The Art of Personalization in DTC: 5 Insights

Hey, and welcome back! Austin Dandridge here with Cobble Hill’s latest edition of The Marketing Factor. I'm excited to continue sharing our deep dives into the world of direct-to-consumer e-commerce.

If you’re new here, these newsletters will include the top takeaways from each weekly podcast episode distilled into concise, actionable advice.

Here’s how you can follow along:

→ Weekly episode on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple. Every Wednesday.

→ Daily short-form content on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

You’re receiving this email because you’re a friend or supporter of Cobble Hill. If you no longer wish to receive these, no worries - just unsubscribe at the bottom. If you know someone who would benefit from this content, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with them!

On the latest episode of "The Marketing Factor" podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Lindsey Johnson, CEO and Co-founder of Weezie Towels. Lindsey and her co-founder Liz started Weezie in 2018 to bring a luxury, personalized towel experience to the market after identifying a gap in the industry. Since then, Weezie has grown into a thriving direct-to-consumer brand known for its high-quality, customizable towels and exceptional customer service.

Throughout our conversation, Lindsey shared invaluable insights on how Weezie has leveraged personalization to create a unique brand experience that resonates with customers. From authentic influencer partnerships to maintaining a human touch in customer service, Lindsey dives deep into the nuances of personalization and its major role in Weezie's success.

Want to learn how to incorporate personalization into your brand strategy and create a loyal customer base?

Make sure to catch the full episode with Lindsey here:

Here are 5 key takeaways from our discussion:

1. Collab with influencers who are customers first

For Lindsey, teaming up with influencers isn't just about chasing those with the biggest follower counts. It's all about finding people who genuinely support Weezie's products and mission.

"It's finding people who authentically resonate with the brand and are already using the product."

By keeping it authentic, Weezie makes sure that influencer content feels like the real deal and strikes a chord with their target audience. This approach leads to shoutouts that actually make an impact and drive serious results for the brand.

2. Keeping the human touch in customer service, even as you grow

As Weezie has scaled up, Lindsey and her team have stayed committed to providing personalized, one-on-one customer service, even if it's not the most "efficient" way to do things.

"The short answer is that it doesn't scale. And what I mean by that is not to say you can't do it, but it's not something you can outsource."

Instead of giving in to the temptation of automating everything, Weezie focuses on creating unique, memorable experiences that turn customers into raving fans and get them spreading the word.

3. Using paid ads to snag the right customers

Lindsey spoke on how Weezie leverages paid advertising to go after the customers who are most likely to fall in love with their customizable bath towels.

"We have the highest LTV customers coming in through the bath category, getting their products customized and monogrammed. They're really getting the truest Weezie experience that we set out to create from the beginning. Those become our best customers."

By zeroing in on the folks who will really appreciate Weezie's personalized touch, the brand gets the most bang for their advertising buck and builds a loyal crew of high-value customers.

4. Making gift-giving magic with personalized products

Lindsey explains how Weezie's personalization options make their products the perfect pick for any gift-giving occasion.

"Personalization is a huge opportunity for gifting. We push the idea that if you want to buy a present for someone else in your life, whether it be for graduation, Mother's Day, Christmas, birthday, housewarming, or wedding gifts, we have options for all of that."

By playing up the gift-worthiness of their personalized goodies, Weezie taps into a major market and inspires customers to create one-of-a-kind presents that will really wow their loved ones.

5. Switching up email and SMS marketing to keep things fresh

Weezie keeps their email and SMS game on point by tailoring content to match the season and showcase the most relevant products.

"We swap out products seasonally. So we have a lot of seasonal products like beach towels, pool lounge covers, and kids' beach cover-ups. Those will be the products you're seeing in your summer emails."

By constantly adapting their marketing to match their audience's changing needs and interests, Weezie shows they're always on the pulse and introducing fresh products, which further strengthens those customer connections.

Hey there, welcome back! Austin Dandridge here with Cobble Hill’s latest edition of The Marketing Factor.

Last week's kickoff was a great start, and I'm excited to continue sharing our deep dives into the world of direct-to-consumer e-commerce.

If you’re new here, these newsletters will include the top takeaways from each weekly podcast episode distilled into concise, actionable advice.

Here’s how you can follow along:

→ Weekly episode on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple. Every Wednesday.

→ Daily short-form content on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

You’re receiving this email because you’re a friend or supporter of Cobble Hill. If you no longer wish to receive these, no worries - just unsubscribe at the bottom. If you know someone who would benefit from this content, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with them!

This week I sat down with Carrie Morey, Founder of Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, to discuss how she manages to keep her brand’s authentic, local vibe intact while scaling up.

Before we get into it, here’s the full episode:

Carrie Morey is the owner and founder of Callie's Charleston Biscuits and Callie's Hot Little Biscuit, a handmade biscuit company she started 19 years ago using her mother Callie's recipes. With a passion for Southern food and a desire to balance her career with raising her daughters, Carrie embarked on a journey to build a mail-order biscuit business at a time when online shopping was still in its infancy.

In this episode of “The Marketing Factor”, Carrie gets real about keeping an authentic, local feel alive while dreaming big and going global. She spoke on the wild ride of growing her business authentically, from personally dropping off biscuits at local spots to figuring out how to scale up production and distribution without losing that special touch. Carrie's story is all about staying true to your roots while chasing those big dreams.

Here are 7 key takeaways from our conversation:

1. Hiring a publicist who authentically believed in the product was key to early exposure

Carrie gives major props to Libba Osborne, the publicist who always got what her brand was all about. Libba's genuine vibe and media connections helped put Callie's Charleston Biscuits on the map in those early days.

2. Writing a recipe blog provided value beyond just selling products

Libba dropped some wisdom on Carrie, telling her to start a recipe blog to connect with her audience beyond just pushing biscuits. By sharing all kinds of recipes and stories, Carrie built a deeper bond with her customers and kept them coming back for more.

3. Opening eateries was a strategy to gain regular customers for online and grocery sales

Carrie's move to open Hot Little Biscuit spots wasn't just about getting into the restaurant business. It was a clever way to get regular customers hooked on her e-commerce and wholesale game. These brick-and-mortar locations let folks taste the biscuits and vibe with the brand in person.

4. Writing cookbooks connected people to the story behind the biscuits

In her cookbooks, Carrie went deeper than just sharing some recipes - she opened up about the personal stories and experiences that made her brand what it is. By inviting readers into her world, she created a deep connection that turned casual customers into ride-or-die fans.

5. Carrie's authentic passion has attracted unique opportunities

Carrie's genuine love for what she does has brought some wild opportunities her way, like being on Top Chef and having her own PBS docu-series. By keeping it real and only saying yes to projects that feel right, she's attracted partnerships that help spread her brand's message far and wide.

6. If partnering to scale, Carrie's role would be maintaining the authentic story

As Carrie thinks about bringing in investors to help grow the business, she knows her main job will be to keep her brand's story authentic. By focusing on keeping her products and message on point, she can make sure that growth doesn't mean selling out.

7. Passion for the product takes a back seat to the realities of running a business

Carrie's journey shows how the passion that first drives an entrepreneur can take a backseat to the day-to-day grind of running and growing a business. Even though her love for biscuits and Southern eats is still at the heart of her company, Carrie's role has shifted to focus on the operational and strategic side of running a successful business.