Market Analysis & Marketing Plan

Molly De Wald

RSAN 140: Marketing & Customer Analytics

Key Topics Covered:

• Goals & Initiatives
• Market Analysis
• Product Analysis
• Target Audience
• Website User Analysis
• Audience Persona (B2C)
• Audience Persona (B2B)
• SWOT Analysis
• Marketing & Advertising Plan
• Goals & Strategy
• Website Content Plan
• Website KPIs for Content Strategies
• Social Media Statistics & User Analysis
• Social Media Content - What’s Working
• Social Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement - Organic
• Social Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement - Paid Media
• Social Media KPIs (paid & organic)

Goals & Initiatives

Goals & Initiatives

Mission Statement: Soften, soothes, and smooths rough and dry skin for the ultimate moisturizing experience.

Value Proposition:

• Deliver effective, affordable, versatile, and gentle skincare products.
• Provides deep moisturizing without the drawbacks of greasiness or irritation.
• Resonates with consumers trying to find reliable and gentle skincare solutions.

Objectives:

• Increase online purchases/conversions for Udderly Smooth – ideally, leading to an increase in revenue.
• Increase ROI and ROAS.
• Increase brand awareness using various marketing channels (paid, organic, etc.).
• Enhance customer engagement on digital marketing channels

Elevator Pitch: "The moisturizer from America’s heartland. Pharmacist-made, fan-favorite. Making dry skin Udderly Smooth for over 40 years." *Fast-absorbing, non-greasy, dermatologist tested & oncologist recommended, to help people of all ages get Udderly Smooth skin!

Market Analysis

Industry Statistics

• Revenue in the Beauty & Personal Care market amounts to ~$97.81 billion in 2023 in the United States. The market is expected to grow annually by 2.43% (CAGR 2023-2028).
• The market's largest segment is Personal Care with a market volume of ~$44.70 billion in 2023.
• In global comparison, most revenue is generated in the United States (~$98 billion in 2023).
• In relation to total population figures, there is a per person revenue of ~$287.70 in 2023.
• In the Beauty & Personal Care market, 26.0% of total revenue will be generated through online sales by 2023.
• Revenue in the Skin Care market specifically amounts to ~$23.59 billion in 2023. The market is expected to grow annually by 2.99% (CAGR 2023-2028).
• In global comparison, most revenue for the Skin Care market is generated in the United States in 2023.
• In relation to total population figures, there is a per person revenue of ~$69.40 in 2023.
• Research has shown that by end of 2023, 73% of sales in the Skin Care market will be attributable to non-luxury goods.

When looking at market research from Statista, data has revealed:

Industry Statistics (continued)

Research has recently revealed that:

• 95% of surveyed beauty enthusiasts intend to spend the same or more money on beauty and personal care in 2024 compared to 2023.
• In 2023, almost 50% of those under 55 years of age reported spending somewhat or significantly more on health and beauty vs. 2022.
• Increased spending is being driven primarily by price increases, but also from a desire to maintain wellness and self-care routines, followed by a desire to try something fun and new.
• About 51% of respondents plan to spend more on daily skin care in 2024.
• Purchases are also being driven by product efficacy and functional benefits.
• Consumer responses noted that brands founded or led by dermatologists, hair stylists, and makeup artists outweigh brands led by founders in other professions.
• Survey data also uncovered that product discovery has been dominated by personal research and in-store or online browsing. It was also noted that 53% of 18-24 year olds discover products through TikTok.
• Across generations, preferred retailers include in-store mass-market retailers (87.1%), Amazon (79.6%), in-store beauty specialty stores (79.5%), and online mass retailers (76.8%).

Product Analysis

Industry Product Research/Trends

When considering beauty & skincare products research has revealed:

• Product features that attract buyers to new brands include:
• Natural (products 100% made from naturally-occurring ingredients with nothing artificial).
• Clean (healthy and free from “bad” ingredients, with nothing artificial added).
• Sustainable (refers to how the product ingredients are sourced - sustainably produced with little impact on the Earth’s natural resources).
• Skincare/beauty product trends for 2024 include:
• Concentrated formulas, which are both effective and sustainable.
• Natural stress-relieving products (for example essential oils that have been found to naturally reduce stress).
• “Anti-wellness” which means simplified beauty routines that save time and reduce complexity - minimizing the number of products needed in one’s skincare routine.
• Multifunctional beauty products - offering convenience & streamlined routines by combining multiple benefits into one product.

