Stefani Baron

I’m gonna get some hate for this, but should DTC start-ups really be hiring marketing agencies? I work with a lot of early-stage companies in the outdoor space and many have switched agencies multiple times, looking for one that works. Others have agencies where they are paying $4-6K/month in retainers to manage marketing spends of $6-15K. That ratio is totally out of whack to me. When I push the founders, I typically get a couple of answers: “They never go this low on their retainer. They’re just doing it because they love our brand.” “We can’t afford to hire a marketing person, so this is actually saving us money versus a full-time salary and benefits.” From what I see, most of these agencies are running PMax on Google and Advantage+ on Meta… not exactly high workload endeavors. Yes, an internal hire might cost a bit more than you are paying in agency retainers, but the reality is that a direct hire could use tools like Preflect to run these campaigns in 1-2 hours a day. That allows them to spend the rest of their time on what will really drive results – ongoing development/optimization of creative and/or optimizing the online conversion funnel. To be clear – I’m NOT saying that all agencies are bad or DTC companies should never hire agencies. There are amazing agencies that do great work and have been instrumental in their clients’ growth. What I am saying is that founders (and their advisors) shouldn't just think that agencies are the only way and need to consider the cost in relation to ad spend and versus an internal hire. I’d love to hear about amazing agency relationships that have really worked as well as those having success in-house.

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LAST CALL for Elevar's Growth Meetup in NYC! If you're an eCommerce brand and want to join roundtable discussions with brands like Carhartt WIP, Larroude Inc., birddogs, and quip on boosting Meta ad performance, send me a DM, and I'll get you in. Topics include: 1. First-Party Data 2. Audience Relevance 3. Building a Cohesive Customer Journey Sponsored by: Meta, Shero Commerce, and FERMÀT.

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If this doesn’t shock you. You don’t even know me. I talk about Instacart in like one of four posts. I love Instacart more than my morning coffee. More than peanut butter. But we just launched an exclusive pilot with DoorDash. Brands have been FLOODING to Instacart. But DoorDash has been invitation only. Until now. We’re now bringing Mid-size brands to DoorDash. And we’re the only agency with the green light. We are halfway through onboarding our existing clients. And then we’ll take ten more. If you’ve wanted to get into the fastest growing delivery service… This is your shot. DM me for details. ——— 🔹 We grow brands on Amazon. 🔹 We increase velocity in Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, Sam's, COSTCO, and lots of other cool retailers. #cpg #cpggrowth #retailgrowth #retailvelocity #omnichannel #retail #amazonagency #retailmedia

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OK, TikTok Shop, you have my attention now. 👀 There's obviously a TON that's already been shared about the rise of this new marketplace in the consumer zeitgeist so I'll stick with just two simple points... 1. Markets (and marketplaces) are not efficient, and thus arbitrage opportunities exist. 2. When you discover arbitrage opportunities in marketplaces, it also *tends* to correlate well with one other important fact...you're early. Who do you know that was early in identifying the opportunity that is TikTok Shop? Tag them in the comments! #tiktokshop #socialcommerce #tiktokmademebuyit

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Looking to recover lost sales? 🛒 This post dives into the psychology behind cart abandonment and offers actionable tips to bring those abandoned carts back to life #sales #cartrecovery

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This article from Marketplace Pulse on TikTok Shop is worth checking out if you're generally interested in #ecommerce and particularly curious how #socialcommerce may impact future buying behavior. What I enjoy about this article is the transparency of brands who are "winning" right now. This feels similar to when I search on Amazon for something, and many of the "top" brands are no-name random brands. This excerpt sums it up: "It has some recognizable brands, but it primarily sells unbranded low-price items. It brought social commerce to the U.S. but at the cost of “enshittifcating” itself (enshittification is a pattern in which online products and services decline in quality, coined by writer Cory Doctorow)." I've personally never bought through social media (I've gotten close with Instagram but always just opted to buy on a site directly). And even when I do choose to make a purchase, I'm still looking for basic trust factors that I'm not sure many of these #TikTok brands have yet. What do you think about TikTok Shop? Worth looking into, or passing fad? Marketplace Pulse https://lnkd.in/ecvgYr-a

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For CPG brands, influencer marketing is anything BUT one-size-fits-all. 👕 And maybe that’s why we keep hearing the same debates from brands about: 🤳 Micro-influencers vs. macro-influencers 💎 Raw content versus perfectly polished posts 💸 Organic vs paid influencer campaigns The reality? Figuring out what’s “best” for your brand requires experimenting. 🔬 That means diversifying your influencer strategy and the types of content you get. But how do you do that? 🤔 We’ve got answers! Join our Head of Revenue Chris Raniere for our live panel (“Diversifying Your Influencer Mix to Drive CPG Sales”) on June 20 at 1 PM EDT. 📅 Alongside industry leaders, Chris will share insights on influencer growth strategies and how CPG brands can build successful partnerships that drive ROI. 📈 Click the link below to save your seatl!👇 https://hubs.la/Q02zKHxV0

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Ever thought your TikTok content could be more than just a hobby? 📲 Our latest eBook, Maximize Your Earnings: Using TikTok’s Creativity Program, is your guide to unlocking real income from your videos—no big investment required. From trend-hopping to brand partnerships, this guide shares the strategies to make every view count. #CreatorEconomy #MonetizeYourContent #TikTokSuccess #SZEnterprises

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Important Read Below.

