“They say it takes seven touchpoints between customer and brand before that customer will buy,” muses Sam Brown. “I think that number is a lot higher.”

As a marketing specialist for ecommerce brands — particularly product-based wellness, lifestyle and beauty — Sam Brown runs marketing anti-agency Silk Digital, which evolved over the years to drop organic social media marketing from its service lineup in favour of their signature combination: ads and emails. 

To be specific, she scales brands using paid Meta advertising and Klaviyo email marketing, a pairing which was no accident. In fact, Sam considers the combination to be a non-negotiable for brands looking to scale: “For ecommerce brands that ultimately want to grow their profits, the best way to do that is to use paid ads and email marketing together.” 

“There’s a big misunderstanding in ecommerce. Founders will see they have traffic to their website, and they wonder: why aren’t they buying? It’s because most people aren’t purchasing the first time they see a brand. We need to create this holistic system that works together to turn people into customers — and not only customers, but loyal returning customers.”

We spoke to Sam to uncover the must-knows behind these powerful platforms — and how to ensure your brand is doing it right. 

Other platforms can’t compete with the combination 

Why ads and emails? It may sound laser-focused, but it should be based on a whole-brand view. “Paid ads are going to bring in new people, build brand awareness and get attention. Then those people are probably visiting the website or engaging with your ads. But email marketing is there to nurture, build trust, and help them actually buy from you.”

She breaks it down further: “Ads bring in fresh traffic. People might click on your website, have a stalk, see what’s going on. But most visitors aren’t buying the first time they visit your website, so we need that email marketing in place to keep them engaged. For example, if they’ve added to cart and not completed their purchase, email marketing is there to swoop in and remind them: don’t forget you were interested in this product, come back and complete your purchase.”

As someone who spends most of her time on the back end, Sam explains the technicalities behind the ‘sponsored’ posts that line our Facebook feeds and Klaviyo-delivered headlines that fill inboxes. “Meta Ads and Klaviyo both use tracking pixels, or cookies, to collect data on what people are doing on your website. We can see when they’re adding to cart, viewing a product or purchasing. We can even go as far as seeing what they’re doing with your emails when they’re receiving a campaign — or interacting on your brand’s social media. It’s all data we can collect.”

We queried Sam for an example of how these capabilities realistically play out for a brand.

“If someone clicks on an ad, but they don’t buy, we can send them an email reminding them about the product — that would be an abandoned cart sequence. If they open the email but don’t click, we can retarget them with an ad. If someone buys something, we can exclude them from seeing ads for that particular product, so we’re not wasting budget on them, or we can recommend similar products to what they’ve purchased in the past. I love doing this for brands within my niche, because if someone runs out of product (like skincare, moisturiser or a supplement), we have automations set up where we know they’ve purchased this product 60 days ago, so it’ll remind them to replenish.”

When asked if she would work with a client who was investing in only ads or emails, not both, Sam answers: “In most cases, no. Because doing only half the strategy isn’t going to get results.”

“Running ads without email marketing in place would be a bit of a waste,” she explains. “You wouldn’t have that follow-up procedure or system in place to convert customers who fall off along the way, whether they got distracted from purchasing, or needed that trust and connection built first.”

“They say it takes seven touchpoints between customer and brand before they buy. I think that number is a lot higher. People would need to see or interact with your brand a lot more than that before they actually purchase from you, particularly if you have a higher priced product.”

Tracking customers to send a more relevant message 

The aforementioned tracking goes beyond simple observation — it informs marketing messaging. Sam explains how: “We need to make sure we’re sending a consistent message across multiple different platforms and touchpoints, and that those messages are relevant to where each customer is on their journey with your brand.”

“These platforms are great for tracking and seeing what people are doing online. That means we’re able to tailor our messaging and content — whether in ads or emails — to where they are in the customer journey, and how and what they’ve interacted with. So your marketing becomes more tailored to them; we’re not just bombarding them with a broad message. That’s important, because the more personalised you can be with a customer, the more likely they are to feel seen and heard. Your marketing will relate to them. That increases the likelihood of the customer purchasing without feeling like they’re being spammed.”

These capabilities allow for more specific copy and content writing that answer the exact questions, or overcome the right objections, that would move the customer closer to buying right now.  

