The Unofficial TikTok Shop Podcast with Jordan West

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Discover the practical steps to leverage AI in your workflows, freeing up your valuable time and empowering you to focus on the human touch that truly matters in marketing. Learn how AI-enabled tools can rapidly analyze competitors' websites, extract emotional themes from customer reviews, and take your brand to new heights.

In this episode, Jordan West shares the world of AI and its game-changing impact on marketing. Drawing insights from a compelling pottery class study, Jordan shares how quantity can lead to quality, emphasizing the power of testing and iteration. He unveils practical tips for leveraging AI-enabled tools to streamline tasks, ideate on hooks, and enhance messaging tests. Jordan also opens up about the value of AI in analyzing customer reviews and emphasizes the importance of asking better questions in marketing. 

Listen and learn in this episode!

Key takeaways from this episode:

• The story of the pottery class illustrates how focusing on quantity can lead to improved quality. Testing and iterating through a high volume of ideas and executions can lead to valuable insights and success.
• Using AI to automate tasks that don't require human creativity or intuition can free up time for more high-value, human-centered work. Tools like Foreplay and ChatGPT are mentioned as useful resources for generating ideas and insights.
• AI can be utilized to generate a multitude of hook ideas, ad copy variations, and emotional insights from customer reviews, allowing for efficient and creative marketing content creation.
• AI tools can analyze competitors' ads, websites, and customer reviews to uncover valuable insights and inform marketing strategies.

Recommended Tools/Apps:

Superhuman: https://superhuman.com/ 

Foreplay: https://www.foreplay.co/ 

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Million Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

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The transformative impact of these advanced tools, you're invited to an eye-opening journey. Imagine harnessing the potential to make informed decisions that drive efficiency and unlock your brand's scalability potential.

In this episode, Jordan West shares the intricate world of attribution and mixed media modeling. He addresses his shifting perspective from pure click attribution models to the value of AI models, sparking a conversation on the efficiency and reliability of tracking customer journeys. As he navigates through the complexities of different software tools and strategies, Jordan shares real-life insights and experiences to shed light on the ever-evolving landscape of ecommerce.

Listen and learn in this episode!

Key takeaways from this episode:

• The difference between attribution software and mixed media modeling, providing insights into tracking the customer journey and understanding what drives conversions.
• Pure click attribution models and highlights the limitations in determining the true drivers of conversions, particularly in a multi-channel marketing environment.
• The value of leveraging advanced AI models to make informed decisions about allocating marketing budgets and scaling ecommerce brands effectively.
• Exploring innovative tools such as Prescient AI is highlighted as a crucial step in understanding the impact of marketing activities across multiple channels and driving conversions.
• The impact of platforms like TikTok on driving traffic and conversions, underscoring the need for sophisticated tracking and analysis tools to optimize marketing strategies.
• The significance of utilizing tools that help ecommerce brands make data-driven, efficient decisions, especially when managing significant marketing budgets and scaling operations.

Recommended Tools/Apps:

Prescient AI: https://www.prescient-ai.io/ 

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Million Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

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The pivotal importance of capitalizing on successful content, rather than constantly seeking new creative avenues. It's time to shift gears and focus on amplifying what truly works for your brand. Imagine turning one extraordinary piece of creative into a multitude of powerful hooks, each serving as a catalyst for engagement and conversion.

In this episode, Jordan West shares tactical and practical ways to turn one piece of content into ten. Exploring the power of testing on Meta and TikTok, Jordan delves into the concept of creative testing and offers insights on how to effectively double down on successful traction. Unveiling a method to create multiple hook variations using a fascinating tool, Jordan's expert strategies are sure to help ecommerce brands take their marketing to the next level. 

Listen and learn in this episode!

Key takeaways from this episode:

• The episode discusses the practical ways to turn 1 piece of content into 10 pieces of content, not just for the sake of having more content, but for the purpose of testing.
• Emphasizes the importance of testing, specifically on Meta and TikTok, to understand what works and what doesn't.
• Once traction is gained in a specific area, the concept of creating "parent and child" relationships is discussed. This involves doubling down on successful strategies rather than constantly creating new ones.
• Highlights the use of a special internal tool for competitive analysis and insights, which aids in creating effective content and ads.
• The 322 method for testing hook variations, headlines, and ad copy to identify what resonates with the audience.
• Recommends utilizing emotional IDs and seeking a tool called Chi GPT to generate new hooks based on emotional elements for testing and iteration.

Recommended Tools/Apps:

Foreplay: https://www.foreplay.co/ 

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Million Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

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The importance of human connections and personalized interactions in influencer marketing is underscored, highlighting the need for fair compensation for creators and the value of simplifying and streamlining influencer marketing processes.

In this episode, Jordan West with Danil, CEO and co-founder of Insense Pro, to dive deep into the world of influencer marketing, affiliate marketing, and creating authentic relationships with influencers. Together, they explore the importance of building genuine connections with influencers and discuss the future of social commerce, including the impact of live shopping and the potential of Meta shops.

