7-Figures & Beyond - An Ecommerce Marketing Podcast For 6 & 7-Figure Brands

Website performance isn’t just a technical concern—it’s a game-changer for eCommerce success. In this episode of the Seven Figures and Beyond eCommerce Marketing Podcast, host Greg Shuey sits down with Jono Alderson, a leading technical SEO consultant, to unravel the complex yet critical role of site speed in driving conversions and improving search engine rankings. Jono shares fascinating studies demonstrating how mere milliseconds in page load times can influence customer behavior, detailing how faster websites capture more attention and drive higher revenue. He also introduces listeners to Google’s Core Web Vitals, explaining how these benchmarks offer a clear, actionable path to enhancing site performance.Jono takes a deep dive into the most common culprits of slow websites, like unoptimized images, excessive fonts, and bloated tracking scripts, while providing practical strategies to address each issue. From choosing the right image formats to implementing better tag management systems, he lays out a roadmap for eCommerce brands to deliver lightning-fast user experiences. The conversation also covers the importance of balancing visually stunning designs with performance goals, helping brands make informed trade-offs that maintain both functionality and speed.Beyond the technical details, this episode emphasizes the broader business and ethical benefits of a faster site. Jono highlights how speed enhances brand perception, fosters customer loyalty, and even reduces the environmental impact of data transmission, aligning with sustainability goals. Whether you’re a brand owner or a marketing manager, this episode is packed with valuable insights and actionable tips to help you outpace competitors and thrive in a crowded digital marketplace.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Jono Alderson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonoalderson/https://www.stryde.com/website-performance-for-conversions-rankings/

In this kickoff episode for 2025, Greg Shuey welcomes PPC expert Navah Hopkins to discuss how brands can thrive by understanding their buyers' online behaviors and adapting their marketing strategies accordingly. Navah, a seasoned marketer and evangelist for the PPC management tool Optmyzr, emphasizes the evolving nature of buyer habits, pointing out that platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and even ChatGPT are gaining traction as key discovery tools. This shift demands that brands rethink their approach to search, community engagement, and content distribution to stay competitive in the ever-changing digital landscape.A major focus of their conversation is the rising importance of video content. Navah explains how creating video campaigns can unlock cheaper placements and drive better engagement, especially on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. She encourages brands to embrace video despite its perceived challenges, highlighting examples of impactful yet cost-effective campaigns. Additionally, they discuss the value of engaging with audiences on forums, both login-based (e.g., Discord) and non-login-based (e.g., Reddit), stressing that authentic interaction builds trust and allows brands to gather valuable feedback. Tools like Google Alerts, SparkToro, and Microsoft Clarity are presented as practical ways to monitor and analyze audience behavior across platforms.As the conversation concludes, Greg and Navah reflect on the importance of resetting expectations for 2025. They encourage brands to experiment boldly, focus on a few core channels, and prioritize authentic, human-first connections with their audiences. By balancing time and monetary investments, brands can craft strategies that align with their goals and market realities. Both hosts emphasize that giving oneself grace during this period of rapid change is essential for achieving sustainable growth.Greg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Navah Hopkins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navahhopkins/Optmyzr: https://www.optmyzr.com/https://www.stryde.com/buyer-journey-insights-for-marketing-strategy/

In this eposide of the 7 Figures Beyond E-Commerce Marketing Podcast focused on preparing brands for success with Meta advertising in 2025. Greg Shuey welcomed Kelsey O’Rourke, Performance Marketing Director at Stride, who shared her expertise on navigating the ever-evolving landscape of paid media. They explored the growing importance of creative strategy in light of Meta’s shift toward broader automation and reduced targeting options. With hyper-targeting increasingly restricted, brands need to rely on engaging, evergreen creative assets, including user-generated content (UGC) and video formats, to drive performance and capture attention in just seconds.A significant portion of the discussion centered on leveraging AI tools to streamline creative production and reduce costs. Kelsey highlighted tools like Creatify, which allow brands to generate high-quality ad content—static and video—at scale, empowering smaller brands to compete effectively in a crowded market. She also addressed common pitfalls in Meta ad campaigns, such as overloading ad sets with creatives, neglecting proper audience exclusions, and over-relying on ROAS as a primary performance metric. By focusing on audience-specific content and understanding metrics like thumb-stop rates and CPM, brands can refine their strategies to achieve stronger results.Beyond creative execution, the episode emphasized Meta’s role in an omni-channel marketing strategy. Kelsey explained that while Meta excels at top-of-funnel prospecting, its success relies on thoughtful campaign structures and clear audience definitions. She urged brand owners to collaborate closely with agencies, gaining insights into targeting strategies and campaign design to maximize ROI. As Meta ads evolve with AI and automation, brands must maintain control over their campaigns by prioritizing creative quality and ensuring alignment with broader marketing goals. This holistic approach positions brands for sustained growth and scalability in 2025.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Kelsey O’Rourke LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseycorourke/Creatify: https://creatify.ai/https://www.stryde.com/ecommerce-meta-ads-trends-2025/

