Episodes
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Austin and Alex discuss how AI continues to evolve within the FERMÀT platform.
They go over what the future will hold, what's already done and live, and talk about a few new AI assisted tools that were recently added.
It's the first time an engineer from our team has joined the pod.
You can follow Austin on Linkedin here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-gandy/
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Fermat's Future Directions
02:45 Bridging Ad and E-commerce Platforms
06:03 Automating Marketing Insights
09:07 Magic Modules: The Building Blocks of Shops
11:56 Optimizing Product Recommendations
15:10 Experimentation and Performance Goals
18:00 The Future of Self-Optimizing Systems
21:02 Conclusion and Next Steps -
Summary
In this engaging conversation, Rabah and Alex delve into the innovative marketing strategies behind FRMT, a couture line that blends high fashion with B2B SaaS.
They discuss the concept of moonshot marketing, the importance of experiential marketing, and how to effectively engage influencers.
The duo emphasizes the shift from traditional websites to marketing funnels, highlighting the power of storytelling and the need for experimentation in driving growth. They conclude with insights on the future of e-commerce and the importance of adapting to new marketing paradigms.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Return of Robbo
02:53 Exploring FRMT: The Couture Line Concept
05:59 Moonshot Marketing: Taking Asymmetric Bets
09:00 Experiential Marketing: Engaging Customers Through Experience
11:57 Influencer Marketing: Seeding and Engagement Strategies
14:53 The Future of E-commerce: Funnels Over Websites
17:59 The Power of Storytelling in Marketing
20:50 Experimentation and Growth: The Role of Funnels
24:13 Closing Thoughts and Future Directions -
Missing episodes?
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Summary
In this conversation, Alex and Sarah discuss effective strategies for building marketing funnels using FERMÀT.
They explore how new brands can get started, the importance of specific templates, and industry-specific strategies for beauty, supplements, and men's apparel.
The discussion emphasizes the need for personalization, understanding customer journeys, and leveraging existing content to create tailored experiences that drive conversions.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Funnel Building with Fermat
01:08 Starting Points for New Brands
04:23 Industry-Specific Funnel Strategies
10:49 Deep Dive into Beauty Funnels
12:48 Creating Effective Supplement Funnels
21:32 Strategies for Men's Apparel Funnels -
Summary
In this conversation, Alex and Andrew delve into the intricacies of meta-advertising, focusing on the balance between media buying and creative strategies. They discuss the concept of local maximums in ad performance, the importance of specificity in targeting, and the need for a cohesive post-click experience to optimize conversions.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Andrew Faris and His Expertise
02:12 Exploring Local Maximums in Meta Advertising
05:31 The Role of Creative in Meta Ads
10:44 Specificity in Targeting and Messaging
15:34 Post-Click Experience and Conversion Optimization
21:52 Understanding Audience Reach and Ad Effectiveness
24:05 The Importance of Specificity in Marketing
27:44 Testing and Experimentation in Ad Campaigns
30:08 Building Community Through Targeted Marketing
35:29 Leveraging Customer Insights for Better Marketing -
Summary
In this conversation, Alex McEachern and David Trau discuss the significance of promise alignment in growth marketing, emphasizing the need for a cohesive experience from ad to post-click. They explore the challenges of focusing on post-click experiences, the importance of tracking and utilizing tools like Forever Links, and the benefits of creating isolated experiences for better data control. David shares insights from his experimentation, highlighting how a well-structured post-click experience can lead to improved conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
Takeaways
Promise alignment is crucial for effective marketing.Post-click experiences often receive less focus than ad creatives.The risk and lift associated with post-click testing can deter marketers.Forever Links allow for better tracking and performance measurement.Isolated experiences help in understanding customer behavior more clearly.The ability to iterate quickly on post-click experiences is vital.Data control enhances the ability to make informed marketing decisions.Creating a seamless experience from ad to landing page is essential.Understanding customer triggers can improve conversion rates.
