eCommerce Evolution

Today we take a deep dive into Amazon from two unique perspectives - from that of a very successful seller and that of an Amazon Ad Specialist.     As we close out 2017 we do so with two record sales days under our belts.  Black Friday and Cyber Monday both set online sales records.  Amazon was a big driver of that online growth.  All signs point to continued growth into 2018.  In this episode, we'll outline how you can get the most from Amazon in the coming months.     First a little about our guests…   Brandon Andrews is a successful Amazon seller and now the co-founder of Freedom Shark, providing training to up-and-coming Amazon sellers.  Chris Tyler is an SEO Specialist turned Amazon Ad expert.  Currently, he manages successful Amazon Ad campaigns for large and smaller sellers alike and is part of our team here at OMG Commerce     Here are a few things we cover in this episode: - Takeaways from Black Friday and Cyber Monday and how to prepare for next year's holiday sales - The 1-2 things likely holding your Amazon advertising back - The top 3-4 mistakes sellers make as they launch and grow products - New opportunities  - Walmart vs. Amazon and how brands should capitalize on both - The best Amazon Ad Advice for 2018 - Plus more!

Few people know Facebook advertising like Ralph Burns and his team at Dominate Web Media.  In this interview we take a look at the latest features, strategies and tactics working for eCommerce merchants on Facebook.   This episode is rich in content and contains some real Facebook gold.  Here’s a look at what we cover:   - Top misconceptions regarding Facebook ads that are holding you back - Top targeting methods you should be using - Ralph’s 3-Step video marketing formula - Understanding the Facebook algorithm and how it impacts your ad performance - Competitive Remarketing - now you can target people on Facebook who have purchased similar product to what you sell. - Changes likely on the horizon for Facebook ads

In 2009 Chegg was one of the leaders in the online college textbook market.  They offered college students the ability to rent textbooks online for a fraction of what they could pay at the campus bookstore.  Word of mouth from delighted students and strong online marketing efforts fueled rapid growth…Then they had an unwelcome competitor enter the ring - AMAZON.  

 

Most companies would shrink in terror, get angry, cry about the world being unfair and potentially leave the space altogether.  Chegg had been anticipating this move by Amazon and had been working feverishly for months to try and prepare.  In this podcast, I interview John Fillmore, Chief Business Officer for Chegg.com.  We dive deep into how they responded initially to Amazon and how they continue to innovate and stay relevant.  

 

Chegg’s best move (and they’ve had a LOT of great moves) was understanding that their best asset was not an offer on cheap textbooks.  It wasn’t their website.  It wasn’t even their SEO value (that was immense at that time).  They’re greatest asset was the trust and relationship they had with college students around the country.  With that they were able to pivot and go beyond textbooks to helping college students perform better in school.  Their growth using content marketing, SEO, email marketing, and some wicked smart display marketing has been fun to watch.  

 

Here’s what we dive into:

- What it was like in the months leading up to Amazon entering the textbook market and then after they entered the market.  See how John and team “war roomed” regularly and came out with some powerful innovations.

- How Chegg innovates and stays relevant continually in the face of pressure from Amazon

-  How they view the textbook side of the business now that Amazon continues the “race to the bottom” with lower prices.

- Chegg’s wicked smart, campus-specific display marketing strategy….I’m still geeking out about this use of data.

- How Chegg knows their customers and markets accordingly

- What services they offer to “get students in the door” so to speak and then get them to stick around as customers.

- Brilliant content marketing plays

- Plus much more!

 

Few people have mastered social media marketing like Michael Stelzner.  Michael is the founder of Social Media Examiner, one of the most visited social media marketing websites on the planet.  He’s also the host of the Social Media Marketing podcast.  He started the podcast in 2012 and has since racked up over 12 million downloads.     Michael and team also run the Social Media Marketing World - featuring some of the top social media marketers sharing their best stuff.  I’m super excited about the 2018 event - mainly because I’ll be sharing a stage with Michael - talking YouTube Remarking.  Want to join me?  Learn More.     In this episode, I wanted to pick Michael’s brain on how he and his team approach content.  I want you to be able to capitalize and learn from Michael’s success.     Here's a glimpse of what we cover:   - Keys to success with Facebook Live & Video marketing in general - How his new behind-the-scenes shows called the “Journey” are racking up 10’s of thousands of views on Facebook and YouTube.   - How eCommerce merchants should use video to fuel growth - Advantages of going live vs. recorded (think algorithm) - Social media predictions that could change the way we market - Social Media Marketing World and why it’s one of the top Social Media Events in the world.  

 

This is part of the "how I did it" series where we interview successful eCommerce entrepreneurs and dig into the tactics and strategies that propelled them ahead of the pack.  This interview with Jared Mitchell, Co-Founder of Skincare by Alana, is a great example of building a community, testing everything, and diversifying traffic.     Jared and Alana's story is pretty awesome. Jared went from a bass player with a record deal that fell through to self-employed deck builder to helping his wife launch an online skincare company.  Jared took some SEO knowledge and combined it with Alana’s passion and as an esthetician to build a budding eCommerce skincare store.   We dig into some really interesting stuff in this episode including:   - Jared’s top 4 Conversion hacks over the last 12 months - A shipping offer test with surprising results - Using Quizzes & Surveys for better conversions (this was an eye-opener for me) - How to grow a new brand piggybacking on existing brands - Jared’s top traffic sources - Using Amazon to boost Google SEO traffic - What separates successful eCommerce companies from the rest of the pack