In this episode of the 7 Figures &Beyond E-commerce Marketing Podcast, host Greg Shuey sits down with email and SMS marketing expert Julia Ahmet to explore how e-commerce brands can optimize their strategies for 2025. Reflecting on the past year, Julia notes shifts in consumer behavior due to economic uncertainties and rising concerns over data privacy. Despite these challenges, she highlights opportunities, such as the record-breaking Black Friday/Cyber Monday spending, which showcased the resilience of consumer demand. The conversation emphasizes the importance of ensuring email deliverability and compliance through proper authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and maintaining clean email lists to meet evolving global regulations.Julia stresses the growing need for brands to adapt to inbox fatigue by shifting focus from high-frequency campaigns to highly segmented, personalized communications. She advocates for analyzing customer behavior to refine targeting and creating more meaningful connections with audiences without overstepping privacy boundaries. Mobile-first, accessible email designs are becoming non-negotiable, with trends like high-contrast CTAs, dark mode, and interactive features like GIFs and polls driving engagement. Additionally, she highlights the value of preference pages to empower consumers to control the frequency and type of emails they receive, ensuring a better customer experience.Looking ahead, the conversation touches on the potential for AI to enhance efficiency, particularly in segmentation, predictive analytics, and brainstorming. While Julia remains cautious about relying on AI for creative elements like images and videos, she sees its value in overcoming bottlenecks such as writer’s block. To remain competitive, brands are encouraged to experiment with unique offers, such as multi-order discounts, and embrace calculated risks in their campaigns. Ultimately, Julia and Greg emphasize the importance of staying nimble and leveraging data-driven insights to test and adapt, ensuring strategies evolve with consumer expectations and industry trends.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Julia Amodt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-amodt/Email Deliverability Tools: https://easydmarc.com/toolsEmail Health: https://www.litmus.com/BIMI Authentication: https://mxtoolbox.com/dmarc/bimi/how-to-create-bimi-recordSemantic HTML: https://www.semrush.com/blog/semantic-html5-guide/European Accessibility Act (June 2025): https://www.levelaccess.com/compliance-overview/european-accessibility-act-eaa/Email Design Inspirationhttps://reallygoodemails.com/https://mailboard.com/https://milled.com/https://www.mailmunch.com/blog/gifs-in-emailhttps://www.stryde.com/ecommerce-email-sms-trends-2025/

In this episode of the Seven Figures and Beyond eCommerce Marketing Podcast, host Greg Shuey sits down with Martin McAndrew, director of the UK-based performance marketing agency Blue Thirst, to unpack the complexities of Google Performance Max (PMAX) campaigns. PMAX integrates Google's entire ad ecosystem, including YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and Display, into a single campaign format. While many marketers perceive PMAX as a “black box” due to its automation, Martin demystifies the platform by emphasizing the crucial role of high-quality data in driving success. He outlines how setting precise goals, ensuring proper data integration, and feeding the system with reliable first-party data are foundational steps for unlocking PMAX's potential.A recurring theme throughout the conversation is the importance of leveraging audience signals and high-quality creative assets. Martin explains how marketers can refine audience targeting by combining broad demographic data with proprietary customer insights from platforms like Shopify or Salesforce. On the creative front, he highlights the need for rigorous testing to identify top-performing assets, adapting strategies based on insights provided by PMAX’s asset performance reports. By balancing top-of-funnel content with conversion-driven creative, businesses can guide audiences effectively through the buying journey. Additionally, Martin discusses the use of secondary conversion events—such as tracking interactions or page views—as a powerful strategy to provide the algorithm with supplemental data for scaling campaigns.Looking ahead, Martin underscores the growing importance of automation, AI, and data warehousing in digital marketing. As platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok continue to prioritize automated solutions, he argues that the differentiator for businesses will be their ability to collect, analyze, and utilize first-party data. Brands that invest in understanding their customer behavior and provide actionable data to these systems will maintain a competitive edge. With his actionable tips on scaling budgets, optimizing ROAS, and overcoming plateaus, Martin equips listeners with the tools to navigate the ever-evolving world of paid media. This episode is a must-listen for any marketer looking to master PMAX and future-proof their advertising strategies.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Martin McAndrew LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinmcandrew/Blue Thirst: https://www.bluethirst.co.uk/https://www.stryde.com/setup-optimize-scale-google-pmax/

