don't beat the competition, outmaneuver them

Hey,

If at least one of your channels isn’t kind of flopping right now, are you even working in marketing?

No, it’s not just you. It’s tough out here.

To state the obvious, marketing channels today aren’t the same as they were a few years ago. They're exorbitantly expensive, highly saturated, disrupted by AI and algorithms, and a lot of users are fatigued.

If you tried to get the same results today that you got back in 2019, you might end up pretty disappointed.

Average channel results right now.

This issue isn’t so bad for big brands that have the resources like budget, team, existing brand recognition to make an impact. But it’s a different story for smaller and early-stage brands, where barriers are so high that trying to compete in those spaces can feel straight up Sisyphean.

That doesn’t mean organic social, paid ads, SEO, and email have no value—in fact I’d argue that smaller or early-stage brands need these growth levers—but relying on them alone means either spending aggressively to keep up, or explore smaller channels to acquire and retain customers in addition to those bigger tactics.

When you're small, you have an advantage the big guys don't: the freedom to experiment because you're nimble and fewer eyes are on you.

Let’s look at a few ways smaller brands are out outmaneuvering their competition:

Chamberlain Coffee went IRL
Emma Chamberlain left TikTok, but not before taking her audience data with her. Now Chamberlain Coffee shows up where her Gen Z fans actually are: college campuses with pop-ups. Chamberlain understood that her customers aren't just scrolling—they're living actual lives, and she found out where they were IRL and went to them.

Charlotte Palermino built her founder-led community early.
Before she even had a single product to sell, Charlotte was already building trust and community. She spent years on Instagram calling out misinformation in the skincare space and discussing America's terrible SPF regulations. By the time she launched Dieux Skin, her 300K+ followers already had their wallets open ready to buy from her.

MERIT surprises and delights obsessively.
We learn in Growclass that it costs 5-25x more to acquire a new customer than retain one, but retention isn't just about loyalty programs or email sequences, it's also about making people feel something. Five years ago I bought from MERIT and got a gorgeous marigold corduroy makeup bag free with my order. It still sits on my vanity every single morning, a daily reminder that this brand actually gives a damn. Even something as simple as a handwritten note or an unexpected gift-with-purchase can go a long way.

The RealReal and Saie Beauty are growing on new channels before they get crowded.
Substack is gaining steam with smaller brands while bigger ones haven't explored it yet. This isn't for promotional emails—this is where you can get conceptual and have fun. The RealReal launched The RealGirl written as a Gossip Girl-esque character. Saie Beauty has From the Saie Office giving behind-the-scenes peeks. Other channels brands are exploring include Discord and Slack communities.

The bottom line? You don’t need a Coca-Cola budget to make an impact, you just need to get creative with what you’ve got, and sometimes that means playing where the competition isn’t. At least yet.

Until next time,

Ines

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