Kettle & Fire's VP of Marketing, Jack Meredith, shares their marketing and growth strategy (from DTC to retail)

05/06/21 • 36 min

DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built

“Our hypothesis was if we can really give content a shot and really invest in content marketing for a couple of months, maybe that can be our competitive moat.” @JVMeredith #DTCPOD
“The way I look at retail is ‘if we're not on the aisle in the broth and stock section, then we're going to lose market share’.” @JVMeredith #DTCPOD
“I think the key thing is to remember, is our marketing plan is just a plan and plans change constantly. It's important for us to be flexible to where, as we see opportunity, we're able to jump on it.” @JVMeredith #DTCPOD
“We try to leverage our experience on the performance marketing side to get what we need from the retail side.” @JVMeredith #DTCPOD
“Our core channels from the early stages were influencer and affiliate marketing and they are still core channels for us today.” @JVMeredith #DTCPOD

We Speak About:

[01:15] Backstory on Trend’s personal connection to Kettle & Fire
[02:30] About Jack and Kettle & Fire
[05:00] Kettle & Fire’s unique content marketing approach
[06:00] Why Jack and his team invested heavily in content and the results that followed
[10:15] Kettle & Fire’s Facebook ads approach with a consumable good
[12:50] How retail plays into Kettle & Fire’s marketing strategy
[15:25] Jack’s approach to setting KPIs for Kettle & Fire
[17:20] Trying to attribute and get data on retail sales
[19:50] Key metrics for retail sales
[22:55] How Kettle & Fire nailed their first retail experience
[25:40] The channel Kettle & Fire used while warming up SEO
[28:05] How Jack does influencer and affiliate marketing
[33:20] What’s next for Kettle & Fire?

The scrappy marketing that grew Kettle & Fire into an 8-figure brand

Jack Meredith, VP of Marketing at Kettle & Fire joins the POD to talk about their unique approach to marketing and growth that’s turned the brand into a retail and DTC star.

Kettle & Fire is a brand that has created the first 100% grass-fed, shelf-stable beef bone broth.

When Kettle & Fire started, they didn’t have a ton of money resources to grow the brand. So instead, they turned to content and influencer marketing.

Content has been a huge growth lever for Kettle & Fire. Today, the brand ranks at the top for hundreds of keywords that creates a great funnel for customers.

Jack and his team have taken an almost B2B-like approach for content marketing and it’s paid off big time.

Tracking performance is key to growing a brand, even when data is hard to come by

Content and influencer marketing aren’t the only growth levers for Kettle & Fire though.

As the brand has grown, paid ads and retail have become a large source of growth for the business.

Opening up the retail channel specifically has yielded huge returns for the business. Jack sees it as a way to complement the online strategy.

Even though retail data is hard to come by, the brand is constantly trying to use their learnings in performance marketing to track performance in retail better.

Stay tuned as Jack breaks down all of the channels Kettle & Fire uses for marketing, how they’ve mastered retail, and the exact KPIs the brand uses to grow.

If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Mentioned Links:

Kettle and Fire’s website: https://www.kettleandfire.com/

Jack’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/JVMeredith

Jack’s DTC playbooks: https://www.dtcplaybooks.com/

“Our hypothesis was if we can really give content a shot and really invest in content marketing for a couple of months, maybe that can be our competitive moat.” @JVMeredith #DTCPOD
“The way I look at retail is ‘if we're not on the aisle in the broth and stock section, then we're going to lose market share’.” @JVMeredith #DTCPOD
“I think the key thing is to remember, is our marketing plan is just a plan and plans change constantly. It's important for us to be flexible to where, as we see opportunity, we're able to jump on it.” @JVMeredith #DTCPOD
“We try to leverage our experience on the performance marketing side to get what we need from the retail side.” @JVMeredith #DTCPOD
“Our core channels from the early stages were influencer and affiliate marketing and they are still core channels for us today.” @JVMeredith #DTCPOD

We Speak About:

[01:15] Backstory on Trend’s personal connection to Kettle & Fire
[02:30] About Jack and Kettle & Fire
[05:00] Kettle & Fire’s unique content marketing approach
[06:00] Why Jack and his team invested heavily in content and the results that followed
[10:15] Kettle & Fire’s Facebook ads approach with a consumable good
[12:50] How retail plays into Kettle & Fire’s marketing strategy
[15:25] Jack’s approach to setting KPIs for Kettle & Fire
[17:20] Trying to attribute and get data on retail sales
[19:50] Key metrics for retail sales
[22:55] How Kettle & Fire nailed their first retail experience
[25:40] The channel Kettle & Fire used while warming up SEO
[28:05] How Jack does influencer and affiliate marketing
[33:20] What’s next for Kettle & Fire?

The scrappy marketing that grew Kettle & Fire into an 8-figure brand

Jack Meredith, VP of Marketing at Kettle & Fire joins the POD to talk about their unique approach to marketing and growth that’s turned the brand into a retail and DTC star.

Kettle & Fire is a brand that has created the first 100% grass-fed, shelf-stable beef bone broth.