Chapters00:00 Introduction to Growth Marketing and Promise Alignment
06:22 The Importance of Post-Click Experience
11:52 Tracking and Forever Links in Marketing
18:07 Isolated Experiences and Data Control
23:22 Insights from Experimentation and Future Directions -
Today, Alex and Shreyas are discussing a new feature release, Bundle Builder.
They highlight the importance of bundles in increasing profitability and contribution margin. They explain how bundles can be used to experiment and test different offers and upsells, and how Fermat makes it easy to create and launch bundles quickly.
They also discuss how Fermat's Bundle Builder allows Marketers to bypass the normal problems that are associated with creating a bundle like logistical tooling and data instrumentation.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Importance of Bundles
02:02 Experimentation and Testing with Bundles
07:53 Logistics and Data Instrumentation for Bundles
12:34 Bundles for Acquisition, Retention, and Product Expansion
23:06 Fermat: A Risk-Free Testing Environment for Bundles -
Today Sarah Levinger, a Consumer Behavior Strategist, joins the show to discuss how emotions drive most of our purchase decisions.
We discuss the influence of emotions on purchasing behavior and the need for brands to understand and apply consumer psychology. We also explore the concept of selling emotion and how it can differentiate a brand in a crowded market.
Sarah provides examples of successful brands that have effectively tapped into emotions, such as Liquid Death and Dos Equis. She emphasizes the importance of building an emotional ecosystem and connecting with consumers on a deeper level.
We also explore the challenges brands face in breaking through growth ceilings and the need to shift from direct response marketing to brand-level marketing. They also introduce the concept of participation marketing, where consumers want to be actively involved in the brand experience.
Follow Sarah:
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/
Twitter - https://x.com/SarahLevingerChapters:
00:00 Introduction and Importance of Consumer Psychology
09:16 Selling Emotion: The Power of Relatability
13:12 Case Study: Liquid Death and Selling Emotion
16:20 Case Study: Dos Equis and Building an Emotional Identity
20:27 Building an Emotional Ecosystem for DTC Brands
25:17 Connecting with Consumers on a Deeper Level
26:25 Understanding the Emotions and Identity of Your Target Audience
27:30 Breaking Through Growth Ceilings: Shifting to Brand Level Marketing
35:06 The Rise of Participation Marketing
40:23 Creating Specific and Relatable Content
43:56 Generational Differences in Marketing
48:40 The Power of Creativity in Marketing Strategies -
Follow Jen
Linkedin
InstagramSummary
Jen Johnson from Union Brands joins the podcast to discuss their unique business model and the challenges they face in D2C acquisition. Through the conversation Alex and Jen discuss how FERMAT allows their brands to be specific from ad to checkout and how that is leading to better conversion rates and an all around better customer experience.
One of Union Brands owned brands is Gladly Family, a stroller wagon brand for babies. They focus on high average order value products and face challenges in building trust and communicating the value proposition to customers. They use FERMAT Shops to create customized landing pages and segment messaging for different audiences, resulting in high conversion rates. Fermat Shop allows them to quickly create and test different experiences without the need for extensive website changes.
Takeaways
Union Brands has a unique hybrid three-pillar business model that includes owned brands, joint venture projects, and agency work.Gladly Family is one of their owned brands, specializing in stroller wagons for babies with a high average order value.Building trust and effectively communicating the value proposition are key challenges in the baby products industry.Fermat Shop allows Union Brands to create customized landing pages and segment messaging for different audiences, resulting in high conversion rates.Fermat Shop enables rapid experimentation and testing of different experiences without the need for extensive website changes.