Top Udderly Smooth Products by Revenue

When considering Udderly Smooth’s top products by revenue in the last 12 months, their Google Analytics account revealed (based on when the company switched over to GA4 in 2023):

Top Dermatologist Recommended Skincare Brands in 2023

A recent article listed the best dermatologist recommended skincare brands in 2023, these are brands that would be considered competitors of Udderly Smooth, based off of their available products:

• CeraVe
• Skinbetter Science
• La Roche-Posay
• Paula’s Choice
• Comfort Zone
• Murad
• Supergoop!
• Cetaphil
• Avène
• Vanicream

Additional brands not mentioned in the article, that could also be considered competitors on the market, include:

• Aveeno
• Eucerin
• Bioderma
• Neutrogena
• Dove

Target Audience

Target Audience

General Consumers: Udderly Smooth's lotions and creams are suitable for general consumers seeking effective and affordable skincare solutions for daily use, that is safe and cruelty-free. This would include all genders, and both adults & children, with a wide range of interests (home & gardening, media & entertainment, news & politics, sports, shopping & fashion, cooking & dining enthusiasts).

Active Lifestyle: Athletes and active individuals who often experience dry skin and irritation. Udderly Smooth's products can provide relief for those active individuals looking to maintain healthy skin, despite vigorous activity.

Farmers and Outdoor Workers: Since Udderly Smooth's brand originated in the agricultural industry, it’s important to still target farmers and outdoor workers who face skin challenges due to exposure to harsh environmental conditions.

Parents: Udderly Smooth can target parents looking for gentle and safe skincare products that are safe for their babies and children, while minimizing risk for allergic reactions.

Target Audience (continued)

Older populations: The 55+ age group could be targeted, especially if they have dry or sensitive skin that requires special care (medical conditions may require sensitive skin products, as hypersensitivity may result from various medical treatments and/or medications).

Eco-Conscious/Sustainability Consumers: Udderly Smooth could target environmentally conscious consumers who prefer products with clean ingredients and sustainable packaging.

Healthcare Professionals: Since Udderly Smooth products are dermatologist and oncologist recommended, they could target healthcare professionals who will want to promote Udderly Smooth products to their patients. Additionally, given that healthcare professionals are frequently using antibacterial hand soap and sanitizers, they could target medical professionals who have dry skin due to their profession.

*Further target audience user analysis details & demographics (from Udderly Smooth’s GA4 account) can be found in the Website User Analysis section.

Audience:

Website User Analysis

Website: User Analysis

• A majority of customers are women (65% vs. 35% men).
• When looking at users by age, the 35-44 year old range made up the most website users.
• 59% of devices were mobile, resulting in $2.1K of total revenue (from the data that is available since Udderly Smooth switched over to GA4).
• A significant number of users (21K) are based in the United States.
• When looking at total revenue, the age range for the highest revenue was unknown, with the second highest being between 55-64 years old.
• The top two sources of traffic contributing to the highest amount of revenue were organic search and direct traffic, followed by organic and paid social.
• Wide range of interests among the top customers, including news & politics, food & dining, media & entertainment, shopping enthusiasts, home & gardening, and more.

*Visual charts on the next slides.

When looking at Udderly Smooth’s user attributes and demographics in Google Analytics, the data revealed that over the past 12 months (from the time which Udderly Smooth switched to GA4, the exact month is unknown):

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Website: User Analysis

Website: User Analysis (continued)

Audience Persona (B2C)

Audience Persona (B2B)

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Unique Brand - Udderly Smooth has a unique and memorable brand heritage, as it originated in the dairy industry, originally for dairy-cows, and evolved over the years as farmers started using it for their dry, cracked hands. Udderly Smooth’s history helps to “humanize” the company, and to show that it is a brand that is truly one of a kind.
• Product Quality - Dermatologist and oncologist recommended products, proven to effectively moisturize and soothe dry, cracked skin. The consistency and quality of Udderly Smooth’s products is a significant strength.
• Affordability - Products are competitively priced, making them accessible to a wide range of customers.
• Customer Loyalty - Over the years, Udderly Smooth has built a strong base of loyal customers, many of whom have been using the brand’s products for several years.

Weaknesses

• Minimal Brand Awareness - Even though Udderly Smooth has a strong brand heritage, it may not be as well-known in the broader skincare market, so the company may be missing out on potential target audiences.
• Limited Product Diversification - While Udderly Smooth’s products may be effective, they lack specialized skincare products (for example, acne-prone, anti-aging, hypersensitivity, rosacea/redness-prone, etc.), that other brands offer (such as Avène).
• Minimal Digital Marketing Presence - Udderly Smooth could benefit from a stronger social media presence across channels, and according to their GA4 account, they do not consistently utilize paid media efforts (Meta Ads, Google Ads, TikTok, Spotify, Hulu, etc.). The company also lacks a blog content strategy.
• Highly Competitive Market - The skincare market is highly competitive, as new brands enter the market and customers remain loyal to established brands – this can pose a challenge in terms of market share.

