dennis hegstad

HOW TO LOSE MONEY AS ECOM STORE 101 If you run ecom store that generates revenue And then you decided to hire a developer or agency to revamp your site And this dev/agency is great in what they do However they don't know anything about SEO, Ads, CRO You my friend are about to run your business to the ground Developer that doesn't understand SEO, CRO and Ads Will have no clue how much damage they can do to the website With a simple but beautiful revamp Don't do no revamps with any developer Unless you have a digital marketer working alongside This applies to any online revenue generation website Good luck! #marketingtips #ecom #saas #marketplace

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Startups looking for SEO help… Longtail is looking at offering just monthly content and link building packages. If you could wave a wand what would you want that package to look like? How many content pieces and backlinks? Share in the comments.👇 If you are interested in trying it out let me know.

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"If your DTC business doesn’t work with Facebook ads, it likely won’t work at all." This was the start of a tweet from Sam Ross that floored me, why? Because I 10,000% agree with it. To borrow Sam's words, Facebook is the most proven TC growth channel: ➝ "I see lots of DTC owners and operators say you need to test a ton of different channels (Pinterest, Snapchat, referrals, etc) to see what works. I couldn’t disagree more." His reasoning: Facebook is a litmus test for your brand, and "diversification" is a cover-up for "distraction." Here's my take: Facebook is the proven place you can pour in as much creative as you want without burning your budget away on testing — we use cost controls and push as much "diversification" as we can through creatives. Dollar for dollar, it's the best investment of your resources because you're not going to waste them (with the right setup). Thoughts on diversification vs. locking in on Facebook/Meta?

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4 fastest ways to build customer trust (as a DTC brand): > Real customer testimonials (not just reviews) > Money-back guarantee offers > Access to content about the founder > Credible press mentions (not pay-to-play)

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🛒 The Perfect Product Page Formula for DTC Brands (7 steps to turn browsers into buyers) Most ecommerce brands struggle with landing pages that... Look good but don’t convert. If you want a page that drives more sales,  you need to focus on one thing: User experience that builds trust and removes friction. Here’s the formula: 1️⃣ Clear Headline  Highlight the BIGGEST benefit of your product. 2️⃣ Engaging Subheadline  Explain WHY they need it. 3️⃣ Hero Image or Video  Show your product in action. 4️⃣ Social Proof  Build trust with reviews, testimonials, and ratings. 5️⃣ Benefits Over Features  Tell them what’s in it for them. 6️⃣ Strong CTA  Use action words like “Shop Now” or “Claim Your Discount.” 7️⃣ Guarantees  Remove hesitation with free returns or satisfaction guarantees. 💡 The result? A landing page that sells while you sleep. 👉 Swipe through the carousel to see how to structure yours step by step. 🔗 Follow me for more DTC ecommerce strategies to scale your brand faster!

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The biggest mistake DTC brands make? Setting up random cross-sells just because "everyone does it." Don't guess what products work well together. Your customers are already showing you. Most brands set up random product recommendations without looking at the data. But your Shopify analytics already tell you exactly what products customers buy together. Here's what 99% of brands are missing: The Power of Natural Product Pairings Your customers are already creating perfect cross-sell combinations - you just need to pay attention. How to find these hidden opportunities: 1. Check Your Shopify Analytics - Look at "Frequently Bought Together" data - Analyze recent order patterns - Focus on your top sellers first 2. Use AI for Deeper Analysis - Export your order data - Let AI identify purchase patterns - Spot combinations you might have missed 3. Implementation Strategy - Start with your highest-volume products - Test these natural pairings as cross-sells 4. Monitor performance closely This matters because... - Lower CAC through increased AOV - Higher conversion rates on cross-sells - Better user experience with relevant recommendations The biggest mistake? Setting up random cross-sells just because "everyone does it." Let the data guide your strategy instead. What's been your experience with cross-sell optimization? Share below 👇 P.S. Remember, this isn't about adding more cross-sells. It's about adding the RIGHT ones.