Chapters00:00 Introduction to Union Brands
01:08 Overview of Owned Brands and Agency Work
03:38 Challenges in D2C Acquisition
05:04 Segmenting Messages and Offers
06:45 Importance of Website as a Brand Flagship
08:20 Benefits of Paid Social Ads
09:41 Considerations for High-Dollar Purchases
11:29 Benefits of Fermat Shop for Custom Experiences
13:26 Segmenting Messages for Different Audiences
15:35 Conversion Rates and Attribution
19:17 Testing vs Experimenting
20:39 Unlocking New Audiences and Revenue Streams
23:11 The Value of Rapid Experimentation
28:33 Summary and Appreciation for Fermat -
Summary
In this conversation, Lex and Alex discuss the role of a creative strategist in the e-commerce industry.
The role has evolved to encompass the entire customer acquisition process, from ad creative to post-click experiences. Lex emphasizes the importance of aligning the incentives of creative strategists and performance marketers to achieve winning outcomes.
She also discusses the challenges of finding new angles and the need for tools and frameworks to streamline the creative strategist's workflow.
Takeaways
A creative strategist is responsible for research, ideation, execution, and data analysis and optimization in the e-commerce industry.
The role of a creative strategist has evolved to encompass the entire customer acquisition process, from ad creative to post-click experiences.
Aligning the incentives of creative strategists and performance marketers is crucial for success.
Finding new angles and messaging is a challenge for creative strategists.
Tools and frameworks can streamline the workflow of a creative strategist.Chapters
00:00
Introduction to the Role of a Creative Strategist
01:18
The Evolution of the Creative Strategist Role
04:17
Aligning Incentives: Creative Strategists vs. Performance Marketers
07:05
Challenges of Finding New Angles as a Creative Strategist
19:33
Streamlining the Workflow of a Creative Strategist -
Follow Alex:
Twitter - https://x.com/alexmcea
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexmceachern/Summary
In this episode, Alex discusses the concept of creative velocity and how it can be applied to ad testing and optimization.
He highlights the challenge of determining the best ad performance when evaluating it from both a creative and growth marketer perspective.
The problem lies in the single funnel approach, where all ads are directed to a limited number of landing experiences. Alex introduces the hub and spoke methodology, which involves running individualized funnels for different campaigns, products, and audiences.
He explores audience testing, merchandise testing, and offer testing as ways to unlock new revenue streams and optimize ad performance.
Takeaways
Creative velocity is the concept of continuously testing and optimizing ads to improve performance.The single funnel approach, where all ads are directed to a limited number of landing experiences, can limit the effectiveness of ad testing.The hub and spoke methodology involves running individualized funnels for different campaigns, products, and audiences.Audience testing, merchandise testing, and offer testing are effective ways to unlock new revenue streams and optimize ad performance.Matching the ad experience with the landing experience is crucial for maximizing the impact of ad testing and creative velocity.
Chapters00:00 Introduction to Creative Velocity
02:21 The Limitations of the Single Funnel Approach
04:45 The Hub and Spoke Methodology
07:07 Unlocking New Revenue Streams Through Audience Testing
10:21 Optimizing Ad Performance with Merchandise Testing
12:15 Testing Different Offers to Maximize Conversion Rates -
Follow Tyler:
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylernetherton/
Talk to him in person ;) - https://www.fermatcommerce.com/book-a-call
Summary:In this conversation, Alex and Tyler discuss what you can expect if you book a demo with FERMÀT. They emphasize the importance of understanding the a brands unique challenges and goals, as well as analyzing their current ad library and creative.
They highlight the need for personalized and targeted funnel experiences, rather than just a generic landing page. They also discuss the value of experimentation and the ability to quickly apply learnings to optimize the post-click experience.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Background
04:05 Examples of Brands and Challenges
11:16 The Disconnect Between Ads and Funnel Experiences
14:12 Showing What FERMÀT Can Do
17:21 Demystifying the Demo: Addressing Misconceptions
20:46 The Value of Personalized and Targeted Funnel Experiences
25:39 Experimentation and Applying Learnings
28:45 Brands That Can Benefit from Working with FERMÀT -
Follow Steeve:
Twitter - https://x.com/steevevakees
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steevevakees/
Email - [email protected]Summary:
In this conversation, Alex and Steeve, the VP of Account Management at FERMÀT, chat about how people should be thinking about FERMÀT when it comes to interfacing with their team and the service they provide.
