Ecommerce Evolution

This is an episode a couple of years in the making.  I’m a huge Ryan Daniel Moran fan.  We had dinner together after an event for speakers at an event in LA a few years ago.  Then we both got busy.  Ryan came on the show to discuss some burning topics facing all entrepreneurs right now.   Advice for an eCommerce company who’s struggling right now in the pandemic Advice for an e-commerce company who’s excelling right nowThe number 1 way to be instantly happier right now (and it leads to better business outcomes) How Ryan thinks about eComm companies to invest in - it’s way more about the leader and the product than anything else. Not playing the comparison game How to instantly be happier where you are right now The 3 phases of growing to $1 million in 12 Months. 

Currently, over 77% of our eCommerce clients are either still UP in sales even during this time of extreme uncertainty or are the same (plus or minus 1-2%).  Yes, some are hurting - but for most eCommerce businesses you CAN do something about sluggish sales right now.  We’ve learned a lot in recent weeks on what messages resonate with prospects and what falls flat.  In this episode (taken from a recent highly-popular webinar) Chris Brewer, Co-Founder of OMG Commerce and I dive into these important topics: Understanding the different physiological segments of shoppers right now and how to appeal to them People still want to buy even when stuck at home - how to provide retail therapy to your customers How to handle paid search on both Amazon and Google right now (search trends are shifting) Why this could be the perfect time to consider YouTube ads…viewership is up 100%+ on the platform and ad costs are down 20% or more How you can gain market share and get ahead of the competition right now

Supply chain, lock down, store closures, falling ad costs, rising costs of sanitation…just a few of the areas impacting retail and e-commerce right now.  In my interview with Eamon Kelly of Edgewater Research, we talk about the following hot topics to recent data points. How ad costs are impacted on Amazon, Facebook and Google during the crisis What categories are seeing spikes vs. dips in sales…there are a few surprising areas here plus some opportunities for companies to pivot. What major retailers like Dick’s sporting goods are seeing How retailers like Chewys are experience both growth and interesting shifts in costs and increased margin pressure How to think about inventory levels with more shopping shifting online

Original Grain has an origin story that’s as cool as it’s products…and as cool as it’s founders. In this interview, we tackle some critically important topics for all DTC brands.   We discuss building a product that has an authentic story that resonates. We look at the Original Grain approach to sourcing and designing that next winning product. We hear the Original Grain example of launching successful kickstarter campaigns, and we talk about marketing during a crisis and much more.    Brother’s Ryan and Andrew Beltran grew up playing basketball together and starting businesses together from painting houses to mowing lawns. In 2013 while living in Hong Kong, Ryan had the idea for wood and steel watches.  The brothers took that inspiration and started what is now a leader in the watch and accessories space.   Here’s a look at what you’ll learn in this episode: How a chance meeting at a nearly failed event lead to their most successful watch line to date How wooing an investor (I love this story - and it embod

Economic Crisis - time to panic or time to press ahead?  While challenging and painful, there are huge opportunities right now.  Some of the world’s most successful companies grew leaps and bounds during recessions (Toyota, Kellogs and many others).  On this show investor, mentor and brilliant marketer and entrepreneur Roland Frasier and I talk about what you need to do to survive and thrive right now.  From getting your head right, to ensuring financial stability to how to market your product - right now. The market has shifted but money is still up for grabs.  Here’s what we cover: Understanding the physiological segments of the market and how to reach customers that are still actively buying now How your product positioning should pivot during times of extreme uncertainty How companies like Toyota and Kellogg’s crushed their competitors during a recession How to secure financing right now What to measure and how to measure to keep your head above water

Liz Germain is a YouTube Marketing legend.  We met when I was speaking at an event for eCommerce brands at the YouTube LA Offices.  Between her own fitness channel and her client’s channels, she’s helped rack up over 100 million organic video views on YouTube.  Wow. In this interview, we deep dive into how she does it. From the content, she creates to the research that inspires it. We also discuss where you should start and how to take your YouTube channel to the next level.  Here’s what we cover Liz’s killer YouTube Influencer structure that leverages evergreen content for years of leads  How Liz created a video and blog post for a natural birth control method that is still generating leads and sales 4 years after it was created.  Compare that to an Instagram story that has a shelf life of just 24 hours.   The 3 types of YouTube content and where you should start The fundamentals of building a great YouTube Channel Plus more!

