How You Can Build an 8-Figure Influencer Marketing Strategy (That Actually Works)

0:00Indie beauty brands were really gaining traction in the category and really causing the big heritage brands to pause and take a look at their marketing efforts. Hey, thanks for tuning in to Shopify Masters. I'm your host, Shuang Esther Shan, and this is your companion for starting and scaling a business. Since 2015, Kopari Beauty has grown from one hero product into a eight-figure business with an entire body care line that's 100 % vegan and cruelty-free. My guest today is Toril Patel, the VP of Marketing and e-commerce since 2021, leaving behind her career at companies like L 'Oreal and Estee Lauder to make a big impact.

0:49Under her leadership, the brand achieved one of the highest conversion rates in prestige skincare for influencer marketing. Toril is here to chat about building authentic relationships and a content machine that turns one creator's collabs into months of profitable ads. Toril, welcome to the show. Oh, thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here. It's so great to have you here. I know that before Campari, you've had an extensive career. What was it about the brand and the team that really spoke to you? Yeah, absolutely. I have been working in primarily in beauty for many, many years. And the majority of my career I spent at big heritage beauty companies.

1:33I started my career at L 'Oreal working in masks, those, you know, L 'Oreal Paris, which is one of the biggest brands in mass, primarily in skincare. And so that's really where I got my start. And for a few years, I stepped outside of beauty where I worked at American Express, had an amazing experience there as well, but really just found myself itching to go back to the beauty industry. And so from American Express, I went on to Estee Lauder. And this was around the time that indie beauty brands were really gaining traction in the category and really causing the big heritage brands to pause and take a look at their marketing efforts.

2:20And they really were challenging what the norms of beauty brands were. And so we would spend a lot of time when I was at Lauder learning about and talking about what all these indie brands were doing to drive that accelerated growth. And at a certain point, I just realized that I wanted to be a part of that growth and that momentum on the side of those indie brands. And so Kopari Beauty was a brand that we talked about. It was one of the pioneers of clean beauty. and was really creating a movement around what our expectations of ingredients and clean are when it comes to personal care and body care.

3:10And so when there was an opportunity at Copari, I was immediately interested. And I knew that actually a former colleague of mine from L 'Oreal became the CEO of Copari. And so when I met with the team, I was just immediately engaged. They just seemed like such a smart team with so many big ideas. And I immediately knew that it was an opportunity that I had to really jump on. It's such an exciting brand to be a part of with so much growth over the years. You joined in 2021. one. What were some of the first steps you did to take an assessment of the market and look for ways to grow the team even more and kind of reach new heights of growth?

3:58Yeah, I mean, when I came on, there was a lot of change. It was during COVID. And so I was working remotely. And the team is, was based out of La Jolla. And I was the first remote hire in New Jersey at the time. I'm now based in LA, but at the time I was in New Jersey. And it was really difficult because I basically had to build an entirely new D2C team. And I should mention that when I came on, I was just overseeing D2C e-commerce at Kopari. And so I was really charged with growing that channel. And I essentially was able to rebuild the team over there and in doing so really focus on building our expertise in-house.

4:47Until that point, we had been using agency, sort of the traditional way of, you know, agency and brand. And we, of course, had some expertise in-house. But what I did about a year in after making the hires onto the team, what we did is transitioned our media influencer affiliate everything to in-house. And so we owned it all. We became really deep and knowledgeable with our ad strategy, with our content flywheel. And we were able to grow and drive success by being so much closer to it than working with an agency and being a little bit removed from all of those acquisition strategies. And retention was always done in-house, but really having more focus on retention as well has helped.

5:47Building an in-house team is so important and relevant for founders of any size, whether you're a solopreneur working with freelancers to a bigger business that's working with agencies. How did you approach this task of attracting the right talent and building an in-house team? Yeah, that's a great question. And it's something that honestly has evolved over the years. And I've really learned as I've grown our team, both on the marketing side now, as well as the DTC side of the business. And what I've realized is, of course, you need to have, especially on the DTC side, some expertise and some background in the subject that you are going to be owning, whether it's paid media, whether it's retention or e-com.

