small business marketing

4 Subscription Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The subscription economy has been on the rise and will only continue to grow. With the global subscription eCommerce market expected to exhibit a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 65.5% between 2023 and 2028, it’s not a surprise that so many businesses are looking to pivot to the subscription model.

But in addition to creating opportunities, the subscription economy spike is also causing some challenges for DTC founders — namely, in one area: competitor differentiation. That’s why effective marketing is so important for the growth of subscription brands. And while there isn’t a one-size-fits-all subscription marketing strategy, there are a few common mistakes that ecommerce brands would be wise to avoid.

Related: How to Identify and Launch a Subscription Model in Your Existing Business

1. Taking a set-and-forget approach to subscriptions

One of the biggest mistakes subscription brands make is jumping to marketing techniques before considering exactly how you want to go to market with your subscriptions. In other words, a set-and-forget subscription model will sabotage any effective marketing strategy. So strengthening your subscriptions is a wise place to start to lay the foundation for impactful marketing.

There are so many options for brands to tailor their subscription programs directly to their customers’ lifestyles and their products’ intended use. This could be a build-a-box, giftable, sequential or prepaid subscription, to name a few.

Assess the needs of your subscribers and how your product is typically used to choose the strongest subscription offering that adds the most value to your customers.

2. Not designing a subscription-optimized PDP

Your PDP (Product Detail Page) is a very important part of your eCommerce website, as this is where consumers can directly engage with your product and decide if they want to buy it. The PDP is also where consumers can opt to subscribe — making it a stellar (and logical) spot to promote your subscription program. A costly mistake DTC brands make is creating a PDP that doesn’t effectively display the subscription offering or its related benefits.

There are myriad ways that brands can optimize their PDP — whether it’s by strategically setting subscriptions as the default, clearly displaying savings with a strikethrough, or illustrating the many perks that consumers can access by subscribing. It should be blatantly obvious to consumers why they would benefit from a subscription.

Related: More Restaurants Embrace Subscription Model to Drive Revenue and Retain Customers

3. Underestimating the post-purchase journey

An essential component of subscription marketing is knowing when and how to promote your subscription offering — and it’s a common mistake for newer brands to miss out on optimal chances, particularly after a consumer has made a purchase.

Two obvious cohorts to target are one-time and repeat buyers who have yet to subscribe. Leaning into this subgroup by sending an informative email that outlines the many perks of subscribing can work wonders to grow your subscriber base.

However, communicating with current subscribers — not just one-time buyers — is where the real post-purchase journey can happen. This is a significantly unique component of subscription marketing; it’s equally crucial (if not more so) to advertise to your current subscribers rather than just focusing on acquiring new ones. Forgetting about your most loyal audience is extremely costly; after all, returning customers spend about 67% more than new customers.

Building out a robust customer account portal complete with referrals, loyalty rewards, trending upsells, and exclusive discounts is only one step in maximizing engagement, as you have to ensure that your subscribers are aware of and participate in these engaging touchpoints. Once you have your account portal set up with the LTV-driven features you want, it’s important to lean into messaging that brings subscribers into the portal as much as possible.

One strategy is to invite subscribers via email and SMS messaging to visit their account portals by sending a direct link. Then, in conjunction with this, many brands also choose to send an educational email to inform their audience of the many ways to engage after they’ve subscribed.

4. Keeping Email/SMS marketing impersonal

Your email/SMS strategy is a chance to get highly creative and lean into personalization; it’s not just an outlet for promotions, which is a trap many brands fall into. Some founders are wary of playing up personalization for fear of invading privacy — but most consumers are actually seeking and expecting this kind of individualized treatment from their brands.

83% of consumers reported that they were willing to share information in exchange for a more personalized experience, and 88% of organizations that implemented a personalized approach saw a meaningful increase in sales. In other words, eCommerce businesses that fail to capitalize on this dynamic are missing out on a prime opportunity.