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Frequent creative refreshes: - Meta says to do it 2x a month - We say 4x a month/1x a week Most DTC brands don't hit 2x, much less 4x. But if you want better performance, frequent refreshes are a key lever to pull.

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As Black Friday and Cyber Monday roll in, I’m meeting a lot of new DTC founders who hate running Facebook ads. I get it—ads can be frustrating and costly, especially if you’ve tried and failed in the past. But here’s the hard truth: if you don’t have a creator churning out high-quality content every single day on TikTok or Instagram, paid channels like Facebook and Google Ads and Emails are non-negotiable. 👉 Unless you’re consistently producing organic content that’s converting on TikTok and Instagram (which most of us aren’t), Facebook Ads, Google Ads, email marketing, and SMS marketing are the cornerstone channels to scale your brand. Here’s the order of importance as we head into this holiday season: 1. Facebook Ads: Love it or hate it, the level of targeting and data you get here is crucial. Your audience is already there, scrolling every day. 2. Google Ads: Meet customers at the moment of intent. When they’re searching for what you offer, you need to show up. 3. Email & SMS Marketing: Together, these are your secret weapons for customer retention and nurturing. The people who are already on your list are more likely to buy—especially during BFCM. But here’s the catch: You can’t run great ads without a strategy or cadence. If you aren’t refreshing your creatives every couple of weeks, your ads will fatigue. So, if you’re not consistently running and tweaking these channels, don’t even think about exploring others. Focus first on mastering the basics, then expand. 💡 Pro Tip: Start prepping your campaigns NOW. The earlier you test and learn, the better your results will be come November. #BFCM #DTCMarketing #FacebookAds #GoogleAds #EmailMarketing #SMSMarketing #HolidayPrep

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Looking for Influencer Marketing Agencies! I'm looking to connect with agencies that specialize in finance influencers, but here's the twist: we're focusing on an affiliate basis, not upfront payments. Our affiliate model offers unlimited earning potential, providing influencers with significantly greater rewards compared to their standard upfront fees. If you excel at connecting finance brands with the right influencers and are open to performance-based partnerships, I want to hear from you! Please DM me or comment below if you're interested in exploring this opportunity. #InfluencerMarketing #FinanceInfluencers #AffiliateMarketing #PerformanceBased #UnlimitedEarnings #Collaboration #MarketingExperts #FinanceContent #LetsConnect

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Former Glossier COO Henry Davis brought the house down last week at our NYC happy hour. People were absolutely stoked to hear from him, so I wanted to share 3 key takeaways for the ecomm ops leaders who weren't able to join us: 1. Prioritize planning. Early and often. It's probably not a supply chain problem — it's a planning problem. 2. Remember what you're selling and why people care. Why are customers buying something from YOU at 50% margin? Create the delivery experience that furthers the brand. 3. Ops people have a unique POV on the business but don't always have the muscle for getting their ideas in front of leadership. Here's how Henry recommends getting buy-in with execs: 1) tie ideas to gross profit dollars vs. gross margin and 2) present the info in a way that makes your boss feel clever (and relieved that you're at the helm). Thanks again for joining me, Henry. Really enjoyed the chat.

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📈 High-growth agencies HIRE. 💀 Despite it crushing client results. 💡 That’s why we do it differently: I spent most of my career in-house in growth, eventually becoming CMO. I’ve worked with dozens of ad agencies—most ‘meh,’ a few good. But even the good ones had a fatal flaw ➡️ They’d eventually turn the account over to juniors with 2-4 years’ experience. The A team would sell you and build momentum, but then the B team came in. I’ve paid ad agencies over $50K/month and they still do this. Sure, these young guns can be smart with great potential. But why should YOU pay the agency to learn on your dime? It slows growth and wastes time. We hated ‘the switch,’ so we do it differently ➡️ Robbie/I don’t hire when we’re full. Instead, we build a waitlist. Yes, we’re leaving money on the table. But quality work is our North Star. And this is the # 1 way to ensure it. Clients get us—seasoned growth operators with 15 years’ experience each. We’ve started and sold VC-backed companies and scaled several beyond $50M. That’s the experience we sell you on. That’s the experience you get. Simple. 💀 Beware of ‘high growth’ agencies hiring. B/c they’re growing revenue at your expense.

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Social Commerce: The eCommerce Paradigm Shift. Published a piece on Fast Company last week that speaks to this. With the rise of TikTok Shops, re-emphasis for Meta on IG/FB Shops, and the new YouTube Shopping launch, social commerce is no longer inevitable...it's HERE. If you're an ecommerce brand, you need to understand that consumers have different preferences: - Some like purchasing on a brand's mobile website - Some like purchasing within the social app they discovered the brand - Some like purchasing directly within a video they just watched without interrupting their experience - Some like purchasing on desktop - and Some really don't care You need to cater to each of these divergent needs. One thing that is more apparent than ever, is the emergence of affiliates influencing ecommerce sales. Enabling ordinary people to enter the conversation and generate income from pushing products they believe in. The small screen is largely replacing the big screen. Meet consumers where they're most likely to purchase. Social commerce is the new wave of influence. 💥 READ MORE HERE: https://lnkd.in/eXXTiwZu

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