Pinterest is an underutilized yet powerful platform for D2C brands, offering unique opportunities to drive meaningful traffic and revenue. Unlike Instagram or TikTok, Pinterest operates as a visual search engine where users seek inspiration and actionable ideas. In this podcast episode, Greg Shuey interviews Natasha Chilcott, Director of Marketing and Sales at Marr Media Group, to explore how brands can harness Pinterest’s potential. Natasha highlights that Pinterest users engage with content differently, searching intentionally for solutions, which creates a distinct environment for marketers. By understanding this behavior and tailoring content to align with user intent, brands can tap into Pinterest as a significant driver of traffic and conversions.Success on Pinterest requires a well-structured and consistent approach. Natasha emphasizes the importance of creating keyword-driven boards and content categories that resonate with user searches. She explains how tools like Pinterest Predicts and Pinterest Analytics provide insights into trends and search behaviors, enabling brands to design strategies grounded in data. Consistency in pinning, ranging from 5–25 pins daily, ensures sustained visibility, while content variety—videos, stills, and infographics—fuels engagement. Natasha stresses that brands must focus on inspiration rather than promotion by showcasing products within aspirational or practical contexts, such as integrating furniture into a styled living room rather than showing standalone product images.Adaptability and testing are key to long-term success. Natasha underscores the need for brands to treat Pinterest as a dynamic platform where strategies evolve based on analytics and user feedback. Testing different content types, refining based on performance, and iterating with new trends ensure campaigns remain relevant. She advises brands to abandon static, one-size-fits-all approaches and adopt a flexible framework informed by short-term results and ongoing adjustments. Ultimately, Pinterest offers brands a stable yet evolving platform where creative, intentional, and data-driven efforts can lead to meaningful growth and engagement.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Natasha Chilcott LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natashachilcott/Marr Media: https://www.marrmediagroup.com/Pinterest Predicts: https://business.pinterest.com/pinterest-predicts/Pinterest Presents: https://business.pinterest.com/pinterest-presents/ https://www.stryde.com/organic-pinterest-marketing/

In this episode of the Seven Figures and Beyond eCommerce Marketing Podcast, Greg Shuey interviews Steven Schneider, the co-founder and CEO of Trio SEO, a blog writing agency specializing in driving high-intent organic traffic for B2B brands but increasingly working with eCommerce. Steven shares his evolution from a college student experimenting with Amazon affiliate blogs to a successful SEO expert managing a seven-figure blog portfolio and 400 articles per month. His approach emphasizes organic growth without paid ads or social media, a method that resonates with Greg’s own experiences in SEO-driven eCommerce success. Together, they dive into the critical elements of creating content that attracts browsers and converts them into loyal buyers.A key focus of the conversation is the importance of understanding customer intent and creating content tailored to real purchase motivations. Steven advises brands to study their customers deeply, crafting content that targets bottom-of-the-funnel keywords rather than high-traffic, top-funnel terms that may not convert. He also advocates for visually driven product pages that show rather than tell, with images and videos that allow customers to connect with the product on a sensory level. This approach can make product descriptions more engaging, cutting through the noise and enabling customers to quickly determine if a product meets their needs.Steven and Greg further explore the future of SEO for eCommerce, particularly as Google continues to evolve its search engine results pages to retain users and emphasize brand visibility. Steven suggests that with these changes, SEO will increasingly serve as a brand-building channel, focusing on creating a strong brand recall so that when customers are ready to buy, they seek out a brand directly. They discuss the importance of blending written and video content, gathering customer testimonials, and optimizing user experience, which together can foster trust and drive higher conversion rates.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Steven Schneider LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schneis/TrioSEO: https://trioseo.com/https://www.stryde.com/build-ecommerce-content-converts-browsers-buyers/

In this episode of the Seven Figures and Beyond e-commerce marketing podcast, host Greg Shuey welcomes Chris Porteous, founder and CEO of SearchEye, to discuss the transformative role of automation in online public relations. Chris shares his unique journey from finance to digital marketing, detailing how his experience led him to build an innovative PR platform that aims to make high-quality media placements accessible to companies of all sizes. Traditional PR, often requiring extensive resources and costly relationships, has historically been a luxury reserved for well-funded brands. However, SearchEye’s automated approach enables smaller brands to scale their reach by matching them with media opportunities that would otherwise be unattainable, creating a more level playing field for brand visibility.Chris highlights the delicate balance between automation and relationship-building, noting that while technology has streamlined the outreach process, the value of authentic, human connections remains irreplaceable. SearchEye uses AI to optimize pitches and personalize them to meet publishers’ criteria, effectively increasing acceptance rates and relevance. However, as automation tools flood the PR landscape, maintaining quality and relevance is becoming more challenging. Chris explains that brands can no longer rely on a “spray and pray” approach to outreach; instead, they must focus on targeted, meaningful engagements with the right media outlets to truly stand out.The episode concludes with a discussion on the broader impact of AI and evolving consumer behavior on organic marketing. Chris believes that while the rise of AI presents new opportunities for efficiency, it also heightens competition as the volume of automated pitches surges. This shift is driving brands to invest more in their identity, building a recognizable presence across multiple channels to navigate an increasingly competitive landscape. In the face of these changes, Chris emphasizes that investing in brand-building is more crucial than ever, as a strong brand is what ultimately drives sustainable growth and customer loyalty in today’s digital world.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Chris Porteous LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-porteous-9594323/SearchEye: https://searcheye.io/https://www.stryde.com/scale-brand-reach-with-automated-online-pr/

