms for a more genuine and relatable brand narrative. Embrace UGC, and turn your customers into your most powerful advocates. It’s not just about marketing—it’s about building a community that trusts and engages with your brand​. #TrustInUGC #CustomerExperience #AuthenticMarketing

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I usually love Zomato ads..Except this one😑 ✅It's an ad from a B2C company but it talks to marketers, not real consumers. ✅ The hero : Zomato 3+3 is hidden ✅ If not for those numerous LinkedIn posts (including mine ) many of us would have missed it. ✅ Those who are sharing this ad are already aware of Zomato.and the 3+3 offer. ** Don't fall in love with marketing so much that you forget that your hero is not the marketing but the Business and the consumer. #zomato #marketing #strategy

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The Maharashtra #elections spotlights #digital #influence with proxy #socialmedia pages driving voter #engagement. #Political #campaigns increasingly leverage indirect messaging for #targeted reach, reflecting both the #power and #ethical challenges of #digitalstrategy. #Brands can learn from this approach, blending innovation with transparency to enhance audience connection. Read more about my perspective in Shalinee Mishra's story in exchange4media - https://lnkd.in/ghnJkB2g

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Incase, You'd like to diversify or want to start a digital agency - no need to start from a ZERO..!! This drastically shortens ur Learning- curve & get our Brand Leverages & credibility. We have 3 offices (situated Mumbai, Nashik & Pune) and solid backend team with CRM & defined SOPs / processes to Client delivery. We have 9+ year running Company Xceler8 Growth Media Agency have onboard u , as a Working / franchise-partner. . FoCO or FoFO INCREASE RoI: We also have ready clients. Can do Profit share, on merit basis. LMK? Principally, There are 2 franchise models we have to offer, Xceler8 Growth Media Agency - basis, how much you intend / want to get involved (but not at day to day operational level): FICO Sleeping partner : incase , to be a 5L (no time commitment) Working partner Concept : 3L + 2hrs daily on business involvement & activity. PS: US, the Xceler8 Growth Media Agency (since 2015) , a FULL SPECTRUM _ - 360° Branding (designs & Posters) - Performance marketing (Lead & Campaign) - PR (Public relations & Influencer marketing) - Media buying & core - Advertising All the links to our services on 1 page, here you go making it crisp & easy! https://lnkd.in/g2h5Db_X https://lnkd.in/dz8wWuq7

Brands, Brews & Banter has been among the Top-15 marketing podcasts in India for the past nine months (Spotify & Apple Podcasts). Podcasts may look deceptively simple, but here's what I've learned from 25+ episodes: 1. Don't invest in any expensive gear or rent studios till you've done at least 20 episodes and figured out your niche 2. All podcasts are like blind dates - Some are nerve-wracking (even boring), and sometimes you just click! 3. Get ready for A LOT of editing 4. Great quality of conversations trump bad production value 5. There's no such thing as "too long" in podcasts, only "boring." The same people who will skip a 40-second Reel will watch a four-hour episode of the "WTF is" podcast. If you're ready to start your own podcast and I can help, feel free to DM me.

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Imagine you are an agency who cares that your DTC clients brand grow. So you give them a ton of raw feedback on their current situation. But in India it seems most of such feedback hurts the brand owners' ego. Instead of taking it as a feedback for their business and brand. They take it as a personal remark in most cases. And that's one of the worst qualities to have as an entrepreneur. In business and in life you become big when you drop your ego. And develop an appetite for constructive feedback. No agency wants to make sure they hurt your personal sentiments. They only want the best for your brand. But I guess this kind of insecurities are deep rooted in Indian culture from few generations in the past. Though such things must not impact business. As a DTC brand owner you should be surrounding yourself with proven marketers. And then let them do their job. Give them a budget, timeline and target. But don't piss them off so much that they start hating on you as a client. PS: agencies aren't your FT employees, you hired them for a purpose but then learn to trust the process. attach is a pic of your favourite "rich spoilt brat"

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