In this episode, Nick Shackelford joined to chat about:

Facebook Advertising and Alternatives

• Company still spends 80-90% of advertising budget on Facebook
• Focusing more on Google and Google shopping due to higher intent and quicker purchase ability
• Testing turning off Facebook advertising but couldn't get away from it

Building Brand and Growth

• Personal inbound leads and content creation as the main ways the company has achieved growth
• Use of Twitter and LinkedIn for brand authority and business development
• YouTube videos as B2B touchpoints for potential customers
• Consistently building and talking about brand to attract and retain employees

TikTok Advertising

• Demographic of buyers on TikTok is specific and different from other platforms
• Organic development of content and community building
• Creating videos of people using the product or providing examples, rather than just product stills, to work on TikTok
• Attribution software such as Triple A or Northview is not necessary
• Not an effective platform for paid media currently

Marketing and Advertising Strategies

• CRO is often overlooked and should be addressed earlier in the process
• Hiring a full-blown agency is not necessary for managing a channel
• Focusing on AOV is important
• Emphasis on having the right fit for a team or agency partner to avoid demoralizing the team

Virtual Assistants for Agencies

• 60-70 full-time employees including virtual assistants and offshore workers in Mexico City and South America
• Use of virtual assistants for various tasks such as media buying, ad design, graphic design, implementation, and strategy for email
• Difficulty in hiring virtual assistants initially due to quality issues and other concerns
• AI may make industries more efficient and faster but virtual assistants lack context, creativity, and strategy

Other Advertising Industry Insights

• Policy dealing with CBD and THC advertising on various platforms
• Changing landscape of Facebook/Meta's suite of products
• Use of on-demand editing design team, agencies, and US-based tools
• Difficulty in finding American or Canadian talent in multiple time zones for US-based tool
• Cultural fit, integrity, and internet access are important factors for successful virtual assistant partnerships.