Steeve explains that FERMÀT is more than just a product, it is a software plus a service component. He outlines the three stages of working with FERMÀT: establishing a baseline, reaching statistical significance, and forward-looking improvements.
The conversation also highlights the importance of establishing a culture of experimentation, the value of the account management team, and the continuous need for adaptation and evolution in the ever-changing business landscape.
Takeaways:
Fermat is more than just a product, it is a software plus a service component that helps customers achieve specific outcomes for their business.Working with Fermat involves three stages: establishing a baseline, reaching statistical significance, and focusing on forward-looking improvements.Establishing a culture of experimentation is crucial for success, and Fermat's account management team is dedicated to helping customers push boundaries and achieve their growth goals.The talent profile of the account management team at Fermat includes individuals who are intellectually curious, stay up-to-date with emerging trends, and are customer-obsessed.Knowledge sharing and collaboration within the team are prioritized through rituals and weekly sessions, allowing for continuous learning and improvement.Fermat aims to facilitate product partnerships and go the extra mile to help customers solve their growth challenges, even if it goes beyond the scope of the software.
Chapters:00:00 Introduction and the Importance of FERMÀT
01:35 The Three Stages of Working with FERMÀT
10:10 The Value of FERMÀT's Account Management Team
27:16 Pushing Boundaries and Facilitating Growth -
Follow Max on Twitter - https://x.com/MaxLanglois3
Summary
Max Langlois, Head of Growth at DOSE, joins Alex to discuss growth and acquisition strategies for direct-to-consumer brands.
They focus on the importance of creative experimentation, the post-click experience, and how to maximize a subscription-based business model.
Max highlights the need for educational content and scientific validation in the supplement industry, as well as the benefits of using FERMÀT to quickly validate ideas and customize the post-click experience.
Takeaways
Creative funnel experimentation is crucial for growth in the direct-to-consumer space.The post-click experience, including landing pages and funnels, is a valuable tool for validating ideas and improving conversion rates.In the supplement industry, educational content and scientific validation are essential for building trust with customers.FERMÀT provides a user-friendly platform for quickly customizing and experimenting with the post-click experience.When promoting subscriptions, it is important to be honest and transparent with customers and focus on the long-term benefits.
Chapters00:00 Introduction and Overview of Dose
03:36 Challenges and Opportunities in DTC Growth and Acquisition
09:56 Maximizing the Post-Click Experience with FERMÀT
14:40 The Importance of Education and Validation in the Supplement Industry
25:05 Tips for Generating More Subscriptions
31:02 Max's Description of FERMÀT to Other Brands -
Summary
Alex and Grace discuss the four most popular places for brands to send ads to and the pros and cons of each. They also talk about how FERMÀT can level up those destinations with tips and tricks to get the most out of the entire funnel from click to conversion.
Grab the funnel guide - https://www.fermatcommerce.com/ecommerce-funnels-sales-conversion-marketing
Takeaways
The core four places to direct ad traffic are the homepage, catalog page, PDP, and custom landing pages.Sending traffic to a collection page is popular because it allows for specific merchandising and easy customization, but it can be a jarring experience if not done well.Using a tool like Fermat can help create cohesive and tailored landing pages that provide a better customer experience.Pro tips include thinking like a consumer, considering a broad range of audiences, and experimenting with different ad creatives and merchandising.It's important to constantly learn and adapt in the fast-paced world of direct-to-consumer advertising.