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You need to see this if your product pages feel "stuck." ❌ After analyzing top DTC brands, I found 33 elements that actually drive conversions: 1. Upsell bundles below the main CTA to increase AOV 2. Use visuals and layout to make content engaging 3. Compare product to competitors' offerings 4. Show "fair pricing" vs traditional retailers 5. Include shipping & returns near CTA 6. Display product shots of models using the item 7. Design product pages like landing pages (visuals + selling points) 8. Communicate key info early 9. Show how the product fits into your customer's life 10. Indicate servings per container for consumables 11. Clearly state benefits with icons, not just bullet points 12. Dedicate a detailed section to ingredient information 13. Emphasize social proof near CTA (awards, reviews) 14. Showcase product customization with animation 15. Include lifestyle images of the product in use 16. Feature customer testimonial near product name 17. Offer complementary add-ons before CTA 18. Make features visually appealing 19. Create engaging experiential page design 20. Address usage doubts with video content 21. Write descriptive product descriptions 22. Give each feature its own detailed section + images 23. Distribute images throughout the page 24. Allow easy add-ons to increase AOV 25. Provide illustrations for common concerns 26. Include product texture videos 27. Use clickable size boxes vs dropdowns 28. Offer "fit tips" for sizing clarity 29. Show videos of products being made 30. Infusethe brand's unique personality 31. Avoid straight-dividing content lines 32. Use wavy lines to encourage scrolling 33. Highlight easy installation for complex products Save this. Implement it. Watch your conversions grow. 🚀 Follow me for more CRO knowledge.❌

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Sold write-up Parker 🔥. To your question, ISVs can/should provide services partners [more] useful data. For example... - Customer Usage Patterns Understanding how different customer segments are using the product can help partners tailor their services to address specific needs or gaps. For example, if data shows that a certain feature is often used in conjunction with another, partners can create bundled service offerings that enhance customer value. - Customer Feedback and Satisfaction Data Sharing detailed customer feedback, including satisfaction scores and verbatim comments, can enable partners to better understand customer expectations and tailor their offerings accordingly. AI services can help to distill into actionable guidance. - Churn and Retention Data Specific insights into why customers churn or what factors contribute to high retention can help partners adjust their strategies to better meet customer needs, reduce churn risks and maximize services revenue opportunities. - Benchmarking Data (super powerful) Providing anonymized performance data comparing various partners’ success rates, time to implementation, customer satisfaction, and other key metrics can help partners understand where they stand in the ecosystem and identify areas for improvement. - Integration and API Utilization Stats Insights into how well partners are integrating with the ISV's APIs and which APIs are most commonly used can help both parties understand which integrations bring the most customer value and should be further developed or promoted.  - New Customer Segments and Opportunities Information on emerging customer segments or geographic markets that are underpenetrated can open new avenues for partners to further land and expand. - Market Trends and Predictive Insights ISVs often have access to broad market data that can predict trends, which can be invaluable to partners. Sharing insights about future industry directions or emerging technologies can help partners stay ahead of the curve and develop forward-thinking solutions. - Success Stories and Case Studies (table stakes) While not raw data, sharing detailed case studies of successful partner implementations can serve as both a learning tool and a marketing asset for partners, showing potential customers the proven impact of their services. - Product Roadmap Forecasts Giving partners a sneak peek into future product developments can help them prepare their teams and strategies in advance, ensuring that their services remain relevant as the product evolves. Software does not stand still for long. In the broad narrative about the evolution of partnerships, a big missing ingredient is useful information - the kind of stuff that helps to create real competitive advantage and customer value. A core challenge: How to make the data programmatically distributable, easily consumed and quickly actioned. Tell me what you think. I'm a big fan of ideas. James