In this episode of the 7-Figures and Beyond eCommerce Growth Podcast, host Greg Shuey sits down with Neal Goyle, an eCommerce expert formerly at Tapcart and now with Disco, a post-purchase ad network. Their discussion centers around the necessity of diversifying customer acquisition channels for long-term brand stability and growth. Neal emphasizes that relying on a single channel, especially paid social media, is risky, as seen after iOS 14’s privacy changes disrupted Facebook’s ad targeting capabilities. This change forced many brands to confront their dependency on a single platform and highlighted the importance of adopting a multi-channel approach to reduce customer acquisition costs and increase profitability.Neal draws from his experiences at Tapcart and now Disco, where he focuses on targeting the right customers with high purchase intent. Disco allows brands to appear in post-purchase checkout experiences of other brands, offering an innovative way to reach engaged buyers at the peak of intent. This strategy not only helps brands diversify beyond traditional ad platforms but also brings in customers more likely to contribute to long-term value. Neal points out that increasing LTV is crucial for offsetting rising customer acquisition costs, and understanding customer data allows brands to better navigate this complex landscape by delivering personalized experiences that resonate with customers over time.The episode also explores the value of community-building and brand fundamentals that were often neglected in the boom of paid media channels. Neal and Greg advocate for a return to foundational marketing practices, such as investing in customer relationships and fostering a loyal brand community. They advise brands to take proactive steps in exploring new channels during periods of strong performance rather than waiting until primary channels decline. By embracing data-driven decisions, developing a prudent, forward-looking strategy, and diversifying acquisition efforts, brands can position themselves for sustainable growth, even in a challenging and evolving eCommerce environment.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Neal Goyal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealgoyal/Disco: https://www.disconetwork.com/Tapcart: https://www.tapcart.com/https://www.stryde.com/build-resilient-brand-channel-diversification/

In this episode of the 7 Figures and Beyond E-commerce Growth Podcast, host Greg Shuey chats with Kristine Schachinger, a technical SEO consultant with a wealth of experience in helping sites recover from Google algorithm updates. Kristine shares her journey from web design to a specialized SEO focus, working with clients who face significant losses in traffic due to algorithm changes. Her approach centers on in-depth technical audits, distinguishing her services from traditional agencies by directly engaging with clients’ site structures and providing hands-on, custom solutions. She explains her role as a "concierge consultant," offering expertise that goes beyond standard SEO by collaborating closely with in-house teams to execute necessary improvements.During their conversation, Kristine provides essential insights on the difference between core and helpful content updates and the types of site issues that commonly trigger visibility losses. Core updates often address technical SEO problems that have been accumulating over time, while helpful content updates target content quality and can impact smaller sites disproportionately. Kristine emphasizes the importance of using tools like Sitebulb and Screaming Frog for full-site crawls, which reveal underlying issues that basic SEO reports may overlook. For e-commerce brands, she highlights the need for strong internal linking, optimized site architecture, and compressed image files, which collectively enhance both user experience and Google’s crawl efficiency.In addition to these technical recommendations, Kristine advises brands to stay patient and avoid "quick fixes" like EAT optimization, which she clarifies is a conceptual framework rather than a direct ranking factor. Recovery efforts should focus on core SEO fundamentals and be in place well before the next algorithm update to allow Google’s systems time to recognize improvements. She also stresses the value of building unique, quality links over time and staying vigilant with site structure to guard against future hits. Her pragmatic advice is clear: if a brand encounters traffic drops, prioritizing a comprehensive audit and executing fundamental changes are essential to regaining lost ground.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Kristine Schachinger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kschachinger-seo/Sitebulb: https://sitebulb.comScreaming Frog: https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/Google Incident Reporting for Ranking Issues: https://status.search.google.comSearch Engine Journal/Roger Montti - How Compression Can Be Used To Detect Low-Quality Pages: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-compression-can-be-used-to-detect-low-quality-pages/530916/Google Search Console (GSC): https://search.google.com/search-consoleGoogle Ranking Systems Documentation: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guidehttps://www.stryde.com/diagnose-recover-google-algorithm-update/