Listen and learn in this episode!

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Focus on building authentic relationships with influencers rather than one-off transactions. The emphasis is on constant deposits and treating influencers as human beings, not merely transactional partners.
• Utilize a combination of small compensation and affiliate deals to motivate creators to produce content for platforms like TikTok shop. The approach is particularly successful with vetted creators due to the limited number in the network.
• Incense aims to simplify manual and operational tasks in influencer marketing, such as copyrights and payments, through its platform. It offers a vetting process for creators, higher opt-in rates, and supports multiplatform campaigns for scalability.
• The team is the "secret sauce for the scale" according to Danil. Organizations should evaluate team members based on skill set, result orientation, and productivity. Leaders should engage in self-evaluation, seek external feedback, and conduct open conversations with the executive team.

Today’s Guest: 

Danil Saliuk, the CEO and co-founder of Insense Pro, a creator commerce marketplace based in New York. He is an expert in influencer marketing, social commerce, and scaling influencer programs to drive performance sales. Throughout the episode, he shares insights into the evolution of influencer marketing, the impact of micro-influencers on driving sales, and the future of social commerce, including the emergence of live shopping and the potential of Meta shops.

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Million Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

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Uncovered the issue of double reporting for add-to-cart events, the impact on data accuracy, and ultimately, the erosion of trust in the platform. A glimpse into the challenges of measuring return on ad spend (ROAS) when running before-and-after comparisons becomes challenging due to changes in data tracking.

In this episode, Jordan West gets into a conversation with guest Yiqi Wu, the CEO and founder of Aimerce, a company tackling the conversion API problem. They discuss the challenges with data collection and reporting on Facebook ads, the impact of the Facebook algorithm and Safari changes, and the emergence of conversion API for server-side tracking. They also touch on the limitations and deficiencies of data processing, the importance of storing first-party data independently, and the future of AI tools for understanding customer behavior. 

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Key takeaways from this episode:

• The importance of data for e-commerce businesses, especially in the context of advertising success and challenges with data collection and reporting on Facebook ads.
• The impact of the iOS 14 update and Safari's deprecation of 3rd party cookies on ad tracking, user tracking, personalization, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
• The emergence and importance of conversion API in addressing the challenges of browser tracking and data reliability, with a focus on server-side tracking and data processing.
• The limitations of Facebook's conversion API, including the inability to track the same user across different devices and emails, and the deficiencies in data processing.
• The significance of storing first-party data separately for transparency, understanding customer behavior, and optimizing business decisions, as well as the role of AI toolings in accessing and interpreting data.
• The impact of sending more data to Facebook on improving the ads algorithm and targeting capability through training the machine learning algorithm.

Today’s Guest: 

Yiqi Wu, the CEO and founder of Aimerce, a company focused on addressing the challenges arising from the deprecation of 3rd party cookies, specifically on Safari. With a background in computer science and previous experience working on projects like Reddit and Instagram stories, Yiqi is an expert in the area of data processing for e-commerce, particularly with a focus on server-side tracking, data reliability, and the impact of the Facebook algorithm and Safari changes. His company, Aimerce, specializes in providing solutions for e-commerce businesses to navigate the challenges caused by the deprecation of 3rd party cookies and the impact on ad tracking and data reliability.

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Million Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

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The new combined listings app allows plus stores to create combined product listings from the admin, providing more flexibility and merchandising options. Delve into the new feature that empowers customers to choose shipping options for split orders, providing greater flexibility and an enhanced customer experience.

In this episode, Jordan West gets  into the latest Shopify additions, unraveling the exciting new features that are about to revolutionize the ecommerce landscape. From combined product listings to upgraded PoS capabilities, improved analytics, and enhanced international selling services, Jordan shares his insights and enthusiasm for these game-changing developments. 

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Key takeaways from this episode:

• The episode discusses the latest additions to Shopify and the importance of staying updated with the new features for e-commerce merchants.
• The episode covers various new features, including the combined listings app, updated Shopify PoS, native store credit issuance, split shipments, and improved product taxonomy.
• Shopify promises better analytics with real-time data and the ability to use Shopify QL to query data inside reports.
• An improved interface for international selling, B2B, and retail, consolidating them into one central location, is highlighted as a plus-only feature.

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Million Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

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A strategy that involves using affiliate traffic from Amazon affiliates to direct traffic to Amazon listings instead of using TikTok shop. This can lead to increased sales, improved product relevance for specific keywords, and enhanced brand visibility.

In this episode, Jordan West gets into a little hack that's been making waves from the world of TikTok. Host Jordan West brings some exciting insights on leveraging TikTok and another platform to boost your ecommerce brand's performance. Jordan also shares some upcoming projects and a unique opportunity for startup-sized ecommerce brands to get his advise. Tune in as we explore a powerful strategy to drive traffic and sales through external sources like TikTok straight to Amazon, and learn how this can elevate your product's performance and brand visibility. 

