On December 10th 1997, Julia Hill climbed up a tree to protect it from being cut down. She wasn’t the first person to do so, but she was the most publicized. Her activism brought the name “Tree Hugger” into the mainstream to rail against the environmental movement. Today, 25 years later, being environmentally conscious is the norm. Not everything we buy is sustainable, but according to The Global Sustainability Study 2021, 85% of consumers have made a change in the last 5 years towards a sustain...
Dec 07, 2022•32 min
In the days of the Mad Men in the 1960s, some of the best advertising was written. When we study marketing and advertising, especially copywriting, we often return to those classic ads for inspiration… simple imagery, compelling copy. Copy that spoke to the reader. Fast forward to today and marketing has gone the opposite direction, focusing on data and distribution, minimizing our focus on communicating well with our audience. What we need is a bit of a correction. A balance that combines psych...
Nov 29, 2022•1 hr 6 min
The world is about 20 years into our social media journey, and I can confidently say that we are less social than we were before we had all these apps. People showcase their lives, both personal and professional, and for the most part it is baloney. A complete fabrications of reality. So I was pleasantly surprise when Chris showed me around Vibehut.io, his new social media site centered on video conversations. He saw the value in human connection and how our current social apps don’t help that. ...
Nov 22, 2022•36 min
The Machines Won… This is not a conversation about Google Ads that you’ll hear anywhere else. But it is as welcome as it was unexpected. Kasim and his partner built Solution 8, the top Google Ad agency, and have been in it for around 15 years. So he’s seen the changes and developments and and even unnerving advancements Google has made in advertising over the years. Particularly with Performance Max… the Don’t-Worry-AI-Got-You ad product that Google released in 2021. As Kasim puts it, the machin...
Nov 16, 2022•49 min
Copywriting is where I got my start in marketing way back in 2012. So I was excited to have this conversation with Konrad Sanders about copy - what it is, why it is so important, and how can brands approach it. Brands don’t put enough attention on copywriting and that holds them back, and lends to lackluster creatives and uninformative websites. The brands that do put more emphasis on copywriting fare much better in the long run because they are better communicators with their customers and abou...
Nov 07, 2022•53 min
Such a fun conversation with Miranda Black, the Degrowth Diva . You can hear more about the work she is doing to support sustainability in retail on her podcast, What’s This Place? , and follow her here on Instagram . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heroesofecommerce.substack.com...
Nov 02, 2022•34 min
Thanks again to Susan for coming on the show! If you’d like to be a guest, send me an email and introduce yourself! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heroesofecommerce.substack.com
Oct 31, 2022•19 min
Affiliate marketing offers huge potential for marketing in ecommerce, but it is often underutilized or mismanaged. So to show us how we can build more effective affiliate programs, Paul Drecksler is going to walk us through 9 common mistakes brands make and how we can do better. This episode goes in-depth to cover almost every aspect of managing affiliates, and even better, Paul offers real examples to see how things play out in the real world. Paul also has a fantastic newsletter, Shopifreaks ,...
Oct 28, 2022•53 min
How many emails should I send? When should I start? How about discounts? When it comes to Black Friday prep, getting the right email strategy is important. And equally confusing. Every year half of the business world is starting the second they come down from their Halloween candy sugar high. The rest declares that their employees will not work one iota until Thanksgiving. And this year, on top of it all, Amazon is jumping it with a 2nd Prime Day, throwing a wrench into all of it. Melanie talks ...
Oct 26, 2022•28 min
When it comes to creating content, brands need to have a system in place that fits their direction, strategy, and teams. Matthew Gattozzi, founder and CEO of the Goodo Studios, talks about what it looks like to build a system of content creation so you have fresh content at a regular clip. If you have ever been on the business end of content creation responsibility, you know how stressful it can be if you get caught playing catch up. If you have questions for Matthew, you can catch him on Linked...
Oct 25, 2022•27 min
Post-purchase surveys allow brands to catch feedback from customers that can be useful in both attribution and understanding how to improve your marketing. Quizzes, in the same way, catch customer feedback when they are at their highest point of intent. Collecting this zero-party data is not new in the world of ecommerce, but many brands fail to implement these tools strategically in order to get the maximum results. Serge shares his experience and insight into how he has used these to drive rev...