Chapters00:00 The Core Four: Where to Direct Ad Traffic
08:01 Creating Cohesive and Tailored Landing Pages
15:41 The Pros and Cons of Collection Pages
20:17 Pro Tips for Effective Ad Campaigns
25:29 Constant Learning and Adaptation in DTC Advertising -
Previous Episodes We Mentioned:
Erin from CADDIS - https://youtu.be/drNM1Rgsss8?si=YDUa-EuZuI7BnMw8
Josh from FERMÀT - https://youtu.be/zeounIiLes4?si=e8h30wXi9608MB37Summary
In this conversation, Alex McEachern and Azi discuss the concept of Forever Links and its iterations. The conversation covers the benefits of Forever Links, future planned iterations, as well as whats coming up on the FERMÀT Roadmap.
Takeaways
Forever Links are remappable links that allow ad buyers to easily change the destination of their ads without going through the learning phase again.Forever Links provide flexibility and cost savings in terms of opportunity costs.The upcoming iterations of Forever Links include usability improvements, split destinations for A/B testing, and the potential for multiple destinations and automation.Forever Links can be used to experiment and find winning combinations, and they can be a valuable tool for brands to manage their entire marketing instance.
Chapters00:00 Introduction and Overview
01:01 Explanation of Forever Links
06:36 Upcoming Iterations of Forever Links
11:16 Forever Links for Experimentation and Marketing Management
19:00 What Azi is Getting Excited About on the Roadmap -
Today we're covering the Facebook ad account, including common mistakes, changes in strategies, and the importance of testing and optimization.
We also cover the role of CRO (conversion rate optimization) and the impact of ad creative on audience targeting and engagement. Additionally, we chat about the significance of attribution settings, funnel goals, and the alignment of ad creatives with the appropriate conversion points.
Bid Multiplier Docs - https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/bidding-and-optimization/bid-multiplier/
Takeaways
The importance of adapting ad account strategies to changes in the Facebook ad platform and audience behavior.The significance of testing and optimization in ad account management, including the impact of ad creative on audience engagement.The role of CRO (conversion rate optimization) in enhancing the post-click experience and its relationship to media buying strategies.The value of exploring different attribution settings, funnel goals, and aligning ad creatives with appropriate conversion points for effective ad campaign performance.Chapters
00:00 The Evolution of Ideas and Strategies in Advertising
01:07 Ryan Gives his Background in Paid Social
03:00 The Biggest Changes in Advertising
09:40 Common Campaign Mistakes
12:41 Using Bid Multipliers to Avoid the CPM Tax
18:00 Test What Used to be a Bad Idea
23:00 FERMÀT Funnels -
In this episode of FERMÀT FRIDAY, we welcome a very special guest, Aaron Orendorff, the VP of Growth at FERMÀT. Aaron and Alex discuss how they have begun to refer to FERMÀT and how it's redefining funnel creation for ecommerce businesses.
Check out Aaron's funnel guide for a comprehensive resource on creating effective ecommerce funnels, complete with over 100 examples, categorized templates, and practical tips.
https://www.fermatcommerce.com/ecommerce-funnels-sales-conversion-marketing
Takeaways:
Fermat lets you create funnels with the same flexibility and speed as you create ads, making it easier to optimize your customer acquisition strategies.
Challenges in Customer Acquisition: The conversation touches on the difficulties in navigating a saturated market and the importance of being adaptable to constant changes in customer behavior.
The Power of Metaphors: Using metaphors to explain complex ideas, like how Fermat works, is crucial for clear communication and customer understanding.
Leveraging Fermat: With its modular design system, Fermat allows companies to quickly test, iterate, and optimize their landing pages, creating seamless customer experiences from ad to checkout.
Expanding Channels: Exploring the diversification of acquisition channels beyond traditional platforms like Meta and Google, including the potential of direct mail and other innovative strategies.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:15 Aaron’s Journey in Marketing and SEO
07:45 What is Fermat?
13:20 Creating Funnels Like Ads
20:10 The Power of Experimentation
25:50 Leveraging Metaphors for Better Understanding
30:40 Challenges in Customer Acquisition
36:15 Expanding Acquisition Channels
42:00 Final Thoughts and Future ExcitementFollow Aaron on Twitter (@AaronOrndorff) and LinkedIn for more insights and updates.
