Was it just us or did November fly by this year? Luckily, we got to cap off the fall month not just with turkey and family, but also another highly successful Shopify Meetup with many of our merchants and peers.
This time around, we invited four merchants who presented on their strategies on growing their brand, growing their business, and of course, growing their affiliate marketing programs.
The night started off with free food and drinks, including the “Refersion Refresher” (an appropriate shade of green). Our CEO Alex Markov kicked off the presentations and welcomed our group of merchants. Incidentally, all four of our wonderful presenters were women at this meetup, a great thing that we’re working hard to make more common with our commitment to showcasing more diversity in the e-commerce landscape!
First up was Jennifer Carter, the Director of Marketing at Volhard Dog Nutrition. She spoke on her company’s strategy to target dog owners, and the different ways they acquired customers.
Jennifer highlighted how their affiliate marketing program has boosted their sales, and the importance of nurturing affiliates so you have the absolute best chance of success and positive ROI. She had great advice to give, even if you were starting your very first affiliate marketing campaign.
Next up was Dr. Emily Splichal, Founder of Naboso Technology. As a podiatrist, Emily knows a thing or two about caring for people’s feet, and she started her foot insert company to help us all walk & run better.
Emily spoke about unique ways to build an audience and following. For her, being an expert guest on various podcasts has been a huge success in branding her and her company. Emily spends a significant amount of time each week on these podcasts, and has become an influencer herself.
Next on the docket was Pepper Jefferson, the Influencer Marketing Manager at Karity. Karity sells professional-level makeup and makeup brushes. With over a quarter million followers on Instagram alone, they know all about the power of influencers in the competitive beauty space.
Pepper recommend that our audience not ignore the smaller influencers in their respective niche. Working with these micro-influencers who love creating makeup tutorials and similar content can be a huge boost to building brand trust. Even with 4,000 followers or less, they are effective at helping you build a social media presence.
Finally, we had Tamara Mayne, the owner of Brooklyn Candle Studio. Founded in 2013, Tamara has grown her 100% soy wax candle business into an industry staple. She spoke about just how much research she did before truly entering the space, apart from just selling to family and friends. 10 months of research, in fact, to feel prepared to take the industry by storm.
Tamara also provided great tips from the business lessons she learned the hard way as her company expanded. For example, trade shows were a huge key to their growth. Attending them doubled her business. Another tip? Fire quickly. Though it’s tough to get rid of employees, it’s always better to do it sooner than later for the sake of your company and culture.
Each presenter had a Q&A, and continued to speak with our attendees as the night transitioned to mingling and networking. More food and drinks were had by all, including Refersion merch to take home, of course.
Want in on our next meetup? We’re already gearing up for another event on February 7th of the new year! Keep an eye on our meetup profile where we’ll be opening up RSVP’s about a month before the event date.
See you then, and have a happy holiday and a happy new year!