Starting, scaling and balancing limited resources 

For brands in the soon-to-launch phase, or those growing on a limited budget, Sam explains the pieces of the marketing mix that are most important to prioritise first. 

“Start with emails, because email is one of the lowest cost investments you can make within your marketing. You pay for your subscription to your email platform, but then it’s essentially free to send emails. Of course you need to have email addresses to send to, but once you set up your key flows, they’ll be running on autopilot, which means you can generate sales without needing to spend money on ads.”

“I always suggest brands get in the habit of regularly sending emails to their database, even when they have five subscribers on their list. When that becomes a non-negotiable in your marketing, then once it comes time to run ads, you’ve built brand awareness and subscribers come to expect an email from you on a weekly basis.”

“On the other hand, when you are relying solely on paid ads, that is obviously costing you money. If your website isn’t ready to convert those visitors yet — particularly in the early days, when a lot of brand websites aren’t optimised as best as they could be — then you’re really just burning through money when you don’t have follow up flows in place. Because if you don’t have abandoned cart or welcome flows set up, and customers leave your website, that’s it.”

“In saying that, ads can also support bottom of funnel conversion where we are retargeting people online who have engaged with our brand. It’s about creating multiple touchpoints across your digital platforms and building that presence, so people are reminded they should buy from you,” she explains. “Emails are a foundational piece. Ads bring people to your site, but emails make sure they actually want to buy — and keep buying.”

When it comes to investing in email automations — such as abandoned cart flows that bring customers back without manual input — versus once-off email campaigns, Sam recommends prioritising automations above all else. 

“If you have to choose, go with email automations first,” she says. “These are the flows that work in the background twenty-four-seven, and when set up correctly, they’re going to bring in revenue without the brand having to lift a finger — or consistently create new campaigns and send them out manually. It’s all automatic. I’ve heard it referred to as having a high performing employee who never takes a break.”

She explains how to balance limited marketing resources: “Campaigns, or once-off emails, are great for promotions, engagement and building that trust and connection, but you obviously have to be actively creating and sending them. So when your team gets too busy, and you don’t have a system in place where you have regular emails going out, and you skip a week — then you’re not getting sales through email. On the other hand, if you have flows set up, they’ll be working in the background, based on how customers are engaging on your website. So start with automations, then introduce campaigns as soon as possible, so you have a solid email marketing foundation.”

How not to make ads a big, expensive problem 

Before launching paid ads, Sam recommends that brands master — not just set up — their email marketing and website foundations. “Before launching ads, make sure you have an effective welcome flow. You should have a pop-up on your website that actually adds value and entices someone to sign up, whether it be a discount, gift with first purchase or free shipping. We’ve run mystery discounts that work quite well. Either way, you need something that entices someone to join your list, and have them receive the incentive in the welcome flow.” 

“Next, you need cart abandonment and browse abandonment flows to follow up with anyone who hasn’t completed their purchase. You also need a post-purchase flow to encourage repeat purchases, but also to entice people to leave a review, because that will contribute to building trust in your brand — if customers can see on your website that other people have purchased, left a review and rated the product highly. Then continue with regular email campaigns before starting paid ads.”

Once email campaigns and automations have been set up, Sam recommends prioritising their effectiveness before driving more traffic towards them. “Before launching ads, check to see if your core email flows are actually converting. You can analyse your benchmarks, using the data Klaviyo provides, or you can work with someone like me to analyse the impact your email marketing is actually having on your business.”

“Then, you need to be sure your website is actually converting. Keep an eye on your conversion rate and make tweaks before paying to drive traffic there, otherwise you’re paying to bring people to a website that isn’t converting. Before running aids, aim for a conversion rate between 1 and 2 percent at a minimum — otherwise running ads will just give you a bigger, more expensive problem. Ads don’t mean that your website will automatically convert people.”

Meta does the hard work — leaving creative strategy to the marketers 

Are there any hard and fast rules for nailing your Meta ads? Sam shares: “Don’t boost posts through Instagram or Facebook, particularly now with the additional fee on the app. It’s a waste of money. You can set up proper campaigns within Meta Ads Manager that allow you to be more specific with who you’re targeting. You’ll get better analytics, and you can understand what’s working and what’s not. Lots of people put money behind a boosted post and think they’re running an ad, but they’re not.”

