Latest / Imagine If with Doone Roisin | Health, Wealth & Wisdom for Women (formerly Female Startup Club Podcast) / GEMS: Obsessing Over Product with The Beekeeper's Naturals founder Carly Kremer
Transcript
- 0:09I'm wondering when you look back at your like marketing over the last two years, say since Daniel joined, what do you think has been the reason for the success and, you know, crazy customer growth and customer acquisition?
- 0:21Yeah. So I think for one, we're obsessive about product. Our products work at the end of the day and we will not bring something to market that doesn't not only work, but is accessible to the most sensitive systems. I'm a great guinea pig for all of our products. I won't bring something to market that I don't use. So we're really obsessive about product quality and efficacy. And I think
- 0:42That's, you know, you can only get so far with a company built on promise. It's really important to be obsessed with your products and be obsessed with the landscape and understanding your customer base and what they need and solving problems for them. So that's number one. If our products didn't work, we would not have grown like this. And then on the marketing front, it's really challenging because we have such a nuanced product line. We're dealing with ingredients that the average person hasn't heard of.
- 1:12There's generally a lack of trust in the wellness space and specifically when it comes to medicine, when people are sick, they just want to get fucking better. Like the last thing they want to do is try something that like maybe will work. So it's really important that we again make products that truly work, but also have strategic, decisive messaging that people understand, trying to kind of
- 1:39bring this down to everyone's level because the average person, again, doesn't know what Propolis is. So how can we make this just understandable in a quick snap second? And so really speaking, and we've figured that out through a lot of customer testing, a lot of trial and error. We've done like the long-winded campaigns where I try and teach every single person about every single B product and people tend to get bored and check out.
- 2:04We've done the thing where we speak to the specific symptom. And ultimately what I've learned is that you need to speak, you need to meet your customer where they are. So speaking to their needs, you know, I have, I, so, I mean, as you can probably tell by this podcast, I tend to like go down a rabbit hole. Yeah.
- 2:20verbally and when I'm researching and when I'm doing anything. And so I want to like share all the amazing products. And people sometimes joke that I'm like the Windex dad from Big Fat Creek Wedding. So I'm like, papapos on everything. But really, and even if something is...
- 2:36the best miracle product ever and it is a cure-all, it's really important to be specific and meet your customer where they are and speak to the problem that they're going through. So, you know, when I talk to other entrepreneurs, I really emphasize, especially with, I mean, with anything, I really emphasize the importance of getting to know who your customer is, where they live, how old they are, what other things do they consume, what are they dealing with? Like, what is the problem that is still plaguing them?
- 3:05I think it's wonderful when you are your customer. I think that's a really wonderful thing. And, you know, it's not always the case. And I think companies can evolve in a beautiful way without that because we're all, you know, capable of empathy and understanding. But it really, you know, if you're not your customer, get to know your customers, spend time with them. I it was unintentional. But the work that I did in the early days at farmer's markets, standing in a booth.
- 3:33all weekend, every weekend, and just talking to people who are using my product coming back the next weekend saying like, I like this, but not this so much. And I would say, why? And I really got to know that. And you know, you don't have to do that. You can replicate that with customer surveying. When you put out a product, get a good focus group going and survey them digitally and get to know what they like and what they don't like and be ready to move because, you know, also don't don't fall too in love with like your master formula.
- 4:01Because it's not just about you. It's about meeting your customer where they are. So, you know, be open, be open-minded, be flexible, and continue growing alongside your customer base. Absolutely. I think that's such an important one that sometimes, even though it's the most obvious thing, sometimes people can actually forget that and
- 4:21Of course, and as you're seeing with your brand, word of mouth is so important and it has to be inherently built into what you do so that, you know, one person tells five of their other people and you didn't have to pay to acquire those customers at all. Yeah. And I mean, that's kind of what social media is. That's what influencers are. It's people who, you know, amassed a following and their word of mouth carries.
- 4:44And so, you know, you also need to be really clear on your messaging. This is something that I've messed up with all of, you know, sharing too many products or too many benefits. Like you need to really make it digestible for people and allow them to have their own experience. And then trust that if it works for them and you can trust that when you've worked your ass off making a great product.
- 5:06that it will carry. But we live in a world where information is easily disseminated. So that's a wonderful blessing for an entrepreneur. Absolutely.
- 5:20Hey, it's June here. Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast. If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com where you can subscribe to our free newsletter. We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
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