Opportunities

• Product Diversification - Expand product lines to include specialized skincare products, such as those for acne-prone skin, anti-aging, hypersensitivity, rosacea/redness-prone, and products suitable for other skin conditions (similar to other brands like Avène). By implementing these additional product offerings, Udderly Smooth will be able to reach, and appeal to, an even larger audience.
• Expand Digital Marketing Efforts - Improve the website through conversion rate optimization (CRO), implement blog content strategy, enhance social media presence to include both organic social and paid media strategies (Meta, TikTok, Google Ads - Search, Display, YouTube, and PMAX, explore OTT advertising - such as, Spotify and Hulu ads), implement a customer loyalty program with email personalization.
• Partnerships - Collaborate with dermatologists, oncologists, retailers, pharmacies, and influencers to help Udderly Smooth increase brand awareness and reach new customers segments, while also helping to increase purchases & revenue.
• International Expansion - Although Udderly Smooth is already in 116 countries worldwide, it may help to create a more comprehensive international marketing strategy. This will be beneficial in reaching new, relevant target audiences, while increasing brand awareness and, hopefully, international sales & revenue.

Threats

• Changing Consumer Preferences - Preferences and trends in the skincare industry can change rapidly and it’s important for companies to remain adaptable, in order to evolve with the ever-changing consumer demands.
• Market Saturation - The skincare market is made up of numerous brands and products. It’s important for Udderly Smooth to keep up with consumer demands, and changes in the industry, while contending with competitors.
• Regulatory Changes - In the U.S., along with other countries, there are constantly changes in regulations and standards for skincare products. Compliance requirements and changes in regulations can impact the company’s business operations (in recent years, there have been new FDA regulations passed surrounding cosmetics/skincare products).
• Counterfeit Products - Imitation, or counterfeit, products in the market can be detrimental to a brand’s reputation, hindering consumer trust and loyalty.
• Economic Factors - Inflation, and other economic fluctuations, can negatively impact consumer spending on non-essential products (cosmetics/skincare products may fall into the “non-essential” category for many individuals).

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Marketing & Advertising Plan

Goals & Strategy

Marketing/Advertising Goals & Strategy

• Provide customers with sustainable, clean, high-quality skincare products, without compromising the brand heritage and values.
• Increase engagement, brand awareness, and conversions through effective digital marketing - organic social media, paid media efforts (paid social, Google Ads, Spotify Ads, OTT - Hulu), email campaigns, and implement a blog content strategy.
• Launch loyalty program for customers.
• Run seasonal and national holiday promotions.
• Update website to highlight the loyalty program and any relevant promotions running, along with more UGC content. Make sure website is monitored and KPIs are measured for conversion rate optimization.
• Launch more product lines for specialized skincare products (acne-prone skin, anti-aging, hypersensitivity, rosacea/redness-prone, etc.).

Marketing/Advertising Goals & Strategy (continued)

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• Develop partnerships and collaborate with dermatologists, oncologists, retailers, pharmacies, and influencers to help Udderly Smooth increase brand awareness and reach new customer segments, while also helping to increase purchases & revenue.
• Utilize a CRM platform, such as Salesforce, for full digital 360 integration and content management (ecommerce, marketing cloud - including social studio for social media management, targeted email campaigns, etc.).
• Traditional marketing - direct mailers, print ads (news outlets/relevant magazines), and billboards.

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Marketing/Advertising Goals & Strategy (continued)

First Phase - Aligning Goals + Responsibilities:

• Outline goals and designate individuals from internal teams, or hire an outside agency, for website updates (including creative design), social media (organic and paid), SEO/CRO, email campaigns, merchandising for the launch of new product lines, developing a promotion strategy, and creating a loyalty program.

Second Phase - Website Content Updates (more details in Website Content Plan section):

• Implement promotion strategy for seasonal/national holiday campaign promotions and loyalty program (this includes email campaigns and personalization efforts).
• Website updates:
• Implement blog landing page and have 3-5 articles ready for launch (see more detailed information on blog content in the website content plan section).
• UGC Content on homepage.
• Make sure compelling creative assets (captivating photos and videos) are utilized on the site.

Third Phase - Refresh Digital & Traditional Marketing Strategy:

• Social media:
• Create consistent organic social content on current platforms (if set on keeping current platforms active): Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Pinterest, and YouTube (including YT Shorts). Analyze which platforms are (or could be) most effective for Udderly Smooth’s brand.

