Hey everyone! We’re trying to figure out why this didn’t go out last night but wanted to be late than never. Now back to the regularly scheduled email…
If you’re reading this, I hope you’re feeling relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready for an amazing upcoming week! I’m coming off a week of being on vacation (first one in 7 years) and I am now a believer that vacations are worth it! I feel so mentally clear and ready to get back to it.
The week before was also an exciting one at Sharma Brands. Why? Well, we got to give promotions to our incredible team! I feel so blessed to have such a great team. If you see any of their announcements on LinkedIn, feel free to give them a “Great job!” comment!
We also launched another incredible website for our client, Tattoo Numbing Cream. They came to us wanting help with a rebrand and website redesign + development. We completely reimagined their website (see the old version here) and I’m so proud of the work our team did. Click here to see their new website — it’s already 2x’d the conversion rate too!
One of the things I did a lot of in Hawaii was just thinking about how we get better and more proactive. I came up with 2 checklists for you — one for site experiences, and one for the ad creative you’re running. Many times we look at a campaign that’s not working and we can’t seem to figure out why... well, the goal of this checklist is to help isolate and identify what could be hindering the performance of the campaign.
Before we get into the two checklists, I have a couple of announcements:
Are you going to be at GROW LA this coming week? It’s on Tuesday in Downtown LA and it’s one of my favorite events in our industry. I am hosting the official afterparty, so if you’re in the LA area and you work at a brand or own one, sign up to join us!
Secondly, if you plan to be in NYC in April, join myself, Moiz, and Harley Finklestein at The Whalies! The Whalies were first put on last year by Triple Whale, and it ended up being an incredible event, despite being operated by a software company (I know). I’ll be there, and hope you will be too!
Also, if you plan to be at ShopTalk, let me know!
I’ll continue to share events I plan to be at in the future and hope to see you at some of them! If you have trouble getting in or just have any general questions, feel free to reply here and I’ll help you get it sorted.
We’re also looking to make a hire. I’ve found the best talent through this newsletter, so sharing this one here too:
Senior Web Designer — looking for someone with 3+ years of experience in UX/UI design, is a Figma wizard, and has a strong interest in eCommerce. Click here to apply!
Okay, let’s get into today’s newsletter! As a marketer, things get crazy. You’re constantly ideating, creating, launching, analyzing, optimizing, and monitoring multiple ads, landing pages, emails, site fixes, and more. Plus, you’re only as good as your last ad... it’s important to consistently put out high-quality work. That’s why I’m excited to share the V1 of my marketers checklist below.
I say this is the V1 because I want you to reply with what you’d add to it, and then I’ll publish the final list once I compile and add in your additions too.
The first checklist is going to be focused on customer journey and site experience. The second one will be focused on your ad creative. I hope this list helps you find and isolate any “Why isn’t this working?” moments as you scale your brand.
Alright, here’s the first list:
- When people land on my site, is there a clear and compelling offer that is above the fold?
- Is there a single CTA or offer, or are we asking people to make too many decisions before knowing what they want yet?
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Is there social proof above the fold? This could be reviews, a statistic or even content that clearly shows customers using and loving the product. I’m also a fan of social proof content that cuts through the noise. Reviews are cool, but on a new Jolie page I’m working on, I wrote something like “Shared over 10,000 times on social media” which I feel cuts through the noise.
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Have I thought about this experience as if I am coming to the site for the first time? How about if my mom came to the site for the first time, would she know what to do, where to go, why to buy, and where to click?
- Is the copy on the page clear, understandable, and at a 5th grade reading level? Anything higher than 5th grade is too complicated.
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Is the navigation menu easy to understand, or are there too many options to choose from? There shouldn’t be more than 4-5 options, and there should be a very clear CTA that sticks to the top.
- Are we using the most descriptive imagery on the site? Meaning... does this image explain how to use our product or why it’s great, or is it just a cool image? Cadence does a phenomenal job using descriptive photography.
- Is the imagery, video and any content we’re using on the website quick to load or does it delay the load time? If so, need to optimize it or use a tool like Nostra to speed up the site.