Personalized marketing can vary depending on the type of business you run — but here are some general campaign ideas:

For SMS, this might look like:

Notifying subscribers about new products they may like
Sending a personalized birthday message with a special perk
Sending out order-tracking messages and giving subscribers a chance to manage subscriptions directly in the text thread

For Email, this might look like:

A more casual check-in is sent to engaged subscribers to encourage reviews
An interactive survey or quiz to collect zero-party data (which can be used to further personalize future messaging)
An informative newsletter with recent brand updates, including a “you may like” product recommendation section

How Shay Mitchell Turned Her Penchant for Travel Into a Full-Fledged Business

shay mitchell office hours — Shay Mitchell on Turning Her Hobby Into a CareerHearst Owned

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In ELLE.com’s monthly series Office Hours, we ask people in powerful positions to take us through their first jobs, worst jobs, and everything in between. This month we spoke to actress, model, entrepreneur, and mother of two Shay Mitchell, who is not only celebrating five years of her travel brand Béis, but a just-launched kids collection. (Béis translates to “beige,” after a beige bag Mitchell used to travel with.) “It truly is my first baby,” she tells ELLE.com of her company, which specializes in functional luggage. “Every single detail, from the design to the models we book for our ad campaigns, I oversee.” It‘it’s hard to believe she still has time to run her tequila seltzer brand, Onda, too. Here, Mitchell talks about diversity in Hollywood, what‘s always in her bag, and why Drake is her secret fan.

My first job

I worked at a café in Vancouver called Coco Loco. They served sandwiches and coffee, and I could never figure out how to get the damn coffee machine to work—it was this elaborate Italian espresso maker and I always messed it up. I think my salary was $7 or $8 an hour. I’m still scarred from that experience. People would come in with the craziest coffee orders. Now, my order is super simple because I know how hard it is for the baristas.

My worst job

Bottleservice. I hate it. It wasn’t the job as much as the situation—navigating crowds, dealing with really difficult customers when they’re intoxicated, etc.—but the money was very good. You’d leave with great tips, but you never knew what you were getting into on any given night.

On diversity in Hollywood

I remember getting the audition for Pretty Little Liars, and the character of Emily in the book had strawberry blonde hair with freckles and a very fair complexion. When I first booked the part, everybody was like, “What? You don’t look like the girl next door.” But I think, in this day and age, I am the girl next door. That didn’t deter me back then. I was going to go for it regardless, because I didn’t want to look back with regrets.

How I transitioned out of the entertainment industry

There was always a lot of downtime on the Pretty Little Liars set while I waited for the next scene, so I started a blog, which kept me busy between takes. From there, I wrote a book. And then, during our breaks from filming, I would travel, so I created a YouTube channel that documented my trips. When Shaycations took off, my friends would constantly ask me for recommendations and packing advice.

The power of self-documenting

I was always that girl with the camera. Like, at the club, I’d have the digital camera. I have way too many photos on my phone and on my laptop. Documenting has always been important to me, so that I can remember the experience and share it with others, so they can go and experience it too. It felt selfish to do otherwise. i was like, this is too good to just keep to myself. My trip to India is still one of my best pieces of content.

Why I started Béis

I’ve always known that there was an entrepreneurial side to me, and I always wanted to get into business, but I had never been to school. I’ve had experiences with luggage where wheels would fall off and I’d get angry at myself for not spending more money to get a better bag. When I knew it was time to start my own company, I noticed there was a huge gap in the market: you either had super expensive companies with crazy bags that weren’t even functional, and on the other side of the spectrum, you had affordable bags that were ugly and not well-made.

Basically, I wanted a line of affordable bags that had all the functions I could dream up and look really good at the same time. The price is really important to me, because I know how expensive traveling is—I don’t want the bags to break the bank because you should be able to spend that money on the experiences you have. It’s an on-the-go brand, whether you’re going on a hike, to the gym, or to the grocery store. I want to provide different accessories for all of those different things, so everyone can have a bag that makes them feel at home when they’re not at home.

What’s always in my bag

My cosmetics case for on-the-go touchups. When I’m traveling, I use our recyclable tote because of the functionality—certain compartments just make everything so easy. I know exactly where my passport is and exactly where I put my snacks and water bottle.

Best career advice I’ve ever received

Work with people who are smarter than you. My whole motto in life is “I have this one life. What do I want to do?” I never want to look back and wish I had done something. So regardless of the experience or lack of experience I have in terms of design, business marketing, all of it, I just had to [launch Béis]. I brought people onto my team who were smarter than me and had way more experience and were experts in their own fields. That’s something I’ve never been afraid to do.

How I balance work and family

I take time to myself because I have an incredible team around me. There’s no way I could do what I do without the help of people—everything from childcare to my team, my publicist, my agent. I owe it all to them.

Most surprising Onda fan

My number one customer is Drake—and he has nothing to do with me. He found it on his own and pays for it, gets it delivered, and travels with it. He has Onda on him at all times!