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Marketing/Advertising Goals & Strategy (continued)

Third Phase (continued):

• Social media (continued):
• Launch TikTok account with how-to videos, tips and tricks, testimonials, videos taking part in relevant trends, “behind-the-scenes” or “meet the faces behind the company” featuring employees of Udderly Smooth, favorite products, UGC content from influencers, etc. (this platform is especially important, as previously mentioned in the industry stats section, research revealed ~53% of 18-24 year olds discover products through TikTok).
• Paid media:
• Meta ads:
• A/B testing with video ads and DPA carousel ads to see which ad type will garner greater conversions.
• Campaign sets for ASC (Advantage+ Shopping), retargeting/remarketing, loyalty, site traffic, DABA (broad audiences), brand awareness, and promotion specific. Utilize targeting features for interests, location, etc.
• TikTok ads:
• Brand awareness campaigns on TikTok, exemplifying the quality of the products and the history of the brand, while “humanizing” the company.
• Google Ads:
• Search campaigns, setting up non-brand and brand campaigns, with a greater focus on non-brand keywords.
• Display ads – featuring compelling creative to draw users in and increase conversions.
• YouTube ads – creative videos for both brand awareness campaigns and product sales campaigns.
• PMAX - possibly testing PMAX as a supplemental campaign format.

Marketing/Advertising Goals & Strategy (continued)

Third Phase (continued):

• Paid media (continued):
• Spotify Ads - create compelling copy for scripts to utilize for podcast ads, especially around the holidays/seasonal events.
• Hulu Ads - creative commercials to feature on Hulu + Live TV streaming platform.

Fourth Phase - Partnerships + Traditional Marketing/Advertising:

• Traditional marketing/advertising:
• Direct mailers - send out for brand awareness to potential new customers and loyalty program mailers to enrolled members/subscribers.
• Create partnerships for print advertising in news outlets/relevant magazines.
• Billboards for large brand awareness campaigns (including big promotions, seasonal events, new product launches).
• Partnerships:
• Develop partnerships and collaborate with dermatologists, oncologists, retailers, pharmacies, and influencers to help Udderly Smooth increase brand awareness and reach new customer segments, while also helping to increase purchases & revenue.

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Marketing/Advertising Goals & Strategy (continued)

Fifth Phase - Measure Results and Optimize:

• SEO/CRO
• Monitor and measure KPIs to make proper optimizations for conversion rate across all digital channels and search engines.
• Determine whether the ROI for traditional marketing efforts is worth continuing or whether to re-allocate that budget to digital marketing initiatives.
• Continuously monitor the various KPIs across the entire comprehensive marketing plan to determine which strategies are the most effective and to adjust them as needed.

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Marketing/Advertising Funnel

• Awareness - Increase brand awareness through digital marketing platforms (social media, video, blog, email, and traditional advertising).�
• Interest - Google Search/Display/YouTube, website, and Paid/Owned/Earned (POE) social content.�
• Desire - Website and paid media promotions (social, Google, Spotify, Hulu, etc.), retargeting/remarketing email campaigns, paid social ads tailored to retargeting, and relevant blog content.�
• Action - Website conversions for purchases, and in-store purchases from retailers (Walgreens, Ace Hardware, Rite Aid, etc.).

Awareness

Interest

Desire

Action

Website Content Plan

Website Content: What’s Working

• Creative content on the pages (images, videos, and hero images when relevant on pages).
• Sharing customer reviews.
• Showcasing UGC content on the homepage (from Instagram).
• Featuring logos of prominent news sources where Udderly Smooth has been mentioned (great PR).
• Before & after images exemplifying how well the products work.
• In the footer navigation menu – icons linking to the social channels, links to some of the site’s landing pages, and links to important terms/trademarks/privacy information.
• The product pages (the top pages on GA4 include various product landing pages, as well as the “shop all products” page).
• FAQ page (one of the top landing pages in GA4), as well as the oncology recommended landing page.

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When considering Udderly Smooth’s current website, the company excels at:

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Website Content: Ideas for Improvement

• Blog content strategy
• Informative topics on skincare products and their benefits, uses, and tips & tricks.
• The best products for various skin conditions (hypersensitive, dry skin, normal skin, babies/children, etc.).
• How-to guides (skincare routines, baby care, outdoor activities, etc.).
• Educational content - articles, videos (this could be tutorials on how to best apply the products for various scenarios), and infographics on how the products can be best used for different skin types (blog content can also be featured in email campaigns).
• Humanize Udderly Smooth by featuring staff “meet the team”/“faces behind Udderly Smooth,” and more on the process, going beyond the “our story” page.