In this episode of Seven Figures and Beyond Marketing Growth Podcast, Greg Shuey sits down with Colin Gardner, co-founder of Long Tail, to unpack the world of programmatic SEO and its transformative potential for scaling brand visibility across digital marketplaces. Colin, an economist by background with a career shaped in tech hubs like San Francisco, shares his journey through analytics roles in companies like Ancestry.com and Outdoorsy, where he developed an innovative approach to SEO. Programmatic SEO, Colin explains, is the art of deploying extensive, template-driven content that targets niche, long-tail keywords at scale—reaching audiences in specific geographies, with highly varied product or service categories. This technique contrasts traditional SEO by prioritizing broad reach over high-frequency search terms, providing brands with a cost-effective, sustainable path to boost online traffic and conversions.Colin emphasizes the importance of using the right tools and platforms to streamline programmatic SEO, which often requires specialized technical setups. Platforms like Shopify and Webflow can support programmatic SEO when enhanced by certain plugins and automation tools. Colin’s own company, Long Tail, even developed a custom plugin for Shopify to facilitate content automation, reducing the operational challenges traditionally associated with creating thousands of keyword-targeted pages. Tools such as Ahrefs and SEMrush aid in keyword research, while Airtable and WhaleSync help brands organize and sync data for content at scale. This technical ecosystem is integral to programmatic SEO, allowing brands to maximize search visibility without an extensive manual workload.The conversation highlights how programmatic SEO can be especially impactful for industries with location-based services, such as home services or vacation rentals, where demand for hyper-local search terms is high. Colin’s advice for brands considering this strategy includes leveraging AI for content creation, implementing extensive cross-linking to boost site authority, and aligning SEO efforts with PR and branding to create a unified marketing impact. By layering programmatic SEO with other channels—like social media and paid ads—brands can achieve a compounded effect, attracting a high-intent audience while lowering customer acquisition costs.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Colin Gardiner LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colingardiner/Longtail: https://longtailgrowth.com/Yonder Ventures: https://www.yonder.vc/Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.com/SEMRush: https://www.semrush.com/Webflow: https://webflow.com/Airtable: https://www.airtable.com/Whalesync: https://www.whalesync.com/ https://www.stryde.com/ecommerce-growth-with-programmatic-seo/

In this episode of the 7-Figures & Beyond Marketing, Greg Shuey welcomes Boyd Norwood, VP of Marketing at Nozzle, to discuss the evolution of search engine results pages (SERPs) and their impact on e-commerce businesses. Boyd shares insights from his 20-year career in SEO and online marketing, highlighting how SERPs have become more complex, shifting from the traditional "10 blue links" to a more intricate display of product listings, AI-generated overviews, and interactive filters. The episode explores how these changes, particularly for transactional e-commerce keywords, have transformed the way brands need to think about their SEO strategies. Boyd explains that optimizing for these various features has become crucial for brands to maintain visibility and compete effectively in an increasingly competitive SERP landscape.A key focus of the conversation is the growing significance of user-generated content, such as product reviews, in enhancing SERP rankings. Boyd emphasizes that product reviews, especially when aggregated from multiple retail sites, lend credibility and improve a brand's chances of appearing prominently in product packs and other SERP features. Greg and Boyd also explore the idea that Google is moving toward creating SERPs that resemble category pages on e-commerce sites, making it easier for users to filter and select products directly from the search engine. As these features become more prominent, businesses must ensure that their product pages are optimized with rich content, reviews, and unique insights that cater to both search engines and users.The episode also introduces Nozzle, a SERP monitoring tool that provides marketers with comprehensive data on how their brands and competitors perform across various SERP features. Boyd explains how Nozzle captures every element of the SERP, from product listings to "people also ask" boxes, enabling businesses to track, analyze, and optimize their presence in search results. This data helps marketers develop strategies to dominate specific SERP features, improve SEO performance, and stay ahead in the ever-evolving e-commerce landscape. The discussion ends with practical advice for e-commerce brands: take a step-by-step approach to optimizing for different SERP elements, ensuring consistent improvement across paid, organic, and other search-related efforts.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Boyd Norwood LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boydnorwood/Nozzle: https://nozzle.io/Ecommerce SERPs Product Results & Merchant Analysis: https://nozzle.io/blog/e-commerce-serps-product-results-and-merchant-analysis/One PAA Report To Rule Them All: https://nozzle.io/blog/one-paa-report-to-rule-them-all/Organic Product Grids: https://brodieclark.com/google-organic-product-grids/Google's New Category Page: https://searchengineland.com/retailers-google-new-category-page-447069https://www.stryde.com/analyze-dominate-search-engine-results-pages/