We’ve all had the following experience.  We’re on a quest for a specific product hoping if will fulfill a very specific need.  So we visit a product page on Amazon or another eCommerce site hoping that this might be the product we’ve been eagerly searching for….But, to our disappointment the product page doesn’t clearly tell us if the product will meet our need or not.  So we don’t buy. Uh-oh. Pop quiz.  What can increase customer engagement, improve conversion rates by 2-10x, and drive substantial organic traffic?  Easy - Q&A content. My guest this week is James Arnold, the Co-Founder of Answer Base a SaaS platform that makes it easy to collect and leverage Q&A and FAQ content.  In this episode we dive into the following: Why Q&A content on product details pages is so powerful Taking a cue from Amazon where and how to use Q&A content on PDPs How to build a Knowledge Based that answers 80%+ of your shoppers questions How to structure your Q&A content to rank well on Google….HINT:  Google

Quick - what’s the best, most effective viral video ad you’ve seen?  Poo-Pourri? Purple Mattress? Maybe Squatty Potty? Chatbooks? Each of those videos (plus dozens more) were created by my guest today and his team at Harmon Brothers.  And not only where these videos viral hits…they SOLD stuff. Funny. Memorable. And persuasive to the tunes of hundreds of millions in sales. That's hard to accomplish.   In this episode, we dig into some of the tips, tactics and secrets behind the Harmon Brother’s unrivaled success.  We dive into the following: 3 big mistakes most companies make when it comes to video ads Why humor is NOT a silver bullet  The inside scoop behind Poo-Pourri and haw it launched the Harmon Brothers to national prominence How do you land on the right “BIG idea” How and when to get feedback on your script and initial video edits How to think and create videos like the Harmon Brothers Plus more

The thought of going International with your eComm business is both exciting and scary. It also seems like a HUGE undertaking. New tax codes, laws, and confusing acronyms to deal with like VAT and GST. Plus we still have the dated mindset that says we only expand internationally once we’ve maximized what we can get here in the good ole U S of A.   Kevin Sanderson will challenge your thinking and bust some myths to help you go international much sooner than you possibly thought…maybe right now. Here’s what we discuss: What market you should target first when you go international What markets should you consider 2nd and 3rd when going International What are some non-obvious benefits to going international like lower ad costs and lower competition What about Australia? What steps to take and when to try your first international market Plus much more!

Transparency. Sustainability. Social responsibility. More than just buzz words these are now expectations that consumers have of the brands they buy from. In this episode, we dive into what it means to be a mission-driven eCommerce brand. We share lots of powerful examples like Everlane, All Birds and more. My friend Ezra Firestone’s company Smart Marketer has the perfect slogan - Serve the World Unselfishly and Profit. Now you can do the right thing by fighting hunger, helping orphans, cleaning up the environment or supporting mental health AND build a profitable brand in the process. In this episode with Stephen we discuss the following: Who is the conscious consumer and how are they impacting eCommerce? Do companies have to go “all-in” on a mission or can this be a gradual process? What is “greenwashing” and why should you avoid it. Exploring the Mission Driven Marketing Playbook Plus more!

There are over 150 million Alexa devices in use today.  Google has sold upwards of 50 million of its Google Home devices.  While most devices are used primarily to listen to music or play games or control appliances like lights and heat and air…voice commerce is on the rise too. In this episode, I interview Anmol Oberoi the Founder and CEO of Emitrr - a voice-first SaaS Platform.  We dive into voice commerce use-cases that are making an impact now. We also talk about where voice commerce is likely heading in the near future.  Here’s a quick look at what we discuss: How games and quizzes through voice can benefit ecommerce companies What voice skills to develop and launch first and how to use customer feedback to make sure you’ll have high adoption rates What are the most popular voice skills that customers want right now  How voice can build loyalty and put a “fence” around your top customers keeping competitors away How smart devices with screens like the Echo Show and Google’ Nest Hub might make the bigges

Shopify apps are great.  Someone else spends hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, developing functionality that you can use for just $30 per month.   Apps on Shopify are so easy to install and so seemingly harmless that many store owners install dozens and dozens of apps - many of which they uninstall or never use.  This approach can have serious unintended consequences. In this episode we dive into a smarter approach to apps that can help any Shopify store owner.  Here’s a look at what we cover: How to determine if it’s better to use an app or hire a developer to hard code a desired functionality.  What category of apps are best to consider now for Shopify What apps are almost always a bad idea How to tell if you have app conflict When should you consider apps vs. just switching to Shopify Plus Plus more!

It’s safe to say that your SEO approach is likely outdated.  If you’re looking for the latest hack, trick or SEO loophole - you’re barking up the wrong tree.  If you’re obsessing over ranking and traditional keywords then you may be off target. In this episode we talk about why “intent” is now the most important word in SEO and content marketing.  We look at how search behavior is changing. We also consider how Google is indexing different forms of content like podcasts and video transcripts and what that means to us as marketers.   In this episode we dive into:  The BERT Update.  What is and how it’s the nail in the coffin for old-school SEO.   Why is intent the most important word for SEO? How REI tackles intent and what you should learn from their content strategies. Different content types - articles, podcasts, etc. How do you figure out what people are searching for and asking at different stages How to create content and rank that content for shoppers at different stages of the buying journey. Plus mor

Mike Ugino is the CMO and co-founder of Sellbrite a SaaS platform for marketplace sellers.  Sellbrite was recently acquired by GoDaddy. In this episode we breakdown how Mike and his business partner Brian approached building the company with selling it in mind.  We also talk about what the acquisition process was like including saying no to GoDaddy initially. In this episode we uncover some golden ideas for scaling and exiting your business including: How constraints lead to creativity What building it to sell means and looks like Hitting plateaus and how to grow again How to know if a deal is right and saying “no” when it isn’t….even if it means turning down GoDaddy How to keep your culture when you sell