When considering what Udderly Smooth could improve upon with their website in order to help increase traffic to the site, humanize the company, and provide value to customers, with the hope to ultimately better target their audience & increase sales:

Website Content: Ideas for Improvement (continued)

• Loyalty program (put email/newsletter subscription CTAs in more prominent places on the site, aside from just the footer navigation menu):
• Offer exclusive deals for members.
• First to know when new products launch.
• Early access to sales, tiered offers after each purchase (level up with 15%, then 20%, etc.), and birthday/membership anniversary offers.
• Targeted promos (retention and retargeting campaigns via email and paid social).
• Feature promotions on the site - seasonal sales and other promos throughout the year (friends & family sales similar to Avène, etc.).
• Feature relevant national holidays/specific topics on the homepage with content and/or a landing page to correspond with the holiday/topic (for example, October is National Eczema Awareness Month).
• Interactive content, such as quizzes or product selectors, to help find the best products for different skin types.
• Customer support - ensure that customer support is easily accessible through options such as:
• Chatbot features
• Live chat for immediate assistance.

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*Add a search bar in the top navigation menu.

Website Content Examples - Avène:

• The brand, Avène, does a fantastic job with offering:
• Promos for new customers right when they enter the site.
• Visible bestseller features on the homepage.
• Live chat for immediate assistance.
• Shopping for various skin conditions with many different categories in the top menu navigation.
• Skin type quizzes and live consults.
• An informative blog (Skincare 101 section) and virtual events.

Website Content Examples - Aveeno:

• The brand, Aveeno, does an excellent job with featuring national holidays and relevant information regarding the holiday on a separate landing page.
• Blog content pertaining to the national holiday (October being National Eczema Awareness Month).
• Videos on the topic (for example, what eczema is and how to recognize it).
• Images to help show where to look for the condition (eczema example shown).
• Interactive quizzes, common symptoms, and more!

Website Content Examples - CeraVe and Eucerin:

• The brands, CeraVe & Eucerin, both do a great job with:
• Encouraging customers to sign up for their newsletters for exclusive offers & more!
• Showcasing national holidays and conditions with content relevant to those topics.
• Interactive content (quizzes) to help customers find the right products for their skin types/conditions.
• Easily accessible search bars to find products.

Website KPIs for Content Strategies

Website KPIs for Content Strategies:

• Blog strategy KPIs:
• Blog landing page visits (increase brand awareness).
• Sales & revenue resulting from a customer first visiting the blog page (tracking the customer journey).
• Time spent on the page.

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• Loyalty program KPIs:
• Email/newsletter subscriptions.
• Visits to the site from email campaigns.
• Personalized promo/offer redemptions (sales resulting from loyalty promos).
• Revenue from purchases attributed to loyalty program campaigns.
• Average order value (AOV).

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• Seasonal & occasional sitewide promotions:
• If using an offer code, then tracking code redemptions.
• The number of purchases/conversions during the promotion period.
• Revenue from purchases during sitewide promotion period.
• Average order value (AOV).

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Website KPIs for Content Strategies:

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• Interactive content:
• Clicks on the interactive quizzes/content.
• Purchases & revenue resulting from the interactive content (track customer journey on site).

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• Feature relevant national holidays/specific topics (for example, National Eczema Awareness Month):
• Clicks to landing page/content featuring national holidays/specific topic.
• Product page visits (products relating to national holiday/topic, featured on the landing page).
• Purchases on products related to the holiday/topic landing page.
• Revenue from purchases.

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• Customer support - chatbots and/or live chat support:
• Track the clicks on the live chat support feature (this may be tracked through a live chat platform, such as Zendesk, or whichever platform is implemented).
• Chat platforms also provide a way to measure chat-to-conversion rate to track sales and evaluate live chat effectiveness.
• Monitor first response & average response time (measure how well agents provide attention and lead customers to their destination).
• Customer satisfaction rate (to measure the overall performance of live chat).

Strategic Analysis & Implementation:

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After researching and analyzing Udderly Smooth’s GA4 account, I think that it’s really important for the company to increase site visitors through brand awareness, time spent on the landing pages, lower the abandonment rate and drop offs in the customer journey (particularly from page views to purchases), and increase the number of conversions (which I hope would result in an increase in revenue and higher AOV).

I think that it’s critical to prioritize the most important areas to improve by creating a strong content plan for the website, as well as paid media, and organic social strategies. By creating a strong website content plan, this will (hopefully) help us to better understand Udderly Smooth’s audience, and recognize the various types of content that will perform better on the website. I also think that it could help to create A/B tests for specific landing pages to measure which type of content performs best.