When Kettle & Fire started, they didn’t have a ton of money resources to grow the brand. So instead, they turned to content and influencer marketing.

Content has been a huge growth lever for Kettle & Fire. Today, the brand ranks at the top for hundreds of keywords that creates a great funnel for customers.

Jack and his team have taken an almost B2B-like approach for content marketing and it’s paid off big time.

Tracking performance is key to growing a brand, even when data is hard to come by

Content and influencer marketing aren’t the only growth levers for Kettle & Fire though.

As the brand has grown, paid ads and retail have become a large source of growth for the business.

Opening up the retail channel specifically has yielded huge returns for the business. Jack sees it as a way to complement the online strategy.

Even though retail data is hard to come by, the brand is constantly trying to use their learnings in performance marketing to track performance in retail better.

Stay tuned as Jack breaks down all of the channels Kettle & Fire uses for marketing, how they’ve mastered retail, and the exact KPIs the brand uses to grow.

Mentioned Links:

Kettle and Fire’s website: https://www.kettleandfire.com/

Jack’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/JVMeredith

Jack’s DTC playbooks: https://www.dtcplaybooks.com/

Previous Episode

Quick tips to level up your Pinterest marketing strategy (with examples!)

“Pinterest is a great opportunity to be able to direct traffic to where you want it to go.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD
“About 97% of the top pinterest searches are unbranded, this gives brands a huge opportunity to engage with customers who are planning future buying decisions” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD
“Pinterest is a great way to build a community and educate customers.” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD
Pinterest isn't just a great place for static image content, videos can also highlight your brand and the product functionality ” @jadesai94 #DTCPOD

We Speak About:

[00:53] Pinterest as a user-generated platform
[01:21] How to promote products through the shopping experience
[02:11] Utilizing pinterest to direct traffic
[03:37] Pinterest marketing tools and techniques
[05:10] Well-established brands on pinterest
[05:46] The analytic benefits

Often forgotten, Pinterest can be a great place to grow your brand

Product promotion is the first step to building a successful brand, and this element can be accomplished in various unique ways.

Many brands take to Facebook and Instagram to engage with potential consumers, but there’s an underlooked platform with a high rate of users - Pinterest.

Pintrerst is a popular social media outlet known for its creative user-generated content, and its development as a purchase point to connect users with brands.

Not only can this platform be utilized to inform users of your product, it's also a beneficial resource that provides feedback on competitors.

Stay tuned as we discuss key strategies for marketing on Pinterest and additional components to increase brand value through this platform.

Mentioned Links:

Key Pinterest stats: https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31147/the-ultimate-guide-to-mastering-pinterest-for-marketing.aspx

Brands with great Pinterest strategy: https://later.com/blog/brands-on-pinterest/

How to build your own Pinterest strategy: https://www.oberlo.com/blog/nail-pinterest-marketing-pinterest-ads

Next Episode

DTC and eCommerce tips round-up, part 3 ( curated tips from recent DTC POD episodes!)

“Values matter a lot and people sniff through false values. If you're a sustainable brand partner with sustainable brands. If you are a clean beauty brand partner with other brands that actually speak to your mission.” @connersherline #DTCPOD
“I like thinking about my influencer strategy with the micro-influencers mostly, and then plugging in a few strategic macros that we create a longer-term relationship with.” @AmandaMGoetz #DTCPOD
“As it becomes easier and easier to create products or offer classes or sell content, the relationship that you build with your customer is going to be the biggest key.” @LukasThoms #DTCPOD
“The main thing is just listening to our customers, who already love your products and asking them what they want to see next.” @jazyfent #DTCPOD
“If you have good people and the position is not working, recognize if they bring value to the company, then figure out how to make it work in another position.” @irleslie #DTCPOD

We Speak About:

[00:57] Advice on brand partnerships
[02:21] Influencer marketing and strategies
[03:56] The importance of building customer relationships
[05:41] The benefits of customer feedback
[07:14] Paying attention to the inner workings of a business

We’re recapping some of the best tips from DTC and eCommerce leaders

There are many strategies the businesses take on when building a successful brand.

These strategies can range anywhere from product promotion to customer retention, all sharing a common goal of building a successful business.

Many companies take different approaches to gaining brand awareness, and learning tips and tricks from numerous companies is a beneficial component to building your own brand.

Stay tuned as we discuss important tips from previous episodes, and what key strategies led these companies to the success they have today. From leaders of 8-figure brands to eCommerce influencers and more.

If you missed part 2, you can access it here!

Mentioned Links:

Podcast with Conner Sherline on brand collaborations: https://trend.io/blog/brand-partnerships-collaboration

Podcast with Amanda Goetz on using influencers for SMBs: https://trend.io/blog/early-stage-smb-influencer-marketing

Podcast with Lukas Thoms on brand storytelling: https://trend.io/blog/design-brand-storytelling

Podcast with Jaz Fenton on hero products: https://trend.io/blog/hero-products-rebranding-yellow-beauty

Podcast with Ian Leslie on lessons from a CMO at a 10-figure brand: https://trend.io/blog/industry-west-b2b-dtc-sales

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