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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Lemons – Nutritional Value And Benefits

Yellow and juicy, with sometimes sour and sometimes bitter-sweet taste, fresh aroma and amazing properties. Lemon, the fruit of the citrus family, is associated with many different uses in our everyday life, because it is not only used for cooking and desserts, but also as a disinfectant-cleanser, as an aromatic ingredient in beauty products and perfumes, and also as a therapeutic medicine. But are they really as beneficial as they are touted? The answer is yes and a lot of them.

The widespread use of lemons has led to confusion about their nutritional value, with many wellness techniques circulating around them, often without proper claims or recommendations. Below are the four most frequently asked questions about lemons with the best possible answer, according to nutritionists.

Four frequently asked questions about lemons

1. Is lemon water any good after all?

Adding lemon to water is a healthy way to flavor it without adding calories. It’s also a good reason to get a small amount of vitamin C and calcium when you drink lemon water.

2. Can consumption of lemon reduce belly fat?

Just like other fruits, lemons are a very good source of nutrients with very few calories. However, there is no solid evidence that lemons can help you lose weight or reduce belly fat.

3. Do lemons lower blood pressure?

Although it is not clear whether eating lemons directly lowers high blood pressure, previous research has found that people who regularly eat lemons and take daily walks have lower systolic blood pressure.

4. How long does it take to detoxify the body with lemon water?

Lemon has a reputation as a super detox ingredient, but studies do not exactly support that conclusion. It’s important to remember that plain water – without lemon – is enough to naturally flush toxins from the body while promoting better digestion, hydration and kidney function.

5. What is the nutritional value of lemons?

According to the USDA, one lemon contains:

Calories: 18.8
Protein: 0.72 grams
Fats: 0.2 grams
Carbohydrates: 0.5 grams
Dietary fiber: 1.8 grams
Sugar: 1.6 grams
Calcium: 16.9 grams
Iron: 0.39 milligrams
Potassium: 89.7 milligrams
Sodium: 1.3 milligrams
Lemons are also rich in vitamin C, folic acid and magnesium, which provide the body with sufficient amounts of these minerals needed daily.

6. What are the main benefits they offer the body?

They contribute to better immune function

As one clinical report explains, the vitamin C that is abundant in lemons can boost immune function, reduce inflammation and possibly help fight infections.

They protect against the onset of chronic diseases

According to the National Institutes of Health, getting enough vitamin C by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. The vitamin C in foods like lemons is thought to reduce oxidative damage throughout the body.

They prevent the occurrence of kidney stones

Kidney stones are made up of calcium, uric acid and oxalate, according to the Mayo Clinic . These start as fragments and then can grow into painful stones. Lemons could potentially prevent kidney stones because they contain citric acid, which binds calcium. According to Harvard Health, 80 to 85 percent of kidney stones are made up of calcium.

Can Essential Oils Give You The Energy You Need?

Peppermint for the morning, lavender for the evening, myrrh for all hours, but sparingly. If you have low energy levels and feel lethargic, try adding essential oils to your daily routine. They have a beneficial effect on the mood, act as anxiolytics and stimulate you, even for a short period of time.

Do you feel the fatigue that overwhelms you during the day and prevents you from meeting your daily obligations? Are your energy levels down? Do you drink coffee and other tonic drinks, but they only give you energy for a short time? After you have had a checkup, which is necessary regularly anyway, to make sure there are no medical issues, try making some changes in your daily life.

Pay a little more attention to how you sleep. If your sleep is poor in duration or poor in quality, try to improve it. In general, make sure that you rest more and use your free time with activities that fill you with joy and satisfaction.

Some find relief from fatigue and lack of concentration in essential oils. So, we will explain how you can raise your energy levels in a natural way, that is, with the power of essential oils, which have a beneficial psychosomatic effect. If, of course, the fatigue persists, you may need to have a more detailed medical examination.

What are essential oils?

These are concentrated substances extracted from flowers and plants by the method of distillation or cold pressing. Their contact with the body is through smelling or absorbing them from the skin (after dissolving in some vegetable oil). Essential oils are the main ingredient of aromatherapy, an alternative method that has been used for thousands of years by many ancient peoples to heal the mind, soul and body.