Additionally, I think that it’s important to provide customers with informative and educational content (for example, blog content, videos, infographics, etc.) that can provide value, to hopefully result in an increase in brand loyalty, and ultimately, sales. Research has shown that relevant information that addresses the needs of a company’s audience can establish trust and credibility, which in turn, motivates customers to make a purchase.

Social Media Statistics & User Analysis

Social Media Statistics & User Analysis - General

• According to research, as of 2023, the number of social media users worldwide is 4.89 billion, or more than half of Earth’s entire population, and it is predicted to increase to 5.17 billion users in 2024.
• Globally, users spend an average of 2 hours and 26 minutes per day on social media.
• In the U.S. about 82% of those ages 12 and up are using social media.
• 45% of U.S. adults aged 65+ use social media, which is a 400% increase since 2010, 84% of those ages 18-29 use social media, and 81% of those 30-49.
• Since Spotify can be considered a social media platform, it’s important to note that data has revealed 64% of the U.S. population ages 12+ have ever listened to a podcast (183 million people), and 53% of those ages 12-54 are monthly podcast listeners.

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Social Media Statistics & User Analysis - General (continued)

• 40% of social media users follow influencers, and 30% have made a purchase after seeing an influencer post.
• According to Pew Research, 72% of 18-29 year olds follow influencers, compared to 44% of 30-49 year olds, 26% of 50-64 year olds, and 12% of those 65+ years old.
• 50% of women ages 18-29 have reported making a purchase based on influencer content compared to 28% of male consumers in the same age range.
• 64% of millennials have made a purchase through social media.
• 70% of millennials + Gen Z said they prefer a “learn more” call-to-action button over a “buy now” on social media.

Social Media Statistics & User Analysis - Platform

• Instagram is the #1 social platform to follow or research brands and products and to post or share photos or videos.
• Instagram is the most-used social network by American social media users ages 12-34 (72%), it is second among all U.S. social media users ages 12+ (44%), behind Facebook.
• 73% of Americans between ages 35-54 use Facebook, compared to 56% ages 55+, and 55% of 12-34 year olds.
• 69% of online shoppers who use Meta platforms weekly made purchases after seeing personalized content on Facebook or Instagram.
• Survey data noted that 53% of 18-24 year olds discover products through TikTok.
• TikTok has approximately 834 million global monthly users, and is predicted to see the greatest user growth worldwide of all social platforms starting in 2024, at 7%.
• Among all Americans ages 12 and up, TikTok is the third most popular social network (33%).

Social Media Statistics & User Analysis - Platform (continued)

• Research found that 85% of Gen Z + millennials include their friends in their shopping journey by sending direct messages of product posts, tagging them in posts, or attending live shopping events in tandem with friends.
• 40% of Gen X use social media to interact with a brand or company, and of those users, 60% use social media to get the best deals, offers, and discounts from brands.
• 92% of internet users watch some kind of video content online each week.
• YT is the second-most visited website in the world after Google.
• YouTube has 2.514 billion users worldwide.
• The average user spends about 5 hours on the YT app per week.
• YT Shorts receive 15 billion daily views.

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Social Media Content - What’s Working

Social Media Content - What’s Currently Working

• Captivating photos with great product shots.
• User-generated content (UGC) submitted from customers - they reference reviews with the images, but they could also benefit from tagging the user who took the photo on social.
• They’ve started implementing paid social ads on Meta.
• At one point they had influencer partnerships, such as with a nurse with 24.3K followers (Sibyl Vinas)
• They feature seasonally relevant posts.
• They promote the retail vendors where their products are sold (Walgreens, Dollar Tree, etc.) to help customers find their products.

Social Media Content - What’s Currently Working (continued)

Social Media Content:

Future Strategy for Improvement - Organic

Organic Social Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement

• Currently, Udderly Smooth has accounts for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Pinterest, and YouTube (including YT Shorts). Analyze which platforms are (or could be) most effective for Udderly Smooth’s brand (whether or not they want to post to the channels that have been inactive for many years).
• Recommendation - focus on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube (especially YT Shorts), and launching a TikTok page.
• Post consistently - at least 3x per week to Instagram, Facebook, YT Shorts, & TikTok, but ideally 5x per week to Instagram & Facebook.
• Once consistent blog content is being created, share to Instagram and Facebook - ideally 2-4 blog posts per month, sharing to the social channels once per week or once every other week.
• Themes like “Tuesday Testimonials” for review features, “Friday Facts” (product facts), “Meet the Team Monday,” etc.