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How too many 7-figure DTC brands think they will grow 50% this year: -> Hire a different agency -> React daily to changes with in-platform Meta ROAS -> Test 1% lookalikes vs. 5% lookalikes -> Segment retargeting audiences -> Run Pinterest ads -> Make daily tweaks in the Meta ad account -> Expect consumers to convert w/o an offer b/c “brand” -> Expand audience segments by creating a separate positioning -> Ignore email as a channel because “I don’t open brand emails” How the 7-figure brands that are actually growing 50% this year do it: -> Make memorable creative -> Nurture hundreds of high quality affiliates -> Build an ecosystem of influencers that your audience respects -> Write clear product positioning for your website -> Whitelist dozens of accounts to build a hype train -> Capture first party data on your site -> Sponsor relevant Youtubers over and over again -> Drive as many customer reviews as possible -> Sell on Amazon -> Display an overwhelming number of customer faces on your site -> Craft SMS and Emails that entertain or add value -> Answer objections in Reddit threads -> Respond perfectly to negative online reviews -> Have a no-brainer offer to drive conversion I’ve probably worked with over 100 brands. The brands that kill it every quarter focus on the foundational, less trackable work that they know matters.

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2025 prediction: ESP wars are going to get heated. DTC brands are as cash-strapped as ever. The winner will be the best value, period. This means a few things: 👉 As a brand, you have more options, and competitor SaaS companies will give you competitive offers to get you to convert. However, your agency might resist change due to the kickbacks they get from your current platform or their lack of knowledge on a new one you might be interested in. 👀 👉 For marketers - learn a few new tools to keep yourself up to date in the DTC space 👉 For agencies - one trick platform shops are going to experience more churn in 2025. Time to choose a few to add to your expertise stack and train! For Inbox Stars this year, I'm putting a heavy emphasis on: 👉 Continuing our ESP agnostic philosophy - we support any and *all* ESPs. 👉 Advocating for my clients best interest in the ESP discovery and selection process regardless of kickbacks or partner status 👉 Scrutinizing platform spend for my clients to ensure real ROI. Looking forward to seeing who comes out on top this year Klaviyo, Yotpo, Customer.io, Omnisend, Drip, Kit (formerly ConvertKit), Braze, Attentive, Intuit Mailchimp + many others! Who do you think is going to come out on top? #emailmarketing

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"What should I test first?" is one of the most common questions I get from DTC brand owners. Here's how I always attack the highest impact tests first:

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LTV might be the biggest façade in DTC. Let me explain: You can't buy inventory with LTV. You can't pay your employees with lifetime value. You can't secure funding on lifetime value. Profitability comes down to what's actually distinguishable and concrete, which is contribution margin (specifically on first order). Let's look at what first order contribution margin is: ➝ Take revenue/AOV on first order ➝ Subtract cost of delivery [all variable costs] ➝ Subtract CAC [ad spend on first order] Or simply put, take what you're making on an order and subtract all the costs associated with it — we have plenty of breakdowns on how to leverage unit economics to establish per-product and per-offer profitability. Businesses ultimately run on actuals, not theoreticals — LTV is a metric we consider, but framing it as the profitability savior is a scam. Don't forget it.

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🛠 Building in Public: StartupNash edition: Are you looking for a group of founder friends in Nashville? Read on. Founders in Nashville have access to dozens of well-vetted local resources. So how does StartupNash fit into a founder's toolbox? At a high level: We're the on-call founder textline. This is a virtual space you can go to ask a community of founders and funders for help with founder problems. We are a built-in network to help you find folks who are early adopters and enjoy learning about new technologies. → This community is going all in on go-to-network strategy in 2025. What is that? - It's the strategy around how you meet your first customers. - It's the people who introduce you to your target market. - In some cases, it's access to services you need. - In some specific cases, it's access to people who can introduce you to capital options. In 2025, my goal is to highlight all the different paths founders can take in their early company journey. It's no longer bootstrapping vs venture. There's a spectrum of options for high-growth founders and I want to help founders find their fit through: → Forming accountability groups. → Creating programming around founder-network fit. → Educating founders with the help of experts in specific early company topics → Maybe most important: providing a space where founders in Nashville become friends. I think the most human parts of a community: friendship, camaraderie, spaces where you can be truthful and vulnerable, are really the most unsung parts of a "successful" startup community. I'm excited for next year! Does this sound important to you? Feel free to reach out and I'll tell you more.

