11 Things I′ve Learned Running Ads For DTC Brands For Over 3 Years Now
Javier Cantu
![Javier Cantu]()
Javier Cantu
Founder at B360 Digital | Making It UNREASONABLE For Skincare & Wellness Brands To Not Add $150K To Their MRR Through Viral UGCs + TikTok Ads, GUARANTEED
- Your product + website make up 60%+ of the advertising process.
- Approach with a ‘gathering data’ mindset. Understand what your customer lifetime value is and use that as a benchmark rather than trying to be profitable from day one.
- Socially listen to your audience. Amazon reviews, customer surveys, Facebook groups, Reddit, YouTube comments, competitor ads, competitor reviews...study these to improve your copy.
- Stay emotionally detached from your copy and creatives. This will allow you to ruthlessly test. I’ve seen $50 testimonials outperform professionally produced video ads.
- Invest in influencers to create content for your ads. Adds to the interruption factor if people see someone they recognise in the feed. Stopping them scrolling is half the battle.
- Don’t try to reinvent the wheel - observe competitors ads’, look for patterns and then emulate what’s working.
- Getting to know the people behind the screens is far more valuable than anything that can be done inside of ads manager. Get on the phone with your most valued customers and ask deep, thought-provoking questions that reveal their emotional attachment to the product.
- Storytelling works. The best campaign I’ve ever run was for an activewear brand where we told the story of an isolated college girl who used the gym as a way to regain her confidence. It worked so well, she went on to become a brand ambassador.
- Don’t just run ads when you have something to sell. Dedicate a portion of your budget to experimenting without metrics.
- Don’t assume you know best. Set your audiences broad and let the algorithm do the rest.
- Respond to all comments. Starting conversations with customers can show the human side of your brand. Be playful and speak in their language.