Building a $2M eCommerce Brand Through Community-Driven Marketing with Hema Natesan (episode 529)
Hema Natesan is the Founder & CEO at My Little Moppet, a Shopify store that’s India’s number 1 destination for healthy kids’ food. With over 7,000 verified 5-star reviews, their core marketing strategy of Community is clearly working! Founded in 2014 they now do $2 million US dollars in sales each year.
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Dive in:
[03:19] Blogging journey: from doctor to food blogger.
[07:51] Blogging: a community resource platform.
[11:50] Hiring Strategy: mold fresh talent.
[14:43] eCommerce success in India: key factors.
[17:28] Cutting ad spend, boosting sales.
[18:45] Listen to Hema’s Top Tips!
Community-Driven Marketing is Key to Sustainable Growth
Building a strong community fosters trust, loyalty, and long-term success. Hema prioritized her audience’s needs from day one by sharing helpful content on her blog. She then transitioned to products only when demand arose. Focus on “help first, sell second.” Offering free resources, like recipes and personalized meal plans, creates a sense of value and transparency. This not only attracts customers but also builds a loyal base willing to invest in your products.
Understand Your Customer’s Pain Points
Hema emphasized the importance of listening to customers to identify their challenges. Doing so helped her create tailored solutions like personalized meal plans and a WhatsApp community. To build a successful business, understand what your customers struggle with and design products or services that address those issues. This not only solves their problems but also creates a foundation for loyalty and trust.
Understand and Adapt to Local Market Preferences
Hema highlighted the importance of tailoring strategies to the Indian market. In India, WhatsApp marketing outshines email for engagement and ROI. She used this platform to communicate with customers and deliver value through meal plans and updates. Hema says analyze and adapt to the communication and buying habits of your target audience. Choose the right platform for engagement to enhance customer experience and revenue.
Diversify Marketing Strategies to Reduce Reliance on Ads
Hema successfully reduced her reliance on paid ads. She slashed her Meta ad spend from 100% to 10% without compromising revenue. She achieved this by prioritizing community-driven and organic methods. Brands need to explore alternatives to paid advertising. Diversifying can improve profitability and make your business more resilient to market changes.
Employee Development and Retention are Crucial
Hema hires freshers and trains them according to her company’s needs, providing flexibility and growth opportunities. This has led to high retention rates, with employees staying for over eight years. Invest in your team by molding talent to fit your brand’s culture and vision. Providing flexibility, like remote work, can boost morale and ensure long-term commitment.
eCommerce Book Top Tip
- Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- Pinterest marketing
Tool Top Tip
- Telegram app for team communication
Carbon Top Tip
- Switch to eco-friendly packaging. At My Little Moppet, they have stopped using plastic altogether and replaced tins with cardboard boxes.
Interview links
Related Episodes
- How Sustainability and Community are super-powering this fashion brand with Katie McCourt from Pantee (episode 373)
- The Six Core Principles of eCommerce Growth with Kunle Campbell, co-founder of Octillion (episode 453)
- How Flotsam Flo Grew through Creativity, Community, and Sustainability (episode 484)
- Leveraging Community and Customer Feedback for eCommerce Growth with Emily Hollender (episode 487)
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