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In this episode of FERMÀT FRIDAY, we welcome our first customer guest to the podcast. Erin Silvia, Director of Marketing at Caddis, joins us to discuss her journey and how Caddis has been using FERMÀT to revolutionize their customer acquisition strategy.
Takeaways:
Caddis's Unique Approach: Caddis started as a reading glasses company with a mission to reframe aging and has now expanded to a full optical retailer.
Challenges in Customer Acquisition: The market has become more saturated, making it harder and more competitive to acquire customers efficiently.
The importance of adapting to constant changes in the market and customer behavior.
Leveraging FERMÀT: FERMÀT provides a flexible, conversion rate optimization tool that allows Caddis to test and iterate quickly.
Fermat experiences have become a proving ground for Caddis, helping them optimize both site experiences and product merchandising.
FERMÀT's modular design system simplifies the creation of cohesive and high-performing landing pages.
Exploring New Channels: The conversation touches on the diversification of acquisition channels beyond Meta and Google.
The potential of new and traditional channels like direct mail and how FERMÀT can fit into these strategies.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Background
05:37 Erin's Journey with Caddis
10:15 Challenges in Customer Acquisition
15:45 Using FERMÀT to Optimize Conversion
22:30 The Power of Testing and Iteration
30:20 Leveraging FERMÀT for Better Customer Experience
38:10 Exploring New Acquisition Channels
45:00 Final Thoughts and Future Excitement -
Sarah's Twitter - https://twitter.com/sarah_herm
Summary
In this conversation, Alex and Sarah discuss the importance of branding in performance marketing. They debunk the myth that performative experiences can't look good and highlight the impact of custom branding on conversion rates.
They showcase examples from brands like Dose, FarmHouse Fresh, and Caddis to demonstrate how Fermat allows for seamless integration of brand identity into the customer experience. Sarah emphasizes the collaborative process between Fermat and brands to ensure the best performance while maintaining brand voice and identity.
Takeaways
Branding does not have a negative impact on performance marketing; custom branding can be seamlessly integrated into high-performing experiences.Fermat allows for the creation of beautiful and on-brand customer experiences through its custom branding feature.Simplicity and organization are key to creating visually appealing and high-converting experiences.Collaboration between Fermat and brands is crucial to ensure the best performance while maintaining brand identity.
Chapters00:00 Introduction and Congratulating Sarah on Promotion
00:31 Debunking the Myth: Performative Experiences Can Look Good
06:21 Seamless Integration: Custom Branding in Performance Marketing
13:55 The Power of Simplicity and Organization in Customer Experiences -
Summary
In this conversation, Alex and Shreyas discuss the perception of FERMÀT as a landing page builder and how it differs from traditional landing page builders. They highlight the importance of coherence, velocity, and surface area in the FERMÀT platform.
They break down how coherence, velocity, and surface create the best possible ad funnels in DTC. Going into detail on each piece and why they are all core to what FERMÀT is building.
Takeaways
FERMÀT is often perceived as a landing page builder, but it offers much more in terms of coherence, velocity, and surface area.Coherence ensures a consistent experience from click to conversion, while velocity allows for quick creation and iteration of experiences.Surface area refers to the range of customizable elements within the platform, enabling brands to experiment and personalize their campaigns.Experimentation and personalization are key to driving better results for brands, and Forma is investing in tools to make experimentation easier at scale.The focus on email and SMS channels opens up new opportunities for personalization and tailored experiences.
Sound Bites"The real power of Format... is a philosophy question of how do you believe you should be iterating on your post-click experience?"
"I can create a hundred of these in a morning. I don't have to be as opinionated because how fast, how quick, and how risky this is isn't the same."
"Experimentation surface area... I can play with more pieces of the funnel with Forma than I can with just operating on my site."
Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background
05:37 The Power of Coherence and Velocity
09:56 Exploring Surface Area and Experimentation
28:03 Exciting Developments in Product Strategy - Show more