In this episode of the Seven Figures and Beyond Ecommerce Marketing Podcast, host Greg Shuey welcomes Nikki Lindgren, founder of Pennock, to discuss optimizing paid media strategies for lifestyle brands, especially with the holiday season approaching. Nikki shares her experience in paid media and SEO, emphasizing how the landscape has become increasingly challenging due to economic uncertainties, higher advertising costs, and shifts in consumer behavior. She highlights the trend of consumers holding back in October in anticipation of major Black Friday deals, making it crucial for brands to strategically navigate this period to avoid sales slumps. The conversation sets the stage for exploring practical ways brands can leverage paid marketing channels like Google, Meta, and TikTok to drive growth while overcoming these hurdles.Nikki emphasizes the importance of a full-funnel marketing approach that balances brand awareness and retargeting efforts. For emerging brands, she recommends prioritizing budget on high-impact, core channels rather than spreading resources too thin across multiple platforms. She points to the power of creative assets, noting that high-quality video content with strong hooks can significantly enhance ad performance. The discussion also delves into the benefits of utilizing creator-generated content, even on a limited budget, to make ads feel more organic. Nikki provides practical insights into optimizing campaigns with tools like Google’s Performance Max and Meta's Advantage+ to stay competitive in a fast-evolving landscape.Looking ahead, Nikki predicts a shift towards more granular audience targeting and intentional ad placements, contrasting the current reliance on broad machine learning-driven strategies. She believes that refining audience segments and focusing on specific customer tribes will yield better returns, especially as platforms like Google and Meta continue to expand their features for advertisers. Greg and Nikki agree that a holistic approach to marketing, which integrates paid media with organic strategies and owned channels, will become even more essential for brands aiming to maintain growth and navigate the complexities of the ecommerce space.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Nikki Lindgren LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkilindgren/Pennock: https://www.pennock.co/Bestever: https://www.bestever.ai/Soona: https://soona.co/https://www.stryde.com/leverage-paid-media-to-grow-lifestyle-brands/

In this episode of the Seven Figures and Beyond eCommerce Marketing Podcast, Greg Shuey interviews Paige Hope, the founder of Elan Pure, a non-toxic beauty and wellness brand. Paige shares her journey of launching Elan Pure, motivated by personal experiences with hormonal challenges and her sister’s autoimmune diagnosis. Frustrated by the lack of truly toxin-free beauty products, Paige created her own, starting with a non-toxic self-tanner. She explains that her mission extends beyond the products themselves, focusing on educating consumers about the connection between wellness and beauty. From the ground up, she built her brand by leveraging communities, content creators, and affiliates without relying on paid advertising in the early stages.Paige dives into the importance of community for DTC brands, defining it as a group of loyal individuals who champion the brand, even when no ads are running. For her, community includes customers, creators, affiliates, and even employees who align with the brand’s mission. She emphasizes the need for brands to take an active approach to engage with their community, ensuring that these supporters feel valued and connected to the brand's purpose. Paige explains that many brands fail by focusing only on quick fixes like Facebook ads, while neglecting the foundational work of building long-term relationships with their community.She further outlines steps for new brands to establish and nurture a community, starting with strong branding, a clear differentiator, and authentic engagement with affiliates and customers. Paige suggests that brands should prioritize thoughtful, methodical growth by investing in brand storytelling, using affiliate programs, and creating an engaging social presence. Success, she notes, isn’t immediate and requires consistent effort, but the long-term payoff is a loyal, enthusiastic customer base that supports sustainable growth beyond paid ads.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Paige Hope LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-jensen-hope/Elan Pure: https://elanpure.com/Pattern Creators: https://pattern.com/products/creatorshttps://www.stryde.com/building-sustainable-long-term-growth-with-communities/

In this episode of the Seven Figures and Beyond eCommerce Marketing Podcast, host Greg Shuey interviews Brittany Harvey, the founder of Vanu, a baby brand that developed an innovative multi-use lounger designed to help infants with tummy time, reflux, and gas relief. Brittany shares her unconventional journey into entrepreneurship, which included careers in education, working in PR for major brands, and even starting a restaurant in Jamaica. After becoming a mother and facing her own child’s challenges with reflux, Brittany launched Vanu, initially fulfilling orders from her garage and eventually expanding to a warehouse. She emphasizes the significance of creating products that solve real parenting challenges, which has driven the company's growth and product expansion.The main focus of the discussion is on the strategic use of VIP groups on social platforms like Facebook and Instagram to cultivate community engagement and support Vanu's growth. Brittany explains that VIP groups allow brands to connect with their audience on a more personal level by offering a space for customers, potential buyers, and content creators to interact directly with the brand. These groups foster loyalty, provide valuable customer feedback, and can be used for testing new product ideas. Brittany highlights that her initial efforts on Facebook saw limited engagement, prompting a shift to Instagram, where she discovered a much more active and responsive community. This change underscores the importance of understanding where your target audience spends their time and being willing to pivot when needed.Brittany also shares insights into maintaining the vitality of VIP groups by keeping content relevant and authentic. She engages with group members by sharing personal stories, asking for input on new product designs, and discussing topics of interest to parents, such as dealing with common baby issues. Brittany emphasizes the importance of not focusing solely on product promotion but creating a supportive environment where customers feel valued and heard. She also touches on the role of first-party data and affiliate programs in measuring group success and maintaining relationships with highly engaged customers. Despite the challenges, such as periods of low engagement or managing diverse expectations within the groups, Brittany believes VIP groups are an invaluable tool for building community and driving sustainable eCommerce growth.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Brittany Harvey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-harvey/Vonu: https://vonubaby.com/https://www.stryde.com/leverage-vip-groups-to-drive-revenue/