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Does the website load quickly on non-WiFi connected devices? I always assume my site visitor is an older person using a phone on 3G service... if my site can’t load for them, then I am already setting myself up to lose.
- If I have a heavy app load, am I hosting my landing pages on a subdomain using something like Unbounce so it doesn’t load every app installed on Shopify?
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Are there any apps that are still embedded in the Shopify site code? Just because you delete a Shopify app doesn’t meant mean the code is gone — you can check this by putting your site into BuiltWith.com.
- Am I being smart about capturing as much first-party data as possible? I love using a tool called Amped for this as it tends to have the highest conversion rate for a pop-up.
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If I’m able to capture emails and numbers efficiently, have I also tried to ask questions at that time to add zero party data to those customer records?
- Is the copy, imagery and offers consistent across my entire website? I’ve seen so many instances with mismatching on-site offers, which leads to tremendous consumer confusion (or TCC for short).
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Have I triple-checked the website for issues around spelling, grammar, and punctuation? It may sound like not a big deal, but it’s a sign of an immature business, and immediately lowers trust for the person who’s supposed to give you their credit card number. The average customer doesn’t know that Shopify doesn’t give you their credit card number, so you have to build trust.
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Are all my live links loading properly? Has someone QA’d all our live links on a daily basis? The same thing goes for monitoring and checking the checkout flow — sometimes there’s a silly cart issue that completely tanks conversion rate.
- Does the developed version of the website match the functionality and UI of what the designers put together?
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Does the page I’m sending people to take customers on a a customer journey that feels personal to them, versus a homepage?
- Could your grandma or someone who’s 3 cocktails deep navigate your website?
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Is the website ADA-compliant? Don’t even get me started on the pathetic ambulance chasing attorneys who make a career to sue people, even if they have nothing wrong, but want to settle because it’s cheaper.
- Beyond ADA, have I ensured my website is compliant for: Cookie Preferences, CCPA Compliance, GDPR Compliance& Sales Tax Compliance?
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Have I tested and verified all my pixels are properly firing? I use Ghostery to see which pixels show up, and then the individual platforms’ own pixel helper tools — just google “FB pixel helper” for example, and you’ll see the Chrome extension to install.
- Do I have heat maps enabled on the site? I recommend Heatmap.com to understand what is working, and what is not working.
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Is there a clear FAQ question that answers common questions we get from customers via email, customer service, Instagram DMs, and in person at any events?
- Have I used a clear “Us vs. Them” comparison chart or a “Before & After” juxtaposition content section to explain why we are the best choice? Is that chart also easy to understand as a point of reference to someone who’s visiting?
- Is there clear information on the website about shipping times and pricing? Is it clear when the product will ship, how long it will take to arrive, and what comes inside the box?
- Is there clear information to also explain return policies or what happens if a customer isn’t fully satisfied with their purchase? Magic Spoon does this well with their “Happiness Guarantee”.
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If I have discounts running, are they loud and clear across the customer journey? If I am sending a customer to a funnel with a discount, did I already proactively apply the code in case they forget it? The code should also be easy to remember, easy to spell, and not look confusing when written out?
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Do I have all the relevant payment providers enabled and fully working on the site — ShopPay, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.
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If I’m selling a higher AOV item, do I have Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) enabled for customers? This could be either through ShopPay Installments, or through tools like Affirm, Klarna, AfterPay, etc. Keep in mind Affirm is the only one that doesn’t charge customers late fees, which eventually would look bad on you.
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Are my post-purchase emails properly setup? If you’re not sure what to do here, go back in your inbox and search for my email a couple weeks ago.
- Do I have a post-purchase survey enabled and asking smart questions relevant to my brand/product?
- For the reviews that I am featuring on my site, are they speaking to benefits of how the product I’m selling has improved someone’s life?
I think if you ask yourself all these questions, and you pass the test, you should really have no issues (unless, of course, your product isn’t something people want in the first place).
For ad creative, it’s slightly different but there’s definitely still some overlap. Here is my checklist for ad creative:
- Whether it’s a video or static ad, is the CTA clear?