How essential oils work

Remember when you found yourself in a blooming garden on a spring day. What was your first reaction? Sure enough, the wonderful scents immediately overwhelmed you with a feeling of euphoria and joy that stayed with you for several hours afterward. Science explains that essential oils are transported to five different parts of the brain through the olfactory system, which is activated every time we smell something.

One of these parts is the amygdala, which is connected to our emotions, memories, fears. This is where the neurochemicals of the essential oils are released, which have healing properties. Depending on their chemical composition, which differs from oil to oil, they act as sedatives, antidepressants, anxiolytics, stimulants, or create euphoria. According to research, in fact, some fragrances have the same effect on the human brain as meditation.

8 essential oils for an elevated mood

– Lavender, eucalyptus and geranium

Lavender, eucalyptus and geranium relieve anxiety and depression, while they are therapeutic for headaches and insomnia.

Lavender increases the enjoyment of a warm bubble bath. With a few drops of lavender essential oil in the bath, an aroma is released that relaxes the nervous system and sends you straight to sleep. Lavender oil is also believed to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help heal minor burns and bug bites.

Today, oil from the eucalyptus tree appears in many over-the-counter cough and cold products to relieve congestion. Eucalyptus oil is also used in creams and ointments to relieve muscle and joint pain, and in some mouthwashes.

Geranium essential oil has been used to treat health conditions for centuries. It’s thought to have antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

– Lemons and limes

The two related citrus species share common characteristics. In addition to bringing freshness to the space, they are tonic and act against fatigue and negative thoughts.

– Basil

Basil can clear the mind and thinking, improve concentration and increase your productivity. Especially in the afternoon, when you feel exhausted from a hard day at work, it will give you a beneficial boost of energy. In aromatherapy, sweet basil essential oil is reputed to stimulate, clarify, calm, fortify, energize and uplift the mind.

– Peppermint

The fresh and refreshing smell of mint awakens the senses and helps you start your day with more energy and a good mood. Its smell is so strong that it can keep you awake even when you want to go to sleep. Therefore, use it only in the morning hours. Peppermint oil is promoted for topical use (applied to the skin) for problems such as headache, muscle aches, joint pain and itching.

– Myrrh

Myrrh has a unique, stimulating and rejuvenating effect on the psyche. It can activate you if you feel sluggish and tired. Myrrh is a very strong essential oil, so it’s best to use it sparingly. In addition to its pleasant, warm and earthy scent, myrrh oil may also have several health benefits. Studies suggest that it may help kill harmful bacteria, parasites and other microbes. It may also support oral health, help heal skin sores, and ease pain and swelling.

4 ways to use essential oils

– Inhalations

Before bed or as often as you feel the need during the day, take a few deep breaths from a bottle containing essential oils for several minutes.

– Topical use

Apply the essential oil topically to the temples, forehead or wrists after first diluting it in a carrier oil such as almond oil and jojoba oil. The dosage is 1-3 drops in a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

– Air fresheners

Fill the essential oil dispenser with water and then a few drops of one or more essential oils. Turn on the stove and place it on the base of the device. In a few minutes the essential oils will begin to diffuse into the space.

– Aromatic spray for the home

Put rose water and a few drops of your favorite essential oil in a spray bottle. With this you can spray every hour all the rooms to renew, cool and freshen the atmosphere of the house. Spray the pillowcases and bed sheets with lavender essential oil for a more peaceful and restful sleep.

Union League Boys & Women Golf equipment will use $5 million to develop inroads made in Englewood faculties

Tiara Gaines’ son Jamal loves gardening, a activity he makes use of at Englewood STEM Excessive College and in his part-time job with Develop Better Englewood, a meals and land sovereignty nonprofit. When he is not doing that, the highschool senior is partaking in sports activities actions after college by way of the Union League Boys & Women Golf equipment, (Union League BGC), a constitution of the nationwide Boys & Women Golf equipment of America.

Gaines, a mom of three, mentioned she’d advocate the advantages of the membership to any father or mother.

“Englewood is a tough space to develop up in, however it’s additionally the way you elevate your children,” she mentioned. “I positively will advocate this system as a result of it does hold younger boys, particularly, from going to the streets. When he obtained in that program, that is when he began getting extra alternatives … the Boys and Women Membership helped him with higher alternatives.”