This is Jeff Bezos’ world…we’re just living in it.  Or at least, that’s how it feels for an eCommerce merchant.  It’s hard to overstate the continued growth, innovation, and reach of Amazon.  With 214 distribution centers and growing.  Sales growing at 20-30% per year.  Forays into apparel, electronics (Kindle and the Echo family of products), batteries, and several other categories.  It’s hard not to look at Amazon with awe and wonder.  So, what's a merchant to do in light of Amazon's dominance?  Is Amazon friend or foe, or somewhere in between?   Andrew Youderian knows the world of independent eCommerce store owners better than arguably anyone on the planet.  He started the eCommerce Fuel podcast in 2014 and the eCommerce Fuel private forum shortly thereafter.  He’s bought, grown and sold several eCommerce businesses and he interacts regularly with top independent merchants on a monthly basis.  When it comes to eCommerce Andrew has done and seen it all.   In this episode, we look at how you as a merchant can stay relevant and thrive in the shadow of Amazon…and how to benefit from Amazon without “making a deal with the devil” so to speak.   He dives into detail on: - What factors to consider when forming your Amazon strategy - What merchants are most at risk to face irrelevance and extinction as Amazon continues to grow and innovate - Andrews 4 Musts for thriving in an Amazon World - When to “blitz” Amazon vs. when to back off - Top takeaways from some of the best independent merchants on the planet…tips and ideas for you to steal and deploy

Going fast is fun.  Just ask Ricky Bobby.  "Hair on fire" type of growth in business can be a real rush.  It can also be painful.  In this episode, I interview JD Crouse the co-founder and Queso Grande (Big Cheese) of BolderBand.com - a trendy manufacturer and retailer of activewear headbands.     Bolder Band grew from the kitchen table and dusty sewing machine of JD's wife Amy to do over $3.5 million in revenue their first year.  To call that rapid growth is an extreme understatement.  Amy and JD won the 2014 Build a Business Contest from Shopify and in the process got to spend time with Gary Vaynerchuck, Tim Ferriss, Daymond John and many others.     Growth can also be painful…we'll explore both the good and the bad and the lessons in both.  This is a truly inspiring interview.  Here's a quick look at what we cover:   - How to build a community FAST on Facebook and Instagram - Knowing when to stick with it during disappointment - Handling ruthless competitors - The good and bad of hiring friends and family members - Finding a competitive advantage and building your business around it - Handling the benefits and being aware of the dangers of notoriety - How to grow in the age of Amazon - Plus more!

If you want to up your eComm game then you have to be paying attention to leading eComm brands and eComm marketers.    I just got back from speaking at the 2017 Content & Commerce Summit put on by Digital Marketer.  I had the privilege of "sharing the stage" with top brands like Casper.com, Chegg.com, Racked.com, Fossil Watches and more!     I got so much from the event that I wanted to share some of the most impactful takeaways with you.  So I invited my friend, and the director of content at Digital Marketer, Russ Henneberry on the show for us to each share our top 5 takeaways from the event….   Here's a quick look at what we cover: - How Chegg.com not only survived, but thrived after Amazon came after them directly.  Most experts considered it was game over, but not Chegg.   - The actual business that Casper considers themselves in and how you can learn from their content marketing. - How you can beat Amazon at Customer-centricity. - The BOTS are coming!  How BOTS are impacting advertisers on both Google and Amazon - Facebook Messenger Ad tips from Ezra Firestone - How Fossil Watches leverages the long tail and how you're likely leaving money on the table - Plus much more!

Shopify just reached the milestone of powering over 500,000 online stores.  Today on the show I interview David Moellenkamp a self-proclaimed automation geek, former long-time employee of BlackBerry and now the Director of Product at Shopify Plus.     One of the goals I have for the podcast is to interview and uncover what’s new and what’s next for the major eCommerce Platforms.  If we want to truly understand where eCommerce is headed, we need to get a better picture of what the companies who build our most used carts are doing.     We are platform agnostic here at OMG Commerce.  We create full funnel marketing plans for clients regardless of platform.  That said, I love how Shopify is democratizing eCommerce.  They’re taking features that were once only available to the IR 500 and making them available to all merchants.  They’re also building features that allow merchants to create customer experiences that are only limited by their imagination.     We take a deep dive into what’s new and what’s next at Shopify and we discuss a few current eCommerce trends facing all merchants.      Here’s a quick look at what we cover in this episode: - How Shopify stacks up against competitors - The difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus - How to capitalize on Social Commerce - Omni Channel and Marketplace success  - How Shopify Plus is using scripts and the brand new XYZ to allow merchants to create complex customizations without learning to code.   - How to utilize new technology for better overall ecommerce performance from easier management of fraud to better personalization and marketing. - How mobile shopping is changing and how to improve your mobile conversion rate

While it's not a platform I'm intimately familiar with, Woo Commerce is gaining market share fast. By some estimates, it's approaching 30-40% of online shopping carts.  Largely because Wordpress powers approximately 26% of the web.     In this episode, we dive into Woo Commerce and some general conversion boosters for any site owner.  Cody Landefeld is the founder of Mode Effect and a Woo Commerce and conversion expert.   Here's a look at what Cody and I dive into: - Why Woo is exploding. - New Woo developments and what merchants are a good fit for Woo. - 3 Conversion tips every site owner needs to consider?   - 4 eCommerce design trends to amplify sales. - How to add the human element to your shopping experience. - How to build a sales funnel for eCommerce. - More!   Want to learn more about Mode Effect?  Check out their 5 Key Considerations for Optimization and Redesign.