Oct 22, 2022•22 min
On average, 1 in 5 items purchased online were returned in 2021, costing the industry as a whole over 200 million bucks. That staggering amount doesn’t even account for the impact returns has on the environment through emissions, materials used, landfills. Brian Taylor is the CEO and founder of Hafback, and we get into the facts around these issues and how he is building a marketplace to reverse reverse-logistics and keep returned items moving forward to customers instead of to the landfill. Get...
Oct 19, 2022•19 min
Social media has been with us for over 20 years, but businesses still struggle to figure out how to make it work for them. Jacob has been a Social Media Manager for years and shares his insights on what people are doing and what they should be doing more of to get better results. If you had questions for Jacob, you can get in touch with him on LinkedIn . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heroesofecommerce.sub...
Oct 17, 2022•23 min
Advertising as a concept is fairly simple, but simple doesn’t mean it is easy. There is a lot that goes into a great ad strategy. Jordan has 30 years of experience in advertising and marketing, and he breaks things down from how to approach ad strategy, to the different platforms, to how it is a part of the customer journey. There is a lot of information but what he shares will help bring wholistic view of digital ads that you can put to use in your own business. Read my thoughts in the follow u...
Oct 14, 2022•36 min
It is that time of the year… that time of the year that we hope businesses hold off on the Christmas music and decor until after Halloween. Seriously, people need the full time we allot them to enjoy their pumpkin spiced lives. But that does not mean we can wait to start getting the marketing ready for the big day(s). Kurt Elster came on the show to talk about how to get our homepages ready for the holidays, and really hammers home the idea that this is not the time of year to be cool or clever....
Oct 12, 2022•23 min
Arguably the most important pages on your website are the product pages… that is, after all, where custom click the magic button - add to cart . And no better person to talk about this than the Product Page Guy, himself, Rishi Rawat. We talk about the importance of understanding your customers, their needs and objections, so we can write better product pages that turn passers-by into paying customer. If you are gearing up for the holidays, this is a topic you won’t want to miss. To continue the ...
Oct 10, 2022•25 min
And what is that overlooked, unsexy space? Zero-Party Data. It is unsexy, because it useful. As in, when you have it, you have to use it. And that takes work. And creative thought. That is not something that Jon Ivanco wants you to shy away from. His interview will help you reshape the way you think about data and how to use it for better marketing. You don’t want to miss this one. Read the deep dive about this topic here . Connect with Jon Ivanco on Formtoro . This is a public episode. If you w...
Oct 07, 2022•33 min
5400… that is the number of tests he has run over the last 15 years in conversion optimization. So lucky for us, he came on the show to share his experience. What you’ll get from this: * Should ecommerce store owners even try to start testing during Q4? * How should we approach CRO and what tests should we run? * What are the best free tools to use to get started? * 3 tests he ran that gave surprising and insightful results… Jeremy shares a lot of useful ideas and advice in here that you will be...
Oct 05, 2022•25 min
Let’s keep the conversation going... Join the community and discuss this topic with us. To launch our new series, Sidekicks, we wanted to start at the beginning with one of the most important aspects of business - understanding the customer and their journey. We are joined by Josh Tay who talks about enablement and how it applies to creating a better customer journey… as opposed to a company journey. This is how we start off on the right foot. If you want to connect with Josh, you can find him o...
Oct 03, 2022•22 min
In this episode, we have Glen and Steph on to talk about their Ooni Pizza Oven and the launch of their new business, Starter Pizza. Talking pizza always inspires us to eat, but hearing their journey from discovering Ooni to finally pulling the trigger will inspire you in how to create content that builds momentum. Get the Tuesday recap of the Real Heroes… Support by sharing this with your network. Contact Us 🎙️ If you want to be a guest, hit us up . 🤝 If you want to connect with the host, conn...
Aug 16, 2022•23 min
Of course every brand wants to optimize their website to increase conversions, but not everyone approaches CRO in the same way. A lot of specialists and marketers tend towards discounts and sales to pump up their numbers, but that is just not the way to go… Will Laurenson has been working in CRO for years and has a simple, yet powerful, framework in which he approaches each project. He walks us through his framework so we can ditch the discounts and create a better website experience for custome...
