3 Tips for D2C Brands to Maintain a Competitive Edge

The last couple of years has seen an influx of direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands in the digital marketplace. With so many choices, how do brands stand out? Well, it’s simple. Your compelling storytelling will get customers to notice you.

D2C stands for “direct to consumer,” referring to brands that sell products directly to their customers, usually through their websites. It’s a model that’s been around for several years, but it’s becoming increasingly popular among retailers today.

Why? Well, these brands are growing so swiftly because they have one significant advantage over their competitors—they don’t have to pay a considerable amount of money on marketing, which means lower prices for the customer. D2C brands offer their audiences products at a far better value than those found in high street shops or even your favorite department stores.

Suchita Salwan, Founder and CEO of LBB, Shantanu Deshpande, Founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, and Vikas Bagaria, Founder and CEO, PeeSafe, offer their valuable inputs about how D2C brands can stay relevant among their current competition.

3 Tips for D2C Brands to Stay Relevant

1. Create original content

D2C brands can stay relevant by creating original content that resonates with their target audience. The majority of these brands have their own websites where you can purchase their products directly from them and find out more information about the company itself.

2. Leverage content marketing

Content marketing is crucial for D2C brands to gain visibility and simplify the buying process for their customers. Content marketing covers various marketing methods companies use to attract customers and grow their business, from blogging to social media posts, videos, and podcasts.

Furthermore, it is one of the best ways for D2C businesses to reach out to potential customers genuinely. As more consumers get online daily, there has been a shift in where they look for information about new products: the internet!

3. Add value

D2C brands produce content related to their specific niche, but they also provide value by solving their audience’s problems. Content creation helps them establish credibility and build trust with potential customers.

Common Mistakes to Avoid on the Journey of Building a D2C Brand

Here are the common mistakes that companies make when they try to build a D2C brand and how to avoid them:

● Not understanding the value of your brand and how to articulate it

Focus on what makes your brand different from everyone else, and be prepared to articulate that clearly.

● Not getting your pricing right

You must be able to sell your product at a price point that makes sense for your customer and allows you to make a margin on each sale, or you will not be sustainable.

● Focus on building a base of customers and not just revenue

Growth comes from repeat customers (and hopefully referrals), no matter what business you’re in. Revenue is important, but it’s even more critical to get repeat sales from your existing customers.

● Creating barriers to change

The biggest mistake new D2C brands make is failing to be flexible in an ever-changing market. The best way to do this is by having a solid financial strategy and constantly monitoring your numbers so you can make smart decisions when things start to shift.

● Initiating only one-way communication

You need to add interactive elements to your content to show that you care. For example, adding polls or questionnaires to your blog posts will allow users to feel engaged and an essential part of your community.

Summary

To sum up, content marketing helps cut through the clutter by providing helpful information and helps in branding without being too pushy or promotional. It also gives you the chance to establish yourself as an authority in your industry, which can help drive sales conversions down the road.

We hope you have gained important insights about D2C brands and content marketing through this blog.

Remember to stay unique and authentic and build trust with your audience.

Note: This blog is an excerpt from a session on How D2C Brands use Content Marketing to Promote Trust with Suchita Salwan, Founder and CEO of LBB, Shantanu Deshpande, Founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, and Vikas Bagaria, Founder and CEO, PeeSafe. The session was part of Elevate–a global virtual content summit organized by Pepper Content, bringing together industry leaders in content marketing.