6:33However, I think the very number one thing that I want to see is passion and grit and someone's ability to really problem solve and generate ideas and work collaboratively. So it's really about the attitude that somebody has when they come in that I am hiring for just as much as I am hiring for skills. And I would say, actually, depending on the role, of course, I might even prioritize somebody's attitude and their ability to learn and their willingness to learn and really expand. Because in doing that, you know, we're always faced with new problems. We can't predict what will happen, you know, whether anything from iOS changes to, you know, new channels, TikTok shop.

7:28You really have to be able to stay nimble, be agile, and be open to learning new things very quickly. And sometimes it's not always going to be, especially at a smaller brand, there won't be a process. You know, and you just have to be willing. Someone has to be able to come in and be willing to work closely with the team, test and learn, and adapt and move forward. And not everyone is comfortable with that, you know. And so I think really finding those people that really thrive in that type of environment is really critical. And what's also important is it's hard to be collaborative sometimes when we are all working remotely.

8:16So a positive attitude and really being a team player, it does not go unnoticed. It is extremely important. And I think all of those qualities are what has allowed us to grow the members of the team that we have brought in. It drives retention because there's always growth opportunity if you're willing to learn and expand your scope. And so I think overall, a big learning for me has been to really look for that type of attitude just as much as I'm looking for a particular skill set. Yeah, the constant curiosity and also the collaboration that exists within the team is so important for whoever is stepping into a new role or even founders who are reassessing their marketing channels and also direct-to-consumer channels.

9:13What are some things you look at to make sure that your strategies are in place and those are the areas that you'll focus on when you first join a team? Yeah, I mean, I think ultimately it starts with alignment of goals. I think something that really is great about Kapari is that, of course, we set goals at the beginning of the year, and we are tracking to our goal every day, every week, every month. But because we work in such a dynamic industry, it's important to recognize that these goals might need to shift at a certain point for any given reason. For example, if you're finding that TikTok shop, for example, is really driving the overall business, maybe there's more emphasis on TikTok and we need to reevaluate those goals halfway through the year.

10:06And so I think at least starting with an alignment of what those key strategic pillars are and then the KPIs that align to those strategic pillars is really important. And then understanding how I think if somebody's coming in, we're really getting to know each group, whether it's operations or whether it's the D2C team, really understanding how everybody is working towards that goal. Of course, each business unit has its own respective goals, but collectively, we should all be marching towards the same brand company goal. And And I think understanding what everyone else's KPIs are and how they're contributing to those goals is really important.

10:52I also think it's okay to come in and if you have a certain expertise, question the way things are being done. Maybe there are new ideas that aren't being considered. Maybe there are new strategies that need to be implemented. And be willing to raise those ideas and question the convention. Actually, that's one of our Capari values is questioning the convention and not just doing things the same way we've been doing them, really thinking about whether it makes sense. And we love when people sort of raise a question and initiate a healthy debate. Yeah. And I think one of those new channels that has worked so well is the collaborations and work with creators and influencers.

11:41Talk to us about that channel and also how it's affected the business. Yeah, I mean, this has been really exciting for me. It's really something that I've been championing over the past, I'd say, year and a half, really. Obviously, we always had an influencer program. During COVID, what happened is, like so many brands, it became very remote and online. And last year, we really started pushing harder into offline, in-person experiences. And we've just seen that be so successful in that we are creating a really, and I know it's an overused word, an authentic community, which is really important to us because we want that, A, we want that feedback from our creator community, but also we want to be able to champion them and really build a collaborative environment and community between the creators and ourselves.

12:46The best way we found to do that is through in-person experiences. And, you know, of course there are KPIs. We have EMV. We're looking at video views. we're looking at posts that's, you know, and how we're increasing impressions over time. But I think community building is a little bit of a longer term strategy. You might be able to get a big pop in EMV one month due to a specific execution. But the question to my team is, how do we continue that and sustain that conversation and being top of mind. Our goal is to really stay top of mind for not only the creator community, but then obviously their audiences as well.