In this episode of the Seven Figures and Beyond eCommerce Marketing Podcast, host Greg Shuey welcomes John Doherty, founder of Editor Ninja, to explore the critical role of content in ecommerce marketing. Drawing on over two decades of experience in SEO and content marketing, both Greg and John emphasize the enduring need for high-quality, well-optimized content that serves both search engines and users. They highlight how essential it is for ecommerce businesses to invest in three key types of content: business-related (like press releases and case studies), educational (such as blogs and resource pages), and category pages. These content types not only improve site visibility and user engagement but also drive meaningful traffic that converts, making them foundational to a thriving ecommerce strategy.John and Greg discuss common challenges and misconceptions around content production, particularly the tendency of brands to prioritize quantity over quality. They stress that effective content should be concise, engaging, and tailored to meet both search engine requirements and user expectations, especially in a landscape increasingly influenced by AI. The conversation underscores the importance of crafting content that resonates with target audiences and aligns closely with brand identity, helping ecommerce businesses build authority and trust. Moreover, they note that content creation should not be viewed as a one-time effort; regular updates and ongoing optimization are essential for maintaining relevance and performance in search rankings.Promotion and strategic distribution of content are also key themes in their discussion. John advises brands to actively promote their content through various channels, including social media, email, and even paid placements, to maximize reach and impact. Additionally, they highlight the importance of aligning content efforts with broader business goals, ensuring that every piece of content supports revenue growth and customer acquisition objectives. As the conversation wraps up, Greg and John reflect on the evolving landscape of content marketing, emphasizing that while content will continue to be a vital component of ecommerce strategy, brands must remain adaptable and innovative to keep up with changing trends and technologies.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/John Doherty LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfdoherty/Editor Ninja: https://editorninja.com/https://www.stryde.com/four-types-of-content-every-ecommerce-brands-needs-to-scale/

In this episode of the 7 Figures and Beyond Ecommerce Marketing Podcast, Greg Shuey welcomes Gentry Jensen of Cordova Outdoors to discuss the intricacies of purchasing an e-commerce brand. Gentry shares his journey from a Navy SEAL to a successful brand owner, highlighting his transition from corporate finance to owning Cordova Outdoors, a company specializing in high-quality coolers. The discussion delves into the considerations for buying an e-commerce brand, focusing on assessing barriers to entry, evaluating financial health, and identifying growth opportunities.Gentry emphasizes the importance of understanding a brand's barriers to entry, such as existing manufacturing capabilities and intellectual property. For Cordova, the substantial investment in manufacturing equipment and unique product features, like patented lid locks and durable handles, provided a competitive edge. He also discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the acquisition process, noting how the pandemic's disruption affected the company's operations and necessitated a strategic approach to due diligence.The conversation further explores the due diligence process, including verifying financials, assessing customer relationships, and evaluating potential growth channels like Amazon and corporate partnerships. Gentry highlights the importance of leveraging existing customer relationships and exploring new revenue streams, such as corporate gifting and OEM partnerships. The episode wraps up with insights on negotiation tactics and the challenges faced during the acquisition process, offering valuable lessons for anyone considering buying an e-commerce brand.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Gentry Jensen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gentry-j-17b42a9/Cordova: https://cordovaoutdoors.com/https://www.stryde.com/how-to-buy-an-ecommerce-business/