Listen and learn in this episode!

Key takeaways from this episode:

• TikTok can be used as a platform to sell products, similar to Amazon, where people come to buy products, not necessarily brand-related items.
• The importance of utilizing external traffic to boost sales velocity and rankings on Amazon. This can lead to improved click-through rates, more customer reviews, and better ad performance for Amazon PPC campaigns.
• The podcast highlights the potential of social commerce principles and influencer-driven marketing across various platforms like TikTok, Meta, and eventually YouTube shopping.
• The recommendation to try running specific promotions exclusively from TikTok to Amazon, leveraging the rise of influencers working with Amazon.
• Encouragement for listeners to consider testing the Amazon strategy discussed in the episode, either by reaching out to Upgrowth Commerce or attempting the approach independently.

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Million Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

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Uncover the power of data-driven decisions in ad campaigns. Dive into the art of testing and learning different attribution windows on Threads for exponential growth. From 1-day click to 28-day click, understanding the right attribution settings is pivotal for maximizing ad effectiveness.

In this episode, Jordan West walks through the different types of attribution settings and shares his insights on when to use each one. From 1-day click attribution for quick purchase decisions to 7-day click and 1-day view for longer buying cycles, Jordan provides practical tips for optimizing ad effectiveness. Tune in to gain valuable knowledge on how to align your attribution settings with your campaign goals and maximize your ad spend efficacy. Plus, learn the importance of testing and consistency when it comes to finding the right attribution setting for your brand.

Listen and learn in this episode!

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Understanding the various attribution settings available (1-day click, 7-day click, 1-day view, 7-day click 1-day view, 28-day click 1-day view) and knowing when to use them based on the product or service being marketed.
• Tailoring attribution settings to match the buying cycle of the product or service (short buying cycle, longer buying cycle, high consideration products).
• Aligning attribution settings with campaign goals and the customer journey, and constantly testing and learning to optimize ad spend efficacy.
• Emphasizing the importance of research, analysis, and consistency in selecting the right attribution settings for Facebook ads.
• Encouraging listeners to test and not just default to the same attribution settings they have used in the past, and to let Facebook know what is desired for optimal results.

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Million Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

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Community unlocks a whole new realm of relationships beyond the purchase. It's where your brand becomes woven into the fabric of people's lives, resonating not just as a product, but as an irreplaceable part of who they are.

In this episode, Jordan West gets into the world of community building in 2024 and beyond. He shares insights on the power of nurturing a community, the different levels of a customer relationship, and the impact of building a community around your brand. Jordan speaks from his own experience of building brands based on the foundation of community and emphasizes the importance of allowing conversations within the community.

Listen and learn in this episode!

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Community building is essential for ecommerce brands.
• A community allows for two-way communication, not just broadcasting messages.
• Building a community where customers already gather, like on Facebook or Discord, is crucial.
• A strong community can lead to advocates who passionately defend and promote a brand.
• Responding to community feedback, even when negative, builds trust and loyalty.
• A successful community can lead to strong emotional connections with customers.
• Jordan West is considering offering formal help for brands looking to build and leverage their communities.

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Million Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

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The importance of keeping operational expenses in check - a critical piece of advice for any e-commerce entrepreneur striving to build sustainable, long-term success. The lessons are hard-learned, but the potential for growth, resilience, and smart decision-making shines through every word.

In this episode, Jordan West gets into some of the biggest mistakes he has made as an e-commerce entrepreneur. With a focus on sharing his lessons to help you avoid similar pitfalls, Jordan gets vulnerable about the costly errors he's encountered, including the impact of high operational expenses (OpEx). Drawing from personal experiences and industry insights, Jordan shares cautionary tales and practical advice to help you navigate the challenges of growing your e-commerce business.

Listen and learn in this episode!

Key takeaways from this episode:

• The importance of keeping OpEx down and being as lean as possible in e-commerce to avoid financial strain and difficulties during tough times.
• The cautionary tale of making high OpEx-related decisions, such as leases, space acquisitions, or hiring, and the potential negative impact on business growth and scalability.
• The recommendation to carefully assess expenses before making big purchases, leases, or hires, and to consider scaling down before committing to large financial obligations.
• Consideration of outsourcing certain functions, like customer service, to ensure flexibility in scaling up or scaling down based on business needs.
• The importance of negotiating with software companies and agencies to manage costs and carefully evaluating the financial impact of scaling up expenses.
• The emphasis on being prepared for economic downturns, potential Facebook ad issues, and the necessity of evaluating OpEx before marketing spend.

Recommended Book:
The Wealthy Barber: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2674.The_Wealthy_Barber 

Growth Plan: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

Million Dollar Offers: www.upgrowthcommerce.com/grow