13:34And so we find that, again, the best way to do that is to build real relationships over the long term. Within the beauty space, influencer marketing goes hand in hand. How does Kopari Beauty stand out? And what is your philosophy around brand trips and gifting? So yeah, brand trips and gifting is something, you know, to my earlier point, something that, you know, those in-person experiences are really important. Gifting is really important because we want to get honest feedback from creators. Is this product resonating? Is it something that you're willing to include in your everyday get ready with me?

14:15Are you going to put it in your bag and actually pull it out and use it? It's something that our team is watching very closely and asking for that honest feedback from our sort of inner circle of creators. But it is a tough balance because we obviously want to treat our entire community of creators to this elevated on-brand experience. But as I said, that's why it takes time. You know, we have to balance that with, you know, our actual ability to host all of these experiences. But, you know, ultimately, we view the trips as a way to build really meaningful connection with our community and allow anyone who comes to experience this feeling of Kopari paradise that is at the heart of the Kopari brand.

15:07And so I think we definitely do both experiences and gifting. I think it's important to note, though, that we are not putting on or hosting an experience just for the sake of it. We really keep them more intimate. You know, I know for us, we want to build those one-on-one connections, as I said. And so we do tend to keep our experiences a little bit more intimate, not in any way to be exclusive. actually our brand, we really pride ourselves in being inclusive, but more so because we do want to actually get to know everyone that's there in a deep and meaningful way. Yeah. And I think because those relationships are so important because they bring so much impact.

15:55And a lot of the times when you invest in a campaign like that, it is hard for marketing teams to show the impact in a way, how are you able to justify those investments and show what you have accomplished through those interactions? Yeah, of course. I mean, that is a constant question in our minds. And it's something that, we want to get deeper into in the months and years ahead. But some of the KPIs are EMV, videos, video views, engagement all the way. And then we are tracking it against our revenue to understand if there's an impact. Of course, we know you might not be able to correlate it directly because there is a lot of other noise.

16:42You know, there might be ads running, there might be something happening in store, but we do believe that there is a correlation. We are also looking at our organic traffic to site, you know, direct traffic. That's another indicator, I'd say, or directional indicator of the results of the efforts. And then I would also say like post-purchase survey, sometimes like you hear, you know, we ask specifically, how did you hear about us? And very often someone will note a specific influencer, whether it was through gifting or it was on a brand trip or an experience, you know, that is something that we see from time to time.

17:24So it's really a triangulation of a lot of different data points. We really are working towards really narrowing in and being able to provide really more concrete, I'd say, metrics to support that investment. Yeah. For EMV earned media value, a lot of the times, you know, creators can kind of share their experiences from a trip and that would kind of have this butterfly effect on so many other touch points and so many other media coverage that traditional media seems to not have the reach for. So totally understand that. And then I guess if it's for founders who are early on in their journey, they do have limited marketing or advertising budgets.

18:10What are some advice you give for them when they're trying to think about areas in terms of influencer marketing or new channels that they should experiment with? First and foremost, I think you really have to believe in your product and that your product is differentiated. So I would start by getting feedback from even close friends or a micro-influencer community to understand why the product resonates and what people love about the product. and then take that messaging and start expanding upon it. And in terms of how you're reaching out to creators, I think it's so hard to capture the attention of creators.

18:55So if you have a really unique point of differentiation, you have to be very clear and concise about it. And so all really in the beginning, all you want for them to do is to try the product because if they love it, if they try and they love it, it will make its way into multiple pieces of content into their get ready with me, you won't have to work so hard for each post or interaction with a creator. And so I think really understanding the product and then what resonates because I will say like internally, what you think is a differentiator may not be what the creator community or your customers find to be the most compelling benefit about the product.