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Common apps all the 7-9 figure brands use on Shopify: Leverage these tools for profitably scaling in Q4 👇 - Amped: Capture more email & SMS subscribers. - Skio/Smartrr: Simplify subscriptions. - AfterSell by Rokt/Rebuy Engine: For post-purchase upsells. - KnoCommerce/Zigpoll: For Post-Purchase Surveys. - Loop: Streamline returns. - Postscript/Klaviyo: For retention marketing. - Lucky Orange/Heatmap: Visualize user activity. - Peel Insights/Lifetimely by AMP: For advanced analytics.

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Pop Quiz: Which email A-B test variant drove more DTC eCommerce conversions? Hit 👍 for A - BOGO50 Hit ❤️ for B - 25% OFF There are a lot of options for what you can A-B test in your emails: → Frequency & cadence → Call to Actions (CTA) → Promotional Offers → Send Day of Week → Personalization → Segmentation → Subject Lines → Email Content → Email Layout → Send Time → Headers → Footers You should always let your data and goals drive that prioritization but I think offer testing is something that tends to not get tested enough. In some cases, is discounting even helping or hurting your brand in the long run? There's only one way to find out. Test it. So let me know with your vote and comments. Who do you think was the winner of this test?

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SEO is a rat race. This should come as a shock to no one that many marketers feel this way. We've all invested significant time, resources, and capital into optimizing our content consistently to appease algorithms. Always trying to stay on the forefront of Google optimizations, especially in the age of AI. You're never in control and it's a game you win for a period of time before you need to completely revamp. However, in near-term future, I believe the traditional divide between SEO and thought leadership will rapidly dissolve. The beauty of thought leadership is that it transcends optimization; it's about establishing authority, trust, and credibility within your industry. It doesn't just drive traffic, it closes deals. This means, the next layer involves creating content that not only satisfies search but also resonates deeply with your audience, providing valuable insights, perspectives, and solutions. This also acts as collateral your SDRs / BDRs can use to connect with buyers in a much deeper way. Future digital marketing strategies will seamlessly integrate SEO and thought leadership. Rather than viewing them as separate entities, visionary marketers will recognize they are two sides of the same coin. Here's why: 1️⃣. We're Drowning in Information: We're in an era of information overload. Thought leadership allows brands to showcase expertise, fostering trust and loyalty that extends far beyond search rankings. 2️⃣. It's REALLY about the end user/ buyer: Search engines are increasingly prioritizing content that aligns with user intent and delivers genuine value. Amplified thought leadership enables content creation that addresses the real needs and concerns of their audience, naturally improving their search visibility in the process. 3️⃣ Long-Term Sustainability: Thought leadership, on the other hand, lays the foundation for enduring success by building a loyal following and establishing a brand identity that transcends fleeting trends. This is true long tail. 4️⃣. Adaptability to Algorithm Changes: We all know by know how algorithms are constantly evolving, making it challenging to rely solely on technical SEO tactics. Even the best in the biz can't see all the changes coming. Thought leadership, rooted in genuine expertise and valuable insights, remains resilient in the face of algorithmic shifts, ensuring consistent visibility and relevance. So .. how does your marketing strategy plan to evolve? 

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DTC Growth Strategy for Cash Strapped Founders • Build your Dream 100 List (category specific podcasts) • Go through your Rolodex for potentials connections • Book yourself on as many PODs as possible • Build real connection with POD host   • Ask to use POD content & accounts for whitelisting This is better then getting funding... This of it as the DTC "roadshow" v2 The real "secret" is to fly to the cities where the POD host does a sit down talk in a studio... YES, AI will probably replace the need for all that soon, but right now this is THE fastest way to grow your brand and get an ROI on your time and money. --- What are y'all seeing work to grow fast and profitable?

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This influencer tactic for DTC brands is going viral right now 👇 Those who identify with your brand and products are your best influencers. Do THIS:  - Use RetentionX to find your top 100 high LTV customers that are still active - Search their Instagram to see if they have an open profile - Send them additional free goodies or samples of upcoming products and set up a collaboration This will result in authentic UGC content and a real collaboration. This content and the messages shared by these people will be the perfect advertisements for your UGC campaigns.

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