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People frequently confuse direct-to-consumer and business-to-consumer models when discussing online business management. There are more differences than similarities between these two types of businesses, despite the fact that both rely heavily on an online store cash flow.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing allows businesses to connect with their target demographics in a more personal way by distributing their products and financial services directly to them via their preferred method of communication. But only if they can win over these digital natives as customers faster than their rivals. Almost all businesses in the financial services industry are taking steps toward digital transformation by formulating a plan and actively putting it into action.

Let's investigate the most common marketing blunders made by direct-to-consumer companies.

Many of the cornerstones of retail remain the same, even as the direct-to-consumer market finds its footing. It's still important to focus on profitable expansion, brick-and-mortar stores, and brand development over time. In order to increase their chances of success, direct-to-consumer retailers should avoid making a number of common mistakes as they compete for consumers' wallet share.


5 Mistakes to Avoid When Launching DTC Strategy:

  • Lacking of USP

    Direct-to-consumer companies focus on selling their wares to consumers directly and positioning those products as answers to consumer problems. In order to succeed as a business that sells directly to consumers (D2C), it is not enough to simply have competitive prices, a user-friendly website, and high search engine rankings for relevant terms.

    Your task is much more difficult: you have to persuade your site's visitors that your product is the best solution to their problems, even better than products from more well-known companies.

    It's not just other web-based retailers that you have to contend with. You're in a branding competition.

    A unique selling proposition (USP) is essential for direct-to-consumer brands (Unique Selling Point). If asked "why you?" You can always refer to this as your simple, reliable response.

 

  • Not discussing adequately, the problem you solve

    Direct-to-consumer brands are plentiful, and many of them aim to address issues that go unnoticed by the general public.

    It's possible that you'll have to compete in a "blue ocean," or completely new market segment, all by yourself. When do you know? Maybe you're in this predicament if you're struggling to find effective keywords to use in your Google AdWords campaign, or if the keywords you do find are too general to attract much competition.

    Instead of focusing on selling your product and highlighting its features, you should shift your focus elsewhere. You need to see the forest for the trees; explain the issue your product is addressing and why people should care.

    The crux of demand generation is spreading the word about the issue at hand and how your category provides a viable solution. Customers will seek out your product or service if you can persuade them that the category, you're targeting is the only one that can help them with a pressing issue

 

  • Not Investing in Quality Content

    Demand Metric reports that compared to more conventional forms of advertising, content marketing can be conducted for 62% less money while generating 3x as many qualified leads. Plus, once published, organic content keeps bringing in new readers and customers for a long time.


    The following content creation ideas can help your content SEO rankings:

    • Perform in-depth keyword research. Based on the most recent data from Ahrefs, nearly 95% of keywords receive fewer than 10 monthly searches. In other words, even if you write a fantastic blog post, it won't be seen by many people if it doesn't include the terms that people are using to find content like yours. Make sure your content has maximum impact by conducting keyword research before you create it.
    • Understand the search intent of your audience. Yoast categorizes users' motivations for conducting a search as one of four broad categories: informational (to gather knowledge), navigational (to reach a particular website), transactional (to obtain a good or service), or commercial (to conduct research) (looking for details on a potential future purchase). You should write each piece of content with SEO and user engagement in mind.
    • Make use of interactive media and videos. While articles and other forms of written content have their uses, the potential return on investment (ROI) from video and interactive content (quizzes, charts, infographics, maps, audio clips, image sliders, etc.) is much higher. According to Wyzowl's findings, 86% of marketers believe video increases website traffic, 84% believe it aids in securing leads, 83% believe it lengthens the number of time users spend on a webpage, and 78% believe it aids in direct sales.
    • For each platform, customize your content uniquely. To save time, you may be tempted to use the same content across all of your marketing channels. However, while a lengthy article may do well on your blog or LinkedIn network, for example, it may fail to engage your audience on social media, where visuals are more popular.

 

  • Not having complete planning

    When planning fails, significant risks and difficulties are revealed that were not anticipated. This causes more delays as the team scrambles to figure out how to address the problems that have arisen. Poor planning means more time and money will be spent fixing problems. Some common questions you can ask yourself are:

    • Can you briefly discuss - the first steps?
    • What sorts of requests can we expect from our buyers? Will the customer, for instance, place multiple orders or just one?
    • Explain the logistics of packing and sending this order.
    • The importance of a quick delivery depends on how important it is to you. When can the buyer anticipate receiving their order?
    • How will changes in demand and order volume be affected by the seasons?
    • When will I receive a refund?
    • Will there be no cost for shipping?

 

  • Avoiding only one time survey

    There is no single best approach. It's a good idea to experiment with different approaches to see what gets the most responses and keep in mind that you can always change the questions up on a monthly or quarterly basis to reflect what you think your customers would find most interesting about your most recent purchases.The ability to collect key consumer data points throughout the discovery and purchase processes is the essence of data collection and surveying.

    Because of this information, DTC businesses can better meet the needs of their customers and increase the likelihood that they will continue doing business with the company.

    When conducted with the proper strategy in place, post purchase surveys can be a game-changer for direct-to-consumer marketers.

Wrapping Up

While direct-to-consumer (DTC brand) marketing is a highly competitive industry, growth and success are still possible with a smart marketing strategy that increases brand awareness and caters to consumers where they are. If you can steer clear of these direct-to-consumer advertising traps, you'll be well on your way to developing a winning brand strategy that will increase your sales.

Drive engagement by directly catering to your customers preferences through D2C. Altudo is a global digital marketing and technology consulting company, focused on creating 1:1 personalization.

Are you looking for more ways to strengthen your direct-to-consumer marketing strategy? Altudo can help!

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