19:42So that's first, then going out to the creator community with that main benefit and build a small community that you have deep relationships with and then start to expand it. I also think you don't have to jump into a big dinner event or a big, big splashy trip or anything like that. I think maybe if you do have a few really deep, strong relationships with some creators that have, even if they're micros and they have a really strong community, what we found is that micro influencers, communities, their their audiences really want to see these creators succeed because they followed them from the beginning they feel really invested in their growth and success and so if you can find a few creators who really love the brand that you have a good relationship with work with those creators and create an event based on something that they're passionate about so for example if they are really passionate about working out, host a workout event with that creator featuring your product and the brand because the creator will be so grateful and happy to do that they're receiving support in something they want to do.

21:02So really thinking about how the events that you put on can be mutually beneficial. And I think that in doing so, you'll see a lot more content coming from that. You'll see a lot more engagement and you'll strengthen the relationship with the creator. And I think that I think you'd be really surprised at how their audiences will be really championing the brand as well as one that supported the creator that they love early on. And I would love to dig a little deeper to hear about some of the most impactful campaigns or partnerships that you've run to date. And why was it so memorable for the community?

21:38Yeah. I mean, there have been so many campaigns, especially lately, that I've been so proud of. But I think one that definitely stands out was a partnership that we have with Ella Holikis, who is the CEO of Confidence. She is a curvy model and influencer and really is very proud of the fact that she advocates for women of all sizes. And really what gets her excited is helping women find their own confidence. And so what we did was actually we had a partnership with her from the start of the year. And what we expanded it into is actually hosting. It was a combination of a creator event, very small and intimate, where she was able to host a confidence session.

22:37And that was in LA. and we obviously as a brand like I said are really very focused on positivity and body positivity and so it made perfect sense that we would collaborate with her on a confidence session like this so it wasn't out of left field it fit very well with the brand and we have a mutual goal in driving this same impact and so we did that in the with a small group of creators And then we followed it up with a community event where we invited in Ella's community as well as our community in the LA area to join a pool party, a Paradise Day, a really luxe pool party where, of course, they can create, capture, you know, enjoy a great time and capture great content.

23:31But the main sort of hero moment was this confidence session that she led for this larger group. And we had community come out, fly out just to participate in it. It really, really did resonate with audiences, both hers and ours. And so I think that was just a moment that I was very proud of because it showed how we can work together with our creators in a different capacity than what you might expect or see every day. And we were able to involve our community. So I think all in all, it was definitely a peak moment for the year. it's so impactful because it's meaningful and also it left a mark because it is so memorable and different from your typical influencer events and i think what's beautiful about having a touch point like that is you have this organic moment that you can also leverage for other pieces of marketing for content and then content can also be leveraged for paid ads so talk to us about some of the pipelines where one thing can actually be used by so many different channels and also perform so well in different ways.

24:52Yeah, absolutely. This is something that has taken us, it's evolved over the years, but our content flywheel, as we call it internally, is something that is really critical to our success. So we do, when we capture content, we are not channel specific all the time, most of the content. Of course, there are needs that, you know, our wholesale team might need a specific asset. But by and large, when we are creating content, we are creating it for longevity across various channels. And so we do, you know, traditional photo shoots and that is intended to be all the way from top of funnel to bottom of funnel.

25:41But then when we have a brand trip and there's creator content, we are using that in various capacities, whether, you know, we did a photo shoot with Ella actually last year. and we ended up having using one of her images in an in-store display. And then she actually was so excited about it that, you know, she had a contest where people were going in store and capturing that display and tagging her and tagging Kopari. And so, you know, it went from one image that was at a shoot that we used, of course, in the campaign at launch, but then carried through in store, carried through on social organically and engaged to community.

26:25So when we are, whether we're choosing creators or models or thinking about a shoot, we are not just thinking about it in a silo. I think it's really important that we are thinking about it across channels. And similarly, you know, when there's content on TikTok and we're seeding, you know, we're always thinking about how we can work with a creator to be able to use that content across channels. So even potentially in store, that's something that we've explored as well. And by that, I mean like TikTok content being used in store. So it's really, really critical to our success because it not only drives efficiency, but it's really that, as we all know, that sort of less polished content on TikTok that resonates across channels to drive more eyeballs.