Jamal Gaines, 18, is one among a whole lot at Englewood STEM Excessive College taking part within the membership, in response to Englewood STEM Union League Boys & Women Golf equipment’ web site coordinator Antwione Allen, a ninth grade English trainer. College students take part in 5 after-school applications below the Englewood STEM umbrella — Energy Hour (a research session previous to actions), Expertise, STEM, and Sensible Women or Passport to Manhood (separate teams for ladies and boys that reinforce vanity and developmental wants that middle on character, progress, relationships and neighborhood).

Gaines’ expertise began when he was a junior. He mentioned that spending time with teammates, attending to know individuals, and having the ability to have enjoyable and be a child is a giant draw. As a part of Englewood STEM’s first graduating class, Gaines mentioned he is nonetheless enthusiastic about life plans for after commencement, which can entail enterprise, advertising and marketing and appearing, however for positive will embrace teaching youth sports activities in the neighborhood. He is been teaching his 14-year-old brother in basketball for years on his personal and he enjoys it. Working with youth inside the Englewood neighborhood is on his agenda for the quick and long run.

“I all the time wished to work for Englewood, do one thing for Englewood,” he mentioned. “My aim is to do extra for the younger, Black lazy. That is why I need to do teaching with sixth, seventh or eighth graders, 12- to 13-year-olds.”

Union League BGC entered the Englewood neighborhood in 2015 with after-school programming at Stagg Elementary College. Inside a 12 months, there have been talks of increasing to different college websites in the neighborhood. Union League BGC launched a five-year fundraising marketing campaign in 2017 to lift $5 million to serve extra youths within the neighborhood, a aim reached in December 2021.

The inflow of cash means membership websites at Englewood faculties — together with Nicholson STEM Academy, DS Wentworth Elementary and Englewood STEM Excessive College — will probably be sustained and doubtlessly develop into different golf equipment within the space, mentioned Marina Del Cid, director of promoting and particular occasions for Union League Boys & Women Golf equipment.

“Despite the fact that we have accomplished that marketing campaign, we nonetheless must proceed to lift (funds),” Del Cid mentioned. “Once we first got here into Englewood, Mary Ann Mahon-Huels, our president and CEO, was telling us the police chief and the hearth chief have been saying, ‘If you are going to come into this neighborhood, you higher ensure you do what you say you are going to do,’ and that is what we have been doing and we need to proceed to have the ability to do it. We need to be in each neighborhood if we might.”

Over 2,000 youths are served in Englewood with after-school and summer season programming.

“The Union League Boys and Women Golf equipment has been our accomplice for 5 years,” mentioned Englewood STEM Principal Conrad Timbers-Ausar. “We intimately labored collectively on the (programming) plan so it is embedded in our curriculum … so we do not see Union League Boys and Women Golf equipment as a separate entity housed in Englewood STEM. Union League Boys and Women Golf equipment is part of Englewood STEM. To attempt to clarify the affect that they’ve is absolutely arduous … as a result of their affect touches all 800 of our college students regardless of there being possibly 200 college students which can be technically on the (participant) roster. We’ve to place our lens on extra college students like Jamal as a result of Jamal juts out over numerous his friends, however he is in a bunch of some superb younger individuals.”

Allen mentioned programming similar to robotics, anime, esports and tutoring has As in bigger numbers of scholars eager to take part. Jamara Hal, director of the Union League Boys & Women Golf equipment in Englewood, mentioned the cash raised within the marketing campaign will even assist with meals insecurity, transportation to occasions and experiences, and help in coping with youths’ social and emotional habits.

“We carried out a social emotional nook in our faculties, which I am beginning for every web site,” Hal mentioned. “If children are having some disruption within the classroom and are requested to go away, they’ll come to our nook and unpack that emotion for an hour. We will help them with that they usually can return to their classroom. As mentors, we do not inform them, we hear. Allow them to pour their feelings onto us after which do what we will to assist fulfill no matter it’s that they are going by way of, by simply being there for them.”

Gaines mentioned his youthful brother is his motivation; being round him, educating him the way to do issues, and telling him proper from improper made Gaines need to do the identical for the youth in his neighborhood — a lot in order that he would not envision severing ties with Englewood.

“Till the work is finished right here, that is once I’ll truly take into consideration leaving,” he mentioned. “Englewood wants some kind of assist, particularly for younger Black males and the Black neighborhood, so till the stuff is finished right here, I need to work for Englewood.”

Hal and the opposite adults in Gaines’ life commend him for his actions.

“As we all the time say in Englewood, ‘Do not do one thing about us with out us,’ ” Hal mentioned.

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