Organic Social Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement

• Vary organic social content to include not only single images, but also carousel posts, and videos (short 15-30 second videos for Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YT Shorts).
• Share longer YT videos on Facebook to direct traffic to the YT page to learn more about how to best use the products/tips & tricks/influencer reviews/etc.
• Videos featuring dermatologists/oncologists/those in the medical field and their tips/recommendations/educational info.
• Share relevant and informational blog content on Facebook & Instagram to help educate customers and prospects on the benefits of Udderly Smooth and to direct them to the blog landing page (see more on blog topics in the website content section).
• Feature promo codes specifically for organic social in posts - either one code for all organic channels or a specific code for each channel to track redemptions.

Organic Social Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement

• Tag customers when reposting UGC from customers on Instagram & Facebook - utilize hashtags to help gather content from customers.
• Shorten the copy in social posts to make it more concise and direct customers to take action (whether this means making a purchase or directing to a landing page to learn/read more information on the site), be sure to feature compelling taglines.
• Feature social media giveaways/contests on Facebook & Instagram to help build a loyal customer base, increase brand awareness, encourage engagement and followers, and (hopefully) increase sales.
• Feature holiday sales and informative content to correspond with national holidays and help educate on skin conditions (for example, National Eczema Awareness Month).

Organic Social Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement

• Focus on telling a story, especially when it comes to “humanizing” the company, and showing more “behind the scenes”/”faces behind Udderly Smooth,” not just selling product, especially on Reels, TikTok, and in YT Shorts. *Storytelling is important across all social channels, though.
• Loyalty program - encourage signups with exclusive offers & highlighting the perks of joining on Facebook & Instagram (could also have an influencer talk about the loyalty program in a Reel, TikTok video, or YT Shorts video).
• Feature a product and show the individual benefits of that specific product in a compelling image or gif for Instagram and Facebook.
• Highlight the benefits of various products for different skin conditions (emphasize dermatologist & oncologist approved, etc.) - all channels.
• Highlight product bundles and what goes well together - all channels.

Organic Social Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement

• Video content ideas for Instagram Reels, TikTok, & YT Shorts:
• Gift giving ideas for friends & family
• Unboxing videos
• “Get ready with me” - skin care routine edition
• Explain how skin care routines are important for self-care
• How-to-videos
• Tips & tricks
• Testimonials
• Videos taking part in relevant trends
• Favorite products (customer, influencer, & employee favorites)
• UGC content from influencers
• Reply to customer comments in videos (example shown).

Social Media Content:

Future Strategy for Improvement - Paid Media

Paid Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement

Meta ads:

• A/B testing with video ads, DPA carousel ads, and collection ads to see which ad type will garner greater conversions.
• Campaign sets for ASC (Advantage+ Shopping), retargeting/remarketing, loyalty/retention, site traffic, DABA (broad audience acquisition), brand awareness, and promotion specific.
• Utilize targeting features for interests, location, etc.
• Feature paid social specific promo code in ads to track redemptions specifically from paid media.

*Keep in mind that personalization & product recommendations are important aspects of paid media advertising, customers don’t want to feel as though they are “one of the many,” they want to feel a connection to the company/brand. I would consistently run paid media campaign sets - changing the ads in each set based on promotions, seasons, etc., and adjusting the budget as necessary.

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Paid Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement

TikTok ads:

• Brand awareness campaigns on TikTok, exemplifying the quality of the products and the history of the brand, while “humanizing” the company.
• Relevant trends (templates/music/activities) featuring products and/or employees or influencers sharing their favorite products.

Google ads:

• Search campaigns, setting up non-brand and brand campaigns, with a greater focus on non-brand keywords.
• Display ads – featuring compelling creative to draw users in and increase conversions.
• YouTube ads – creative videos for both brand awareness campaigns and product sales campaigns.
• PMAX - testing PMAX as a supplemental campaign format.

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Paid Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement

Spotify ads:

• Create compelling copy for scripts to utilize for podcast ads, especially around the holidays/seasonal events.
• Feature a dermatologist or oncologist highlighting the benefits of Udderly Smooth and encouraging prospective customers to try the products.
• Feature influencers mentioning their favorite products for prospective customers to try.

Hulu Ads:

• Creative commercials to feature on Hulu + Live TV streaming platform.
• Commercials to help “humanize” the brand - showing the “faces behind the company” and what goes into making the products.

Paid Social Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement - Competitor Examples

Paid Social Media Content - Future Strategy for Improvement - Competitor Examples

Social Media KPIs (paid & organic)

Social KPIs for Organic:

• Impressions
• Reach
• Link clicks
• Website/Landing page visits (making sure to utilize UTM tracking for URLs)
• Track which organic social channels the page visits are coming from and the time spent on each page through GA4.
• Engagement
• Engagement rate
• If promo code specifically for organic social posts is used, then tracking redemptions from the organic promo codes.
• Sales/revenue resulting from organic social, tracked through GA4.
• For Video content, the above KPIs, and also include:
• Video views
• Average view duration
• Video playthrough/completion
• Loyalty program/email signups/subscriptions
• Utilize UTM tracking for URLs from posts to measure which channels the signups are coming from and how many occurred.
• Track customer reviews and implement a way to track the customer satisfaction scores from social reviews.