In this episode of the 7 Figures and Beyond E-commerce Marketing Podcast, Greg Shuey interviews Adena Merabi from Okendo, discussing the transformative power of customer reviews, quizzes, and loyalty programs in driving website conversions and revenue growth. Adina, the partnerships team lead at Okendo, shares her insights from three years at the company, highlighting the platform's impressive growth and comprehensive suite of tools designed to help brands build engaged communities. Okendo's offerings, which include reviews, quizzes, referrals, loyalty, and surveys, aim to help brands grow faster and more efficiently by leveraging customer feedback and data.Adina emphasizes the crucial role of robust customer reviews, particularly those incorporating user-generated content (UGC), in influencing purchasing decisions and improving conversion rates. She explains how visual content and detailed customer feedback can significantly impact potential buyers, making reviews a vital part of an effective e-commerce strategy. Additionally, Adina discusses innovative ways to encourage customers to leave reviews, such as offering tiered incentives and utilizing SMS platforms like Postscript, Attentive, and Klaviyo to send review requests at optimal times.The conversation also delves into the benefits of quizzes for personalized product recommendations and the effectiveness of strategic loyalty programs. Adina describes how quizzes can gather valuable zero-party data while providing customers with tailored product suggestions, ultimately boosting conversions and average order values. She also highlights the importance of well-structured loyalty programs, with clear rules, compelling rewards, and VIP tiers, to foster customer engagement and retention. Adina underscores the need for brands to be strategic and data-driven in their approach, using personalized marketing campaigns to maximize the potential of these tools and enhance customer relationships.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Adena Merabi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adena-merabi/Okendo: https://okendo.io/https://www.stryde.com/how-to-leverage-customers-to-scale-your-d2c-revenue/

In this episode of the Seven Figures and Beyond eCommerce Marketing Podcast, Greg Shuey and Laurel Teuscher dive into strategies for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, stressing the importance of starting preparations as early as July. Laurel, the VP at Stride, shares her expertise from nine years in digital marketing, particularly in SEO and Google Ads. The discussion underscores that early planning can prevent the rush and stress associated with last-minute preparations, ensuring that brands can maximize their opportunities during the biggest shopping season of the year.The first key area discussed is the importance of evaluating and enhancing customer service and fulfillment processes. Laurel emphasizes that these two aspects can make or break the holiday season for a business. She advises brands to assess their response times, customer service methods, and fulfillment capabilities to handle increased order volumes effectively. Documenting processes and training manuals is recommended to ensure smooth operations during the high-pressure holiday period.Next, the hosts highlight the need for thorough website preparation. This includes updating product images, refining SEO efforts, and implementing A/B testing to optimize user experience and conversions. They also suggest using heat maps to understand consumer behavior and identify barriers to purchasing. By starting these preparations early, brands can ensure their websites are fully optimized to capture as much traffic and revenue as possible.Lastly, the discussion turns to paid channels and email/SMS campaigns. The importance of developing a strategic plan for paid ads, including budget allocation and timing, is emphasized. Additionally, Laurel advises cleaning up email lists, testing cadence for emails and SMS, and ensuring all automations are up to date. In November, brands should finalize and review all marketing materials, getting stakeholder approvals and scheduling ads in advance to avoid technical issues. This meticulous planning and preparation are crucial for a successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Laurel Teuscher LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laureltoosure/ https://www.stryde.com/high-impact-black-friday-cyber-monday-marketing-strategies/

In this episode of the 7 Figures and Beyond podcast, host Greg Shuey invites Andrew and Victor, co-founders of the ad agency AdCrunch, to discuss their innovative approach to high-volume ad copy and creative testing for scaling brands on the Meta platform. The discussion begins with the importance of understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), which serves as the foundation for all creative and ad strategies. Andrew and Victor share their journeys into the ad industry, highlighting their transition from different backgrounds to establishing a successful agency focused on growth and results-driven marketing.The heart of the episode revolves around AdCrunch’s Creative Search Protocol (CSP), a framework designed to conduct high-volume testing in a strategic and intentional manner. Victor explains that the CSP framework is not about randomly testing numerous variations but about systematically understanding the pain points of the target audience and addressing them through various creative iterations. This method allows brands to identify the most effective messaging quickly and efficiently, ensuring that the ad spend is optimized for maximum impact.Greg, Andrew, and Victor delve into the practical aspects of ad testing, discussing metrics like hook rates and hold rates, which are critical for gauging the effectiveness of ad creatives. They emphasize the need for brands to move beyond a narrow focus on brand consistency and to embrace a more experimental approach on platforms like Meta. By doing so, brands can discover new, valuable elements to incorporate into their branding strategy. Andrew also shares insights on managing ad variations using structured naming conventions and levels of testing to keep the process organized and data-driven.The episode concludes with a discussion on future trends in Meta advertising, particularly the potential for AI integration to enhance ad performance. Despite the rapid technological advancements, Andrew and Victor stress the importance of sticking to foundational marketing principles—understanding the customer and crafting compelling messages that address their needs. They also touch on the challenges and opportunities in other platforms like TikTok and the importance of maintaining a holistic view of the paid traffic ecosystem. This comprehensive discussion provides valuable insights for brand owners and marketers looking to scale their businesses through effective ad strategies on Meta.Episode LinksGreg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/Victor Vo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorvo/Andrew DiLullo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-dilullo-481222bb/Ad Crunch: https://www.adcrunchdigital.com/Ad Crunch Hook Sheet Templatehttps://www.stryde.com/scaling-your-brand-on-meta/