Who doesn’t love a good story? As humans, we’ve relied on storytelling for entertainment, education, and preservation of culture since the beginning of time. Storytelling is also for marketers.   During my first sales job at a local radio station my boss sagely advised me that “facts tell, but stories sell.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson. In this episode, I chat with the charming Jaime Cross the founder of MIG Soap. From her kitchen table to now a multi-million dollar eCommerce business Jaime has grown largely based on great products and solid storytelling.  Here’s a taste of what we cover: What’s the psychology behind storytelling? How good storytelling can increase the perceived value of a product by 2x or more.   Common storytelling mistakes to avoid.  The process MIG uses to get their overall story right…and then to get the story right for each product.   How to turn customer testimonials into stories How do you deliver your story across email, product detail pages, and more.   Storytelling resources

Jeremiah Allen has been driving growth for small-to-medium-sized eCommerce companies since 1997 — before the internet was cool — and has helped hundreds of company founders grow. While he still enjoys client work, in 2017, he began acquiring and building his own eCommerce brands. In this episode, we get super TACTICAL. It’s a deluge of tips and tricks on how to improve your checkout process. There’s so much here you’ll probably want to listen to it a few times. Here’s a sneak peek at what we cover. Tips: How to use a cart slide outs after you hit add to cart and why it’s effective.  Simple works - larger fonts, larger buttons, larger thumbnails can all create big wins. What % of your shoppers should hit checkout and what % should complete checkout? If you’re below these numbers you have some work to do. How shipping options can increase checkout. 4 ways to drive post-purchase upsells - fast! What asks and offers should you put on your thank you page. How an email from the founder can be your secret weapon. H

Sayan is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of InvigorateNOW Health Sciences, an innovative health supplement brand. He’s also the creator of Sark Media Direct, a direct marketing consultancy that specializes in helping entrepreneurs grow to seven figures and beyond in the health and e-commerce industries. Passionate about combining cutting edge online marketing strategies with traditional direct response marketing, Sayan has helped his clients scale to eight figures and beyond. He’s worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Martha Stewart, Organifi, Zenith Labs, and more. Sayan has a knack for finding the “low hanging fruit” in his clients’ businesses. Whether it’s newspaper or radio ads, affiliate marketing or direct mail - he quickly finds the needle movers that produce results, in some cases, helping scale companies to beyond $100 Million / year. Through his consulting, he has helped a handful of entrepreneurs scale from zero to six and seven figures in their first year. A savvy

For our 100th episode we wanted to do something different. Rather than one guest, we invited 6 of our most popular guests we’ve ever had on the show. Since we’re wrapping up 2019, we decided to ask these super smart eComm pros what their top predictions were for 2020. They did NOT disappoint. We cover some GREAT predictions including: How and why some merchants will shift some of their focus away from Amazon (we’re already seeing this with Nike). How merchants will shift their video strategy in 2020 (will we go short form or long form?) Why “profitability” may be the focus rather than scale in 2020 How SEO is shifting away from traditional keywords in 2020 How automation is working (and how it doesn’t replace everything) How new privacy laws and policies will make things harder (and easier) for marketers Plus more!

Molly Pittman is a bit of a legend in the digital marketing space.  Bartender turned marketing intern for Ryan Deiss, turned VP of Marketing for Digital Marketer, turned entrepreneur - Molly’s story is an inspiring one.  And she flat knows her stuff! In this episode, we dig into some real gems.  We do go pretty deep on what’s working now on Facebook, but we also talk about the benefits of building an in-house team vs. the benefits of an agency.  We talk about entrepreneurial lessons and what life is like in Amsterdam (where Molly currently lives). Here’s a look at what we cover: Why being fluid might be the most important entrepreneurial trait…and why it’s important for digital marketers Why curiosity and fascination are crucial in our current marketing landscape What is CBO and how it’s impacting Molly’s Facebook ad campaign and what you should do about it. What are the 3 facets of Facebook’s new Quality Ranking and how to optimize your ads How low quality rankings can dramatically drive up costs or get you

Charles Livingston knows a thing or two about rapid growth.  He turned a supplement offer into a 12 million per year business. And now his Coffee Company - Lifeboost Coffee has grown 1,000% in less than 1 year.  What’s the secret to this kind of growth?  Good Marketing and becoming a “yes” company.   Charles is also known for having his picture displayed in every single Ezra Firestone presentation.  And this isn’t any old picture. It’s a shirtless pic of Charles all swole up wearing a stethoscope. Yes, there’s a story behind this that we dive into in the podcast.   More importantly, here’s a breakdown of the keys to rapid growth we breakdown on this episode: Become a “yes” company.  How saying yes more has led to a shockingly low 1.5% refund rate for Lifeboost Coffee. Why clarifying your message is key to scale. ‘ How to find your hook and your hone in on a powerful positioning statement How to engineer a great customer experience framework How to charge a premium and make customers gladly pay more How to en