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Social KPIs for Paid Media:

• Reach
• Impressions
• ROAS
• Traffic (website/landing page visits)
• Engagement & Engagement rate
• Click-through-rate (CTR)
• Conversions (either purchases/sales for sales initiatives or website visits for traffic/brand awareness campaigns) & conversion rate
• Revenue resulting from paid media (through GA4)
• Cost per acquisition (CPA)
• Cost per conversion (CPC)
• Promoted blog content - site traffic via UTM tracking for URLs) and time spent on page through GA4.
• For video content on Reels/TikTok/YT, I would also include:
• Impressions CTR
• Average view duration
• Number of video views
• Cost per view
• Video playthrough - completion rate at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%.
• If running paid social specific promo codes then tracking the number of redemptions for that specific promo code.

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Strategic Analysis & Implementation:

When looking at organic social KPIs (FB, Instagram, YT Shorts/Videos, and TikTok), I think it’s important to look at impressions, reach, link clicks (making sure to utilize UTM tracking for URLs), engagement, engagement rate, video views, average view duration, and video playthrough/completion (when posting video content on the organic channels). When sharing blog content, I would use URL tracking to look at which organic social channels the page visits are coming from, and the time spent on the pages from those organic channels. When encouraging email signups through a link on organic social, it’s important to track which channel the signups are coming through, and how many signups occurred, or this could refer to loyalty program subscriptions as well. I do think it’s also important to track customer reviews on the channels and implement a way to track customer satisfaction scores.

Additionally, it’s important to promote various seasonal sales, themes (daily/weekly/monthly, for example “Tuesday Tips” or “Testimonial Tuesday,” etc.), national holidays (this includes “awareness” days/months, such as “National Eczema Awareness Month”), include posts that demonstrate the benefits of the products, feature relevant medical professionals (oncologists/dermatologists), partner with influencers, and to “humanize” the company through “behind the scenes” videos and “Meet the Team” posts. It would help Udderly Smooth to continue to focus on providing content that is relevant, relatable, and informative, in order to provide value to customers.

For paid media, the KPIs that I believe Udderly Smooth should focus on for an increase in return on investment (ROI) vary based on the objectives of each of their campaigns. I would avoid putting too much emphasis on vanity metrics, such as “likes” and “follows,” as I think these are irrelevant to overall campaign and conversion objectives. Even for brand awareness campaigns, I would focus more on traffic (site visits) for conversions, and monitor reach/impressions, as opposed to other vanity metrics (“follows” and “likes”). If promoting blog content in a campaign on the channels, I would look at the traffic along with time spent on the landing page. Additionally, I think that it’s important to set up UTM tracking URLs to help monitor conversions and goals/events from each social media channel and the campaigns.

Strategic Analysis & Implementation:

For Udderly Smooth, I think it’s important to monitor ROAS on the paid media campaigns (such as Meta, TikTok, YT, Hulu, and Spotify) that are directed at increasing purchases/conversions, as well as cost per acquisition (CPA)/cost per conversion (CPC), click-through-rate (CTR), the number of conversions, and the conversion rate. For YouTube and TikTok, there are various video KPIs to measure, including consumer engagement, conversions, conversion rate, reach, impressions CTR, average view duration, number of video views, cost per view, and video playthrough (this can also be called completion rate - looking at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) to monitor the drop-offs and how to effectively optimize video content, as well as ROAS when applicable. When implementing traffic/brand awareness campaigns on paid social, I believe it’s important to measure engagement and engagement rate, CTR, and conversions (those going to the website landing page), and time spent on the pages.

Further, I think that in retail, for organic social and paid media, it could be helpful to implement platform specific promo codes, in order for the promotions/website merchandising team to track the number of redemptions from each code. These coupon redemptions could be considered a KPI on both organic and social channels, and it would be helpful to see whether organic social or paid ads have a greater influence on total redemptions (there could be one code for all of organic social and one code for all of paid media, or multiple codes for each organic channel and each paid channel).

In short, it’s important to adjust the marketing plan, strategies, and KPIs as necessary, depending on the various campaign goals and objectives, while continuously measuring and focusing on conversion rate optimization, to ensure that Udderly Smooth is set up for success!

Sources

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*Udderly Smooth’s GA4 account.

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