Aug 12, 2022•21 min
Listen here or on Apple and Spotify Starting your own ecommerce business can be intimidating. Making that decision to go for it is a huge step. And one that Katie is glad she made. It has only been a year since she launched the Trail Magik kid carrier with her husband, and they have been learning on the fly… which is something most entrepreneurs can relate to. They have come a long way, and in this interview, we talk about how building a community with fellow outdoor adventurers has been the bac...
Aug 08, 2022•26 min
What you’ll hear in this episode: [ 1:08 ] What is it like to be a Website Product Owner [ 7:06 ] How Project Good created an Aha! Moment for Joe [ 9:53 ] Strategy 1: Loyalty Program [ 11:03 ] Strategy 2: Keep Customer Service engaged [ 12:29 ] Strategy 3: Always be testing and optimizing your website Business people tout the importance of listening to the customer, but most of the time they are talking to the customer rather than listening to the customer. So it impressed me to learn how Joe an...
Aug 05, 2022•20 min
Listen here or on Apple and Spotify Do you remember the movie War Dogs? Well that is where this story begins… Colin is the CEO of Sheets & Giggles. His inspiration for starting a bed sheet business is unexpected, but it fits with his take on the industry. S&G’s journey is also an examples of how to scale up by doing things that don’t scale, and the importance of interacting with customers by the whole team… not just one department. There is a lot of good stuff in here about ecommerce, su...
Aug 02, 2022•26 min
What you’ll hear in this episode: [ 4:52 ] How Lettuce Grow caught her attention [ 6:21 ] What finally converted her into a customer [ 23:22 ] The real hero’s advice for brands trying to reach her How marketing goes beyond your marketing… A couple hours after we recorded this episode, Courtney sent me and email to let me know that my wife can give her a call if she has any questions about the Farmstand and to share a referral code. This is brilliant marketing for Lettuce Grow. However, it is not...
Jul 20, 2022•24 min
Wayne dreamt of being an astronaut when he was 7 years old, and even though he never made it to outer space, his career has taken him to the moon and back… several times over. The original topic was about buying a Roomba online, but interviews sometimes take on a life of their own, and this one does not disappoint… We do get to Roombas around the 17-minute mark, but you won’t want to miss his backstory, and then later we talk TikTok and he scares the s**t out of us. All in all. It is quite a sto...
Jul 01, 2022•53 min
Listen on Apple and Spotify . Dog owners are a different breed. You already knew that though. But did you know that they spend around $1400 per year per dog on basic needs? That doesn’t even account for the Dog Toy Box our guests subscribe to… All of that adds up to a hefty chunk of change. But what I find most intriguing is the level of loyalty this brand earns from their customers. It is not by accident. It is by design. I think we can learn from the small, yet personal touches they incorporat...
Jun 23, 2022•34 min
Listen on Apple and Spotify Conscious consumers are not well understood as a segment. There is a stereotypical view of this customer that hinders marketers’ ability to reach them. It leads to beige copy and boring creative. It ignores the friendly faces that are the actual conscious consumers. So we delve into this topic with Natalie, a wife and mother of 2 from Ohio, who is really fun to talk with. Her take on conscious shopping is refreshing because it is authentic. She talks about how careful...
Jun 14, 2022
Listen on Apple and Spotify Hunters, late night phone calls, and doctor-prescribed ebikes… John has stories. He is the owner/founder of Ebikegeneration.com, and he has a very specific clientele: men, 55-75, who hunt. That is not the first type of customer that comes to mind when we think of ebikes. But when most businesses zigged, John zagged, and he captured a niche audience that he’s gotten to know very well. And that is the key to his success. He got to know the customers on a deeper level th...
Jun 10, 2022•23 min
Great stuff in here, so hope you like it. Feel free to start a discussion or ask a question in the comments! SEO is a big topic, and few have have executed an SEO strategy so good and for so long as John. If you want to learn about his course, learn more at Ecom SEO Formula . Or email him directly at john@ecomseoformula.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heroesofecommerce.substack.com...
Jun 10, 2022•22 min
