Ad Apocalypse: Is Facebook really good for your brand?

Author

Steve O'Dell
July 03, 2024

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Today’s Issue of Commerce Chronicles is brought to you by TrueOps.

TrueOps is my new go-to solution for Amazon reimbursements.

It took 3 minutes to connect my Amazon account for an audit. I know this seems like a small thing, but if you’ve ever spent a little too long on user permissions (i.e. waiting for someone else to confirm their email before you can do anything) you’ll recognize how nice this is. It also shows a strong dedication to the product experience. 

Not to mention…hours later, they were already winning cases on my behalf. As a bonus, the founder Joel has been excellent to work with. I literally can’t find any downsides.

TrueOps found more money than any other reimbursement company I’ve tried. They charge less than half their competition and they exclusively hire North American auditors to do it! 

We literally get more money back for Tenzo, and pay less. It’s a win-win 😀

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Not a believer yet? Here’s a little more proof:

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It takes <5 mins to set up, even if you think you’ve already got this covered it never hurts to get a free audit to double check!

TrueOps is the most advanced solution for reclaiming your money from Amazon FBA. This is a huge win for Tenzo. 

Back to the newsletter. 🤩

This week’s topic, Ad Apocalypse: Is Facebook really good for your brand?

In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, many brand founders wonder about the real benefits of Facebook ads. At Tenzo, our decision to turn off Meta ads gave us insights into alternative growth strategies and channels. We also learned the power of true focus 🧘.

Revenue and Engagement 📈💡

Initially, stopping ads led to a revenue dip. Surprised? We weren’t. We expected it. Instead, we focused all our energy on growing the wholesale business. Instead of spending hundreds of thousands a month for an 8-month payback, we hired a sales team and invested in wholesale marketing (more on this in a later issue).

Suddenly, and pleasantly surprising, our wholesale business had its best quarter by far. Three months later, we experienced triple-digit quarterly growth. This is almost unheard of in the Food and Beverage space, but that’s the power of focus and profitable growth 💪. The growth wasn’t a direct result of stopping Facebook ads, but the ability to reallocate funds and focus on our strengths surely helped!

Growing Profitably on Amazon and Through Affiliate Sales 🌐💰

At Tenzo, we’ve also figured out how to grow profitably on Amazon and through affiliate sales on eCommerce. By optimizing our product listings, leveraging Amazon’s advertising tools, and working closely with top affiliates, we’ve seen significant increases in our online sales. This strategic shift has allowed us to reach a broader audience and drive sustainable growth without the heavy reliance on Meta ads.

Tailoring Strategies to Your Brand 🎯🚀

It's important to realize that our decision might not be the right one for your brand. One of the worst traps that inexperienced operators fall into is the trap of copying. This almost never works. While there are always good tactical things you should literally steal from competitors and peers, copying strategic long-term things isn’t one of them!

Lastly, Meta is still the dominant player in the ads game and works phenomenally for many of my friends. I’m not recommending shutting off your ads if you’re crushing it. My point is that if your company is better fit for a different channel, then you should 100% focus up and go crush it. You’ll be better for it!

Here are the best things I read, watched, or listened to last week.

High Output Management by Andy Grove. (incredible operations book)

What were you doing at age 9? (probably not this) ⬇️

Peace out 👋

Founder Tenzo & Commerce Chronicles

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