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Is the caption or copy in the ad complimentary to the visual ad asset? In my experience, people first see the visual ad, then the headline, then the caption at the top, and then the newsfeed description (the small copy under the headline in a FB ad).
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If it’s a video ad, am I showing the product or hooking the viewer in the first few seconds? The first 2 seconds needs to hook their attention, and you should show the product within the first five seconds.
- If I have text overlay, is the font bold, easy to read and does it contrast with what’s behind it?
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If I’m using music, do I have fair-use music and have I paid for the licenses? You don’t want to run into issues here — they’re not fun.
- Does the ad I’m running match the product variant shown on the page when someone clicks? For example, if I click an ad for a blue blanket, I should see the blue blanket first, not the pink pillow. This is a HUGE reason people bounce from websites.
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Will this ad make someone stop scrolling? People scroll 1-2 miles per day — don’t get left in the dust.
- Do I have sufficient social proof in the ad self?
- Am I speaking to the benefits of my product, or just regurgitating value props? No one cares that you’re zero calorie, they want to know you’re the mom’s favorite choice!
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If my grandma found this ad in her feed, could she understand what I’m selling and why she should look into it further?
- If it’s a video, do I have captions? Most people watch ads with the sound off!
- Does my ad end with a clear CTA that matches what they see on the next page?
Are we consistently checking the ad for new comments or engagement? Every single comment should have a reply to it. And, if it’s a negative comment, HBD — hide, block, delete. You have to do it in that order!
Am I looking at the ad creative performance on a regular basis to understand what hooks, angles, and positioning is working best for me? I like to use Motion for creative analytics here — you can just see all your creative, which hooks work best, which has the best CPA/ROAS/CPC/etc.
Have we taken the best hooks from Motion and then retried the ads that didn’t work as well, with the hooks we know perform well?
Does the ad educate, inspire, and sell all together?
If you check all these boxes, there’s no way you can’t have ads that perform well! Alright, that’s all I got for you this week. I hope this list was helpful. Please reply with what you would add to either the first or second checklist and I’ll share a link to the final list in a couple weeks!
Now, onto some fun stuff...
Vendor of the Week:
Tandym — The easiest way to create your own version of a “Target Red Card” for your brand!
Last month, a lot of people I know were talking about KITH’s new loyalty program. You know what people weren’t talking about? The discounts in it. KITH made headlines in my DTC circles by NOT offering discounts in their loyalty program. Why is that? They realized that discounts weren’t the most enticing loyalty offer. Instead, they made highly desirable offers to their customers while protecting their margins.
KITH custom built their program, but you don’t have to. If you want to copy their approach, Tandym is the best way to do it.
If you’ve been listening to season 6 of Limited Supply, you know that Tandym protects your loyalty program’s margins by enabling the modern DTC equivalent of branded store cards that many of the largest retailers use and love.
When you sign up for Tandym, you get:
- The ability to deploy a world class loyalty program with branded store cards in 20 minutes or less.
- 1% transaction fees of all orders when customers use your branded cards (This is huge!)
- A super clean dashboard where you can establish and track your loyalty programs, set rewards, and review card usage and engagement in real-time.
I personally use Tandym for Long Wknd and it’s been great for us so far. Tandym also integrates directly with Shopify (they were purpose-built for DTC) so it’s a <30 minute install for most of the brands that I know.
If you’re ready to supercharge your loyalty and rewards program, lower your transaction fees, and protect your margins, you should check out Tandym today.
People ask me what the new “secret sauce” is... it’s Tandym.
Book your demo with Tandym now & get an Amazon gift card for taking the demo!
That's all for this week
I hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter — I haven’t done a checklist in a while, but I love newsletters that are printable and instantly usable for you.
If you plan to be at GROW LA, don’t forget to RSVP to the afterparty. If you see me, don’t be afraid to bug me :)
It’s Sunday, so you know the drill... Get those 9 hours of sleep tonight (I know I will be!), stay hydrated, and go break a sweat. I hope you have an incredible upcoming week!
See you next Sunday!