Once inside Ads Manager, how can you get the right eyes on your brand? “The power is in the creative these days,” Sam shares, referencing the copy and visual content that goes into each digital ad. “We are very lucky with the way Facebook AI has developed and continues to improve. Facebook does a lot of the work in terms of finding ideal customers for the brand — as long as we set up the campaigns correctly. Getting conversions and results is determined by the creative.”

It’s easier said than done, but testing is king: “It is definitely a jungle out there in terms of competition,” Sam explains. “Some people throw up ads and hope for the best without a real strategy behind it. But when you’re able to test multiple creatives, mixing headlines and images, using new images, sharing founder videos, trying different carousels and collections — you can find what works. But don’t just assume one style of ad will work, particularly if it’s just because you like it. There have been many times I love a style of ad I’ve created, then tested it against another style that I don’t think is going to work  — and it does. So it comes down to testing and being intentional with your messaging, not only in your ad copy, but with your creatives, too. Everything is about testing.”

While every brand is different, are there any trends that tend to work for most? Sam shares: “We’re seeing great performance across the board on ads that don’t look and feel like ads, because consumers are a lot more switched on these days. They know, and hate, when they are being sold to. So it’s important to tap into their pain points and struggles, but also their desires, and where they want to be. Customers might not even realise what those are.” 

“I love to look at the brand’s competitors and read reviews, see what people are saying, whether it’s lower-star reviews or places like Reddit and Facebook groups. I see what the customer sentiment is — what they’re saying, particularly if they’re complaining — and find ways to use that messaging and put our product in front of those people, positioning our product as the solution.”

Her final advice for taming the Meta beast? “Be really intentional with who your target audience and ideal customer is, so you can speak their language — and not focus selfishly on your product, but share how it’s a solution to your customer’s desires. Market that in your Meta ads.”

Getting the most from your marketing agency investment

“A lot of time, businesses can be taken for a ride. Agencies and freelancers, particularly in ads management, can be a bit sneaky about the results they share,” Sam explains. She operates in an agency landscape where brands and founders often aren’t sure who to trust or partner with, but for those hesitant about the investment, Sam emphasises you should look for transparency above all.

“It’s important to partner with someone who understands your business, not just by knowing who your customers are and understanding your tone of voice — though that is important. But they should understand what your goals are, which is probably to make more money. So we can’t look at emails and ads as a separate thing. Our role is to look at the big picture of your business to see how ads and emails can work together to hit your goals. You want someone who can understand the data, and provide you with honest recommendations, letting you know what is or isn’t working — while giving you a solution by saying, ‘here’s what we’re going to try next’. That transparency is really important.”

“When working with an agency or freelancer, you should look for somebody that can break things down simply for you. If they don’t, they probably don’t understand it. There are a lot of people who are sneaky with results and try to pull the wool over their clients’ eyes. You should work with someone who makes the data easy to understand. They should be willing to try new creative concepts, work together with you, bring ideas to the table, and help look beyond just the platform they’re working with you on.”

“It’s also important to understand the contribution ads are making to your business, in terms of revenue, so you understand if it’s working or not.” When asked about numbers, Sam shares: “Benchmarks vary depending on your audience, product price point, and even product type. For general purposes, click through rates on paid Meta ads, for fashion and wellness brands, should be sitting between 1 to 3 percent. Cost per click should be $0.50 to $1.50, up to $2.50 for a wellness brand. Cost per purchase would depend on your price point and average order value — this is where you need to analyse your business and work out how much you can afford to spend generating a purchase. You might be selling a product for $100, and another brand could be selling a $15 product, which is why benchmarks can be skewed. Work out how much it’s costing you to retain a customer or find a new one, then work out your margins, so you know: we can spend $100 to obtain a new customer, but we need to make sure they’re spending $300.” 

Above all else, Sam recommends looking deeper into your brand, rather than comparing benchmarks with competitors: “It comes down to looking at your own averages, then continuously aiming to improve them.”

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Based on an interview with Samantha Brown, Founder of Silk Digital

Written by Taryn Rapp of Lovenote