Podcast

Learn from Fast Growing 7-8 Figure Online Retailers and eCommerce Experts

EPISODE 301 49 mins

Using ‘Gated Product Launches’ to Rev Up VIP Customer Purchases



About the guests

Jordan West

Kunle Campbell

Jordan West is the founder and CMO of Little & Lively Clothing as well as the host of the podcast “Secrets To Scaling Your E-Commerce Brand”. Jordan loves spending time with his family and mountain biking.



On today’s episode, Kunle is joined by Jordan West, Co-Founder of Little and Lively Clothing + Mindful Marketing Co. Jordan is a multi brand and agency owner completely focused on eCommerce.

 

Brands dealing in physical products are always vying for attention with other brands selling both online and offline. Doing product launches and doing them right ultimately decides how the product is perceived and how it performs. And with more and more brands jumping on the product-launch bandwagon, getting creative with launches is becoming imperative.

 

What if you could launch your product in a way that creates buzz, exclusivity, and also rewards your loyal customers? Gated launches help you achieve just this and are the next level of product launches where your marketing tech stack and social media presence come together to skyrocket sales.

 

In this episode, Kunle and Jordan talk about using Gated Launches as a marketing strategy. You will get to hear everything from what a gated launch is, how to prepare for it and execute it. You will also get some really cool strategies to build a loyal following on social media. This is a great episode for eCommerce merchants and marketers.

 

Here is a summary of some of the most important points made,

    • Paid media on Facebook isn’t working well right now
    • Brands are going to divest ad spend from Facebook going forward
    • SMS is a game changer as a notification tool
    • Conversion rates are close to 15% on gated launches
    • Quarterly is the ideal frequency for gated launches
    • IG and Tiktok are best for organic reach

 

Covered Topics:

On today’s interview Kunle and Jordan discuss,

  • Paid media performance
  • What is a Gated Launch?
  • Structuring a launch
  • Building Buzz prior to Launch
  • Managing day of launch
  • SMS vs Email
  • Growing Owned Following

Timestamp:

  • 09:50 – Meet Jordan:
    • Multi-brand and agency owner
    • Focused completely on eCommerce
    • Got into eCommerce in 2014
  • 12:30 – Prediction for paid media:
    • Facebook has been horrific in May
    • “Advertisers need to take back control from Facebook”
    • Snapchat is performing well
    • People are going to be divesting their spend from Facebook
  • 16:50 – What is a gated launch?
    • Password protect the website for 12-24 hours
    • Share the password with only VIP customers
    • SMS list was a game changer as a notification tool
  • 21:10 – Structuring the launch:
    • Get audience to sign up to the VIP list/group
    • Having group members refer more similar people
    • Run ads on IG and email list
    • Conversion rates are close to 15% on gated launches
  • 25:00 – Building buzz leading upto the launch:
    • Maximise organic reach
    • Instagram contest
    • Try to reach 30-50k people through this contest
    • Polls inside Facebook groups
    • Email + SMS notifications
  • 29:25 – What happens on the day of launch:
    • Drop the password at the same time
    • Create a “black friday” atmosphere
    • Open the website for everyone after 2 hours
  • 32:30 – Ideal frequency:
    • Quarterly works well
    • You don’t want people to get used to it
  • 34:40 – Creating awesome experiences:
    • Send personalised videos to customers asking to join the facebook group
    • Use virtual assistants to scale
    • “You need to have an audience that loves your brand”
  • 37:30 – Other Growth Strategies:
    • Always test new products
    • “In the hierarchy of advertising, offer is always at the top”
  • 39:15 – Tips for building owned audience:
    • Grow SMS list
    • Create vlogs/blogs to showcase your brand and team
  • 43:55 – Platforms for building organic following:
    • IG still performs best
    • Tiktok is a close second
  • 45:20 – SMS vs Email:
    • SMS is more about notifications
    • Email is more for brand building

Lightning Round:

  1. Q: What advice would you give to yourself 5 years ago?
    A: Spend more on acquisition
  2. Q: Are you a morning person?
    A: Yes
  3. Q: What is your morning routine?
    A: Walking my kids to school
  4. Q: What are 2 things you can’t live without?
    A: My Family and biking
  5. Q: What book are you currently reading?
    A: Chip Wilson – Little Black Stretchy Pants
  6. Q: What’s been your best mistake till date? A set back that’s given you the biggest feedback?
    A: Buying and running a restaurant

Takeaways:

  • Brands are going to divest ad spend from Facebook going forward
  • Conversion rates are close to 15% on gated launches
  • IG and Tiktok are best for organic reach

Links & Resources

Tweetable Quotes:

“Advertisers need to take back control from Facebook.”

Facebook Group • Continue the Conversation

The eCommerce GrowthAccelerator Mastermind Facebook Group has just launched.
It is a community…

✔️ for founders and experts passionately involved in eCommerce
✔️ for the truly ambitious wanting to make an impact in the markets they serve
✔️ for those willing and open to help and share with other members

Here is where to apply to join the Facebook group
>>http://bit.ly/ecommercefb<<

———–

SPONSORS:

This episode is brought to you by:

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About the host:

Kunle Campbell

An ecommerce advisor to ambitious, agile online retailers and funded ecommerce startups seeking exponentially sales growth through scalable customer acquisition, retention, conversion optimisation, product/market fit optimisation and customer referrals.

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