27:24So it's really important that we, both of our D2C team and marketing team and our wholesale team are all very connected on the content. Yeah. It's powerful fuel for that content flywheel. Yeah, absolutely. And we also touched on the fact that, you know, you've improved retention so much for Campari as well. How do you increase a customer's lifetime value to make sure that they're coming back for more? Yeah, I mean, I don't think there's like a magic bullet to retention, honestly. You can't manufacture retention. I mean, ultimately, you have to have a product that people love and will come back for.

28:05You might be able to get them to buy at one time. You might be able to get it into their hands once. But for them to actually come back. It really genuinely has to be a product that they love. And so with SPF products that are seasonal, for example, we, you know, somebody might buy their SPF products at the beginning of the season and use them throughout the year. And then we have the tough job of making sure that the following year they remember, you know, they're not seeing it every day on their beauty counter necessarily. But the way that we do that is make sure that we're reminding them of our products throughout the season, what made them love it, you know, our key points of differentiation, whether it's ease of use or the glow on the skin, which are really unique to our products.

28:52And we do that through content. We do that through the reviews, top of funnel awareness campaigns, making sure that we are having the creator community talk about those specific things. and just so that when they're ready to purchase an SPF product for the season, they have Kopari top of mind. And then in terms of just making sure that every time they turn on to Kopari's site, that they have a great shopping experience, how are you kind of perfecting that experience online? Yeah, I mean, we went through a big site overhaul and our goal really was simplicity. I think we have to make the products that are our top selling products that we know resonate the best, easy to navigate to.

29:41And we have to just really simplify it because we do have a broad assortment of products. And of course, our existing community of customers may be shopping across all the products. But ultimately, we need to be focused during various seasons, especially during our sun SPF season, as we call it. And so really focusing in and making it easy to navigate to. And really, we try to anticipate all their questions and make sure they're answered on the PDP really concisely, pretty high up, through both imagery and copy. And then, of course, we're always testing. We're trying to understand how to reduce friction and making sure we're just making it an easy, simple process so that somebody can convert really quickly.

30:35And so I think the simplicity is really key. We also leverage landing pages that really help more so on the acquisition side because we can answer more questions and really think through all of the different ways that we need to speak about the product. Yeah. Landing pages are so important. Like nothing annoys me more when I click on an ad and I'm searching for the thing that attracted me to click on it and it's not there. So it's such a smart thing to think about. So to close off the show, I would love to kind of get your take on just staying on top of the trends and ahead of the trends when you're in a role that it's constantly changing.

31:20Marketing is constantly changing. Creator landscape is constantly changing. How do you stay creative and motivated? Yeah, it's a great question. And I think it kind of goes back to your first question of hiring. You know, finding people who are really passionate about the subject that they are working on. And for me, I'm so passionate about the beauty industry. I love to learn what other brands are doing. It doesn't feel like work to me. I'm genuinely excited to go into a store and look at displays. And it just never gets old. And so I think staying on top of what other brands are doing. But then also through the news and just going in store and on social.

32:06But then also I think it's important to build a close network of people who are in similar roles where you can bounce ideas off of each other. If you're in a rut or stuck on a challenge, you can freely share without fear of your ideas getting out or being judged or anything like that. I think just having that network of confidence is really important as you grow in your career. And that's something I really encourage my team to do as well. Even when you're very junior, it's really helpful. Yeah. Building community not just for the brand, but also for the industry and also for your team. Well, thank you so much for being here, Toril.

32:52Thank you. Thanks so much for having me. I had a great time. That's Toril Patel, VP of Marketing and e-commerce at Kopari Beauty. We appreciate you for tuning into the show. Shopify Masters is produced by Gogo Zoger and Alicia Clark. Our engineers are Miku Betlam and Matt Shorts. And I'm your host, Shuang Esther Shan. And we will see you every Tuesday and Thursday with brand new episodes. We'll catch you next time.